As coronavirus numbers continue to climb, people are scrambling to stock up on food. Seriously, last week Salty saw some cans of freeze-dried stuff we bought at $12 selling for three times that. Profiteering much? He was just browsing from curiosity; we’re good. Part of the reason for that is we’ve do a garden every year.
A garden is an overlooked protection from pandemic
I was looking at the food in a produce department the other day, and wondering how many human hands had touched it. Specifically, how many unwashed human hands had touched it. The folks who harvest much of the produce we eat are among the poorest, least educated, and worst supported workers in the Americas. Exactly the folks are are likely to be most hit by any epidemic disease and least likely to engage in good control measures to prevent spreading it.
Many more people have touched commercial food than garden food.**
Then I went home and shook some of my zucchini chips out of their jar to enjoy with my cottage cheese. My hands, and potentially Salty’s, are the only ones that ever touched that food. If there’s any germs on it, I’ve already got them.
Now is the time to start gardening for pandemic protection all year
The fresh seeds are hitting the garden stores. If you didn’t pick yours up cheap last year (highly recommended!), now’s the time. If you’re concerned about stores closing, well just go set yourself up for the year right now. One problem solved.
I just spend a couple of hours starting seeds to plant mid-April. Some of them were from an experiment Salty and I are running on the success of a ‘survival’ seed pack we’ve had in the freezer for years. Others were a different experiment. I saved seeds from some of my own haul over the last few years and I’m planting seeds of various ages to see how they perform after standard storage. The rest were older seeds; purchased commercially months or years ago. Again, it’s a test of what will sprout when it’s not fresh. (We’ll report on what worked and what didn’t when the results are sprouted. Or aren’t.)
Some lessons already learned in the garden project
It’s the beginning of March as I write; too soon to plant in Missouri (the last — we hope– of the snow melted off of the garden two days ago). This planting was of seeds that need to be started indoors and grown to small plants before being moved outside after the last frost, for best results. When I started these seeds, I went with two approaches.
The ‘standard approach’ is to buy starter seed mix and some little trays, sort of like ice cube trays, with small wells for each future plant. So I did some of those. I used the trays made of biodegradable cardboard so I can just cut and plant; no need to remove the tender roots to put in the garden.
The trays were rather messy. Starter mix doesn’t like to wet at first. Adding mix to trays then water on top just made most of the mix float. It had to be worked into the water to actually get it moist enough.
On the up side, all of these materials are shelf stable to eternity. Don’t get them outright wet and you’re golden. Hot, cold, freeze, thaw, sunlight, Whatevs.
Peat pods for garden starters
Salty also found some peat pods. These are little dried discs of peat, wrapped in a biodegradable thin fabric. They expand when you put them in them in water. You poke a few seeds into the top of the expanded pods. Once the plants are ready the whole pods go into the garden.
Peat pods give are an easy answer to start plants for the garden.
We’ll see if one works better for sprouting; but as for the process: Peat Pods RULE. So easy to prep and plant, no mess. I’m Seriously rooting (HAH yes I did that on purpose!) for these to be successful because I love using them. The dried discs are also completely shelf-stable and unconcerned with storage conditions if you don’t get them outright wet.
Food production is a prepper skill that takes practice
Yeah, we’ve said it before and we’ll say it again: Putting a ‘garden in a box’ in the freezer does not make you prepared to grow a garden. Successful food production doesn’t take a lot of space or much materials. Seeds take up almost no room, and you can get by with just a few tools at need.
What it does take is prepared soil, knowledge of what works in your area, and experience in defending from pests. Or it takes having planted edible perennials. Once that work’s done, food production from it becomes pretty danged easy. Now’s a great time to start!
* We don’t have any sponsorship agreement or anything, but I wanted to throw a link in here so you know what I’m talking about when I say “peat pods”, aka “peat pellets”.
** Thanks for the image to Alex Proimos from Sydney, Australia / CC BY (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)
A member of my household works (top salesperson) at a landscape-growing nursery that uses those cardboard-like containers for mostly trees and berry shrubs. Small garden starts are grown in flexible plastic. Medium plants (up to 1 gallon size) are grown in a harder-firmer plastic, and many items much larger are grown in recycled cardboard containers, or come tied in a burlap bundle that is often just placed into the ground, as is, and under the assumption that the burlap will rot in the ground when the roots need more space.
Trees and berry bushes grow worst for us in South WI and Northern IL (largely sandy loam soil, often with broken up limestone slabs underneath topsoil or with glacial hardpack gravel under 1-4 feet of topsoil.
I am the “hole digger” and everything we plant gets peat-moss and tiny granular fertilizer beyond the growing mix already surrounding the root ball of the plant or tree.
Here were our results.
1. When we first used the cardboard pot we were told to cut at least 4 cuts vertically around the pot and plant it, so the roots could spread; and for burlap it takes years to rot away so it strangles the roots if not cut into pieces (and what you can pull out, do it). The problem there was that many of the roots were already root-bound, that is growing in a circle following the path of the inside of the container. Every single one of those food plants did poorly, and most of those we dug out and replaced after a year or two+ (very frustrating considering the cost, work, and watering done for no gain). Those containers are for the convenience of the grower for shipping, who uses a non-sturdy growing mix to get plants to grow fast. I am not faulting growers for having to do this. But when nurseries hire (at cheap wages) people who have never grown anything, but like plants, those people don’t know how to plant cardboard and burlap container plants.
There are two growing problems using them. First the cardboard does not bio-degrade fast enough for the roots to grow out for healthy growth. Second, the root bound roots (roots are growing in a circle, easily seen at the bottom and sides of the container cannot easily grow outward when they have been trained to grow into a root-knot, and when they start “fattening up” they crush one another—the whole root system becomes like a tumor. It is not the natural way that roots grow for healthy plants. If there is a third problem it is in-ground grubs and pests that have a feast when all the roots are condensed in one place, and they don’t have to dig through the dirt to find the next root.
What we do now is make four vertical cuts from container top to near bottom in the cardboard container. Then we examine the root ball to see if it is root-bound. If it is I push my fingers into the bottom of the root ball and begin stretching the rootball, to break up the fine roots. Then I use the container to place the plant in the hole, rip away the cardboard (or cut and pull away the burlap), then add peat, best dirt or grow mix around the sides of the plant, water, and done. But without adding manure, my results are not as good as I would like.
There are more things that may need to be considered. My house was built in 1936. Plenty of former homeowners had gardens and essentially depleted the vitamins and minerals in the ground. There are companies that sell plant vitamins and minerals. Plants will not be productive if they are vitamin and mineral poor. The best stuff we ever used was a liquid manure sold in a gallon jug (yah! real liquified cow poop, raw, wet and stinky). This was good for fast growth. The second best stuff we used was year-old horse manure (a pickup truck bed load. Planted in a long mound right on the grass 7 years ago, it still works better than sandy loam for pole beans, tomatoes, etc. By the way, I dehydrated my tomatoes and cukes to “hard crisp”; put them in baggies, then into red Folger coffee containers–they were still fine after 3 years. The problem with raw dry year-old manure is that it sat in the farmer’s field for a year to dry and “ripen”. It collected a lot of field seeds, so brought weed into my yard. Many edible weeds also that were fine with me.
The problem with burlap for trees is exactly the same as the cardboard. The roots want to grow out faster than the burlap deteriorates. We didn’t know that at first planting Apricot trees. After 4 years of waiting for one apricot to remain on the tree (and yes, we removed excess apricot fruits)–we dug them out and threw them out, and started all over with peach trees.
So now you know–containers are for the convenience of growers and shippers, including you getting them to your yard. But once in your yard, you need to cut them away (and throw it away) and “open” the root ball if the roots are growing in a circle (too close together and competing with each other for nutrients). If you have to take a sturdy knife and cut the bottom of the root ball (for larger balls)
The grow mix medium isn’t even natural–it trains (so to speak) the plant to be a “sissy”–a weakling that may slow the maturing of the new plant.
Apparently the only healthy way to grow plants IS THE HARD WAY. If you want an easier solution to gardening, use raw liquefied manure or real manure, which by the way after 1 year sitting in the farmer’s field, it was still “warm” and had a mild odor (for weeks) when we first laid it out in our yard.
A member of my household works (top salesperson) at a landscape-growing nursery that uses those cardboard-like containers for mostly trees and berry shrubs. Small garden starts are grown in flexible plastic. Medium plants (up to 1 gallon size) are grown in a harder-firmer plastic, and many items much larger are grown in recycled cardboard containers, or come tied in a burlap bundle that is often just placed into the ground, as is, and under the assumption that the burlap will rot in the ground when the roots need more space.
Trees and berry bushes grow worst for us in South WI and Northern IL (largely sandy loam soil, often with broken up limestone slabs underneath topsoil or with glacial hardpack gravel under 1-4 feet of topsoil.
I am the “hole digger” and everything we plant gets peat-moss and tiny granular fertilizer beyond the growing mix already surrounding the root ball of the plant or tree.
Here were our results.
1. When we first used the cardboard pot we were told to cut at least 4 cuts vertically around the pot and plant it, so the roots could spread; and for burlap it takes years to rot away so it strangles the roots if not cut into pieces (and what you can pull out, do it). The problem there was that many of the roots were already root-bound, that is growing in a circle following the path of the inside of the container. Every single one of those food plants did poorly, and most of those we dug out and replaced after a year or two+ (very frustrating considering the cost, work, and watering done for no gain). Those containers are for the convenience of the grower for shipping, who uses a non-sturdy growing mix to get plants to grow fast. I am not faulting growers for having to do this. But when nurseries hire (at cheap wages) people who have never grown anything, but like plants, those people don’t know how to plant cardboard and burlap container plants.
There are two growing problems using them. First the cardboard does not bio-degrade fast enough for the roots to grow out for healthy growth. Second, the root bound roots (roots are growing in a circle, easily seen at the bottom and sides of the container cannot easily grow outward when they have been trained to grow into a root-knot, and when they start “fattening up” they crush one another—the whole root system becomes like a tumor. It is not the natural way that roots grow for healthy plants. If there is a third problem it is in-ground grubs and pests that have a feast when all the roots are condensed in one place, and they don’t have to dig through the dirt to find the next root.
What we do now is make four vertical cuts from container top to near bottom in the cardboard container. Then we examine the root ball to see if it is root-bound. If it is I push my fingers into the bottom of the root ball and begin stretching the rootball, to break up the fine roots. Then I use the container to place the plant in the hole, rip away the cardboard (or cut and pull away the burlap), then add peat, best dirt or grow mix around the sides of the plant, water, and done. But without adding manure, my results are not as good as I would like.
There are more things that may need to be considered. My house was built in 1936. Plenty of former homeowners had gardens and essentially depleted the vitamins and minerals in the ground. There are companies that sell plant vitamins and minerals. Plants will not be productive if they are vitamin and mineral poor. The best stuff we ever used was a liquid manure sold in a gallon jug (yah! real liquified cow poop, raw, wet and stinky). This was good for fast growth. The second best stuff we used was year-old horse manure (a pickup truck bed load. Planted in a long mound right on the grass 7 years ago, it still works better than sandy loam for pole beans, tomatoes, etc. By the way, I dehydrated my tomatoes and cukes to “hard crisp”; put them in baggies, then into red Folger coffee containers–they were still fine after 3 years. The problem with raw dry year-old manure is that it sat in the farmer’s field for a year to dry and “ripen”. It collected a lot of field seeds, so brought weed into my yard. Many edible weeds also that were fine with me.
The problem with burlap for trees is exactly the same as the cardboard. The roots want to grow out faster than the burlap deteriorates. We didn’t know that at first planting Apricot trees. After 4 years of waiting for one apricot to remain on the tree (and yes, we removed excess apricot fruits)–we dug them out and threw them out, and started all over with peach trees.
So now you know–containers are for the convenience of growers and shippers, including you getting them to your yard. But once in your yard, you need to cut them away (and throw it away) and “open” the root ball if the roots are growing in a circle (too close together and competing with each other for nutrients). If you have to take a sturdy knife and cut the bottom of the root ball (for larger balls)
The grow mix medium isn’t even natural–it trains (so to speak) the plant to be a “sissy”–a weakling that may slow the maturing of the new plant.
Apparently the only healthy way to grow plants IS THE HARD WAY. If you want an easier solution to gardening, use raw liquefied manure or real manure, which by the way after 1 year sitting in the farmer’s field, it was still “warm” and had a mild odor (for weeks) when we first laid it out in our yard.
I’ve been using peat pods for years. I start the seeds and sprout them in the pods until they get 1 to 2 inches high. Then I transplant the whole pod into plastic 3” x 3” x4” pots filled with potting soil. I typically raise my seedlings in these pots under lights or in a small portable greenhouse until they are about 8 inch tall before planting out in the garden.
Bruce, I’ll take a couple of pictures of what Spice planted yesterday and post them here on this story in the next day or so, so you all can see what she did.
I don’t know about peat pods as I have never used them…BUT what I can strongly recommend is to avoid using ANY peat pot. The advertised sales pitch is that you can start your seedlings early in peat pots and then simply plant the entire pot in the ground…where it will disintegrate and the roots spread out from there. I learned a lesson one year when I had a stunted crop that just grew slowly and never seemed to reach full potential. Later that Fall, when I pulled up the dead plants, I discovered that the peat pots were largely intact and that only a few strands of roots had managed to penetrate into the outside world. So, basically, my plants that year had grown mostly out of a coffee cup sized container. I had used peat pots in other growing seasons with mixed results…but there’s really no way to tell if the particular brand, size or lot of peat pot you have will break down…until its too late. Naturally, I do not recommend them. Now, I simply use small plastic pots. The seedlings come out nicely when it’s time to transplant…and I can reuse the pots year after year.
I’ve had that too, Brian. I soak the cardboard cups and tear them in several places before planting; that fixed it. The pod roots do grow out as they should; we’ve used them before. I had bad outcomes with the soil sticking in plastic. I just Hate tearing those lovely new roots trying to get them out of the pots…
A friend and I decided to test the seed viability of Great Value Dried Pinto Beans. 4 different bags with dates of 1 to 5 years old 10 beans each wet towel and baggie sprouting test. All of them sprouted. A couple were slower but wow. Now between us we have 40 pinto bush bean plants and ice and snow outside… May have to rebuild my cold frame to let them grow as Mothers day is normal NH garden planting time with our frosts.
Also I reuse my cardboard egg cartons filled with compost as seed starters and various plastic sliced cheese boxes-take out boxes as mini-greenhouses.
Currently I was testing the idea of re-growing Bok Choy from a grocery store “Stub” after we ate it. So far it’s well leafed out and rooting so time will tell.
VERY Interested in your seed viability of those “Survival Seeds” in a can test.
That way just before planting I use a pair of sharp tipped scissors to gently rip open the bottom. Have successfully transplanted even beets and carrots. Will be trying with cabbage this year.
Sorry messy message. After I grow my seeds in the egg cartons they are quite soggy cardboard. Easy to rip open the bottom of the egg carton segment to plant the small plant. Egg carton bio-degrades into the garden. When I first did it I ripped off the bottom and sometimes damaged the roots. So not very successful. But the “Surgical” procedure of using scissors to pry the bottom open works very well.
I’ve used egg cartons before, but had trouble keeping them from drying out too much in the course of a day. We keep the humidity very low in the house. Do you have that problem?
Spice I recycle take out containers and sliced cheese plastic boxes. I put as many egg “cells” into it as I can add soil and seeds. The I add water to the plastic box and put a clear lid on it. Instant greenhouse. Recycles the water so I just check and mist as needed. Used inside the house in my bay windows the plastic seems to last forever. I have several year old containers I was with vinegar before storing for next year. Too often I’m giving away extra plants after hardening them and already some folks have asked if I’m going to have “extras” this year.
Nice! Now I wanna check out my plastics and see what might work… So far I’ve just been tenting trays with gardener’s plastic sheeting I bought to make some frost protection in the outdoor garden.
Lots of confusion here about the peat plugs. I use Jiffy peat plugs available locally here from Walmart. I usually put two seeds in each plug. If both germinate, I cut off the weak sister. I will continue to tend the seedling in it’s peat plug until it’s about 2 inches high. At this time the seedling will usually have roots extending out of the peat plug. So all this talk about peat plugs causing root binding…….. well I don’t find this to be true with Jiffy plugs. Then I plant the entire plug into a plastic pot, then eventually into the garden. I have never experienced any problems with plants becoming root bound. All my plants do well and last year my tomatoes were six feet high! Now, the thin gausy material that forms the exterior of the peat plug does not biodegrade in one year. But, The construction of the whole plug is so flimsy that plant and root growth is not restricted in any way.