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!
Send me some pics! I know we have some growing going on right now!
Guess what? The online modules to support Growing Teachers Throughout the Seasons are LIVE!! You can access them HERE, or check out the go link –> go.osu.edu/GTS
First up a weather report to get us through the week for planning on our season extension:
Outside in the raised beds:
Once we get to the 50 degree days and the plants start to increase their growth rate, we will need to fertilize using either the Shake and Feed or the pink crystals that mix in with water that you got from Katie, not the Aerogarden fertilizer. Make sure to follow the label instructions. Check for your fertilizers now, and if you do not have any, then contact Katie.
This week:
- All the days this week are good for harvesting, watering, and fertilizing your plants. Make sure to allow the beds to warm up before you pop the top open. Around mid-day is best. Check to see if you need to water. We have not had a lot of rain in the past week and your raised bed plants might need a drink.
- Monday/Tuesday/Wednesday – If you have transplants that need to be planted outside, these days are good for hardening off your plants. Check out the video below for tips.
- Thursday- good planting and harvest day. Water your beds if we do not get lots of rain on Tuesday. Make sure to cover your beds before you leave.
- Friday – Spring Break for CCS!
Here is a video that details how to harden off your plants prior to transplanting, to minimize transplant shock.
Once the warmer weather gets here, plus the extra sunlight, we anticipate fast growth of the outdoor veggies.
Since we are in great harvest weather, make sure you are following safe harvesting procedures. Check out this video for some safe harvesting tips.
Have questions about how your plants are doing or if they are big enough to harvest? Just send me questions and pictures to mcdermott.15@osu.edu
Inside under LED lights:
CCS Teachers – Try to plant all of your transplants outside in your raised beds and then thoroughly water them deeply before you leave for spring break! Cover your beds with season extension garden cover after you water.
Here is the transplant video if you need a refresher on transplanting:
Inside in the Aerogarden:
Hopefully your tomatoes are doing great. Let me know if you have any questions or problems. CLICK HERE for the Aerogarden tomato planting guide. If you need tomato pods then contact Katie.
I have heard that some schools have tomato plants that are growing very slowly. If you have a slow growing tomato plant, gently lift up the tray of the Aerogarden to check on root growth. Take a picture of the roots to email to me and Katie, then gently replace the tray back onto the Aerogarden. We are trying to investigate why some tomato plants are growing slower than others. One other thing to do is make sure that you shake your fertilizer bottle before you add fertilizer so that the fertilizer is mixed before you add some to the reservoir.
Basic Aerogarden Tomato Planting
- Plant just one tomato pod in the Aerogarden Harvest.
- Keep the small plastic dome on the pod until germination.
- Remove the small plastic dome after the seed sprouts.
- Thin to only one tomato plant in the system.
- Keep the other holes covered with the black or white plastic caps to keep light from entering into the reservoir with the nutrient system.
If you started in January you should have some tomato seedlings coming up. Make sure to thin to one tomato plant per pod and with the Aerogarden Harvest, it is best to only have one in the system although I have seen some teachers do two. Keep in mind if you keep two growing, they will use up water twice as fast and you will need to check and add water twice as much!
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.
Hopefully you have some good tomato growth in your Aerogarden. Once the yellow flowers open up, have your kiddos pollinate them according to Aerogardens instructions.
Do you need seeds or seed starter for your project? Contact Katie.
Any questions about your growing? Email me at mcdermott.15@osu.edu