Beginner Gardening: Carrots, Onions, Radish Seeds , 1 by Gymgirl

Gymgirl wrote:
Cytf,

Be glad to help out!

What follows is my process for sowing okra seeds. You can do beets the same, except the part about the white tail applies to the okras. You may not see this when sowing the beets.

Soak the beets overnight, then either direct sow them in your garden, or in the cups for starting them inside under lights.

First, I've saved about a gazillion 6-8 oz. yogurt cups. I use ones with the wide mouths, not Yo-plait or a narrow mouth 'cause they won't slide out of those easily. The less disturbance to the root mass during transplanting, the better they take to the transplanting....

To germinate my seeds, I fill a cup with water and add 1 capful of regular old, over-the-counter Hydrogen Peroxide. Drop in the seeds, label the cup, and set it aside overnight. I usually keep the varieties separate, one per cup.

I have had little tails pop out of the seeds in as few as 24 hours, so pay attention for little white nibs on the ends, LOL! [If for some reason the water starts getting cloudy (I've soaked them as long as 4 days -- forgotten, duh...), carefully pour some off and add some fresh. No need to add more peroxide.]

Once you see a good number of nibs, it's time to plant the seeds! I use either re-purposed MG potting MIX, MIX, MIX in the yogurt cups (link below to my sterilizing process) or fresh Roots Organics Potting soil (in a green camouflage-looking bag...). Whichever one you choose (or whatever else you use), moisten the potting mix first. I use a large pan/tub, and add hot water, just until it's moistened, but not wringing wet. Scoop a handful into the cup, and make a SLIGHT divot in the soil. Your planting hole should be NO DEEPER than HALF the digit of your little finger, LOL!

Make two holes toward the middle of the cup, and drop one seed into each hole. You'll eventually snip off the weaker of the two that comes up.

I set the cups into a seed tray and grow them inside under a side-x-side pair of cheap old fluorescent shop lights, until the leaves grow about 6-8" tall. My lights are on from 7a to 11p daily, and stay 1-2" from the tops of the leaves. I raise them by stacking some cut-off pieces of lumber on each end of the lights. You can also stack the lights on some books.

I just transplanted my last flat of beets this past Saturday. Here's that process:

►First, I sprinkle some Mittleider pre-plant mix over the transplant area in my raised bed.

To make Pre-Plant Mix mix together the following:
5 lbs. lime (more than 20" annual rain) or gypsum (less than 18" annual rain)
1 ounce Boron (20 Mule Team Borax)
4 ounces Magnesium Sulfate (Epsom Salts)

The above converts to the following for a smaller batch:
10 c. lime or gypsum
1/8 c. Boron
1/2 c. Magnesium Sulfate

Sprinkle at a rate of 1 ounce per linear foot in a 4' wide bed (only use when setting new transplants). I used the tip of my trowel to lightly work it into the top 2-3" of my soil.

►Dig a hole ONLY AS DEEP AS THE CROWN OF THE BEET SEEDLING.

►Turn the seedling cup over in your hand and remove the cup from the plant.

►As gingerly as possible, set the entire root ball into the hole at the same level as it grew in the cup. [TIP: Water the seedlings 1-2 days BEFORE you transplant, so the water can drain from the cups, and the soil won't break apart when you set the root ball.]

►Back fill the hole, guiding the soil down the sides then, on top of the root ball (don't disturb it), and GENTLY pat it down.

►Once they're all set, water the transplants in with a gently spray -- I use a rain wand.

►Mulch around the seedlings to keep the ground moist between waterings. (I use broken down leaf mold for my beds).

That's about it, except maybe to sprinkle some Sluggo PLUS on top of the bed to deter slugs and snails and PILLBUGS (roly polies) from nibbling on your babies!

Hope this helps!

Linda

Pic #1 Beets transplanted 2/6/14 in RB #2
Pic #2 Beets on 02/18/14 #2
PIc #3 Beets as of 3/15/14 in RB #2
Pic #4 Beets as of 3/15/14 in RB #2
Pic #5 Beets transplanted on 02/28/14 in RB #1

STERILIZING SEED STARTING MIX http://allthingsplants.com/blogs/entry/136/


This message was edited Mar 19, 2014 10:46 AM

This message was edited Mar 22, 2014 10:28 PM

This message was edited Mar 22, 2014 10:31 PM