Seed starting explained

I thought I would post some pictures of my seed starting set up. I am using the laundry room in my parents house for a crowded and uncomfortable seed starting space.  I fill the seed trays with growing mix, press thousands of seeds into the soil, and balance them precariously on a washing machine until I get them into their warm home. I have converted a spare bedroom into a growing room for the plants to get them started during the cold, gray Syracuse Spring. Here are some fluorescent lights hanging from shelves, about 1-2 inches above the little seedlings.

 With plastic covering the south facing window, the room stays between 70-90 degrees. A cozy little spot for the newest additions to Daily Harvest Farm. Although this is working, I cringe when I see these little seedlings stretch for the light given off by the fluorescent when all they really want is sunlight. They would be much bigger and a lot more healthier if grown from sunlight. I also think these plants grown under unnatural light and protected from the wind do not become mature plants that are as strong or abundant than they would be if grown outside. However, this is Central New York, so we will keep starting our seeds until the sun shines bright and warm.

As soon as the weather turn a bit warmer, to stay above freezing at night, we will transfer the seedlings into our small propagation greenhouse. We built this greenhouse from PVC pipe and covered it with 4mil greenhouse film for maximum light penetration. On a sunny day, temperatures can jump up to 100 degrees very quickly inside, but without supplemental heating it can reach freezing overnight. For the health and vigor of the pants, I will be relieved once they can be in the greenhouse full time. But I will act like a hovering parent (keeping my eye on the temperature, opening the vents when the sun is out, closing the vents if it hides behind a cloud) to assure everything is perfect. It's a delicate dance during the Spring, and such a nice, quiet warm up to summer.

The Seedlings

I have been working in my grow room to start some seeds for transplanting. With the warm weather and sunny skies I am tempted to want to get a start on everything, but I must be patient and follow my plan. I want to have things maturing right around the first farmers market of the season, and I also know we are still due for more winter. So far, the leeks and swiss chard have germinated and are growing close to the lights so they don't get too tall and leggy. Today I started flats of the early peppers and fennel. Soon to be growing are also early tomatoes, tomotillos, and husk fruits. Tomatoes do not like frost, but they also do not like being confined in little seed starting trays. They often "graduate" into bigger pots 3 times before finally being transplanted into the ground. This would also be the time to start brassica (kale, collards, broccoli) seeds for early Spring planting. However, I am not planting an early round of these crops, but will have them for the fall harvest, due to limited space and time. I really want to build soil fertility, so have decided to grow a quick, summer cover crop on part of my fields. This buckwheat cover crop will get turned under to provide organic matter and nutrients for the late planting of kale, collards, broccoli, cabbage, and cauliflower.

Introducing Daily Harvest Farm

I am so happy to finally introduce Daily Harvest Farm for the 2010 market season. After apprenticeships on organic farms from Massachusetts to Maryland, I am thrilled to begin a farm of my own. And this past year taught me just how much of a challenge it would be. Late in the summer of 2009, I began by renting land in Marcellus, NY and immediately started building soil fertility by adding compost and planting cover crops to protect the soil from the upcoming Winter. The snowy months have allowed me time to pull together my projections for crop rotation, planting and crop yields into spreadsheets. Throughout the planning process, my mantra remains - "I love Excel". This season will be a very important year for developing data and benchmarks for yield, harvest/planting timing, and marketing practices that will assist me in future years. In the meantime, however, I have had to rely on my farming experience reading and research, and advice from a few great farmers.
With the planning almost complete in early Winter, I got a feeling of ambition and decided to rent additional land on a nearby farm. Luckily, winters in Upstate NY are very long. I returned to my excel files and updated my plan for the added space. I was able to include flowers and herbs into my new rotation, which felt like a fabulous reward. So, with everything mapped out, I hit the seed catalogs. What a relief that I had a plan before even opening the front cover, as the temptation to grow everything is so great. There is an abundance of new varieties of seed, heirloom vegetables, and delicious fruits to choose from. I could have easily been careless and purchased varieties not suitable to this growing region and soil structures. I am happy to learn that lesson without actually making the blunder. The seeds have been arriving in the mail slowly, as the orders are filled, and I am getting ready to start the first of the seeds in my grow room-thanks mom and dad for the use of a spare bedroom! I will be starting seeds beginning March 1 and will continue as needed throughout the season. As seedlings get stronger and temperatures get warmer and skies sunnier, they will be transferred to a small greenhouse to await planting day.
There is still a lot of Winter left in this area before we can get this small farm growing, but the days are getting longer and the sun, when out, is warmer. I can already picture the bustling farmer's markets and I greatly look forward to being a part of that picture. It is really a joy to fill my days with work that I love; it is challenging work with many opportunities. Thanks for visiting us and please stay tuned for market information, stories, and challenges we face as new farmers.