by admin on January 2, 2014
In this article I’ll share some general information on starting vegetable plants in Michigan. I’ve been growing produce for several years in central Michigan, we have a couple roadside farm stands and a popular CSA program. This is intended for the home gardener and it’s important to note that you don’t have to start your own plants in order to have a wildly successful vegetable garden. When I was growing up we would purchase transplants for the vegetable varieties that took over 60-80 days to mature, the rest we would just plant seeds directly in the garden. Here are some of the most popular vegetable varieties you may consider purchasing so you don’t have to start them indoors ahead of time:
- Tomatoes
- Green Peppers
- Cauliflower
- Broccoli
- Egg Plant
- Onions
We have had good success in central Michigan direct sowing seeds for many varieties. You can often plant seeds a week or so earlier than setting out transplants because they take some time to germinate anyway. The ground will need to be between 55-65 degrees for most seeds to germinate and some need warmer temps yet. Here are some of the vegetable plants that we start from seed right in the garden:
- Cucumbers
- Pickles
- Zucchini
- Summer squash
- Pumpkins
- Winter squash
- Potatoes
- Sweet Corn
- Carrots
- Beets
- Green Beans
When to Start Vegetable Plants for Transplanting
So let’s talk about the first group, the vegetable varieties you might want to start early so you can use your own transplants. The first seeds you need to be starting are probably tomatoes and peppers. Peppers like warmth and transplants tend to grow a little slow compared to tomatoes. You want to start the seeds 6-8 weeks before when you think will be the last frost. For us, that is usually around late February, but we plant early. You would do well to start them any time between March 1st and March 15th. You should have transplants ready by mid May. A typical rule I hear from old timers in the area is to plant the weekend of Memorial Day. If you plant early than that, you should be prepared to protect your new vegetable transplants from a late frost.
Your transplants will germinate (sprout) within 7-12 days in soil 75-85 degrees. If your soil is cooler, it will take a little long, but make sure your soil is at least 60 degrees. Once your seeds sprout and begin to grow you want to keep them near as much natural sunlight as possible. You want them to stay moist and once they are up try to keep the temperature 70 degrees or below, a sunny south facing window usually works.
If you choose to start vegetable plants like cucumbers, squash, pumpkins, or green beans you can wait until about 3 weeks before you want to plant them. I’ve learned that you don’t really gain much by starting these early because the shock experienced during transplanting negates any advantage to starting early. If you have specific questions about when to start vegetable plants in Michigan feel free to ask in the comments. I also invite you to like our Face Book page where we share information about Michigan grown organic produce.
by admin on March 8, 2013
I’m a huge advocate for people planting a garden in Michigan or wherever they may live. There are lots of reasons I believe growing your own food is a smart and worthwhile endeavor, and those reasons grow in number if you have a family with children. In this article I wanted to look at the practical benefits of a Michigan CSA Farm Membership compared to growing a garden for the specific purpose of feeding yourself and your family. Again this is a focused comparison and I’ll make the case for why a Michigan CSA farm membership is a better plan, only from the practical perspective of feeding yourself.
Michigan CSA Farm Membership vs. Your Own Garden
The first reason a CSA membership may be a better option for you is time. More often than not the reason gardens get out of hand with regards to weeds and pest is that you lack the time required to properly care for your garden. And if you are after an abundant harvest so you can freeze and can some foods for the winter then it will require more time yet. The time required to successfully participate as a CSA farm member is from 10 minutes to and hour a week depending on how close you live to the drop off point. I’m sure you would agree that as far as time is concerned a CSA membership beats a garden hands down.
The second reason many of our CSA members prefer the program over growing their own garden is the variety of produce we are able to deliver and the length of time we deliver it. We do a couple things here at the Central Michigan CSA farm that most garden growers don’t. One of the main differences is that we don’t just plant once. We plant about 4-5 times every 3-4 weeks. So if you enjoy green beans, for instance, you can have them from mid June all the way through September. In your own garden you will find that each crop is available fresh for 4-10 days and that’s it. So if you don’t can the fresh stuff you will only be able to eat it for a short time. The variety we grow is more diverse than most vegetable gardeners because we look to impress our members and we know where to find seeds. We’ve also learned how to grow many different types of produce, that takes time.
The third reason a CSA Farm Membership can be a better choice to get the food your family needs is cost. Our full share membership provides enough food to feed 4-6 people who love vegetables, it’s a LOT of food. To buy it in the store would cost from 40% to 80% more and it would take longer too. The full share figures out to around $22.00 a week and for a feeding 4-6 people that’s a very economical proposition. The cost in planting a garden large enough to feed a larger family is around $250 dollars, so on paper it could theoretically be less expensive in simple dollars, but the amount and variety and length of harvest would be drastically less.
Our Michigan CSA Farm
If you have any questions about CSA farm memberships feel free to ask in the comments below. If you are in the Central Michigan area and would like to learn more about our CSA Farm you can visit our website today. We grow food for dozens of families in the Central Michigan area using organic growing methods and produce an abundance or naturally grown food that is picked the same day it is delivered. We only grow and sell Michigan produce and offer it directly to customers across the central Michigan area. We also have wholesale Michigan grown produce if you own a fruit market or store here in Michigan.
