A Gardening Question

[Sojourner]

OK so I have been planting a garden. I went all out since I have space and time to do so. I mostly planted seedlings, which I mulched around, but I also planted some seeds, and I am not sure whether I should mulch over those or wait until they have sprouted and are bigger. Anyone know?

[homeschoolmom]

because I have no idea....

[alicemary]

I would wait until the seeds germinate before adding mulch over them. If you block the direct rays of the sun, you might not get germination. Some seeds are easy to sprout, like squash, cucumber etc, but sometimes smaller seeds and harder ones, take longer(like parsley). What have you started by seed? I used to have a large garden, but because of these knees am rather limited. Have fun. Nothing feels better then picking the harvest you grew!

[Totus Tuus]

Yes, we only put soil over our seeds until they germinate. We don't pack it down, either.

[Lil Red]

i make my mom help me with my flower garden because she knows a lot more than i do

[marielapin]

It depends on whether or not you have problems with birds eating the seedlings. In my garden I plant everything from seed except tomatos and peppers, because here in florida they are a bit sketchy getting to germinate properly. The biggest problems are usually the bean plants, because part of the seeds are on the seedling when they come up, and sometimes birds will swoop by and eat them ripping the top part off the plant, killing it. If you see this happening, I would mulch with grass cuttings as soon as possible. The seeds will still come up, believe me. Otherwise, I do not put down my grass cutting mulch until after I have done my fertilizing, which is when the plants are about four to five inches tall, or right before they start to put out flowers. If the seeds are smaller, I wouldn't worry about the mulch at all. It is the big seeds that you have to watch (beans, corn, squash, cucumbers).

Edited May 15, 2007 by marielapin

[Sojourner]

[quote name='alicemary' post='1273946' date='May 15 2007, 07:53 AM']I would wait until the seeds germinate before adding mulch over them. If you block the direct rays of the sun, you might not get germination. Some seeds are easy to sprout, like squash, cucumber etc, but sometimes smaller seeds and harder ones, take longer(like parsley). What have you started by seed? I used to have a large garden, but because of these knees am rather limited. Have fun. Nothing feels better then picking the harvest you grew![/quote]
I put out a bunch of stuff ...

seedlings: corn, broccoli, brussel sprouts, eggplant, peppers, pumpkin, watermelon, muskmelon, zucchini

All the seeds I did were greens -- spinach and a couple varieties of lettuce. And I planted marigolds all around the edge of the garden as a rabbit deterrent -- I hear those (and deer) are a big problem for gardeners here. I might have to sleep outside with a shotgun ... or just put up a tall fence.
[quote name='Totus Tuus' post='1273954' date='May 15 2007, 08:09 AM']Yes, we only put soil over our seeds until they germinate. We don't pack it down, either.[/quote]
Cool that is what I did.
[quote name='Lil Red' post='1274084' date='May 15 2007, 10:27 AM']

i make my mom help me with my flower garden because she knows a lot more than i do[/quote]
The ironic thing is that when I was a kid, I used to hate gardening. In fact, when mom sent me out to weed I used to pull the wrong things on purpose so I wouldn't have to do it.

As an adult, I've really come to love it. This is my first opportunity to have a real big vegetable garden though, so I am hoping that I'm not doing all this work to feed the wildlife ...
[quote name='marielapin' post='1274123' date='May 15 2007, 11:14 AM']It depends on whether or not you have problems with birds eating the seedlings. In my garden I plant everything from seed except tomatos and peppers, because here in florida they are a bit sketchy getting to germinate properly. The biggest problems are usually the bean plants, because part of the seeds are on the seedling when they come up, and sometimes birds will swoop by and eat them ripping the top part off the plant, killing it. If you see this happening, I would mulch with grass cuttings as soon as possible. The seeds will still come up, believe me. Otherwise, I do not put down my grass cutting mulch until after I have done my fertilizing, which is when the plants are about four to five inches tall, or right before they start to put out flowers. If the seeds are smaller, I wouldn't worry about the mulch at all. It is the big seeds that you have to watch (beans, corn, squash, cucumbers).[/quote]
Yeah I don't know about birds ... all I have heard about are the rabbits and deer ... and they go for plants not seeds.

[marielapin]

[quote name='Terra Firma' post='1274257' date='May 15 2007, 03:04 PM']Yeah I don't know about birds ... all I have heard about are the rabbits and deer ... and they go for plants not seeds.[/quote]

If you have problems with deer or rabbits, my grandmother recommends sprinkling those plants with cayenne pepper. I think there are some places that sell it as a spray. Just remember to wash it off before you eat!

Since it looks like all your seeds are small, I wouldn't worry about mulching until the seedlings get bigger.

[cmotherofpirl]

[quote name='Terra Firma' post='1273732' date='May 14 2007, 11:57 PM']OK so I have been planting a garden. I went all out since I have space and time to do so. I mostly planted seedlings, which I mulched around, but I also planted some seeds, and I am not sure whether I should mulch over those or wait until they have sprouted and are bigger. Anyone know?[/quote]
Seeds should be planted 2 to 4x their diameter so if you mulch them and bury them they will never break ground. You only cover things if there is danger of frost and then use material or a bit of mulch and uncover them as soon as the temp is up again.

[Sojourner]

[quote name='marielapin' post='1274575' date='May 15 2007, 09:33 PM']If you have problems with deer or rabbits, my grandmother recommends sprinkling those plants with cayenne pepper. I think there are some places that sell it as a spray. Just remember to wash it off before you eat!

Since it looks like all your seeds are small, I wouldn't worry about mulching until the seedlings get bigger.[/quote]
Cayenne pepper is a GREAT idea! I have a huge thing of it ... I bet I could mix it with water in a spray bottle. Worth a try, at least.

[Sojourner]

[quote name='cmotherofpirl' post='1274686' date='May 15 2007, 10:30 PM']Seeds should be planted 2 to 4x their diameter so if you mulch them and bury them they will never break ground. You only cover things if there is danger of frost and then use material or a bit of mulch and uncover them as soon as the temp is up again.[/quote]
See, I was thinking something like that was probably the case. I'm glad I held off.

[Guest T-Bone]

[quote name='marielapin' post='1274575' date='May 15 2007, 08:33 PM']If you have problems with deer or rabbits, my grandmother recommends sprinkling those plants with cayenne pepper. I think there are some places that sell it as a spray. Just remember to wash it off before you eat![/quote]

If you're growing cayenne peppers, do you still need to use the spray?

[Sojourner]

[quote name='T-Bone' post='1274694' date='May 15 2007, 10:33 PM']If you're growing cayenne peppers, do you still need to use the spray?[/quote]
yes

but you don't need to wash it off before using them

[jckinsman]

Broccoli is fun to grow! But you really need the space for it! I buy all veggie starts,from seedlings and flowers from seeds! By the way..............washington deer eat marigolds, peppers and garbage of any kind! They're mutant I tell you!!!! Roses are candy to them!..................and the rabbits.....don't get me started!

[Guest T-Bone]

Cougar urine sprayed around your garden will keep almost any animal out of it.

[homeschoolmom]

[quote name='T-Bone' post='1274895' date='May 16 2007, 03:12 AM']Cougar urine sprayed around your garden will keep almost any animal out of it.[/quote]
Ick... including humans...

[marielapin]

[quote name='T-Bone' post='1274694' date='May 15 2007, 10:33 PM']If you're growing cayenne peppers, do you still need to use the spray?[/quote]

Yes, you need to spray/sprinkle anything that the deer/rabbits may want to nibble. One sniff of that pepper up their nose or in their mouth and they won't be back (plus it doesn't hurt them). Just having the pepper plants there won't deter them, they simply will not eat them and go for something else.

[marielapin]

[quote name='T-Bone' post='1274895' date='May 16 2007, 02:12 AM']Cougar urine sprayed around your garden will keep almost any animal out of it.[/quote]


lol so who sells it? Or do you harvest your own?

[jckinsman]

[quote name='T-Bone' post='1274895' date='May 16 2007, 03:12 AM']Cougar urine sprayed around your garden will keep almost any animal out of it.[/quote]
How do you get that darn cougar to urinate on your plants though?

[Norseman82]

If you are using mulch as a weed barrier, I would suggest that you leave a clearing around where you are planting your seeds...and know the difference between the plants and weeds. I'm also experimenting with a method this year using milk bottle caps. And it also helps to till the soil well before planting; my best results were when I borrowed my neighbor's power tiller; when it was unavailable last year, I decided to purchase my own.

[quote name='T-Bone' post='1274895' date='May 16 2007, 03:12 AM']Cougar urine sprayed around your garden will keep almost any animal out of it.[/quote]

I remember reading about a mixture of urine, chewing tobacco, dish liquid, and someting else that when you sprayed it by your plant bed it would keep animals away.

Edited May 17, 2007 by Norseman82