Soil Temperature Data - When to Plant

May 17, 2011

I came across this while perusing the internet with my google machine:

Soil temperature data for the last 7 days is available at http://landslides.usgs.gov/monitoring/portland/rtd/temperature.php

Over the last 7 days, the soil temperature has risen to 5 Celsius, or about 41 degrees f. Why do we care? Well, because "How to Grow More Vegetables" provides a table of the desired soil temperatures for seed germination for each vegetable.  A few excerpts from the vegetables that you would typically sow from seed in your garden:

peas    40F (min)   40F-75F (optimal)
carrot  40F (min)   45F-85F (optimal)
onion   35F (min)   50F-95F (optimal)
lettuce 35F (min)   50F-95F (optimal)

Likewise, there are appropriate temperature ranges for optimal GROWING. Yesterday, the annual average temps are: (from wunderground.com)

May 17, 2011	Max Temp	Min Temp
Normal (KTTD)	69 °F	47 °F
Record (KTTD)	92 °F (2008)	36 °F (1996)
Yesterday	62 °F	42 °F

Here are a few optimal growing temperature ranges :


tomatoes   65F-85F (70F-75F optimal)
onions       45F-85F (55F-75F optimal)
potatoes carrots celery lettuce parsley peas  45F-75F (60F-65F optimal)


Grow on!!

Spuds go in. Peas are up

May 17, 2011

On my last post for May 1 I neglected to mention one thing:  I hurt my back planting the apple trees. It wasn't a sudden sharp pain.  It was first a little sore and then tired and then REALLY sore.  Turns out I strained the muscles in my back, right behind my right hip.  This is all new to me. I have never hurt my back in my life. Fortunately, I have fully recovered after a 10 day rest period.  So from May 1 to May 11 I was out of commission. Well, sort of...

I still planted the onions on May 4 and replanted the onions on May 7.

May 8
Planted chives in one of the apple tree containers

May 12
Peas germinated today. Go peas.


May 14
Went to Naomi's in Sellwood and bought two bags of Teuffel organic compost and two kinds of seed potatoes:

• Caribe (Pronounced Ka-REE-bay)
• Lustrous purple skin covers smooth snow-white flesh. A great potato for boiling, baking, or frying. 
• 2x4 in. Tender Annual
• A mid-dry, oval shaped potato. 
• Maturity: Mid-season 95-100 days. 
• 2 pounds plants 20 row feet and yields 15-20 pounds
• I planted 1 pound, or 20 pieces
• planted 9" apart

• Yukon Gold
• yellow-skinned, yellow-fleshed potatoes ready to harvest in 100 days
• 18-24 inches high
• 12 inch spread
• I planted about 1 pound (20 pieces)
• planted 9" apart

I double dug another 10 foot long, 5 feet wide bed and planted the potatoes, first the Yukon Golds to the South and then the Caribe's to the North of that. I need to take some pictures!


Chili Pepper Update
So, a few things have happened with the chilis.  First, Big Jim didn't really germinate. I got one. Secondly, mu son's cat got into the utility room and the little bastard chewed the leaves off a few plants and flat out pulled up a few others!! Garr!

Nevertheless, on May 21 I pricked 10 planted and re-potted in potting soil.  I couldn't stick with the seed tray but it was getting moldy. It was just too wet.  I think the problem is that in order to keep the temperature up I had to keep water in the tray but that was water logging the soil.  So I transplanted them all and they all lived.  So, now they are in the same place, under a lamp, in 4" pots, and they are growing.  I do not plan to plant all 10. I think I'll plant half and give away half.

May 17
Carrots are starting to show. Maybe 20 of them.

A Week's Worth of Planting

May 8, 2011

I am a little behind on posts, so note the dates in this one.


April 30
Planted 4 boysenberries in a double-dug bed.  I spaced them about 2 feet apart.  They are nice potted plants purchased from Portland Nursery. They have 18" stems. I haven't taken any pictures yet but will post some soon. Before planting I spread about 5 lbs of Alfalfa Meal on the bed and mixed it in 2 inches deep.

"Down to Earth" Alfalfa Meal, (2.5% N, 1% Phosphate, 1% Potash)

Double-dug half of what I am calling Bed 1.  Bed 1 is the bed next to the raspberries and boysenberries.  I felt this one in my lower back. It tired me out a bit.

May 1
Planted 'NorthPole' Columnar Dwarf Apple tree in a 20 gallon container.  Columnar apple trees have short (6") branches and are suitable for containers.  I am following "McGee & Stuckey's the bountiful container : a container garden of vegetables, herbs, fruits and edible flowers" for advice on growing fruit trees in containers.  Powells sited this book at the go-to reference for container gardening.


NorthPole Columnar Dwarf Apple Tree

• Planted in 20 gallon container with NuLife Organic Moisture Control Container Mix
• Ripens early (Sept)
• Lg bright red fruit
• $44.75 at Portland Nursery
• Hardy to -20F

Planted 'Scarlet Sentinel' Columnar Dwarf Apple Tree

• M7 root stock
• Green blush red fruit
• $34.99 from Portland Nursery
• Planted with NuLife Organic Moisture Control Container Mix

May 4

Planted Valencia Onions in South end of Bed 1.

• Harvest early as bunching onion
• Harvest later as cooking onion
• Harvest last for storage
• 4-6" bulbs
• mild-sweet
• 105-130 days
• $3.95 for 6 clumps @ Naomi's

Planted Red Cippolini onions in the Boysenberry bed. There is lots of room here because the Boysenberries are small and there is room for some onions.

• 75-105 days
• mild full flavor
• storage onion
• Harvest when skin turns and tops fall over
• Cure in sun for 1 week before storing

Planted broccoli and cauliflower in Bed 1 next to o

• I don't have the details. TBD

Planted Schwiezer Riesen Heirloom Snow Pea

• planted seeds 1/2" deep
• planted about 2 " apart in hexagon formation
• 5-14 days to germination
• Planted the whole package (1 oz)

Planted Scarlet Nantes Carrots in Bed 1 next to peas

• broadcast the seeds over a 2.5' x 5' area.
• might end up thinning them back quite a bit. We'll see
• Uprising Seeds Co
• thin to 2"
• 10-21 days to germination @ 60-80F

Planted Oregon Sugar Pod Peas in pots

• Jason got these from a PTA fundraiser thingy at Burgerville.
• Planted them in pots at the house so Jason could enjoy
• planted 4 seeds per pot in 5 pots

Planted Misty Souther High Bush on the East side of the house. Bought this 1 gallon blueberry at Portland Nursery

• Mid/Late variety
• grows 3' H x 3' W

May 7

Dug up onions and planted properly. I'm such a dork I thought that maybe the onions I bought were supposed to be planted in clumps!  So I dug them up and pulled apart the individual onion stems and planted them 2" apart in Bed 1

May 8

Planted Chives in the 'NorthPole' Apple tree container

Planted some leftover broccoli and cauliflower in containers at the house. Why not?