There will be a spring garden walk at Bexley Community Garden North on Thursday April 6th @ 6:30 pm. This event is free and open to the public so bring your friends and your questions!
Topics will include:
Integrated Pest Management
Crop Rotation
Soil Health
Season Extension
And what to plant NOW for spring!
April 6, 2023 6:30 p.m. Bexley Community Garden – North Garden located at Delmar Ave. & Cassady Ave. (Use 528 Cassady Ave. for GPS directions, gardens are behind the school.)
For those who could not make the Living Your Best Garden Life: Spring Planning and Planting webinar that I did in partnership with The Nature Conservancy last week you are in luck! We recorded the webinar and you can access it below:
We will be Living Our Best Garden Life: Summer on Wednesday May 3rd, 2023 @ 6:30pm. The event is free and open to the public but does require registration. Link to register is below, bring your friends and your questions so you can Live Your Best Garden Life this summer!
This is a weekly look at what is happening in the school garden to assist teacher educators engage their students in agriculture. It can be used by garden students of all ages however!
CCS GTS Teachers! Keep your eyes open on your email for an email from Lauren Preston to pick your times for end of the season focus group times. If you have not done the February survey, please fill that out this week as the last day is Friday March 31st.
Let’s check out the forecast. It looks pretty good.
Best day to transplant is Thursday, you could harden off seedlings this week for a few hours a day on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday.
Outside in the raised beds:
It looks like we have a good window of opportunity to plant outside in the raised beds. I would do my planting any day from Wednesday to Friday this week. If you have leftover seeds from fall here is what you can plant: radishes, peas, cilantro, lettuce, kale, and bok choy. Any cool season vegetable can be planted now. If you have some seeds in your classroom of other varieties let me know and I am happy to provide any recommendations or guidance.
Please Note: Plant your peas in the middle of the raised bed as they will get the tallest. Meaning down the middle in the tallest part of the raised bed.
If you have transplants in the raised bed growing right now, I recommend that you fertilize them every two weeks by mixing the pink Miracle Gro fertilizer in your watering can when you water. If you need seeds or fertilizer contact Katie and she can check to see what she has.
Keep using your row cover, we have cold overnight and while the spring plantings are cold tolerant, they will appreciate a little extra protection.
Important to Note! This week and next are really the last opportunity to plant seeds outdoors in the raised beds with enough time to get a harvest so make sure you get any seeds in the ground that you need to plant!
We are pretty much done with the need to use plastic but do not throw it away. Let it dry out and then fold it up and store it so that you can use it next year.
Inside in the Aerogarden:
Tomatoes are growing in the Aerogarden. Follow the instructions for tomato planting carefully. Make sure you are checking water levels and fertilize as needed. Make sure you check water levels each Friday before you leave school so that the water level does not drop too low over the weekend. CLICK HERE for the Aerogarden planting guide.
Keep your lights about 1-2″ from the leaves to avoid leggy plants. Remember If you started two plants in your Aerogardens, you might need to thin to only one plant or they will overwhelm the Aerogarden eventually. You will need to start pollinating your tomato flowers once they appear. Check the Aerogarden site for guidance on pollinating. You will also need to do some pruning of your tomato plants to keep them growing correctly.
All of that is detailed very well in the Aerogarden Tomato Guide –>tomato_planting_guide
Start to plan what you will do with your Aerogarden if you are leaving town for Spring Break. Take the unit home, find a babysitter, or perhaps a fellow teacher who can keep the water added and the tomatoes fertilized.
Want to share a kid-safe video with your kiddos on what hydroponics looks like growing in a greenhouse? Check out this Extension Today segment we filmed last year at Howlett Greenhouse on OSU’s main campus.
Inside under LED lights.
How do your plants look under the LED lights? Make sure you continue to fertilize every two weeks as they grow. The bigger they get the more you will have to water.
Make sure that you fertilize your outside plants every two weeks mixed in water according to the label. Contact Katie if you need more fertilizer. It is the pink crystal one for indoor seed starting and watering plants outside, not the Aerogarden fertilizer. If you have some Shake and Feed from prior years that would be a good choice.
This week in transplanting:
Monday: A good day to harden off transplants for a few hours, bring back in to your classroom overnight.
Tuesday: A good day to harden off transplants for a few hours, bring back in to your classroom overnight.
Wednesday: A good day to harden off seedlings for a few hours. A good day to plant under row cover if this is your only option to plant.
Thursday and Friday: Good planting dates. The predicted rain on Friday will be helpful to new transplants.
Be sure to re-cover your beds after you transplant.
Use only row cover and not the extra plastic layer so that the plants get watered when it rains.
Check out the transplanting video below to help with the process:
This is a weekly look at what is happening in the school garden to assist teacher educators engage their students in agriculture. It can be used by garden students of all ages however!
CCS GTS Teachers! Keep your eyes open on your email for an email from Lauren Preston to pick your times for end of the season focus group times.
Let’s check out the forecast. It looks pretty good.
It looks like we will have some planting weather going forward! I will provide guidance below in this email.
The weather predictions for the rest of the school year look great for planting, transplanting, and harvesting outdoors.
This is a great prediction for a future harvest from the raised beds.
Outside in the raised beds:
It looks like we have a good window of opportunity to plant outside in the raised beds. I would do my planting any day from Wednesday to Friday this week. If you have leftover seeds from fall here is what you can plant: radishes, peas, cilantro, lettuce, kale, and bok choy. Any cool season vegetable can be planted now. If you have some seeds in your classroom of other varieties let me know and I am happy to provide any recommendations or guidance.
Please Note: Plant your peas in the middle of the raised bed as they will get the tallest. Meaning down the middle in the tallest part of the raised bed.
If you have transplants in the raised bed growing right now, I recommend that you fertilize them every two weeks by mixing the pink Miracle Gro fertilizer in your watering can when you water. If you need seeds or fertilizer contact Katie and she can check to see what she has.
Inside in the Aerogarden:
Tomatoes are growing in the Aerogarden. Follow the instructions for tomato planting carefully. Make sure you are checking water levels and fertilize as needed. Make sure you check water levels each Friday before you leave school so that the water level does not drop too low over the weekend. CLICK HERE for the Aerogarden planting guide.
Make sure to check your water level and fertilize as needed to keep the plants healthy. Keep your lights about 1-2″ from the leaves to avoid leggy plants. Remember If you started two plants in your Aerogardens, you might need to thin to only one plant or they will overwhelm the Aerogarden eventually. You will need to start pollinating your tomato flowers once they appear. Check the Aerogarden site for guidance on pollinating. You will also need to do some pruning of your tomato plants to keep them growing correctly.
All of that is detailed very well in the Aerogarden Tomato Guide –>tomato_planting_guide
Inside under LED lights.
How do your plants look under the LED lights? Make sure you continue to fertilize every two weeks as they grow. The bigger they get the more you will have to water.
Make sure that you fertilize your outside plants every two weeks mixed in water according to the label. Contact Katie if you need more fertilizer. It is the pink crystal one for indoor seed starting and watering plants outside, not the Aerogarden fertilizer. If you have some Shake and Feed from prior years that would be a good choice.
This week in transplanting:
Tuesday: Keep the raised bed covered to build up heat, start the hardening off process by placing transplants outside for a few hours to acclimate to the outdoor world. Bring them inside before you leave for the day.
Wednesday: A good day to harden off seedlings for a few hours. A good day to plant under row cover if this is your only option to plant.
Thursday and Friday: Good planting dates. Be careful about thunderstorms. The predicted rain will be helpful to new transplants.
Be sure to re-cover your beds after you transplant.
Use only row cover and not the extra plastic layer so that the plants get watered when it rains.
Check out the transplanting video below to help with the process:
I want to thank the students at Eastmoor Academy. I had a wonderful time planting with them this morning. They named a tomato after me which is much appreciated.
This is a weekly look at what is happening in the school garden to assist teacher educators engage their students in agriculture. It can be used by garden students of all ages however!
CCS Teachers! Keep your eyes open on your email for an email from Lauren Preston to pick your times for end of the season focus group times.
The end of the week looks like we should have an opportunity for planting and harvesting outdoors.
Outside in the raised beds:
It looks like we have some cold weather (for the garden, normal for March) to start the week. I think Thursday is a good planting day for direct seeding under row cover. Take a look at your seeds: there is a chance to plant some of the things that we may not have gotten a chance to plant in fall like radishes, peas, spinach and kale seeds this week outside under row cover. A good day for this would be Thursday before Friday rain. (You could also plant Friday before the rain if you are able) That will give you a chance at a spring harvest to share with your kiddos.
If you want to check your plants make sure it is a warmer day, close to 50 degrees which is the last half of the week. It is best to open the covers closer to the middle of the day when it is a little warmer, and then close the covers up tight after you view plants or take a harvest in order to build the heat back up under the cover to protect the plants. You will need to make sure the row cover is in place Friday for sure as we get cold again this weekend. Make sure you do not have plastic over your row cover if you were using that to provide extra protection as we will have needed rainfall for the plants and the rain will pass right through row cover, but not plastic. If you have been using plastic as supplemental heat you will probably need to water as it may be dry in the raised bed. Make sure to fertilize when you water as the outdoor plants will need the feeding.
IF you want to plant any extra peas this week, try to plant in the middle of the raised bed as they will be your tallest plant eventually.
Inside in the Aerogarden:
I check the water every other day right now as the tomatoes are growing fast. I need to move the lights similarly. I pollinate and prune according to the Aerogarden tomato care guide linked below.
Make sure to cover up your unused holes in your Aerogarden. That keeps fungal disease from growing in the nutrient solution.
Tomatoes are growing in the Aerogarden. Follow the instructions for tomato planting carefully. Make sure you are checking water levels and fertilize as needed. Make sure you check water levels each Friday before you leave school so that the water level does not drop too low over the weekend. CLICK HERE for the Aerogarden planting guide.
Make sure to check your water level and fertilize as needed to keep the plants healthy. Keep your lights about 1-2″ from the leaves to avoid leggy plants. Remember If you started two plants in your Aerogardens, you might need to thin to only one plant or they will overwhelm the Aerogarden eventually. You will need to start pollinating your tomato flowers once they appear. You will also need to do some pruning of your tomato plants to keep them growing correctly.
All of that is detailed very well in the Aerogarden Tomato Guide –>tomato_planting_guide
Inside under LED lights.
How do your plants look under the LED lights? Make sure you continue to fertilize every two weeks as they grow. The bigger they get the more you will have to water.
Make sure that you fertilize your outside plants every two weeks mixed in water according to the label. Contact Katie if you need more fertilizer. It is the pink crystal one for indoor seed starting and watering plants outside, not the Aerogarden fertilizer.
This week the best day to transplant seedlings outdoors is Thursday. You would want to harden the plants off a little bit each day outdoors to acclimate them prior to transplanting. .
Check out the transplanting video below to help with the process:
This is a weekly look at what is happening in the school garden to assist teacher educators engage their students in agriculture. It can be used by garden students of all ages however!
CCS Teachers! Send me pics of what you are growing, good and bad and let me know if is OK to publish them. I want to share examples with your colleagues.
Next up a weather report to get us through the week for planning on our season extension:
It looks like we have some cold weather (for the garden, normal for March) for the next ten days or so. I will keep watch very closely to see when we can get a window of time to plant seeds outdoors in the raised beds. Take a look at your seeds: we will be looking to plant some of the things that we may not have gotten a chance to plant in fall like radishes and peas later on in March.
However,If you have extra spinach and kale seeds and did not have a chance to plant last fall, you could direct sow some seed outside under the row cover this week as well. That will give you a chance at a spring harvest to share with your kiddos. They germinate well in cold.
Outside in the raised beds:
If you want to check your plants make sure it is a warmer day, close to 50 degrees. It is best to open the covers closer to the middle of the day when it is a little warmer, and then close the covers up tight after you view plants or take a harvest in order to build the heat back up under the cover to protect the plants. You will need to make sure the row cover is in place Friday for sure as we get cold again this weekend. Make sure you do not have plastic over your row cover if you were using that to provide extra protection as we will have needed rainfall for the plants and the rain will pass right through row cover, but not plastic. If you have been using plastic as supplemental heat you will probably need to water as it may be dry in the raised bed. Make sure to fertilize when you water as the outdoor plants will need the feeding.
Here is my lettuce growing under cover. I direct seeded spinach about ten days ago and have good germination. I need to get out to thin the seedlings soon.
Inside in the Aerogarden:
Last month we planted tomatoes in the Aerogarden. Follow the instructions for tomato planting carefully. Make sure you are checking water levels and fertilize as needed. Make sure you check water levels each Friday before you leave school so that the water level does not drop too low over the weekend. CLICK HERE for the Aerogarden planting guide.
I check the water every other day right now as the tomatoes are growing fast. I need to move the lights similarly. I pollinate and prune according to the Aerogarden tomato care guide linked below.
Make sure to cover up your unused holes in your Aerogarden. That keeps fungal disease from growing in the nutrient solution.
Tomatoes are growing fast in the Aerogarden right now. Make sure to check your water level and fertilize as needed to keep the plants healthy. Keep your lights about 1-2″ from the leaves to avoid leggy plants. Remember If you started two plants in your Aerogardens, you will need to thin to only one plant or they will overwhelm the Aerogarden eventually. You will need to start pollinating your tomato flowers once they appear. You will also need to do some pruning of your tomato plants to keep them growing correctly. All of that is detailed very well in the Aerogarden Planting Guide linked below:
The Aerogarden website has a tremendous amount of content to assist with maintenance of the units, troubleshooting problems, or how to take care of the plants in the system. CHECK IT OUT if you are having problems. Make sure to check your water level every week one or two times and add as needed. Add fertilizer when needed according to the directions. Email me if you have questions about that.
Inside under LED lights: Review the video below to make sure you are thinning your seedlings under the LED lights as well as for the planting technique for broccoli if you need a refresher.
This month’s seed starting under LED lights is broccoli. Let me know if you are having any problems or if you have some great pics to share. Start fertilizing using bottom watering technique once you have some leaves on the plant.
The lettuce started last month is looking good. You can harvest the larger leaves off the plant to taste with your students, you can harvest the whole baby head of lettuce to taste with students, or you can let it grow a little bit longer. Make sure you continue to fertilize every two weeks as they grow. The bigger they get the more you will have to water.
Make sure that you fertilize your outside plants every two weeks mixed in water according to the label. Contact Katie if you need more fertilizer. It is the pink crystal one for indoor seed starting and watering plants outside, not the Aerogarden fertilizer.
This week is not ideal for transplanting. If you really need to get plants outside due to space issues under your lights then email me and we will come up with a plan.
