Gardening : Seeds, plants and trees ...

Seeds : What do I look for? Brand of seed? How many seeds should I plant to feed (X) people ...

I will attempt to answer these puzzling questions specifically in a series of posts that start with this one.

First off : Seed, plant and tree sources...

We have bought seeds from ALL over..

Mail order, Wal-Mart, home depot, and the dollar store and seed saver groups online.

Germination success is more dependent on *you* that the source of seeds, honestly.

I have sifted all my sources down to seed savers and Wal-mart for seeds.

Plants I buy @ Wal-Mart and Home Depot.. One note: I ask the gardening department when the truck arrives from their source. I arrive the next morning.

Trees: Bare root and leafed out are from local nurseries that grow them locally.Here are some zone temps to help locate your zone.. Click on " USDA Hardiness Zone" header to follow a link to a more precise mapped location.

USDA Hardiness Zone          Here is a brief table on what the zones mean : The Temp ranges indicated are the lowest temps during the coldest parts of the year in each area. They are used by the Department of Agriculture , thus anyone who works with "the land" and "climates" will use this information for planning crops, identifying hybrids that do well in any given set off circumstances, yields in any given zone of 'XYZ' plant and track climate changes.

Here's a list of common cities in each zone...

USDA Hardiness Zones and Average Annual Minimum Temperature Range

  Zone        Fahrenheit     Celsius            Example Cities 

1                Below -50 F   Below -45.6 C    Fairbanks, Alaska;   Resolute, Northwest Territories (Canada)

2a              -50 to -45 F  -42.8 to -45.5 C  Prudhoe Bay, Alaska;   Flin Flon, Manitoba (Canada)

2b              -45 to -40 F  -40.0 to -42.7 C  Unalakleet, Alaska;   Pinecreek, Minnesota

3a              -40 to -35 F  -37.3 to -39.9 C  International Falls, Minnesota;   St. Michael, Alaska

3b              -35 to -30 F  -34.5 to -37.2 C  Tomahawk, Wisconsin;   Sidney, Montana

4a              -30 to -25 F  -31.7 to -34.4 C  Minneapolis/St.Paul, Minnesota;   Lewistown, Montana

4b              -25 to -20 F  -28.9 to -31.6 C  Northwood, Iowa; Nebraska

5a              -20 to -15 F  -26.2 to -28.8 C  Des Moines, Iowa;   Illinois

5b              -15 to -10 F  -23.4 to -26.1 C  Columbia, Missouri;   Mansfield, Pennsylvania

6a              -10 to -5 F    -20.6 to -23.3 C  St. Louis, Missouri; Lebanon, Pennsylvania; Boise,ID

6b              -5  to  0 F     -17.8 to -20.5 C  McMinnville, Tennessee;   Branson, Missouri

7a               0  to  5 F      -15.0 to -17.7 C  Oklahoma City, Oklahoma;   South Boston, Virginia

7b               5  to 10 F   -12.3 to -14.9 C  Little Rock, Arkansas;   Griffin, Georgia

8a               10 to 15 F    -9.5 to -12.2 C  Tifton, Georgia;   Dallas, Texas

8b               15 to 20 F    -6.7 to -9.4 C    Austin, Texas;   Gainesville, Florida

9a               20 to 25 F    -3.9 to -6.6 C    Houston, Texas;   St. Augustine, Florida

9b               25 to 30 F    -1.2 to -3.8 C    Brownsville, Texas;   Fort Pierce, Florida

10a              30 to 35 F     1.6 to -1.1 C   Naples, Florida;   Victorville, California

10b              35 to 40 F     4.4 to  1.7 C    Miami, Florida;   Coral Gables, Florida

11               above 40 F       above 4.5 C   Honolulu, Hawaii;   Mazatlan, Mexico

Why do we care where seeds come from?

Seed sources and trees are very dependent on where they were grown. If a tree is grown locally, it is used to your weather swings,  it would not be alive if it were in the wrong zone. Same for seeds. Seed sources grown in our zone at the least have proved they can survive our extremes. They lived long enough to produce seed.

Plants are touchy through their hardening off period and if the source is from again, your zone ( 6a/b is my zone), I feel confidant the variety of plant will do well. I will harden it off locally so it will adjust to our least favorable weather of its year, so I am OK with that.

When do I plant things for best success?

Seeds.. Grown indoors months before they are ready to transplant are the only way to grow some veggies that do well here with the temps, but need a little longer growing time between spring - summer - Fall.. Our growing season is rather short as we are so far North.

So, when do I start the seeds indoors?

It will require a little math (*GASP*)... you need to count backwards. The times I give are approximate and a check against your numbers, OK. They are not the only time/date you can so it! remember, you want to do successive plants about a week or two apart so that all your (carrots, let's say), are not ready on a 3 day period leaving you with too many carrots to deal with, unless this is what you want!

Example:

If you live in Zone 6 as I do, the Frost Free Date Range is March 30 - April 30 and you want to plant broccoli, which should be started 5-7 weeks before the Frost Free Date, count back 7 weeks from March 30th to February 9th +/- a day . That's the earliest you should consider starting your broccoli seeds. If it seems like it will be an early spring, go ahead and start planting then between March 30 and April 30 depending on date started. However, you would probably be better off averaging the dates to April 15th and counting back from there. Holding the seedlings for a couple of weeks before transplanting won't be as stressful on them as holding them for an entire month.

Here's a rough gauge of last frost's , by zone:

• Zone 1: June1 - June 30
• Zone 2: May 1 - May 31
• Zone 3: May 1 - May31
• Zone 4: May 1 - May31
• Zone 5: March 30 - April30
• Zone 6: March 30 - April30
• Zone 7: March 30 - April30
• Zone 8: February 28 - March 30
• Zone 9: January 30 - February 28
• Zone 10: January 1 - January 31
• Zone 11 Frost Free Year Round

 So, you see.. using some easy MATH, you can have your seedlings ready at the right time of year to be transplanted and take off !The day of transplant is day 1, by the way. If the seed package says ready in 50 days, count from the transplant date 50 days forward... although some years the variables of heat, water, soil conditions and night temps can really rev-up or slow down days to harvest. Use it as a guide, not am I successful as a gardener gauge!

Plants:

Planting plants grown in a hothouse somewhere is a little easier than having to start seeds, but raise the cost a bit as most plants run about the cost of  1 package of seeds, roughly, sometimes more. Some plants will easily transplant, some will not. Be aware of the dangers of transplanting your variety ahead of time. DO not impulse buy your entire garden, you *might* be wasting time and money! Just because it is for sale, does not mean it SHOULD be on the shelf, in your town, for sale. This is the end of your growing season table...

From this graphic , you can see that not all zones are created equal and just to complicate things, each year is different. However, you can extend the growing dates with cold frames, hoop covers and a host of other ideas to keep the soil and plants warm. More on that in another post.

I will be focusing on Zone 6 , which is split between an A and B designation due to elevation variations.. I live at 2900 feet, so I take into account, both zones. I live in a hybrid micro-climate.. according to our local Ag extension office.  The Ag extension in your area is a valuable resource. They are familiar with your micro-climate and zone characteristics. They can help with beginner to Farmer level questions and can test your soil, offer classes on how-to's regarding gardening, water management and 4-H help and ideas.

Whether you are transplanting your own seedlings or planting plants bought at your favorite store, the principle is the same.

There are a few store bought transplant fertilizers, shock prevention solutions, or soils that say they will prevent or at least reduce transplant shock. I have used the product called Miracle-gro liquid quick start plant food    I have had great luck using it and a little goes a LONG way! It may not be organic, which I try and stay as close to as possible, but it saves many a seedling.

Hardening off the plants started in doors is a drudgery, but necessary step.  I haul all my seedlings out for the day and bring them in just before nightfall for about a week. They are then transplanted , given the miracle-gro product and away they go. If temps drop again, I cover my raised beds with inexpensive weed fabric - mine is gray in color so I can leave it for awhile - I staple the fabric down and leave it until the temps rise again. With the gray vs black, I really do not have to worry about too little light, too much heat or forgetting about them as I can see them ( sort of ) through the fabric. I do the same to extend the growing season over the top of greens and have frames I put over larger plants, like big boxes that go over top with 1" PVC and fabric sides. *I will post pics at a later date - its all stored for the winter! Sides can be stitched or safety pinned around the PVC. Click :  Hoop house  or cloche , these are very similar, except he uses plastic sheeting. I have tried that and it does not stand up to the winds well enough here. So, I started using the weed fabric, the gray color, not black and it has lasted 2 years so far! *Link is not the product I bought. I went to Big! Lots and bought a similar product for A LOT LESS!! Check the local Wal-Mart, home-depot and other gardening centers for local sources!

Trees:

In my zone 6a/b, I have spring and fall as idea times to plant trees of any type. Fall is more favored than Spring, but only slightly. Bare root trees can be planted in late Winter/ early Spring through end of spring, before any growth begins on the tree, depending on the year.. June 20th/ 21st is sometimes too hot, other years, not so much.

Other zones are not so restrictive. Zone 9 (and above) for example, which happens to be most of California and some of Florida, can plant year round due to their more mild climates. Use the same Miracle-gro transplanting solution I mentioned above, your tree will thank you.

LASTLY -- Sorry about the length ! 

How many plants do I need to plant per person I want to feed!?!?

Per person for common veggies planted : 

• Tomatoes: 7 plants 
• Beets: 10' row, planted and spaced as directed for variety
• Brussel Sprouts: 5 - 6 plants minimum - successive plantings, 2 weeks apart
• Cabbage: 5 plants, depending on your diet and needs
• Cauliflower: 8 - 10 per, we plant more as we LIKE it ! Freezes well.
• Chard: We never have enough - 6 plants - pull off outer leaves so as to sustainably harvest
• Corn: It does NOT do well here, no idea why - 5 ' row x 3 rows per person, longer and more is fine, successive planting, make   sure they are same height, days to harvest needs to be marked! 
• Kale: 6 plants - depending on preference - freezes well.
• Peas: A million.. no not really - 10' ready to harvest per week, that's a lot of Pea plants! Heavy yielding varieties are preferred! Freeze just fine.
• Peppers: Green: 6 plants, 4 for green peppers; 2 to ripen to yellow / red. 
• Peppers: hot ! 4 plants, depending on yield and preference
  Summer Squash: 4 - 5 plants , depending on likes / dislikes of family members
  Winter Squash: 6 plants or more depending on crop yield of some varieties
  Lettuce: 16 plants - depending on eating habits, plant 3 - 5 days apart
  
• Broccoli: 14 plants , you will have some to freeze
  Cucumbers: 11 plants - I dislike them, so I plant far fewer!
• Radishes: 10' row, do not keep long, so successive plant. One bunch from the store = +/-5 radishes.
• Greens: your favorite variety: 10' row successive planting as 1 plant = 1 serving for some of us! 

Remember these counts are Per person!  

As you see, success early in the year when you are starting seedlings or transplanting plants is a BIG deal! Especially if you want some  to can / freeze or have a lot of people to feed!