Washington update....Planting day
The patch has been tilled and the soil amendments added. Honey holes are
waiting for the backfill with the soaker hoses and good stuff mixed into the
soil. The watering system is a work in progress. Most of the products I am
trying to kick me up to the next level have been purchased. (Details later,
and only if it works.) The big day has arrived. Seeds were filed last
night and today are soaking in water with a little go go juice added. I'm
starting way more than I need, but I learned my lesson last year when I
failed to germinate enough seedlings and backups to the backups failed to
germinate as well. I'm not sure if it was the seeds or me, perhaps a bit of
both, but I've changed my methods and I won't be direct starting my last
plant on the third week of May this year. I purchased a seed tray warming
mat over the winter and have already used it to start my tomatoes and pepper
plants along with a number of flowers for the yard. I'm confident that this
will work well with my AG's as test germinations with what I considered to
be marginal seeds were successful. I have a good idea of what I want to
have as my four plants in the garden this year, but since I had a number of
good seeds to choose from I'm starting 11 and will use what looks the best.
Here's the rundown.
526.5 Michalec 00 - I like the cross I made and have to get a couple of my
own started.
576 Michalec 00 - Same as above, from my largest to date.
720.5 Welty 99 - Grew a green beauty last year for Nic.
723 Bobier 99 - No explanation needed. My top choice for this season.
815 Andersen 97 - Orange? uhhh, Green? uhhh, Big? Yeah! Thanks pH!
835 McIntyre 98 - Parent of my 526.5 got a very late start and I know I can
do better with this.
850.5 Hester 99 - Could do well with this if it makes the cut.
862.5 Hester 99*- Very squashy cross but grew a monster pumpkin last year,
could go either way.
871 Richart 97 - I can't let Jake grow all the big ones from this seed, I
have to try this one.
940 Mombert 98 - Believe it or not, I'm figuring this one to be a backup.
I'll try to find a good home for it if it doesn't make the cut.
And the wild card is a seed from a self pollinated 827 Holland offspring. I
don't know much of the history but it was grown by a friend some years ago
who isn't growing AG's any more. If I could just keep this one around for
pollination purposes it would be worth it. Those great genes deserve
another dip in the modern AG gene pool. You would be hard pressed to find a
large AG that doesn't have the 827 or 722 Holland somewhere in it's family
tree.
So 11 seeds are hitting the starting mix in Covington this evening and
we'll see what happens from there. I have dedicated space for 4 of them as
I was able to expand by 800 sq. feet this year giving me a 40' X 80' area.
Some good AG plants will have to find homes if they all come up because I
can't use them all. Three will be going to an auction benefitting the
American Cancer Society. Theres still a bit of work to be done before
transplant day comes around, but the moon signs are favorable and the
weather is behaving as expected in this part of the country for this time of
year. I'm looking forward to my best season yet. I hope all of you are
too.
Chris Michalec
Covington, WA
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