Thanks for visiting us at Discoveries!
5/21/2022
Planting your seed ball:
Thank you for joining enSprout for another fun library program at Discoveries: The Library at the Annapolis Mall! Your seed ball contains the following seeds:
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Purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurea)
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Columbine (Aquilegia hybrida)
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Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta)
Plant your seed ball in a sunny location that gets at least 8 hours of direct sunlight each day. The best seed bomb sowing time is in the spring after danger of frost. Avoid planting your seed ball during the heat of the afternoon. Try sowing in the evening or before a rain.
Clear a small area of any existing grass or plants that might compete with the seedlings. Lightly fluff the soil to make it easy for the roots of your seedlings to grow. Press the seed ball gently into the soil so that the top of the seed ball remains visible. Water the seed ball very well.
If planting during rainy weather is not possible, supplemental watering will be necessary. Don’t let the soil around your seed ball dry out until the seedlings are at least 6” tall. Once they are established, Mother Nature will take care of watering your flowers.
Snap some photos of your seedlings and share them with us on Facebook or Instagram! Thanks for being a friend to pollinators!
Thanks for visiting us at Discoveries!
4/23/2022
Caring for your bush bean seedling:
The bush bean Blue Lake 274 (Phaseolus vulgaris), is a favorite bean crop of many home gardeners because of its reliability, great flavor, large yields and disease resistance. One or both of your new bean seeds should sprout in 4 - 10 days. Keep the soil moist but not too wet.
After there is no more chance of a frost (usually after Mother's Day in our area), and the first leaves have fallen off the plant, harden off your seedling by gradually exposing it to outdoor conditions. On a warm day, place your seedling in an outdoor location that is protected from direct sunlight and wind for a duration of two hours. Move the seedling indoors when it has reached its daily outdoor time limit, and place it on a sunny windowsill. Increase the amount of outdoor exposure each day to gradually acclimate the seedling to increasing amounts of sun and wind. After two or three days in a somewhat shaded location, you can place the seedling in a location that receives morning sun, and over time, gradually expose it to more direct sun. Exposing very young seedlings to direct sunlight too soon can scorch the leaves. Each day, the seedlings will be able to tolerate more hours of exposure to outdoor conditions. If temperatures remain warm both day and night (at least 45 degrees Fahrenheit), the seedling should be able to handle increasing amounts of sunlight and can be left outdoors overnight. Make sure the soil doesn't dry out if temperatures should suddenly turn warmer. After seven days of acclimating your plant to the outdoors, it is ready to be transplanted into the garden or an outdoor container. If possible, choose a cloudy day to do so.
Once the plant is established it will grow relatively quickly. It will grow 12-16" wide and tall. It does not require staking and can be grown in a large 10"-12" patio container, or in the garden. Once the plant is full size, it won't be long before you will start to see its beautiful while to lavender flowers appear. When the flowers fall off you will see the tiny beans start to form.
Harvest fresh beans when they are plump, but before they become lumpy and tough. Pick frequently to encourage more production. Snap some photos of your seedlings and share them with us on Facebook or Instagram!
Thanks for visiting us at the Cherry Blossom Fest!
3/26/2022
Kale Seedling Care:
Harden off your kale seedling by gradually exposing it to outdoor conditions. On a warm day when temperatures are above 45 degrees Fahrenheit, place your seedling in an outdoor location that is protected from direct sunlight and wind for a duration of two hours. Move the seedling indoors when it has reached its daily outdoor time limit, and place it on a sunny windowsill. Increase the amount of outdoor exposure by two hours each day to gradually acclimate the seedling to increasing amounts of sun and wind. After two or three days in a somewhat shaded location, you can place the seedling in a location that receives morning sun, and over time, gradually expose it to more direct sun. Exposing very young seedlings to direct sunlight too soon can scorch the leaves. Each day, the seedlings will be able to tolerate more hours of exposure to outdoor conditions. If temperatures remain warm both day and night (at least 45 degrees Fahrenheit), the seedling should be able to handle increasing amounts of sunlight and can be left outdoors overnight. Make sure the soil doesn't dry out if temperatures should suddenly turn warmer. After seven to 14 days of acclimating your plant to the outdoors, it is ready to be transplanted into the garden or a container. If possible, choose a cloudy day to do so.
Kale grows best in full sun, but will tolerate partial shade as well. Plants that receive fewer than 6 hours of sun daily will not be as stocky or leafy as those that get ample sun, but they will still be plenty edible! Once fully acclimated, space your seedling 12 inches away from other plants, or in its own container. Kale likes to have plenty of space to stretch out.
Plant your transplant at the depth at which it is growing in the container. You can even bury it with the biodegradable cardboard roll. It’s important to keep kale well watered. If rain is inconsistent, provide 1 to 1.5 inches of water per week. Mulch the soil to keep down the weeds and keep kale cool.
Kale is ready to harvest when the leaves are about the size of an adult hand. Pick one fistful of leaves per harvest, but no more than one-third of the plant at a time. Start harvesting the oldest leaves first from the lowest section of the plant. Discard any yellowed or torn leaves.
Mulch the soil again heavily after the first hard freeze in the fall. Kale will continue growing until it’s 20°F. Do not stop harvesting. A “kiss” of frost makes it even sweeter!
