Starting onions from seed isn’t difficult. They can be planted closely together in seed starting trays, and because they are shallow-rooted, they can be pulled apart easily when ready for transplanting outdoors. And by mid-summer, I'll have bounties of beautiful, flavorful, fat onions to enjoy and share.
Enjoy these photos.
Remember all the onions I harvested last year? It’s one of my favorite crops to pick. The onion, Allium cepa, is the most widely cultivated species of the genus Allium.
Onions require 90 to 100 days to mature from seed, which is around four months. I start seeding them after the New Year and then in spring they are transplanted outdoors in the garden.
Seed starting trays come in all different sizes and depths. I use trays with shallow compartments for planting onion seeds. These are 20-row seed flats from Johnny’s Selected Seeds. They keep varieties separate and make the removal of seedlings easy for transplanting to larger celled trays or pots later.
Because I use a lot of onions for cooking and for sharing with my family, I plant many trays of onion seeds. My head gardener, Ryan McCallister, fills the seed starting tray with an appropriate mix.
It’s best to use a pre-made seed starting mix that contains the proper amounts of vermiculite, perlite and peat moss. Seed starting mixes are available at garden supply stores. I use Miracle-Gro Seed Starting Potting Mix.
The soil should be level with the top of the tray. Ryan fills several trays first and works in a production line process.
Ryan uses the edge of a wooden ruler to make quarter-inch deep furrows.
Here, one can see the indentations in each cell.
On one side of the marker he writes the vegetable variety so we can keep track of what grows well and what doesn’t.
On the other side, Ryan indicates what color this particular onion variety is – R for red, W for white, and Y for yellow.
Ryan places a marker into one of the cells, so it is clear what variety is growing in what tray.
Onion seeds are very small, so be sure to take time dropping them into the tray cells.
Slowly, Ryan drops the seeds evenly into each compartment.
Look closely and see the seeds in a row. It is good to start larger onions from seed, so they can be harvested the same year.
Once the seeds are dropped, Ryan adds an additional light layer of soil mix, so the seeds are completely covered.
Then he tamps down lightly to make sure there is good contact with the soil.
It doesn’t take long to seed several trays of onion seeds.
The trays are all given a good watering.
And then placed into my Urban Cultivator growing system – it has water, temperature and humidity all set-up in the refrigerator like unit. He covers the trays with plastic humidity domes until germination begins. Once established, the trays will be moved out into the greenhouse where they will remain until they are ready to be separated and transplanted into the ground.
The sprouts will be selectively thinned in a few weeks. This process eliminates the weaker sprouts and prevents overcrowding, so seedlings don’t have any competition for soil nutrients or room to mature. I hope these blogs help remind you what you can do to get ready for the next gardening season.
One doesn't have to wait until spring to enjoy the fragrance and beauty of springtime blooms - just force some bulbs indoors.
Forcing is the process of speeding up a bulb’s development by simulating the conditions of winter and spring - it's a way of fooling Mother Nature and tricking the bulb to bloom before its natural time. This week, my head gardener, Ryan McCallister, planted two separate containers of amaryllis bulbs, which will erupt with magnificent trumpet-shaped blooms and a mild, sweet and delicate scent later this season.
Enjoy these photos.
These ‘Sovereign’ amaryllis bulbs from Colorblends Wholesale Flower Bulbs in Bridgeport, Connecticut are in excellent condition. They are plump, well-rounded, and free from any soft spots, or discoloration. When in bloom, the flowers will be large, orange-red, and borne on sturdy stems.
Some of you may remember the gorgeous trumpet amaryllis blooms I have forced in previous years. I love to bring them into my Winter House as soon as they open. Of all flowering bulbs, amaryllis are the easiest to bring to bloom. This flower originated in South Africa and comes in many beautiful varieties.
The genus Amaryllis comes from the Greek word amarysso, which means “to sparkle.” Amaryllis flowers range from four to 10 inches in size and can be either single or double in form.
While the most popular colors are red and white, flowers may also be pink, salmon, apricot, rose or deep burgundy, and some unique striped varieties.
When forcing, any waterproof container can be used – just be sure there is about four-inches of space below the bulbs to accommodate root growth. I selected two pan sized planters made by master potter, Ben Wolff. Ben and his father, Guy, create gorgeous pots by hand on traditional potter’s wheels. I have the largest personal collection of Wolff pottery ever known.
Each pot has a drainage hole at the bottom. This is critical, so water can easily drain and adequate air can reach the roots.
As with all our pots, the drainage holes are covered with shards on the inside to help drainage and to keep the soil from leaking out. We save all the shards from broken clay pots for this purpose.
Ryan uses a potting mix that includes perlite and vermiculite for good drainage.
He fills the pot to just under the rim with the potting mix.
He also adds a generous amount of Miracle-Gro Osmocote fertilizer – small, round, yellow coated prills covering a core of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium.
Then Ryan positions the first bulb keeping the top third of it sticking up above the soil level.
When planting more than one in a container, be sure there is at least an inch between the bulb sides and the rim of the vessel.
Amaryllis bulbs usually measure about three to six inches across.
The key to amaryllis forcing indoors is the temperature. The best, most rapid growth will occur if the container is in a room that is at least 70 degrees Fahrenheit.
These pots are big enough to accommodate three bulbs each, so Ryan positions the third in each pot.
A little more soil potting mix is added. Once positioned properly, Ryan gently packs the potting mix down to anchor the bulbs.
Here, Ryan adds some pea gravel as top dressing. This gravel will also help to anchor the heavy amaryllis stems as they grow.
Here is a view of three planted amaryllis bulbs from above – all equally spaced and ready to water.
Ryan gives each pot an initial drink. When forcing, be sure to keep the soil moist but not wet. Water only when the top inch or two of the potting mix is dry to the touch.
For now, these pots will stay on my head house windowsill where they can get bright, indirect light. And in six to eight weeks, I should have beautiful large colorful blooms atop 12- to 24-inch straight stems. I can’t wait.
It's February and still cold here in the Northeast, but we're preparing for the next growing season here at my farm - my gardeners are busy starting all the many vegetables from seed.
Many of my vegetable seeds and other supplies are from Johnny’s Selected Seeds in central Maine - a company I’ve been using for quite some time. Johnny's Selected Seeds offers a wide selection of products and provides practical solutions for both the home gardener and the professional farmer. Starting from seed isn’t difficult. They can be planted closely together in seed starting trays and then pulled apart easily when they're ready to move into larger pots or outdoors.
Here are some photos, enjoy.
This time of year my head house tables are often filled with seeds ready to be planted in trays. Johnny’s Selected Seeds is a privately held, employee-owned organic seed producer. I use many of Johnny’s seeds every year.
This is my giant half-acre garden in June. Lots of the produce grown is started from Johnny’s Selected Seeds. Together with nutrient-rich soil, I have the best crops ever.
Some of the many vegetables I always grow – giant cabbages of all kinds including green cabbage, red cabbage, Savoy cabbage, and Napa cabbage, etc.
Here is a crop of kale from last year. Kale, also called leaf cabbage, is primarily grown for its edible leaves.
I grow tons of broccoli – perfect heads of delicious and nutritious broccoli.
I also grow large beds of artichokes. The artichoke is actually the bud of a flower. The bracts, or leaves, cover a fuzzy center called the choke which sits on top of a meaty core, which is called the artichoke heart.
And don’t forget the root vegetables such as carrots. These also grow so well in my garden.
Johnny’s Selected Seeds offers hundreds of varieties of organic vegetable, herb, flower, fruit and farm seeds that are known to be strong, dependable growers.
Some of this year’s offerings include this okra variety, ‘Jambalaya.’ (Photo courtesy of Johnny’s Selected Seeds)
Johnny’s ‘Rangitoto’ spinach has uniform bright green leaves on tall, upright stems. (Photo courtesy of Johnny’s Selected Seeds)
This eggplant variety from Johnny’s is called ‘Turkish Delight.’ They have an elongated shape and a rich flavor. (Photo courtesy of Johnny’s Selected Seeds)
Johnny’s ‘Bacchus’ radishes are recommended for both early spring and fall harvests. (Photo courtesy of Johnny’s Selected Seeds)
When starting seeds, be sure to read the planting dates for each variety. Valuable information is written right on the seed packet.
Here my head gardener, Ryan McCallister, writes the seed variety on markers, so he’s ready to place it in the trays after planting the seeds. It’s also helpful to put the date of planting on the back. Ryan determines what order they will be started in trays depending on how long it takes each plant to germinate.
Seeds are started in trays like these. These can be saved from year to year, so don’t throw them away after the season. Seed starting trays are available in all sizes and formations from Johnny’s Selected Seeds.
It’s best to use a pre-made seed starting mix that contains the proper amounts of vermiculite, perlite and peat moss. Seed starting mixes are available at garden supply stores. I use Miracle-Gro Starting Potting Mix, which is effective for germinating both vegetable and flower seeds.
When possible, prepare several trays in an assembly-line fashion and then drop the seeds. Doing this saves time and simplifies the process.
Using his finger, Ryan makes shallow indentations in each cell where the seeds will be positioned.
Seeds come in a variety of sizes. Ryan drops one to three seeds into each cell compartment. It’s always a good idea to keep a record of when seeds are sown, when they germinate, and when they are transplanted. These observations will help organize a schedule for the following year.
And once the seeds are planted and covered with a layer of additional starting mix, the tray is watered and placed into my Urban Cultivator where the seeds will germinate. Seeds are usually started about two months before the last frost in an area – we will be planting seeds well into March. Are you starting some seeds this weekend?
Martha Pins
Martha Tweets
