Planting Corn

[Lazy Gardener]

You can get a jump on the corn season by pre-sprouting your seeds. The goal is to get them in the ground just as soon as the cotyledon and root tip become visible. THEN, cover the rows with plastic if you have it available.

 

[Britesea]

Do you pre sprout them in damp paper towels, or what?

 

[Lazy Gardener]

Usually, I'll soak in water for a few hours, then put in damp paper towels in a zip lock. If I'm sprouting enough for a whole planting, I will soak it then put it in one of my sprouting trays. These are for making salad sprouts. They keep the seeds moist, but not waterlogged, so there is less chance of mold or rot.

 

[Lazy Gardener]

I also do same treatment for bean and pea seed.

 

[Lazy Gardener]

I can't plant for a couple more weeks either, but I'm getting the beds ready. I was thinking of doing a 3 Sisters type garden, but decided I don't really have the right space for it. So instead I'm doing the wide rows of each Sister.

This is also the first year I'm planting lots of flowers for extra pollination help. I've got some Chickling Vetch growing near the beets- the beets won't mind the partial shade and they should benefit from the great nitrogen fix from the vetch. I've also got sweet peas and poppies started. Hoping to get some Bee balm and Bee's Friend going too.

I love flowers in the veggie garden. My favorites: Nasturtium, calendula, marigold, zinnia. All are super easy, and can be started from seed if you don't want to take the time to start them indoors.

 

[Lazy Gardener]

Dick Raymond was the Troybilt guy. There's a great book written by him : "Garden Way's Joy of Gardening". He was old school, regarding pesticide use. But, his land management strategies have some merit, especially for the gardener who DOES till their soil. Wide rows, beds, interplanting, early in-row cultivating to remove weed competetion at the thread stage, perpetual crop rotation to eliminate the need for outside sourced fertility, edible green manure crops. I enjoyed his writing style. He's one of those guys that would be on my "short list" to sit down and share a meal and good conversation with!