Using Grow Bags for Our Potatoes

We’re growing potatoes again this year after not doing so since 2022. We attempted to grow them last year, but our seed potatoes arrived moldy and rotten. We still tried to plant them, but the wet spring we had killed them before they could grow. We wanted to attempt to grow them again this year, but we didn’t want to grow them in the ground, and we wanted to buy them from a different seed company.

In my post that went over the varieties of potatoes we bought, I mentioned the varieties we’re growing as well as the company we bought from, Urban Farmer. Those potatoes arrived in late April and were in perfect condition. I was surprised at how late they arrived and thought there was a chance they weren’t going to arrive. I eventually emailed the company, and they arrived within a few days of getting a response. Given the condition of the potatoes when they arrived, I’m a fan of not receiving them until late August. It was not nice having to worry if I was properly storing them for a month or so until it was time to transplant.

When we decided we were growing potatoes again this year, we knew that we weren’t going to grow them in the ground. Standing by helplessly as last year’s seed potatoes died in the ground was an awful feeling, and it wasn’t one we want to experience again. Even though the soil is better this year, which would provide a better growing environment for them, we can’t control the weather, and another wet spring could kill another year’s worth of potatoes. That brought us back to our old friend, the container garden.

In 2022, we grew our entire garden in containers, and by containers, I mean 5-gallon buckets and plastic totes. I wrote about our experience in this blog post, so I won’t rehash it here, but it was mostly successful, and I recommend it for anyone who’s limited on space or can’t have a traditional garden. Growing potatoes in them was a success. We grew three varieties in three separate totes and probably harvested between 15 and 20 pounds. For our first time growing potatoes, we were very happy with the results. This year, though, we aren’t growing our potatoes in containers but instead are using grow bags. Don’t get me wrong; the totes worked great, but it was too easy to crowd the potatoes and too heavy to move if we had to relocate them.

What Grow Bags Work Best?

There are numerous sizes of grow bags. We went with the 10-gallon ones, and they came from Amazon. These are the ones we’re using. I picked the 10-gallon bags because they are big enough to hold four pieces of a seed potato and have enough space to hill them as they grow. At the same time, they are small enough that it’ll be easy to move them when they’re full. Grow bags are also great because it’s really hard to overwater what’s growing in them. Made of mesh, they’re breathable and let excess water flow through.

Although there are some grow bags that have flaps on the side that provide easy access to the potatoes when they’re ready to be harvested, ours don’t have that. It is convenient, but I don’t think it’s necessary. It’s easy to pull the plants out to access the ready potatoes, and I prefer to harvest all of them from one bag.

We started with 10 bags, which were a birthday gift from Magz’s parents, but when we started to plant the seed potatoes, we knew we needed more, so we bought another 10-pack, which was the perfect amount for the four varieties we bought.

Planting in Grow Bags

Growing potatoes in bags couldn’t be simpler. We used a mushroom compost and top soil blend that we bought in bulk from our local Agway and put a layer on the bottom of each bag roughly five inches deep. After that, we applied an all-purpose 5-10-10 fertilizer and mixed it in. The seed potatoes went in next. Whether the seed potatoes need to be cut prior to planting seems to be personal preference, but I like to cut ours as long as each segment has an eye. Any potatoes that only have one eye go in whole. I try to cut the potatoes at least 24 hours in advance of planting them. This allows the potato’s flesh to harden over and develop a skin that protects it as it starts to grow. With the potatoes in the soil, I cover them with a few inches of soil and water them. It’s that simple.

It’s important to use ID tags in the bags if you’re growing multiple varieties to know which type is growing in each bag. This helps to know when the potatoes are early, mid, or late-season varieties and to recognize when each is close to being ready for harvesting. After they’re planted, you just need to pay attention to when the potato plants start to grow. When you start to see the green of the plant breaking through the soil, you want to hill them up with more soil so that the plant is covered. With the bags, we’ll continue to add more soil until the bags are full. At that point, we’ll stop and wait until the plants die off, indicating that they can be harvested.

5 Reasons to Grow Potatoes in Bags

I feel that using grow bags takes some stress off growing potatoes. Granted, it is a bit more work than planting in the ground, but I think it takes a few years to improve soil to make it suitable for potato growing. Most of our yard is heavy with clay, which compacts and makes it tough to grow tuberous plants, such as carrots, beets, and potatoes. Over time, that should improve, but it’s not where it needs to be yet.

1.) Choosing the Perfect Soil

With grow bags, you can buy the perfect soil for potatoes. This blend we bought seems to be advantageous for potatoes, as it’s loose and has the necessary nutrients that help potatoes thrive.

2.) Water Management

They’re also great because you can’t overwater what’s growing in them. Excess moisture simply drains out. The flip side of this is that you need to water more often than you would in-ground plants, but it’s not a big hassle.

3.) Maneuverability

Another reason to use grow bags is that they’re easy to move. Any container is technically able to be relocated, but it becomes a pain once it reaches a certain size and weight. The 10-gallon bags are perfect for this because they never weigh so much that it’s hard to carry them, but they’re still heavy enough to not be blown by the wind.

4.) Sustainability

A major reason we wanted to use grow bags this year is that they’re sustainable. They may not be as sustainable as growing in the ground, but the bags we bought are durable and should last at least a few years. They’re made of a sewn fabric that has some flexibility and won’t rip under normal conditions. They’re much better than the plastic containers we used in the past, which would crack and break within a few months. And when we’re done using them in the fall, they’re easy to clean and store until next spring.

5.) They Can Be Decorative

Over time, our goal is to make our garden more aesthetically pleasing. Grow bags contribute to this. They look much better than the totes and buckets we previously used. The bags can be placed together in one location, simulating a garden bed, or can be placed in separate locations as space allows. We currently have ours on the hillside beside our house, and it gives this area of the yard some purpose and beauty.

To wrap up, if you’re on the fence about using grow bags, I would recommend it. Even if you have the space for an in-ground or raised-bed garden, grow bags can be the perfect complementary vessel. They’re affordable (our 10-pack cost $25.99), sustainable, and easy to move around. Have you ever used grow bags for your garden? If so, what has your experience been?

June 5, 2026 3

Our Irrigation System Failed (an Opportunity to Learn & Improve)

Our irrigation system didn’t work. When I wrote my previous posts on our irrigation system, I hadn’t had the chance to fully test it. All of the PVC components were together, and, I thought, the tubing was ready to be connected once all the holes were drilled. Unfortunately, when we were ready to give it a trial run, there were multiple failure points that I hadn’t planned for. What went wrong, how are we watering our garden this year, and what’s the plan for the irrigation system moving forward? I’m going to answer all those questions.

What Went Wrong?

I wish I could say that only one element of the irrigation system went wrong, but that isn’t the case. There were several things that contributed to it not working.

Not Drilling the Drip Holes Correctly

The tubing we bought for our system didn’t have holes already drilled in it. I wanted to be able to determine how close the holes would be. That alone wouldn’t have been a big deal. But the other issue is that I drilled the holes too big. When we were buying supplies for the system, I grabbed the smallest drill bit at our local Ace Hardware store, which was 1/16″. That is very small when you’re used to drilling holes in wood or metal. The smallest bit I tend to use is 1/8″, which is double the size of the bit from Ace, so I thought it’d work fine.

However, when you’re drilling holes for irrigation, a sixteenth of an inch might as well be a mile. I also drilled through the tubing so that there is a hole on both sides. The goal was to have the tube lay flat and water plants on both sides. The plan and reality were completely different things.

When we hooked the hose to the system, the holes let so much water out that it looked like a fountain, which wasn’t what we were going for. Combined with how close the holes were and that I drilled some before the tubing reached the plants, there was so much pressure loss that the water couldn’t reach the plants at the end of the tube. I attempted to fix this by filling some of the holes with Flex Seal caulking and Gorilla Glue tape, but it hasn’t worked.

Remedy: There are a couple of easy ways to fix this in the future. One is to buy tubing that already has the holes drilled in it. Tubing that is designed for irrigation purposes will have the right-sized holes, and they’ll be correctly spaced. If we don’t want to go that route, I would buy the same tubing I got this year, but I’d use a much smaller drill bit. I think a 1/64″ would probably work. I also wouldn’t drill through both walls of the tubing. Finally, I would lay the tubing out in each garden bed to figure out how much was needed and mark where the plants will start. That way, there aren’t unnecessary holes, which cause a loss of pressure.

Inadequate Water Pressure

I was sort of prepared for this problem, but I didn’t think it would be as large of a problem. I even wrote about water pressure and the role of gravity in my tips post. It quickly became evident that our rain barrel was unable to provide enough pressure to push the water through the irrigation system. Our rain barrel is only a couple of feet higher than our garden beds, so it was only generating a few PSI of pressure, which isn’t enough. Perhaps if the holes in the tubing were smaller and there were fewer of them, it would work for some of the closer beds, but that’s not a guarantee. I thought that the hose bib connected to our hose would provide enough pressure to operate the system, but even that failed thanks to the holes I drilled. Are you sensing a theme?

Remedy: Without fixing or replacing the tubing, there isn’t a remedy that can be applied in the near future. We could build a platform for the rain barrel to get it higher off the ground and generate more pressure, but building a platform to get it high enough would be expensive and potentially dangerous. That isn’t an option we’re interested in pursuing. Another option is to buy an RV pump that could generate pressure for the system. This type of pump typically runs off a 12-volt battery, which would allow us to use solar energy to charge it, but I also think it could be modified to run off AC power via an extension cord.

Measurements Unclear/Inaccurate

This problem applies to a few aspects of the irrigation system, and not all of them were the result of an error we made. All of the tubing we bought was supposed to be 1/4″. The first 200 feet that we bought didn’t specify if this was the interior or exterior diameter. I was planning on it being the interior diameter. It turned out to be the exterior diameter. This caused a big problem because the connection I got to go between the PVC pipe and the tubing was based on the tubing having a 1/4″ interior diameter. Now, had I learned this in that first 200-foot section of tubing, it wouldn’t have been a big deal. Unfortunately, though, I didn’t check it until we ordered 600 more feet and drilled holes in all of it.

The worst part of things not being measured correctly or not having their measurements clearly listed is that the last section of tubing we bought had a slightly larger interior diameter than the first two sections. I went back and checked the Amazon listing for it, and it was supposed to be identical to the other sections. I’m unsure what happened, but the clamps we bought didn’t fit this larger interior diameter.

Remedy: I learned that there are reducers for this type of a project that allow you to transition from one size of tubing to another. I just had to find the right one because there are a lot of versions available, all with different measurements. First, I needed to convert all of the measurements into the same system and format. In my situation, I went with standard and decimal points. This made it easy to compare sizes and guarantee that the reducer I bought would fit both sizes of tubing. Eventually, I determined that I needed a 5/32″ x 1/4″ reducer. The 5/32″ side fit the interior diameter of the tubing, and I would need a small section of tubing with a 1/4-inch interior diameter. The goal was to go from the 1/4-inch barbed fitting that was connected to the PVC pipe to the new 1/4-inch interior diameter tubing to the reducer to the tubing we already had. We also needed new hose clamps to fit the 1/4-inch side of the reducer and barbed fitting.

How Are We Going to Water Our Garden This Year?

Even though I listed a remedy for each problem in the previous section, you may have guessed that we haven’t fixed our irrigation system so that it can be used this year. That is true. Even after buying the reducer and ensuring that all the components fit, the holes I drilled were too much to overcome for this year’s garden. The tubing won’t go to waste, though. Magz is going to craft something with it. She mentioned a basket that can be used outside, which would be really cool and useful. Meanwhile, the PVC pipe, the connectors, and valves are all able to still be used this year.

We forgot until about midway through the irrigation project that we have a sprinkler that we previously used to water our container garden in 2022. When we realized that the irrigation system wasn’t going to work, Magz mentioned the possibility of using the sprinkler again. We gave it a go, and it works perfectly. The sprinkler connects to a small section of hose that attaches to one of the PVC fittings we were using for the irrigation system. We’re still able to use the PVC portion of the system, which is great. We connect our garden hose to one of the three hookups we have in our garden beds. We then attach the small hose section and sprinkler closest to the bed(s) we want to water. Once that section is watered, we move the sprinkler by relocating the hose or connecting to a new PVC section. We have to move things around a bit, but it’s still much better than using watering cans for everything, and we can use a lot of the valves to divert water as needed.

It’s not the outcome I had hoped for when I began planning and designing this system, but it is still an efficient way to water everything. And because we weren’t able to use the rain barrel with the irrigation system, we’re using the same water source with the sprinkler. We’re also still going to use the rain barrel by filling cans to water plants in bags or planters.

Will We Revisit the Irrigation System in the Future?

Absolutely. The failure of the irrigation system for this year’s garden is only going to be a one-year setback. We have the bulk of the materials needed for the system and only need to buy replacement tubing to make it work. I also still believe in the effectiveness of an irrigation system relative to other watering methods. The plan is to either buy pre-drilled irrigation tubing that fits our fittings or buy the same tubing that we did this year but be more intentional with drilling the holes and use a smaller bit. Doing that, along with addressing the water pressure problem, can still see this become a successful and useful system in 2027.

Last evening, we did a walkthrough of our garden, and I was disappointed in myself for not thinking of the sprinkler before I went down the rabbit hole of an irrigation system. Because we were already buying a new fence this year, we could have avoided wasting money on an irrigation system that failed. I voiced that, and Magz is always so good at pulling me out of that mindset and helping me see things more clearly. The truth is that if I didn’t try the irrigation system this year, I probably would have wanted to try it next year. I also think that I would have made the same mistakes next year that I did this year because you can’t learn what doesn’t work until it fails. It would have taken me one round of buying the wrong size of tube to learn what works. And because we did try the irrigation system this year, we have the PVC portion in place, which is how we’re able to connect our hose and sprinkler. Not all is lost just because it didn’t work this time. Happy gardening!

June 2, 2026 0

6 Tips for Building an Irrigation System

Last week, I wrote about building an irrigation system for our garden. In it, I went over the process of designing the system, purchasing the supplies, and putting everything together. I wrote that post before the irrigation tubing was attached to the PVC pipe. Since then, we’ve started to attach the tubing and have learned a lot of things about building an irrigation system, so I thought I’d share some of those lessons.

1.) Buy Extra Pieces

When you’ve designed your system and figured out the pieces you need, buy at least one extra of each joint, elbow, valve, and connection. Also, buy another full section of PVC pipe and an extra 100 feet of the irrigation tubing if you can. It’s similar to any woodworking project: buy at least another full board than you think you’ll need. That way, if something was measured or designed wrong or something was incorrectly cut, you have extras and may be able to avoid another trip to the hardware store or having to place another online order…which brings us to tip #2.

2.) Plan for Extra Trips to the Store

Like any project, it seemed like we never got everything we needed in a trip to the store. Before we began, we understood that we would likely need to make more than one trip since this was a project we had never attempted before, but even I underestimated how much running and how many online orders would be needed. Two Saturdays ago, we picked up the majority of our components, making two separate trips that day. The first trip included buying all the PVC pipe and some of the joints. The second trip was to a different store to buy components that the first store didn’t stock. A third trip was needed to pick up something that needed to be special ordered (and because I forgot a couple of things). That doesn’t even include the multiple Amazon orders we’ve made to buy shutoff valves and irrigation tubing. I thought that 200 feet of tubing would be plenty. It was enough for two beds. We ultimately ordered 600 more feet.

3.) Gravity Is Both an Enemy & a Friend

The plan for our irrigation system was to connect it to our rain barrel and use that water as much as possible. It’s a couple of feet higher than the majority of our garden. This is a good thing. You don’t need a lot of water pressure to move it throughout the irrigation system, and each foot of elevation is roughly equal to 1 psi of pressure. When working properly, we can water our garden without spending any money on water or electricity. That’s the good part of gravity.

That negative part of gravity is that our garden isn’t level, and two of our beds go up in elevation from where the rain barrel sits. I knew this when I designed the system but thought that the pressure would still be enough to overcome the elevation gain. That hasn’t been reality. When using our hose hookup and city water, it’s enough pressure, though, so there’s a solution. We ended up moving the PVC pipe in this section of the garden so that where we connect the hose to the PVC pipe is positioned at the highest point of elevation in the garden. This will help us overcome the elevation problem, but if we still feel like we aren’t getting adequate pressure from the rain barrel, we’ll either elevate the barrel higher by building a stand for it or buy an RV water pump that can be powered via an extension cord or with a simple solar panel setup. If you’re planning to build an irrigation system, never underestimate the elevation changes in your garden relative to your rain barrel if you have one.

4.) Lay Everything Out First

This one may seem obvious, but it’s wise to leave everything disconnected until it’s all laid out and you’re confident in the positioning of everything. It’s tempting to connect components before everything is positioned so that you can see progress, but it’s best to wait. I didn’t do this and have run into some problems as a result. Because the main hookup and PVC section needed to be moved (gravity!), the direction of angles and valves needs to be changed. They started out left and should be flipped to face right. Thankfully, because I didn’t use cement on the joints, it isn’t the end of the world; just a minor annoyance. It still could have been avoided, though.

5.) Have Patience

That dreaded ‘P’ word again. Patience is such a big deal for me (I’m still learning) that I wrote an entire blog post about it last year. In the garden, it seems to be a requirement every step of the way. The same is true with building an irrigation system. Anytime you’re doing something for the first time, you’re going to run into issues. It’s inevitable. In the case of our irrigation system, issues included multiple trips to the store and placing multiple online orders, not accounting enough for gravity, and not having enough time to prep everything before we needed to install the system. Those are frustrations in the moment, but they can be overcome.

6.) Drill Drip Holes Before It’s in the Garden

This was probably the most frustrating aspect of building our irrigation system. I intended to drill all the drip holes on my drill press before the tube was ready to be installed in the garden. That didn’t happen. I ran out of time, and the tubing got tangled, causing a big mess. The result was needing to use my battery-powered drill to add the holes while the tubing was on the ground. It was hot, sweaty, dirty, and difficult to evenly space the holes. I made sure that I drilled the holes ahead of time for the tube in the second bed. It went much easier. The drill press makes it easy to have consistent spacing between the holes, drill the holes in the center of the tubing, and ensure the holes are vertical instead of at an angle. Even without a drill press, drilling the holes anywhere that isn’t the garden or yard is wise. You can get out of the sun or rain, and in general, it makes for a more relaxing experience.

If you’re thinking of building your own irrigation system, I hope these tips help.

May 21, 2026 1

Designing and Building an Irrigation System

If you’ve been a reader of the blog for a while, you’ll know that last year’s garden was our first one after we bought her house. We turned a large section of our yard into five garden beds, which was enough work that we never got around to figuring out an efficient way to water everything. We installed a rain barrel that reduced the amount of city water we had to use. It also reduced the amount of walking we had to do, since the rain barrel was close to the garden beds, but we still largely relied on watering cans for the bulk of the watering. It certainly wasn’t the hardest thing ever, but it was quite time-consuming. It took between 45 minutes and an hour to water everything, which got tiring toward the end of summer. It also wasn’t the most efficient use of water, which would be spilled when carried.

We knew that this setup was unsustainable and needed to be improved for this year’s garden. Initially, the conversation was just about getting the water source (hose bib) closer to the garden, making it easier to maneuver the hose around the plants. That remains a long-term goal, but it would have still required us manually watering every plant. The best idea quickly became an irrigation system that allows the water to be directed to the right place, reducing water and time waste. There are kits available from companies such as Drip Depot, but they can get very expensive, with one that would fit our needs costing at least $200. That was more than we wanted to spend, considering it wasn’t customizable. Instead, I set out to design my own.

Designing an Irrigation System

I had two requirements for the irrigation system from the beginning: a standard garden hose needed to be attachable, and it needed to be customizable and adaptable if our layout or needs changed in the future. I was also hoping to be able to buy as many of the items locally as possible, which would help me to visualize things and test connections in person. But before choosing materials, I needed to plan how the water line would go through our garden beds.

Rigid or Flexible Line?

Every irrigation kit I’ve seen uses flexible tubing for all aspects of it, which probably works well if a garden is small or everything is confined and in close proximity. That wasn’t going to work for us. Most of the flexible tubing used in irrigation systems is 1/4 inch. This size of tube works very well within the beds where water needs to be precisely directed. Anything thicker than 1/4 inch would be difficult to have precision with. Additionally, 1/4-inch tube works because you don’t need to move a large volume of water once it’s already been transported into the garden bed. However, where irrigation kits fail and get too expensive, in my opinion, is getting the water to the individual beds.

You need a 1/2-inch tube to efficiently transport water from the hookup to the beds. Some irrigation kits include a section of 1/2-inch tube, but you’re stuck with a set amount of it that may not meet your needs. Kits with this size of tube in them also get very expensive. So, I decided to MacGyver my own setup and use items you can buy at a hardware store. I have some plumbing experience and felt confident that we could use PVC pipe to carry the water throughout the garden and to the individual beds. I also did some research before starting this project and learned that others have done something similar. I settled on 1/2-inch pipe rather than 3/4-inch pipe because 1/2 inch will carry enough water, and it’ll keep costs low. A 10-foot piece of 1/2-inch PVC costs around $6.70 at our local hardware store. It’s even cheaper at Lowe’s and Home Depot.

The Path

Our garden consists of three sections. The first section has four beds in a 2×2 layout with a walkway between them. There’s a second section of one bed to the back left of the first section. Finally, the third section is behind the garage and consists of one bed. Because of how far apart some of the beds are, there’s no way to run one continuous line. There wouldn’t be enough water pressure for the entire length, and it would lead to overwatering at the beginning and underwatering at the end. Instead, we will need to use shutoff valves to divert the water to the correct beds at a given time. At this point, I started to walk through the garden and sketch out the potential schematics. This is what I came up with:

Figuring out where shutoff valves and joints will go was the most difficult part of the design. The shutoffs are important for diverting the water to the appropriate beds since we will want to water the beds individually to ensure that they’re watered evenly. It means we’ll need a shutoff placed at each bed as well as between them. The one placed at each bed allows water to go into the bed. The valve between each bed prevents water from going too far and forces the water through the open valve. But the shutoff can’t be placed in the main section of PVC. Instead, there has to be a joint and a short section of pipe that leads into the garden bed. It’s in that short section of PVC where the shutoff has to go. The goal of our irrigation system is to place the PVC in the walkways. The PVC will connect to the flexible tubing at each garden bed. The tubing will route up and down the rows in the garden bed, allowing the water to be directed to the root system of each plant. With a rough plan in place, we hopped in our Subaru and headed to the hardware store.

Gathering the Supplies

The night before we went to the store, we took measurements to get a rough idea of how much PVC we would need. It was just short of 60 feet, but knowing that we’d need more for the length between the main section and the beds, we bought seven 10-foot pieces. Besides needing to carry these pieces around the store, this was the easy part. The difficult part was figuring out what pieces we needed and how many of each.

If you’ve never been in the plumbing/PVC section of a hardware store, you’d be shocked at how many joints, collars, connectors, and valves there are. And because they’re all white PVC, they largely look like each other. You have to make sure you’re looking at the right size of joint to confirm it fits the pipe you’re using. Then, you have to check that the connection type is correct. There are two: threaded and slip.

Getting the right connector type is important. Then you have to make sure you’re getting the right joint. There are t-joints, 3-way, 4-way, elbows, and many more. If you get the wrong one, your project likely won’t work. We both knew that gathering all the items was going to take a long time in the store and was likely to take multiple trips. Both proved to be true. Our first trip took about an hour. They had the PVC pipe and joints that we needed, but they didn’t have enough shutoff valves or any pieces that would connect the PVC to our garden hose or to the 1/4-inch irrigation tubing. After transporting the PVC pipes home, which was a funny scene (imagine a Subaru Forester with a section of white PVC hanging out the sunroof like a unicorn), we went to Ace Hardware in search of the remaining items. Ace really is the place with the helpful hardware folks. An employee helped me find the connectors we needed and, as a fellow gardener, was interested in this irrigation plan. Unfortunately, they didn’t have enough of the connectors, but she special ordered them, and they arrived on Monday. That was all well and good, though, because I didn’t have enough t-joints and forgot to grab a collar to connect two PVC sections together. In total, these were all the items we bought:

7 10-foot 1/2-inch PVC pipes. This is the basic Schedule C PVC.
8 t-joints (slip-on)
10 shutoff valves – Purchased on Amazon in a 10-pack. We only need 8 of them, but it was cheaper to buy in bulk.
7 1/2-inch x 1/4-inch nylon barbed hose fitting – These are the pieces that had to be special ordered. These allow us to connect the 1/2-inch PVC pipe to the 1/4-inch irrigation tubing. The barbed ends allow the tubing to connect without the need for a hose clamp.
7 1/2-inch x 1/2-inch connectors – One end is threaded; the other has a slip fitting. Because the barbed hose fitting is threaded on the 1/2-inch end, this piece is what allows the PVC pipe to connect to the barbed hose fitting.
1 4-way connector – This piece has a slip fitting on all four ends.
1 collar – This piece connects two full-length PVC pipes to each other where no joint is located.
2 hose adaptors – These allow us to connect our garden hoses to the system.
200-foot roll of 1/4-inch irrigation tube. This is flexible and doesn’t have holes in it. The holes will be drilled with a 1/16-inch drill bit on my drill press. We may need more of this.
Stoppers for the irrigation tube. These will go into the ends of the tubing after it’s been routed through a garden bed. Doing so will create the pressure that forces the water through the holes in the tubing.
We may also need some staples or clips to hold the tubing and pipe against the ground.

In total, we spent around $150 for everything, coming in quite a bit lower than the $200 it would have cost to buy a kit.

Building the System

Once you acquire all the components, putting the irrigation system together is as easy as building a K’Nex or Lego set. I laid out the pieces in the garden where I wanted them to go. If the sections of PVC needed to be shortened, I took measurements and cut them on my miter saw. After that, I attached the sections with the appropriate joints. I’m not using cement in this project because I want to be able to take this apart in the fall. It shouldn’t be an issue since the water pressure will be pretty low compared to a house’s plumbing system. The majority of the joints are made with pieces that only need to be slipped together rather than threaded. But for any pieces that were threaded, I used Teflon thread tape to ensure a sealed joint.

With all the pieces laid out and cut to length, it was easy to assemble everything. The structure for every section went like this: Main PVC Section + Joint (4-Way/T) + Small PVC Section + Shutoff Valve + Small PVC Section + Barbed Hose Fitting.

For the irrigation line, I’m drilling a hole every 6 inches, and at the time of writing this, I’ve drilled holes in roughly 5 feet of it. I don’t want to drill any more holes until I know how long each section needs to be.

Here’s the final product. We haven’t tested it yet or attached the irrigation tube to the system. I will write a follow-up post that goes over how well the system works.

May 15, 2026 2

Learning to Start Seeds With Calmness

Being completely transparent, I started this post with the intention of writing about my struggles with seed starting and how I’ve been questioning my abilities to do so. Part of that was because I was initially having issues with starting seeds this year. I actually wrote about these problems in a post titled When Is It Time to Restart Seeds? In it, I described the struggles I was having with our pepper seeds. Germination rates were low, which led me to question my ability to start seeds and figure out what went wrong. In that post, I mentioned that I was going to take a patient approach with them and not restart seeds too quickly. I followed that up with a post about how happy I was that I took a patient approach. I let my first set of seeds go for an extra week or so, and the majority of the cells germinated. It was because of this result that the direction of this post has changed.

Success Has Been More Than Patience

Although being patient with our seeds has played a large role in the success we’ve had this year, I think the success is the result of more than simply being patient. That thought stems from a conversation Magz and I recently had. A couple of days ago, I was showing her how successful our starts have been, and she commented that she thinks it has something to do with how calm I’ve been when it comes to this year’s garden.

In the past, I’ve approached pretty much everything with a degree of excitement or agitation. I wasn’t necessarily overly excited or agitated, but I struggled to control my emotions, which resulted in not being chill. When it came to gardening, it led to rushing through things, making mistakes, and working hastily. I’ve tried to have a different approach this year, both because of how poorly certain aspects of last year’s garden went and learning how to manage my emotions better.

This change started by delaying the seed-starting process a few weeks. Last year, I started them when the packets said to, which resulted in leggy plants by the time the weather cooperated enough to transplant outside. This year, I nearly started them too late and forgot to buy some of the supplies we needed. But despite those hiccups, the result has been overwhelmingly positive.

What Does Calmness Look Like When Gardening?

This question will likely have a different answer for everyone, but for me, calmness means a few things. The first is approaching every task with the right mindset. That doesn’t mean having to be in a perfect mood all the time, but it does mean that I need to be focused and not sidetracked. I need to be aware of what needs to be done. This allows me to see things clearly, notice when plants are growing or struggling, and address things accordingly. If I’m unfocused when I go downstairs to look at our starts, I may overlook something or do something wrong.

Things are going to go wrong with a garden. It’s a fact. Seeds won’t germinate, transplanting starts will fail, the temperature will be too warm or cold, and you’ll get too much or too little rain. Those are all things that will inevitably happen on a yearly basis. It’s like baseball: a batter can get on base 4 out of 10 plate appearances and be an All-Star or Hall-of-Famer. Failure is part of the game. But when you fail when gardening, you can’t be too hard on yourself or let yourself get too low. Every failure is a learning opportunity to succeed next time. That mindset helps you stay calm, which carries over to the last point.

peppers, cucumbers, tomatoes, molokhia, leeks — Pepper, cucumber, tomato, molokhia, and leek starts.

I think it’s important to be gentle. I think it’s important to have gentleness in all areas of life, even though it’s something I struggle with, and considering mainstream society doesn’t promote gentleness, it’s rare to see it in public. But when we act with gentleness or out of love, the reactions are positive. With humans, it can be disarming and lead to real conversations. When gardening, it can result in healthy and productive plants that reach their full potential and provide great yields. To me, being gentle when gardening means having soft hands and being delicate. When I’m starting seeds, I need to be gentle with the seeds, taking care to plant them at the appropriate depth and to not overwater. When transplanting starts, gentleness means supporting the root system so that the plant has the best opportunity to thrive in its new home. When the plant is growing or it’s time to harvest, it means picking when it’s the right time, not letting plants crowd each other, and ensuring that branches aren’t weighed down, causing unnecessary stress.

It may seem crazy, but I think there is something to having a calm demeanor when gardening. I doubt that there’s scientific evidence to back it up, but I’m convinced plants can sense our stress levels when handling them and respond accordingly. It’s similar to animals: they can tell when we aren’t calm. Perhaps we’re rushing through interactions with them or being short. That behavior affects the interaction and relationship. And I don’t think that this mindset needs to stop with animals or plants. If we all took a second to step back, take a deep breath, and treat others with gentleness, we’d be a much happier society.

May 8, 2026 0

Most Underrated Gardening Tool

The most underrated and useful gardening tool isn’t a watering can or a trowel. Nor is it a weeder, a hoe, or a fence. In my opinion, the most underrated tool for your garden is a rain boot. I know this to be the case because I didn’t have a pair of rain boots last year, and having them this year has made quite the difference. Here’s why a good pair of rain boots is important and why you should get yourself a pair of them if you don’t already.

Before this spring, I was never a big fan of rain boots and didn’t see a reason to own a pair. When I was a kid, I always had another pair of shoes that served the purpose of rain boots. They were either old shoes that were fine to be destroyed outside, winter boots that could get wet before it warmed up, or water shoes that I wore fishing. It remained that way until this year when Magz suggested that we each get a pair before we started working in the garden.

At first, I had a difficult time remembering what shoes I wore last year to break ground on the garden and get the soil tilled. But I’m pretty certain it was a pair of Skechers hiking sneakers that I had had for nearly 4 years prior to last summer. I bought them to wear while woodworking, but they got me through so much more, including our move during the summer of 2024. By the time last spring rolled around, they were on their last legs and beginning to fall apart, with their once-aggressive tread worn down to a smooth finish. And while they were designed to be waterproof, they don’t go above my ankles, so deep water puddles and mud are a no-go. Those sneakers got me through all of the work that went into last year’s garden, and I still slip them on to take the garbage out, but I knew that they weren’t going to work for another year of gardening. So, when Magz asked about getting rain boots, I was on board.

Why Are Rain Boots Good Shoes for Gardening?

Rain boots have a lot going on for them. They’re relatively light compared to work boots, are waterproof to a depth equal to the height of the boot, and are easy to clean. They are also affordable relative to other types of work shoes. I’ll break down each of those points here.

Although rain boots are heavier than a pair of sneakers or sandals, two types of shoes I’ve been known to wear in the garden, they’re much lighter than a pair of work boots. I used to have a pair of Red Wing boots with the composite toe in them, which were lighter than a steel toe but still much heavier than rain boots. When you’re working on your feet and getting your shoes caked in mud, you want a pair that starts out light so that they’re still manageable when weighed down by mud.
Having a waterproof shoe that can handle mud or water to a greater depth than you’ll encounter in your garden is important. I’m unlikely to step into mud or a puddle that’s more than 12 inches deep, but I could in my rain boots, which nearly go up to my knee. There’s security in seeing a section of your garden that’s muddy after a period of rain or the part of your yard that gets swampy and not fearing your socks getting wet.
If you’re going to get your shoes dirty, they should also be easy to clean. Rain boots meet that requirement. When you’re done with your project, you can walk over to the hose and spray them off. You can also let the mud dry to be smacked off later. Even the aggressive treads on my boots are easy to clean.
Our rain boots were remarkably affordable. They were purchased on Amazon. Mine were $23.99, and Magz’s were $29.99. Now, I know that not all rain boots are this affordable. Muck Boots cost around $100, and Hunter’s can run around $200. But you don’t have to spend that much to get useful rain boots that serve your needs. And if you were to buy another type of work shoe to use in the garden, you’ll likely have to spend at least three times what we paid for our rain boots, and they’re unlikely to perform as well. I purchased a pair of Skechers shoes to replace the old ones, and they are $115 now. And as much as I love wearing them when I’m woodworking or walking in nature, they wouldn’t survive regular wear in the garden.

These four points all support the idea that rain boots are the best shoe for gardening. They’re affordable, durable, lightweight, and easy to clean. Mine aren’t necessarily the most comfortable shoes for long-term wear, but I am confident that if I bought a pair of Dr. Scholl’s inserts, they would be perfect.

The Most Underrated Gardening Tool?

Hopefully, I’ve convinced you that rain boots are potentially the best type of shoe to wear in the garden, but you still may be skeptical that they’re the most underrated or useful gardening tool. Hear me out. Hand tools, like shovels, trowels, weeders, and watering items, are vital to success in the garden and have an impact that is immediately noticeable. Obviously, rain boots don’t have that same level of obvious impact; however, you can wear rain boots when doing any of the jobs in the garden. They can be worn when tilling soil, planting seeds, transplanting starts, weeding, and watering. The right shoe can improve any job, and rain boots have already vastly improved the tilling I’ve done in our garden. I’ve worn them for roughly 10 hours split across five or so days, and I love them.

My feet have remained dry despite working in muddy soil and wet grass. My legs and feet haven’t gotten too warm, which was a concern of mine, yet they provide solid insulation when it’s cold outside. I also love that they can be worn with pants or shorts. I originally bought my rain boots with the plan of only wearing them in the garden. Having had them for a couple of months now, I foresee myself wearing them regularly, even when I’m not in the garden. Obviously, I’ll also wear them when it’s raining, but I can also see myself wearing them in winter. They’ll do well in snow, and their treads will provide traction even when it’s slick. They’re simply a perfect shoe, and the most underrated gardening tool.

May 6, 2026 0

Upcycling an Ikea Chair Into a Garden Trellis

In 2021, we bought a pair of Ikea Poang chairs. They’re pretty iconic and are what many people envision when they think about Ikea chairs. We used to sit in them every time we would shop at Ikea and dream of buying them when it made sense. That time came in 2021, and at first, we loved them. However, over time, they lost their luster. They were really low to the ground, making them hard to get out of, and they were narrow, so it was difficult to work on a computer or do anything with your hands, like cross-stitch or knit.

After moving in 2024, we decided that these would become outdoor chairs on our porch. Although the chairs weren’t designed to be outdoors, the wood can be treated to resist the weather, and the cushions were brought inside at night. They worked decently well on the porch; however, the same design flaws persisted: too narrow and low. When we built our table and stools, we no longer had a need for the Ikea chairs since the stools are primarily where we sit. And when we want something more “loungey” or have people visiting, we have folding chairs that recline flat. When not in use, they can be folded and stored away, taking up less space than the Ikea chairs. That left us with a decision to be made about the Ikea chairs.

We aren’t people to throw things away unnecessarily, and we didn’t want to donate these chairs because they sat outside for nearly a year. Throughout the entire process, Magz had the idea of trying to use these chairs in our garden. We talked about simply setting a planter where the seat would be and letting nature take over them, as well as cutting out the seat support and growing a plant up from the ground through the chair. Eventually, I had the idea of using the back of the chair as a trellis system. You can’t see it in the above picture, but behind the cushion are two vertical pieces with several horizontal pieces between them, creating a ladder system. That’s essentially what a trellis is anyway. So, with that in mind, I set out to make it all happen.

Disassembly, Design, and Construction

If you’ve ever put together a piece of Ikea furniture, you know that they are all pretty similar. All of the individual wooden (or wood-adjacent) pieces are connected with screws, bolts, or barrel nuts (I had to look up what they’re called). Although assembly can be overly complicated, once you’ve put one piece of Ikea furniture together, you have an idea of how everything goes together. And while durability and longevity aren’t Ikea’s strong points, thankfully, it was a bonus in this case, because as easily as the chairs went together, they came apart.

With the pieces separated, we were left with two cross pieces, the back section that will be used for the trellis, two seat support pieces, and the two large side pieces that comprise the arms and bottoms for each chair. There was a seat section for each chair that was incredibly difficult to pull the staples from. We ended up getting rid of that piece. The back of each chair was the original inspiration for this project, but as I took the chairs apart, I could see ways to use the remaining pieces. The sides can either be cut down for individual lengths of wood or can be transformed into a planter stand. Meanwhile, the cross pieces will be used to build additional planters or in another woodworking project in the future. I typically don’t throw anything away if there’s a possibility that it can be used again.

Designing the planters for the back pieces was straightforward. I measured the width of them, added two inches, and that was the interior width of the planters. I had a bunch of leftover pressure-treated 1x6s from last year’s porch project. I kept them their full width and cut pieces to length to make the four sides of the planters. Initially, I thought I would need to have two rows of these boards so that each planter was roughly 11 inches tall. However, after attaching the sides for each planter and feeling confident that one row would provide enough dirt and be sturdy enough to not tip over, I kept the planters separate. This was great, because it meant I had two planters mostly finished when I thought I only had one planter halfway done.

With that decision made, I had to figure out the bottom. I did this by using scrap pieces and ripping full-width pieces on the table saw to cover the opening. I also added support pieces for extra attachment points. Also, a note on the connectors I used. For the most part, I used coated exterior 1 1/4-inch screws that went into pre-drilled holes to reduce the likelihood of the wood splitting. This mostly worked; however, there were times when I used exterior brad nails for efficiency and simplicity. I also used outdoor-rated wood glue to hold everything together. I’m confident that these planters are built well and should stay together for the foreseeable future.

Next up was the most complicated part: attaching the back piece to the planter. On the chair, this piece connected to a cross member with a short bolt that screwed into an enclosed nut that was pressed into the back side of the piece. There was no way to reuse this setup with the planter since the bolt was too short. Instead, I determined that a 3/8-inch bolt would go through the existing hole. I managed to clamp the back piece to the planter in order to drill a small pilot hole through the plant. I then drilled that hole out with a bigger bit and ran a zinc-coated bolt through everything and tightened it down with a nut. With both sides connected, I added a screw through both pieces on each side to make sure everything is secure. And with that, it was all done.

In total, I think each planter took about two hours, and it was pretty easy to bring this idea to fruition. I’m also very proud of our ability to reuse and upcycle something that a lot of people would have thrown away. I’m really excited to plant in these this year and see how beans or cucumbers will climb the trellis system. I’ll definitely follow up with other posts about how we reuse the other pieces (if they’re used in a garden-related project) as well as how successful these planters are. If you’re interested in doing something like this, don’t be afraid to take a chance and upcycle something into a planter for your garden. It’s a lot of fun and gives your garden extra character.

April 27, 2026 2

Let the Dandelions Grow

If your town is like ours, you’ll see a lot of manicured lawns with the grass cut even and low with few dandelions and “unwanted” weeds. In spring when there is ample rainfall, these lawns typically look nice and green; however, in the dog days of summer, the lawns will turn brown and crispy because even though the rainfall has lessened, the mowing must continue. And that doesn’t include the people who pay for lawn care companies to spray harmful chemicals on their yard. When we sit on our back porch and look toward the backyard or I look out the side window when working in my office, I see a lot of yards that don’t fit that manicured vibe, thankfully. I see lawns that are lush, thick, and vibrant green; however, there are multiple varieties of grass and the presence of dandelions to confirm that these lawns are natural. Seeing the difference between manicured and natural lawns is quite a shock, and it makes me question why people hate natural beauty, and namely dandelions, so much.

When I was growing up, I remember people complaining about dandelions in their yards, but they usually didn’t do anything to address them. Now, there are millions (probably billions) of dollars being spent on researching, developing, and advertising products designed to attack “weeds” like dandelions. My question is “Why?”

The Invasive Species Argument

One reason people hate dandelions is that they’re considered weeds, and the most in-tune haters will even describe them as invasive species, but that isn’t the whole truth. While dandelions are not native to North America, that does not mean they’re invasive. Invasive species are plants, insects, animals, etc. that aren’t native and have the ability to take over an ecosystem, wiping out the native species. These species also don’t provide the same benefits that native plants, insects, and animals need.

Currently, there are only two states in the USA—Alaska and Oregon—that consider dandelions to be invasive. For every other state, they’re simply non-native. This means they were introduced to the area but don’t cause the damage that invasive species do. In some cases, these plants can still be detrimental because they may have higher moisture requirements than native plants, causing an imbalance in the ecosystem. But even that isn’t the case with dandelions, but more on that in a bit. So, we can debunk the invasive species argument.

The History of Dandelions

Before looking at some other aspects of the dandelion, I want to first touch on where it originated. Dandelions have been around for thousands of years, originating in Eurasia before coming to North America, most likely in the 17th century on the Mayflower. But don’t think that this was by accident. The Europeans who arrived in America during this time period brought dandelions with them intentionally. That’s because the plant served a key medicinal purpose for them, which is one of its many benefits.

Benefits of Dandelions

Many may think of dandelions as nuisances, but the reality is that there are many benefits to them.

Medicinal

I mentioned earlier that Europeans intentionally brought dandelions with them for their medicinal benefits. And like most natural remedies, their positive effects are often minimized by the medical community. However, the Cleveland Clinic published a blog post in 2021 on the benefits of eating dandelions. In it, they mention that dandelions can be used as a good source of vitamins A, C, and K as well as folate, calcium, and potassium. Research and testing have also shown dandelions to help provide antioxidants, reduce inflammation, manage blood pressure, control blood sugar, and lower cholesterol. And while it hasn’t been confirmed, a research paper written by a biochemistry professor in Poland found that dandelions can help fight cardiovascular disease.

Dandelions can be consumed in a number of ways. The greens are delicious when eaten in a salad or sauteed. The flower petals and roots can be steeped into tea. You can also make wine and jelly from the flowers. In general, you can eat them the same way you do other greens grown in the garden.

Soil Improvements

Even if you don’t like the look of dandelions in your yard, one thing that can’t be denied is how it can improve your soil. Because they have deep, tough taproots, they’re able to break up the soil, allowing plants you want to grow to establish strong root systems. As a result, it could even make sense to intentionally plant dandelions in your garden beds to help your crops grow.

In yards, the deep taproots improve drainage and reduce runoff that often comes with lawns. Grasses, especially non-native varieties, tend to have shallow root systems that don’t absorb rainwater as efficiently as other plants. This leads to runoff, soil degradation, and potential flooding. And if you use herbicides or fertilizers on your lawn, the excess chemicals that aren’t absorbed can run off into streams and harm the drinking water supply.

Pollination

This one is pretty obvious, but dandelions are an important food source for pollinators. This is especially true early in spring when they’re one of the few available food sources until other flowers bloom. With pollinators already struggling to find food due to urbanization and the destruction of our ecosystems, it’s important to provide as much food as possible. I’ve already written about my love of the pollinators here, so it shouldn’t be surprising that I’ll keep dandelions around to help them.

Still Not Convinced?

Even if you don’t like dandelions and would prefer a lawn free of them, please be careful with how you address them. Instead of using herbicides that are harmful to the environment, including wild animals, pets, insects, and our water supply, physically remove them. Mowing them down and deadheading them will prevent the seeds from blowing and spreading once the flower dies. Plus, the pollinators will still have the opportunity to use them as a food source before. But at the end of the day, there isn’t a logical reason to kill them. The benefits greatly outweigh the negatives. Plus, they’re beautiful.

April 22, 2026 0

Thankful for a Patient Approach to Peppers

Last week, I wrote a post that posed the question, “When is it time to restart seeds?” The reason for that question was that our pepper seeds were taking forever to germinate and were already past their expected range. In the end, I argued for a patient approach to seed starting and not being too quick to pull the plug before restarting them. But I did write that if our Takii’s New Ace sweet peppers didn’t germinate by this past Sunday, (April 12) I was going to restart them. Thankfully, I was rewarded for this decision, and we saw our first seeds sprout late last week. Additionally, we saw more of our jalapeno, habanero, and Gochugarju peppers sprout. I don’t want to exaggerate the success, though.

We are far from a 100 percent germination rate, as only 2 of the 10 Takii’s New Ace, 3 of the 10 Gochugarju, and 8 of the 10 habanero cells succeeded. We did have one jalapeno cell germinate, but it died off pretty quickly. I’m unsure what caused the seeds to fail, but a couple of factors I’ve considered are the use of an old seed-starting mix and inadequate moisture levels. Either way, I addressed both of them with the second batch of seeds I started.

Speaking of starting more seeds, on Monday evening, I started a second batch of pepper seeds, using the rest of the Takii’s New Ace seeds and the majority of the remaining pepper seeds. I believe I started 6 Takii’s New Ace, 8 Gochugarju, and 8 jalapeno cells. I switched to a new bag of seed-starting mix, which I think will yield better results. It’s lighter with more drainage amendments and less debris (twigs, clumped soil, etc.). I also ensured that the seeds and soil were thoroughly moistened and have been keeping the soil damp until the seeds germinate. Finally, I moved the seeds that did succeed off the heat mat to keep the roots from getting too warm.

Lessons Learned

An attitude I want to have with everything I do, gardening included, is learning something and having takeaways. I think it’s an important mindset to have to feel like you haven’t wasted time, which can lead to disappointment. In this case, I learned that having patience with your seeds is the right call. If you have the time, there’s virtually no harm in giving your seeds an extra day or two to germinate before starting over. Giving yourself and your seeds extra time to succeed can have a big payoff down the road. I also learned that it may be best to start with new seed-starting mix each spring. I wanted to use some leftover mix from last year to not be wasteful, but I think it’s best to use new, unopened mix. The old mix can be composted, so it still won’t be wasted.

Finally, I learned that I’m never going to start more than 2 seeds per cell moving forward. I’ve always been a gardener who puts 3 or 4 seeds in each cell to maximize the likelihood that each cell produces a start. However, after having a lot of our pepper seeds fail to germinate this spring, I feel like I wasted a lot of seeds that could have been spread out among more cells. My new approach is going to be using as many cells as I need but using the seeds more efficiently. Please note that this approach will only apply to starting seeds indoors. When direct sowing, I’ll still use 3 or 4 seeds per hole to not waste space in the bed.

When you start seeds, how many seeds do you use per cell? Also, are there any vegetables that you struggle to get started? For me, it’s always peppers.

April 16, 2026 1

When Is It Time to Restart Seeds?

I recently wrote that we began starting pepper seeds for our garden. We’re growing four types of peppers this year: Takii’s New Ace bell peppers, Gochugarju hot peppers, Jaluv an Attitude jalapenos, and West Indies habaneros. We started them on Sunday, March 22, and all varieties take 10-14 days to germinate. The jalapeno seeds were the first to germinate, doing so in nine days (March 31), while the habaneros and Gochugarju did so a few days later (April 3). All three were in the germination window. We’re now more than two weeks out since we started the seeds, and the bell peppers have yet to germinate. Additionally, not all of the cells for the other varieties have sprouted. So, that leads me to the question: When do you admit defeat and restart the seeds that haven’t germinated? I don’t have an answer to this question, but I do have some thoughts that I hope will lead me to a reasonable answer. Hopefully, it can give you some pointers too if you’re unsure of when to restart your seeds.

I never admit defeat or restart a seed that hasn’t germinated until at least a few days past the days-to-germination range. That range of days is a rough estimation for when you can expect the seeds to sprout. Even in the past few days, some of the cells have sprouted even though we’re beyond the range. Because of that, I try to be careful to never quit on the seeds too fast. At the same time, you want to be careful not to wait too long. The seeds and their subsequent starts need enough time to grow so that they can be transplanted into the garden with enough time to mature and produce fruit. And with a slow-growing vegetable like peppers, it’s a delicate balance.

Another aspect that needs to be considered is how many seeds you have left. In our case, we have leftovers for all of our seeds, but unfortunately, we have the fewest Takii’s New Ace seeds of the four varieties. So, I’ll need to be extra careful with restarting seeds so that we don’t run out with no starts to show for it. Of course, we can always order more seeds, either of the same variety or something different, but I’d prefer not to. It’s another reason I want to give the Takii’s New Ace as much time as possible to germinate.

Finally, the last consideration when deciding if it’s time to restart seeds is space. Do you have enough seed cells and room in your seed-starting trays to restart seeds? This may seem like a small aspect to consider, but restarting seeds does mean using additional seed cells, moving cells around within the trays, and making sure that the newly sown seeds can be on a heat mat while the germinated starts can also be under the grow light. Thankfully, we have plenty of space if we have to restart some seeds; however, that’s not the case for everyone and is something that should be taken into account.

So, what are we going to do? I think I’ve decided to wait it out with the Takii’s New Ace until this weekend. It’s currently a Wednesday, so that’ll give the seeds almost three weeks from the date of sowing to germinate. At that point, I think we can assume that the seeds have failed to germinate. If I do have to restart some seeds, I’m only going to use one seed per cell to not waste any more of them. And of course, I’ll keep you updated on how everything goes.

April 8, 2026 1