Brandon McCarthy

Beth Wilder wrote:
Brandon, do you use an oven to bake soil? Without an oven (don't have one yet), could it be done either just exposed to the sun over the course of a few days -- potentially under a pane of glass -- or alternatively over an outside fire in a big dutch oven or covered oval roasting pan, you think? It seems like the kiln might be overkill for that. ;)

Thanks again!

That's a tough one. If you don't have an oven, you likely don't have a microwave either. And the pane of glass likely won't work if it's still chilly outside.

You could try chemical sanitation (like alcohol and letting it evaporate), H2O2 would probably be too weak. Or, maybe boiling? Anything to get the temp as high as you can without changing the chemistry - which I imagine the kiln would do.  Your roasting pan idea seems like it would work.

I started some goji berries from seed and learned they won't really like traditional peat-based soils, so I mixed my native soil with some perlite for the containers - working better than I thought. If you had some extra slow-release ferts on hand, it could be fine for most stuff.

Can you order some stuff online? I would look for:

Perlite, slow release fertilizer, and vermiculite (for starting seeds). All of these are light weight so shipping costs wouldn't be terrible.

I've also played around with the idea of starting seeds in kitty litter (without all the scents/chemicals), but haven't done it yet.

Or you could bake and screen some of your native soil and attempt to start seeds that way. I've never done it, but It's on my list of experiments.

I up potted these guys a few weeks back and they didn't look this horrible. I think my biggest concern is how yellow and curled the leaves are.

The potting mix was cheap Walmart BS with 0.05% nitrogen. It honestly felt more like mulch than soil, but it's what I had on hand at the time.

My pepino melon (potted at same time) doesn't seem to mind, so I'm also wondering if the peppers aren't liking the extra water.

Is it wrong to remove the soil and try to add a better quality soil now? Is it nitrogen deficiency?

Joseph, do you break the roots apart or cut at soil level?

Also, an honor to speak with you. I'm growing your astronomy domine corn this year. I was going to buy some seed packets off you, but thanks for turning me onto the experimental farm network via your website. I was upset to see some varieties not listed, but my yard is only so big anyway.

S. Bard wrote:do you just break of the top above the soil and plop that into water?

Yup! I use scissors and cut at the soil line. Some plants (like lettuce and basil) I just eat. But tomatoes are the only ones I've been able to reroot. I also managed to divide 4 borage who all sprouted in the same cell.

The bad part is, I didn't label these. So there are 3 different types (a red, green, and black). So if I give them away it's all a gamble.

Every year I start tomatoes and I never feel confident enough to just sow one seed. So I remove all but the strongest seedlings and pop the rest in water for about a week. The hairs develop roots and you end up with a ton of extra plants.

This year I started 7 tomato plants, but now have over 20. I'm probably just going to give the extras away.

I'm also growing pepino melons for the first time and they re-rooted just as well.

This is so exciting! I got pumped when I saw some purple sweet pots for sale at a grocery store - making oodles of slips now. I do eventually want to have them seed, but the ones I have been growing for a few years now have produced no such seeds. I've seen my ornamentals bloom, but not my food ones.

Where is a decent place to get seeds? Can I buy some off of you (once the corona uncertainty wears off)?