Growing Plants at The Remakery

Seedlings

Here at The Remakery Green Houses we’ve been germinating our early tomatoes on heat pads. Some of these will be up for grabs at our Spring Fair on 15th October. After Labour day is the traditional time to plant summer crops outside.

Tomato Seed Sowing

We sow our tomato seeds in flat uncelled trays, if doing this at home you could reuse a clean plastic meat or take-out tray, with holes poked through the bottom. Press the potting mix flat and even, using a piece of wood.

The Remakery Potting Mix Recipe
(we use a bucket to measure parts)

3 parts compost : 1 part sand : 1 part recycled potting mix : 1 part vermicast

Then using a chopstick, pencil or knitting needle, softly press down your sowing lines about 2cm apart. Sow the seeds into the lines and lightly cover. 

A general rule of thumb is to sow double/triple the depth of the seed size. This is why we sow about a 5mm depth for tomato seeds. However some seeds are so small, such as lettuce, pastley or spring onion, that they don’t need to be covered at all. 

Gently water using a watering can or hose with a mist setting. We feed our seeds with a biological root growth brew at this time. Keep on a sunny windowsill or greenhouse, and water daily.

For more hands on learning about Seedlings, join our volunteers at the Seed Sowing Sanctuary on Tuesday and Friday mornings.

Root Boosting Brews

When sowing, pricking out or planting out, a root boost feed is a great way to maintain growth rate and prevent root shock. Some root boosting feeds you can make at home are; Seaweed tea or Willow water.

Willow Water

Willows have been used along Te Awa Kairangi to hold the riverbank and withstand flooding. These resilient trees contain a root growth hormone which allows them to quickly regrow from felling or flood damage. This hormone can be harvested by local gardeners and used to give young seedlings a root boost. 

Harvest several willow branches, remove the leaves and chop stems into small pieces, soak in 2L of water for several days until the brew looks like weak tea. Then remove branches - being careful of disposal as the willow may still grow - and use directly as a feed.

Seaweed Tea

Seaweed is an old gardening trick; local, chocka with nutrients and free. Collect seaweed from your local beach and soak in a covered bucket for 2-3 weeks until it looks a strong tea colour. Dilute a cup into 2L of water and water or spray onto beds. 

Pricking Out

When pricking out densely sown plants. First make holes in the trays planting into. Then use a chopping stick or knitting needle to gently lift the plants roots out, being careful to only hold the leaves. If roots are too long on a crop such as the onion family these can be pruned. Cover the roots gently and feed with a root boost using a watering can or sprayer.