Wednesday, April 10, 2013

Indoor Gardening on A Rainy Day


Early this morning yesterday’s balmy 75º weather gave way to a massive cold front, whose arrival was announced at 3:00 A.M. by a crashing thunderstorm. That dramatic event has settled into a slow, steady rain, for which we are thankful. Spinach and lettuce in the cold frame are getting a good drink, and in the garden the newly-planted potatoes, onions, arugula, spinach and kale are soaking up the moisture, preparing to spring to life.

It’s not a day to work outside, but indoors there’s garden action. A week ago I planted tomato, pepper, parsley and basil seeds in 4-inch pots in an old baking pan. I set the pan on the heated bathroom floor and have kept them well-watered. Yesterday the Roma tomatoes popped up and today the Old German and Abraham Lincoln tomatoes are emerging. Basil also appeared overnight. Now they need light, so they've moved to the kitchen counter where they sit under a fluorescent light. The peppers will need a few more days to emerge and the parsley seeds won’t germinate for another two weeks.


Every time I pass by the seedling tray I stroke the tiny tomato plants to simulate the breeze they would experience if they had germinated outdoors. This will strengthen their stems and help prepare them for moving outdoors.

Each 4-inch pot contains at least nine seeds. The pots are filled with special seed starting mix. When the seedlings develop their first true leaves, I will transplant them into individual pots filled with regular potting soil.

Meanwhile my sweet potato experiment is going great guns. This morning I pulled four more large slips from their mother potatoes and put them in water to root. To separate a slip from its mother, I grasp the base of its stem and gently pull down. The slip comes off with just a tiny bit of the mother potato attached.


The two slips I pulled off last week already are developing healthy root systems. That they manage to develop roots and grow new leaves without soil or fertilizer seems like a miracle.


Even the recalcitrant Japanese yam is showing signs of developing a couple of sprouts. The Garnet yam has a dozen little sprouts with new ones showing up almost every day. By the time this experiment ends I expect to have at least three dozen sweet potato slips. That’s more than we will need, so I’ll have some to give away.

Now, since this lovely rain continues to fall, I’m going outside to throw some grass seed around.

Copyright 2013 by Shirley Domer

3 comments:

Jayhawk Fan said...

Thanks for sharing your seed-starting garden tips! We received no moisture from the storm here, but Zach said that Boulder got a foot of snow. I've been enjoying the flock of Robins at my bird bath this evening. It's like a cocktail party!

LawrenceLinda said...

Number One Suggestion: Get out your hair dryer and blow hot air across those tomatoes. That would be a true indoor approximation to what they will receive once planted outdoors. It's called 'tough love".
Number Two Suggestion: I could use some decorative sweet potatoes. Any yellow or burgundy leaves in those experiments you are doing?

Shirley said...

But the tomatoes don't even have their first true leaves yet; they are infants. Isn't it a bit soon for tough love?

The sweet potato leaves start out burgundy, but soon turn green. These guys are practical, not pretty. But if you want some I will have plenty to share.