Chainlink Gardeners

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Comment by igz on April 1, 2011 at 2:29pm

walgreens has seeds at 3/$1.  nothing fancy, the basics, but nice and cheap

Comment by h' Zerocats on March 31, 2011 at 5:27pm

Chris, where do you get the pellets? Do you know which size they are?

I discovered by accident there are different sizes-- didn't get the deal I thought I was when they turned out to be the smallest ones.

Comment by Xavi Soto on March 31, 2011 at 1:54pm

im starting my chiles manzanos today at my bosss grow lab where we start seedlings for the talking farm. last year i planted them too late and outdoors but this year they will be in a more controlled setting and actually have time to enjoy the heat. happy day yall!!

Comment by igz on March 31, 2011 at 11:29am

i have my hops sprouting indoors right now.  them cats better stay away.  im more worried they may wanna use the put as a toilet.

Comment by Anne Alt on March 28, 2011 at 2:26pm

Fellow cyclist/gardener Karen has encouraged me to start seeds outside via the "winter sowing" method of making little greenhouses. http://www.madisoncountymastergardener.org/garden_articles4.htm

 

I just saw an article similar to what Gin posted, but it suggested 2-liter pop bottles instead of milk jugs.

 

Todd makes a good point about ventilation and better results with hardier varieties.  I wonder if snow peas could do well with this approach, since they like cooler weather.

 

Todd - Thanks for mentioning Sara's presentation. 

 

For those who aren't familiar with the location, Trailside Museum is in River Forest, which is a beautiful area for bike riding.  It's not far from the western end of the Green Line or the River Forest station on the UP West Metra line.

Comment by Todd Allen on March 28, 2011 at 12:29pm

Gin, the conventional gardening season doesn't start until May though one can get started now with protection.  Some sow directly into the ground using just the top of the milk jug or similar container.  Those protective covers are called cloches.  I believe it's a French word as it's a popular practice there.

I expect that sowing inside the container will give a somewhat similar result.
Unfortunately, it is a somewhat limited technique.  If your cloche doesn't have sufficient ventilation it may roast your seedlings on a sunny day.  Too much ventilation and your seedlings will freeze on a cold night such as the last few.

Best results will be had with generous ventilation and cold hardy plants such as spinach or lettuce or hardy native perennials.  It probably won't work for early planting of basil, cucumbers or tomatoes.  Think of the cloche as primarily being protection from high winds.

There are other inexpensive options that increase what you can start early.  We have our tomatoes set out in "Kozy Kotes"  (Wall-O-Water is a similar product).  Row cover fabric can also provide some freeze protection without causing  overheating or watering issues.  Low tunnels are  a good choice to protect an entire garden bed.  My favorite season extender is the hoop house.  More expensive but the big win is it makes gardening pleasant while cold, windy or rainy, etc.

My wife Sara will be giving a free program on extended season gardening at Trailside Museum, Sun. Apr. 17th at 1 PM, call 708 366 6530 to register.

Comment by Gin on March 28, 2011 at 8:25am

Ya--outside. Here is another link. http://www.container-gardening-for-you.com/winter-sowing.html

Comment by h' Zerocats on March 28, 2011 at 7:18am

Looks cool-- but I'm missing a piece-- do you place these outside?

Comment by Gin on March 28, 2011 at 6:44am

Fellow cyclist/gardener Karen has encouraged me to start seeds outside via the "winter sowing" method of making little greenhouses. http://www.madisoncountymastergardener.org/garden_articles4.htm

I should have started a few weeks ago, but figure better late than never. Miguel, my 4 year old son, is very excited to help me in the garden this year. And I need all the help I can get. I have big dreams, but no green thumb.

Comment by surrogatebrain on March 26, 2011 at 9:46am

I've been gardening for several years and this year I'm going to try to grow from seed.  Any help or ideas is appreciated and if it works, I'll probably have a lot of plants to share.

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