Placing Your Spinach Outside Beginning Today

I have recently described the important process of hardening your spinach plants and acclimating them to the weather in your area.  Today I want to let you know that I have placed all of them outside to get them ready for living outside in the garden until the harvest is over. 

Placing them outside is very easy and it doesn't take that much time as long as you have the proper temperatures that they can thrive in.  Luckily this entire week is supposed to get warmer which will allow the spinach plants to thrive in.  Temperatures at night hit a low that is just above 30 degrees Fahrenheit which is still within the threshold that these plants can tolerate.

If you are concerned about a quick freeze or a frost then you can easily bring them inside for the night and protect them from these temperatures.  A frost will easily wipe out your entire spinach harvest if they are exposed to it for any length of time.  Luckily for us spinach is very tolerant of low temperatures and can be placed outside earlier than what most people would think.

This is what I did to get them exposed to the outside environment:

Half of them are small while the other half look like they are ready to be placed into the garden.  This is because I had an additional planting that needed to be completed shortly after initially planting them.  I thought I had enough seeds that would have sprouted successfully, but this was not the case.  Instead I had to use the pots that did not sprout any spinach for another set.  Other than that I have had no set backs so far.

Make Sure to Utilize This Time for More Indoor Planting

If you are like me and want to start plants indoors from seeds, then you should make sure that you utilize all this extra time before the season.  I just did a second planting inside because a few seeds that I thought would sprout never did.  This is not the end of the world if you miss on the first try because I always make sure that I have time to plant them a second time.

I had a feeling that the watermelon, cucumbers, and pepper seeds were not going to germinate and that is why I purchased more of them during last weeks sale.  I do want to stress that you are going to need to have some patience when it comes to growing indoors because you are not getting the necessary sunlight that they need.  You can always substitute this with a florescent light which I use all the time. 

If your plants are not showing signs of germinating after three to four weeks, then it is time for a second planting.  What you can do is scratch the top surface of the soil and see if anything is about to pop through the soil.  If you don't see anything, then just make a new planting for that vegetable or flower.

Adjusting Plants to Outside Environment

One of the first things before planting your vegetables into the garden is making certain that you have given them enough time to adjust to the outside.  This is done by placing them outside each day when the temperature is right for your particular plant.  You will eventually do this for all your plants, but at the moment you should be focusing on your colder plants first such as spinach. 

Since I have planted spinach indoors it is time for me to make sure that they are ready to be placed outside.  I usually wait for the temperature to get above freezing temperatures.  Although spinach can withstand colder temperatures they are still vulnerable to frost like most other plants.  This is something to keep in mind when you are hardening them off. 

By placing them outside for short periods of time they will begin to adapt to various elements that they will face including wind, temperature changes, nighttime, sunlight, and even rain.  This will make the transition from a pot into the garden a much smoother process.  Take the time to perform this step correctly and you will be glad you did.

What Do Plants Look Like When They First Begin To Sprout?

If you are reading this post then you are probably wondering exactly what do plants look like when they begin to sprout.  I have found that this is a crucial part of gardening and if you have no clue what they look like then you will not know if your seeds have sprouted or not.

I have taken some simple pictures of the plants that have been growing while they are still in their containers inside.  I will not be growing seeds outside for another month or so.  Check out the pictures below and find out what certain plants look like when they begin to grow.

Here are a few cantaloupes that have successfully sprouted in these simple plastic cups.

Here are the Mammoth sunflowers that I planted this year.

You should also know about flowers as well.  Here is the alyssum that I planted in large plastic containers that work out best for these simple flowers.

If you want to see more images of sprouting plants then come check out this article right away: http://ericsorganicgarden.com/blog/pictures-sprouting-plants/

Bought More Seeds That Will Assist in Successful Sprouting

It is always important to have your seeds indoors or outdoors sprout otherwise you will not have a very good gardening season.  That is one reason that you should always purchase new seeds for the year.  I sometimes don't follow this rule myself and I tend to use seeds that are two years old at the most. 

If you are going to use older seeds I would recommend planting a high volume of seeds per row or per pot depending if you are planting them inside or outside.  Instead of one to three seeds in each pot I would at least double it to achieve the sprouting that is required.

The oldest seeds I had will be replaced with the new seeds that I recently purchased from Burpee.  For instance the cucumbers and peppers I had were at least three years old.  I decided to replace them and get some new ones that will be directly grown outside if the ones I planted do not grow.  It isn't a big deal because I can always perform the task of growing them outside which will work just as good.

Some flowers were also purchased because you can never have too many flowers.  Flowers are perfect for bees and other insects that could help out your garden.  For instance calendula and alyssum were on the list for this year.  I even added some queen anne's lace along with statice which can be a great addition since these flowers are rich in nectar which insects and bees need.

What are Some More Fruits, Vegetables, and Flowers You Can Grow Indoors?

For those people looking to start growing more plants in their home or greenhouse, then this simple post is for you.  There are many plants that you could start growing inside to get them their headstart, but only a few are best since they make take some time to grow.

A few that I chose to grow recently would include cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, and cantaloupes.  These three plants are what I decided to cultivate indoors because I find melons take a while to grow outside and can take longer if you don't have any bees pollinating the fruits.  I like to make sure that I have some extra time just in case these things happen.

To help in attracting bees you will need to make certain that you have the right flowers growing at the same time as well.  This time I chose cosmos, calendula, and amaranthus.  These are just a few more plants that you can easily start growing at home beginning today.

Here are Some Plants That You Must Start Growing Indoors Right Away

Now that it is a new day it is time to talk about peppers, eggplants, and tomatoes.  These three plants are what you should be starting to grow today.  It is essential that you are ahead of the growing season because this will benefit you greatly.

Now you will need to make certain that you have all the seeds necessary for planting.  It is up to you what types you will be growing during the season.  I have updated my blog with a new post that explains exactly what I will be growing including some new hybrids that were created this past year for the 2014 season.  Come check it out today.

Indoor Planting is Important Right Now

If you want to succeed at gardening, then one important aspect of it is actually planting seeds indoors just before the weather gets warm.  In particular watermelon is one that you can start indoors today.  I just planted sunflowers, alyssum, dill, queen annes lace, and watermelon to start off the garden season.  The flowers are mainly for attracting bees and beneficial insects. 

The watermelon on the other hand is to give them a head start because they take such a long time to mature that you need to utilize this time by growing them earlier.  I start them now and I live in a temperate climate so if you happen to be located in this type of climate I would recommend growing them inside today.  Try placing them in a warm spot such as a windowsill or you could also put them under a flourescent light to get them sprouting soon.

This is just some ideas that you should be utilizing and I do the same thing.  If you want to know more about this you can find out more on my blog.

Keeping You Up To Date with What I am Doing

I just want to fill you in on exactly what I have begun doing for the gardening season this year.  The only thing that I have started planting is spinach.  This is always the first plant that I start inside because giving them a head start before planting them in early spring is a great way to extend the harvest of their leaves.

I plant them in a cool place which is normally in the basement or other area that has temperatures around 40-50 degrees Fahrenheit.  These are the ideal temps that these plants will thrive in and enjoy.  Anything around 70 degrees will just not work at all and they could begin to bolt prematurely which will bring this part of the season to a bitter end.

I started this on February 20, 2014 and they have started to sprout this past week.  Although they do take a while to grow this is fine because I have given myself some room just in case they happen to not grow.  This is another reason why I start them early so that if these don't grow inside I can always make it up and plant some more directly sown in the garden.

So far this is all I have done, but this coming week I will begin planting herbs and flowers which I use to benefit the garden.  Stay tuned as I will update this blog accordingly when I have completed this task over the weekend.

Welcome to the New Organic Gardening Blog

I would like to welcome you to my brand new organic gardening blog that I have decided to put together to help those that are looking to start or improve their own gardening tasks.  If you are new to this fun and exciting hobby then you should make sure that you continue to monitor this blog as I will provide you with all the knowledge needed to get your own garden started and thriving.

I have been gardening for over 15 years and within that time I have discovered many different techniques and tricks that you could be using for a successful harvest.  I have also made many mistakes within the same time and I want you to benefit from them by not repeating the same mistakes that I have made.  Make sure that you check back from time to time and discover what new advice I have throughout the gardening season.

Happy Gardening,
Eric