Tomatoes

Our tomato seedlings are doing great!  Note the electrical plug on the wall for scale in this photo:

I measured the soil temperature in the centre box today...it is 11.1 degrees celsius six inches down.  From what I have read,  tomatoes prefer soil temperatures around 20 degrees celsius, though we can probably plant when the temperature is around 14 degrees celsius.  We have put the plastic cover over the central box...hopefully that will raise the soil temperature.  Still, if we plant our seedlings now, they won't be terribly happy.  I'll keep checking the soil temperature.

When we do plant them, we will plant them a bit sideways.  We'll pinch off some of the lower leaves, while leaving lots of upper leaves.  Then we'll dig a hole and put the tomato in sideways, slanted upwards.  We'll leave the leaves above ground, but bury the stem.  The stem will then form more roots, making the plant stronger.

Here is an illustrated guide.

Garden Session April 11, 2012

We have a gardening session on April 11, 2012 after school.

Soil Wetness Test:

Squeeze some soil in your hand.  If the soil holds its shape as a ball, the soil is too wet to work with.  If the soil crumbles after being squeezed, it is safe to dig the soil.

• If the soil fails the wetness test, all we need to do today is put up the plastic cover.

• If the soil passes the wetness test and crumbles when squeezed, then evenly spread all the bags of mushroom manure and Sea Soil over the middle box and mix it in with shovels.  Then put the plastic covers up.  You may remove the support pipes when working the soil.

• The plastic cover will help warm the soil, so we can plant out tomatoes early.

Garden Update

East Box  (Bean and Potato Neighbourhood)
The east box has kale and a crimson clover cover crop, in addition to the herbs at the south end.  We will probably not let the clover cover crop grow to maturity.  The plan is to plant pole beans in the north end, once it gets warm enough.  We will also plant a row of potatoes near where the beans will be.  Apparently beans and potatoes are excellent companions.  We will plant the seed potatoes soon, possibly this Wednesday, if the soil isn't too wet.  The idea is that when the potato stems pop out of the ground, it is warm enough to plant the beans.  I bought some Yukon Gold seed potatoes, and I also had some old sprouting purple potatoes that have been sitting in my kitchen for far too long.  Both of these types of potatoes are quite yummy, and sought after in food stores.

Another idea, if we want is to plant some snap peas, and have them climb a trellis.  If we do that, we should do it soon.  The idea will be to remove the peas at the same time that we plant the beans.

Centre Box (Tomato Neighbourhood)
The rye cover crop is now turned, and the apple trees have been transplanted to the big pots.  We will eventually put the apple trees in the ground, but I think they will be okay in the pots for one season.  The tomato seedlings are doing well, and were well watered in preparation for being alone over Easter.  When we plant the tomato seedlings depends on the temperature, and especially the soil temperature.  Even if the air gets warmer, the soil may stay cool for a while longer.  To help with this, I think we should put up the plastic cover over the centre box soon, in order to cause something of a greenhouse effect for the soil.  If we do this, I think we might be able to plant the tomatoes in two or three weeks. There are a number of things we can plant with the tomatoes, and we can discuss that later.

West Box (Garlic Neighbourhood)
The garlic seems to be doing well.  The broccoli seems to be ready to flower soon, and looks somewhat healthy.  Last week we removed the cauliflower crop since it was not looking healthy. The lettuce we planted seems happy in the soil, and is growing visibly every day.  In a few weeks, the cooking classes will be able to harvest fresh lettuce.  The chard we planted is still alive, and is probably developing its root system.  Once it gets warmer, I suspect it will start to grow quite quickly.

Compost Bins
Our compost bins are still maturing.  The north bin was hasn't been so happy lately, mostly since it stayed locked for a long time.  Parts of the waste got quite dry, which does not help the material decay. This week we put some fresh waste in the bin, which should give some food to the decomposers.  I also  put some dirt in the north bin, along with some dried leaves.  The idea is that the dirt contains worms and other decomposers.  The zone of dirt provides a comfortable location for the organisms before they venture out into the fresh waste.  I believe the leaf cover layer also provides a place for the worms to go when conditions below aren't ideal.

When we add new waste to the compost bins, I think it is important to bring down a shovel, and to pull back a hole in the compost into which the fresh waste will be deposited.  While you pull back the compost, you are also helping  to aerate the compost, preventing smelly anaerobic decomposition.  If we do this regularly, our compost pile will eventually come to life, and become more self-sufficient.

I don't think the compost in our bin is fully ready to be used in the garden, though I'll check it again in a couple of weeks.  If it isn't ready, that's okay.  We'll just wait until next year, and add a third bin.  In the mean time, I have bought some mushroom manure, and some sea-soil to mix into the soil.  If the weather is dry, we can put this into the soil this week.

Wed. (April 4th) after school with MEC!

1. build hoops onto centre box (need to borrow equipment from Mr. Ehler)
2. remove top soil of grey pots (along with cilantro and mint) into compost bins?
3. move apple trees into grey pots
4. turn rye

See you there! =)

The tomato seedlings are looking great.  Some of them are getting quite tall in fact, so tall that they might need some support before long.  If your tomatoes are getting very tall and thin, you can support them with disposable bamboo chopsticks.  Stick the chopstick into the soil 2 or 3 cm from the base of the plant, being careful not to damage the roots.  Gently and loosely tie the tomato to the stake, perhaps with a wire twist tie.  This will make your tomatoes less likely to break, especially when you bring them back to school.

The tomatoes I took home have only needed watering once so far.  When you do water, don't add too much.  The soil shouldn't become too water-logged.

I hope everyone is having a great break!

Tomato Seedlings Looking for a Home Over Spring Break

Our tomato seedlings are doing well.  The true leaves are forming and they look healthy.  They even survived 5 days by themselves at school.  However, they won't survive over the spring break without some help.  That's where you come in.

These plants need a home over spring break.  They need someone to watch over them, to water them when needed.  Remember, if we take good care of these baby plants, they might grow as tall as you, or perhaps taller, and each plant could yield 20 to 30 pounds or more of tomatoes!  We have 25 seedlings, but we will probably plant 15 in our garden.

Here is what you will need to do:

1. Location:  Tomatoes love bright light.  Keep the seedlings inside, with exposure to direct sunlight.  The best location would be a south facing window with a clear view of the sun.
2. Watering:  Don't overwater.  Don't underwater.  Place the pots in a tray or deep plastic dish (which we will supply) and water them from below (put the water in the tray and let it soak upwards).  You can tell a plant needs water by lifting the pot and feeling its weight.  Also, tomatoes don't like to be wet all the time, so let them dry out a bit between waterings...not too much, but enough to stop the mould from growing.  You will probably only have to water them every few days.  Finally, try not to get the leaves wet.
3. Pot Rotation:  If you leave the pot alone, the tomato will grow towards the light, which means it will grow sideways at an angle.  We want our tomatoes to grow upright, so once a day, we turn the pots around so the leaves are pointing away from the sun.  Then the leaves will move, pointing the other way back towards the Sun.  Don't touch or push the plant around as that will stress it.
4. Staking:  You probably won't have to do this, since the tomatoes probably won't grow big enough over spring break, but later we might have to use disposable chopsticks to prop up the plants up, so they don't fall over.
5. Watch, Learn, and Enjoy:  Tomato plants grow quickly, and you will be able to see the growth day by day.  Imagine these little tiny plants becoming big, and eventually giving you tomatoes you can eat.  There is something magical in that.

Seedlings Update

The tomato seedlings seem to be doing fine.  The stems seem to be reasonably thick, and the true leaves are appearing.  I think they are reasonably healthy.  As they get bigger, we will have to tie them to small stakes so they won't collapse.  We might use disposable chopsticks.

The chard and kale seedlings are however not so great.  The stems are very long and thin, and they don't seem able to support themselves as their leaves grow...this is called being "leggy".  I think this is because they were raised inside the school.  The school's temperature is quite warm and constant, while I think kale and chard like colder and more variable temperatures.  I have put the seedlings outside, and they seem to be coping with the colder temperatures so far.  We'll see...if they don't survive, we'll grow some more outside from seed.  Live and learn.