Oh Grow Up!

Transplant, transplant, transplant. You see, many seeds can be started in a small container. I like the wonderful little plastic takeout containers from Safeway - black bottom to retain heat and an attached clear plastic top. Perfect!
Starting in small containers prevents empty cells from ungerminated seed and saves quite a lot of space. Once they get their first true leaves, then I can transplant them into 6-cell packs and bigger trays. I don't like to put them into anything too big, because, well, I have a lot of different plants, and space does run out as the spring progresses. So even though some things will eventually be in 4" pots, I am in no hurry to get them into the bigger pots, because I can fit 72 plants in a 10" by 20" tray in the little 6-cell packs, but the same plants will fill 4 trays by the time they are in their final pots. So I spend a lot of time moving plants up to bigger containers as they become rootbound or need more space so the leaves aren't crowded. I would hate to get some disease because my plants are too cramped, and it is hard to water them too when they are crowded.

So the geraniums that at one time fit nicely into one tray are now taking up six trays, 36 plants to the tray. Yep, I have plenty of geraniums, but a hundred of them are already spoken for.
Geraniums are a very satisfying thing to grow. Shortly after sprouting, the send out the most darling little scalloped leaves. The plants are sturdy and grow quickly. They are very tender to frosts, but can be kept indoors over the winter and will bloom constantly if they have enough light and water. That is if you remember to bring them in before the first hard frost. Sigh. I had quite a few nice varieties I was planning to keep. Once the days start to get longer, cuttings taken from the newly vigorous shoots will root easily and make many new little plants.
All my geraniums are from seed this year, but I hope to be more vigilant this fall and get my plants into the house in time so I can start cuttings next year. Already planning spring 2010!

Garden Huckleberry

Garden Huckleberry (Solanum melanocerasum)
Condensed from an article by Ross Nicholson, the Gardner for the Prairies magazine, Spring 2008
The garden huckleberry is easy to grow and can produce an abundance of fruit. It is not related to the true huckleberry, a woody plant in the heath family; rather it is an herbaceous annual in the nightshade family, closely related to the tomato and pepper. They look and taste similar to blueberries, but the fruits are two to three times larger and will do not require the acid soil that blueberries need. Each plant will produce hundreds of berries about ½” diameter or larger. They taste wonderful and are great in pies, pastries and preserves, alone or mixed with other fruit.

Developing fruits are green but they ripen to deep black. Because it is a member of the nightshade family, the green berries or foliage should never be eaten, as they could be toxic. Harvest when they are have changed from shiny to a dull, dark purple, and they are even sweeter if you wait until after a frost. They may be eaten right off the plant or if you find them too bitter, parboil the berries for 10 minutes in water with a pinch of soda.

Grow garden huckleberries as you would tomatoes. Start seeds indoors in April and set out when all danger of frost is past. Like tomatoes, make sure plants are hardened off before setting out in the garden and they can be planted deeply if the seedlings are leggy. Plants require no care other than water, about 1 – 2 inches of water each week, depending on the temperature and type of soil. Do not over fertilize or you will get all foliage and no fruit. Since garden huckleberries are related to tomatoes and peppers, they should not be grown in soil which had either of those plants the previous year to prevent disease.
Plant in full sun at least two feet apart as the plants can get very large.
Small white flowers appear in July and fruit will form in as few as 75 days after planting. However, do not harvest until all the fruit are a dull purple and starting to soften.
Ann's note: Mine did not get 1/2" berries on them last year (they were smaller), but they got a late start. This year I have a good start on them and should have nice plants to put out in May. I think two plants would give you all you want. And I have a couple recipes for them too....
I have about 40 plants.