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. 

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.

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:

Any questions?  Feel free to email me at mcdermott.15@osu.edu

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.

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:

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. 

Any questions?  Feel free to email me at mcdermott.15@osu.edu

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!

For GTS participants, keep an eye open for the January survey from Lauren.

First up is a grant opportunity for you to look at that might provide funding to create or expand your school garden.  Read the application over carefully!  There are a few metrics you need to meet to be eligible.  The application is due March 1st.    Whole Kids Foundation Grant.  

Next up a weather report to get us through the week for planning on our season extension:

We have transplant days on Wednesday and Thursday. Check out the transplanting video below.

It looks like next week will be great weather to transplant seedlings outdoors.  If you cannot get transplants done this week on Wednesday or Thursday we will have a great chance next week. 

Outside in the raised beds:

So we finally have a little nice weather to pop open the row cover and see what we have growing.  Feel free to send me pics!   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 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.

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.  Email me if you have questions about that.

Hey Tim!  What if I want to keep two tomato plants in my Aerogarden?  Just realize that you will need to water more frequently since two plants use water up twice as fast. Check the water everyday, and make sure to check and add water before you leave school on Friday.

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.  Hopefully you have had a chance to start some, but if not, I still recommend that you plant some indoors under the LED lights. You start it the exact same way as you did the other seeds indoors.  Plant 2-3 seeds then thin to one per pot.  Review the seed starting video below. Let Katie know if you need more seeds or seed starter mix or fertilizer.

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. You could also transplant your lettuce outside under row cover in your raised bed.  See the paragraph below for hardening off.

If you have kale, spinach, or bok choy in the little pots and they have a few true leaves growing, you could potentially transplant them outside this week since we have a nice little period of warm weather.  They need hardened off, or acclimated to the colder weather a little bit before transplanting.  You could place the plants outdoors for a few hours each day and then plant on  Wednesday or Thursday.  Friday make sure your row cover is covering your bed as we get cold.  You could potentially plant your lettuce plants outside under the row cover, but we do have some cold left this winter and lettuce is not as cold hardy as spinach, kale, and bok choy. Make sure to harden off your lettuce transplants before you plant them for at least 2-3 days.  If you need some space under your lights you may want to try planting a few out in the raised bed however.

It looks like next week will be great weather to transplant seedlings outdoors.  If you cannot get transplants done this week on Wednesday or Thursday we will have a great chance next week. 

This week timeframe for transplanting:

• Tuesday – harden transplants outside for a couple hours, only during the middle of the day. It is chilly this day.
• Wednesday – harden transplants outside for a few hours, could transplant this day if needed. To take advantage of the rain.
• Thursday – Transplant outdoors – check out the transplanting video below. Be careful with the row cover if it is windy.
• Friday – make sure the row cover is covering the bed securely before you head home at the end of the day. It gets cold over the weekend again.

Any questions?  Feel free to email me at mcdermott.15@osu.edu