Garden Planning

What features make a “good” grow light?

• “Cheap ain’t good, Good ain’t cheap”
• The red and blue light bulbs do different roles – want to make sure you have both spectrums
• Some are better for larger plants like cucumbers, tomatoes
• Some only give ability to grow nice leafy greens, microgreens
• Better lights will require more energy
• Can use a combination of grow lights and light from windows
• Can use smaller grow lights or grow lights with 4 wands, move the wands around – but it likely won’t be able to grow as much
  • Guide to Grow Lights

I’m curious if we can / should start seeds earlier this year since Spring will be coming earlier? And how do we plan for that

• Planning Resource: Old farmers almanac
• Great grow guide
• Great calendars
• Might need to experiment a little
• It’s okay if plants bolt because they can help bring pollinators and provide seeds.

Does non-soil grown food have the nutrition of soil grown food? – it’s complicated 

• Good soil is always good, but the nutrition benefits of soil grown food is still unknown. 
• Generally better to grow and eat home grown food than none at all.
• Nothing wrong with hydroponically grown.
• Keep in mind that fertilizers are not healthy either, in the process of using soil you might end up using other materials.

If you can’t start your seedlings, are there places locally you would recommend?

• Shared in chat – when I buy seedlings, I have enjoyed purchasing from Seguin Gardens in Cicero, Gethsemane and Farmers Market Garden Supply, as well as pop-up seedling sales like the Garfield Park Conservatory annual tomato seedling sale, the Tomato Man, buying at farmer’s markets, and trading with my friends who are growing perennial medicinal herbs as well
• Urban Growers Collective has seedling sales as well. Reach out to them for more information. We will have seeds and seedlings available from the African Diaspora Collection and Southern Exposure collard varieties. Will be offered in the spring. 
• Farm on Ogden does seedling sales as well!
• Go to a nursery and ask questions:
  • Do you spray with pesticides or fertilizers? What do you use?
  • Where do the seeds/seedlings come from?

Do you do succession planting with microgreens during the winter as well?

• Because of the one-cut nature of microgreens, succession planting is necessary to produce a steady supply of this crop. Sowing dates and quantities of seed sown should be based upon customer demand, delivery schedules, and varietal growth rates. As noted, different varieties grow at different rates. Keep records and modify your system as needed. (Source and More Info)

I heard it only makes sense to save seeds from heirlooms since they’re the most similar to their parent. But have you had success from 2nd generation hybrids?

• Yes. Anytime you see seeds, do a germination test. Collect seeds season after season. They might not all grow, but it is worth trying. 

Does succession planting look the same for all plants?

• Depending on your growing zone and how long your gardening season is, you can succession plant just about anything.
• Guide to Succession Planting

• Succession Planting: Succession planting, sometimes called successive planting, is the intentional staggered planting of the same crops in your garden that will allow you to harvest continuously throughout the season. This way of planting will also help you extend your season and allow you to grow different varieties appropriate for various parts of the season.
• Grow Light: A grow light is an electric light to help plants grow. Grow lights either attempt to provide a light spectrum similar to that of the sun, or to provide a spectrum that is more tailored to the needs of the plants being cultivated.
• Hardening Off: “Hardening off” is the process of getting your indoor-grown seedlings accustomed to life outdoors.
• Brassicaceae: belonging to the broccoli family – broccoli, radish, cauliflower, arugula, cabbage, kale, kohlrabi, mustard, mizuna, cress, broccoli raab, etc.
• Microgreens: Microgreens aren’t a special breed of vegetable: They’re just ordinary vegetables, any kind, that are harvested very young. Among the vegetables that are popularly eaten in micro-form are: peppery radish and arugula; tangy sorrel; ruddy beets; alfalfa; broccoli; and peas; as well as herbs such as basil and parsley.
  • What’s the Difference Between Microgreens and Sprouts? – When a seed is sown in soil, it germinates, sending out a single shoot, tipped with a proto-leaf (or pair of leaves) called a cotyledon. Properly nurtured, it can grow an inch or more in a week until it eventually becomes a full-grown plant, but we have other plans for it. We can eat it before it gets any new leaves, when it’s just an inch or two long that’s called a sprout. Once it gets a pair of true leaves, it’s considered to have graduated from sprouthood: Now it is a microgreen. If it grows further, it will become a “baby green,” and finally a full-fledged vegetable.
• Bolting: While plants do not “run away” physically, their growth may run away rapidly, and this is basically what this phrase means in the gardening world. Plants, mostly vegetable or herbs, are said to bolt when their growth goes rapidly from being mostly leaf based to being mostly flower and seed based.
  • Why Do Plants Bolt? – Most plants bolt due to hot weather. When the ground temperature goes above a certain temperature, this flips a switch in the plant to produce flowers and seeds very rapidly and to abandon leaf growth almost completely. Bolting is a survival mechanism in a plant. If the weather gets to be above where the plant will survive, it will try to produce the next generation (seeds) as quickly as possible. Some plants that are known for bolting are broccoli, cilantro, basil, cabbage, and lettuce.
  • Can You Eat a Plant After it Bolts? – Once a plant has fully bolted, the plant is normally inedible. The plant’s entire energy reserve is focused on producing the seeds, so the rest of the plant tends to become tough and woody as well as tasteless or even bitter. Occasionally, if you catch a plant in the very early stages of bolting, you can temporarily reverse the process of bolting by snipping off the flowers and flower buds. In some plants, like basil, the plant will resume producing leaves and will stop bolting. In many plants though, such as broccoli and lettuce, this step only allows you some extra time to harvest the crop before it becomes inedible.

• 2024 Alamanac Planting Calendar by Zip Code
• Contemporary Farmer Inc 
• David Toledo – da*****@*******************nc.com
• Plant Chicago Upcoming Events
• Happy Leaf Grow Lights
• Passive Hydroponics
• Seed Time – Garden Planning Site 
• Cowsmo Compost – https://www.cowsmocompost.com/
• What to Grow & When
• Places to Get Seeds
  • Farmers markets
  • Sistah Seeds -Sistah Seeds grows heirloom vegetable, herb and grain seeds from across the African Diaspora, with a focus on African-American, Afro-Caribbean, and West African cultural crops.
  • Ultimate List of Black and Brown Owned Seed and Garden Shops
  • 20 Black-Owned Seed Companies to Buy from for Spring Container Planting
  • Lentils Greens Microgreens