I
used a calendar to chart when I planted everything, counted the days
until germination, made a post on the calendar, and also marked the date
when harvest was to be expected according to the yield date on the seed
package. I thought this would help me determine planting dates for
2013 as well as when to know when my vegetables are fully grown and
ready to pick.
On another
page here on the site I will eventually be showing a chart which will include the
calendar and specific variety of each seed and plant. Eventually I will
comment on the selection, yield and if I recommend it and if I will use
that variety again.
One thing I
did not do that Richard Smith suggested was to use all self watering
pots or prepare the pots better for growing especially in the warmer
climates like South Carolina. In South Carolina things tend to dry out
rapidily, especially with the warm year we have been having so far. He
warned that since container gardening pots dry out sooner than ground
gardens that we would find we have to water more frequently. This is
very true! And now I find I should have prepared my pots/soil better to
include self watering techniques. ***Next year I will prepare my pots
better.***
There are ways
to provide your plants with proper drainage.
1. Use any pot, then
place about 3 to 4 inches of styrofoam shipping peanuts in the bottom of
each pot, then put the soil on top of it. It allows a basin of water
for the roots to reach when they begin to dry out, yet doesnt leave your
plants soggy. Each pot needs to have proper drainage with holes just
above the "styro-peanut" line.
Or
2. Use self watering pots. (which
are more expensive) I am sure there are other "methods" or "tricks" to
create "self watering" pots.
 |
Easter Dinner
with Mixed Green Salad from Garden |
Filling my
pots with soil and planting all the seeds and plants was a lot of fun. I
started them in mid March on my screened porch, put the pots in large
black garbage bags to germinate and protect from frost and put them
outside on nice sunny days. This worked well even with the frosty nights
still occuring. People cautioned me about planting too early, but I
just smiled, was stubborn and thought...."watch me, I will have an early
garden" ....and basically, I got lucky and am harvesting in April.
(Lettuce & Spinach) We actually had lettuce and spinach for a salad
out of my garden for our Easter dinner!
Along with the greenhouse, I have purchased 6 early safeguards for planting, called Wall O Water at Burpee online. I will let you know if they prove beneficial or if they were just a waste of my money. 
In 2012 I started my seeds in recycled spinach containers that I had purchased our spinach in from the produce section of the grocery store. I usually purchase Market Place Organic spinach from Wal-Mart mostly because it comes in large quantities and is cheaper in bulk. There is so much packaging now-a-days that we get and we just toss it away. I thought there should be a good use to these containers, and there was! The containers provide a little "greenhouse" setting for seeds to germinate. Some of the containers even have a bubble, raised top. I have saved and collected a few of these for next year's plantings. 
In addition to these handy containers I was able to pick up a couple "mini-greenhouse" seed starter kits on clearance at Wal-Mart. These will be a nice addition to my greenhouse for spring seed germination.
