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As promised, here are some pics of my seedlings and makeshift light stands.
This is some grass that I grew indoors for my cat. I got the idea when I saw seeds in a catalog for "cat grass". It said that cats need a certain amout of vegetation to aid digestion. And after my cat ate 3 small Malva Zebrina plants to death, I decided to grow some grass for him. He isn't much interested in the grass, but my dog ate some from one of the pots when she had an upset tummy, so it wasn't a total waste. 
Leek seeds on the windowsill... haven't yet germinated. 
An assortment of pots and seeds. Some have seeds or seedlings in them, some are still waiting.
From left to right... Balloon Flower seedlings, Blue Flax seedlings, and two 3 month old Coleus plants. 
From left to right... Larkspur seedlings, a 6-pack of Hollyhock seedlings, a 4 week old daylily in the white pot, you can't really see it in the picture, but it's there, I promise, and two 1 1/2 month old Hollyhocks.
Some of you may be wondering why I'm starting seeds so early here in chilly zone 6b. Well... I have my reasons, no, really, I do. For one thing, I'm hoping that some of my perennials will flower this year. I'm even secretly dreaming that my foxgloves will bloom this summer, though being biennials, that is very unlikely. Another reason, some--not all--of the seeds that I'm starting are said to take anywhere from a few weeks to months to germinate. So, if they do take that long, then I may only have one or two sets of true leaves on them by the time Spring rolls around, even though starting them so early. With the annuals, I'm hoping to get a full summer's worth of flowers out of them, so I guess I'm erring on the side of having too many big plants to deal with indoors rather than having them bloom only to be killed by a frost a little while later. So... that's my story, and I'm stickin' to it. ;)
I suppose the best part of winter gardening is getting all those catolog orders in the mail! I thought my new arbor was going to be awaiting me when I got home from work today...it was not. :( But, I was greeted by my Burpee seed order! YEAH! Most of these seeds will be used in my new sunny bed by the back porch. Here is a break down of my goodies:
Sunflower: Honeybear (gets 5-6 feet tall)
Sunflower: Sun 'n Sun Hybrid Mix (includes 10 different varieties of colors and sizes reaching heights of 4-6 feet.
Nasturtium: Alaska mix (contains a mix of gold, red and yellow all with variegated foliage)
Bells of Ireland
Moonflower Vine
Sweet Pea: Sweet Dreams Mix
Gourd: Small Fancy, Mixed Varieties (I will grow these on the new arbor that I am awaiting in the mail)
Nemophila: Baby Blue Eyes (aka california blue bells) will use this as an annual ground cover in my shady bed
Alyssum: Royal Carpet (packet contains 1000 seeds, so I may be able to use this in several spots)
...and the freebie pack of seeds is a Sunflower: Burpee's Summer Cutting Mix :)
Also, the yard trash pick up came, so after work tomorrow I can spend more time dragging creek brush to the curb. My hubby said he will get back there with his new chain saw this weekend and help really clean out some of the remaining big stuff! YEAH!
The holidays are over, my days are now mine again. As much as I treasure the holidays, no matter how fun they may be, they always seem a bit stressful and wear me out! I'm always happy the holidays are finished.
Since January is in full-bloom (and nothing else IS here in the high country), I turn my thoughts to work, work, and more work! As it all piles up on my desktop, I gently remind myself that one must take a very necessary break from all this hard work and...well...
Now is the time for all good people to order seed catalogs, dream about Spring, and relish the thought of digging in the soil of Mother Earth to create their very own garden!
I have had dreams of wearing my garden clothes, my gloves, and that silly gardening hat I have hanging in my closet...dreams of comparing one seed to another and how it will look when it pops out of the ground.
The snow, two feet deep, is trampled to slush on the path to my mailbox from my constant forays to check for the latest 'wish books' so that I might have an excuse to take an afternoon break, sifting through hundreds of color photos reminding me how my garden should look! I'm sure my husband would love to install many a mailbox around our property so that he would be relieved of shoveling duty!
In the meantime, I read, dream, and enjoy a strongly brewed cuppa coffee whilst perusing my catalogs. It's as good as Winter gets!
And, I love it!
So, back in the late summer I planted all sorts of wonderful fall veggie seeds. I was so excited! I even did a lot of research on companion planting and was going to implement that for the first time. Well, the week after I put in all the seeds, my city issued a complete out door watering ban. No water=no veggies :(
There it sat....a pile of dirt full of seeds waiting for something to help them reach their potential. Well, we have started to have quite a wet winter and the seeds are starting to sprout. I know its way too late...and I won't really get anything from them, but its fun to see them doing something!
Here
is a pict of the veggie garden that could...
Hopefully the rain is making a dent in our drought situation and we will be able to water again come spring...
Exactly!
So my Button seeds sprouted a second time...only one of those three came up. And the one stem hasn't changed at all. I'm kinda sad about it, but I think I might try and transplant the three seedlings tomorrow anyways and maybe I'll add in another pinch of seeds, just to get a halfway-decent pot going here. Silly little things.
In other news, the co-worker who brought in all those banana peppers brought in a ton more today! Banana peppers and bell peppers and some red peppers that she lost the tag for and couldn't remember what they were called. Kinda look like chiles of some sort, in my humble oh-so-intelligent opinion! I have a ton load more than I had last time, and I just barely finished those, so tomorrow I will probably freeze most of these new ones and save the seeds - ignoring the float test this time! I don't work tomorrow or Friday so I have pleanty of time.
Other than that...it's been a slow couple of days! The baby trees are all looking pretty good...the strawberries have lost a few leaves but are looking nice and strong...I kinda want to plant those pumpkin seeds *now* but I know I have to wait like a good little girl...maybe tomorrow while I'm transplanting those Buttons I'll plant a few pepper seeds straight from the pepper, what do you all think?
Soooooo many Peeeeeeeeeaas!
And some garlic. Yum!
Clearly the bed that has lots of compost in it grows everything and anything 10 times better than the bed with no compost. Except beans. My beans are sad all around this year.
anybody have any good ideas about how to dry/save seeds over winter for next year?
someone is going to have to save me from myself...hehehhe I got a Park Seed Fall Catalog today...I want at least one of nearly everything, EXCEPT irises and daffodils (I dug up soo many of them cleaning out my flower beds here)..Right on the top of my list is a bicolored butterfly bush...ohhh my goodness it is so gorgeous..sooo sooo pretty..ohh and they had some gorgeous looking blueberry bushes in there too..I love blueberry bushes...and I want 3 more to add to my two I have I really like blueberries YUMMO...
Today I examined where I planted the marigolds and coleus and chives that were packaged for 1982 I saw little sprouts coming up where the marigolds were planted, nothing yet where the coleus is planted and there is something coming up in one of the chive pots but I dont think it is a chive...going to have to do some research of what they look like as babies..LOL
~C~
I am addicted I admit it, I cant stop planting seeds, I get in the freezer (which is where I keep all my seeds)and find more seeds...and just keep on planting...Saturday I planted some okra and some zucchinni seeds, Friday I planted some chive seeds and some coleus seeds and some marigold seed pods (they were from my stash I was given from my fil after he passed away) OHH and the interesting thing..the seeds I planted on Friday were dated that they were packaged for 1982...hmmm they have been kept in the freezer that is where he always kept them so I keep them there too...I keep going to look to see if I see any little plants coming up...of course it was JUST Friday soooo nothing yet...but I will keep you all updated...
sooo I have a feeling that this winter will be a time of planting inside in flats for the garden for spring...and ohhh I can hardly wait until fall, when the berry bushes get put out for sale...I am going to add 3 blueberry bushes and a peach tree. I have two blueberry bushes already but want to add to those. I have blackberry bushes and a grape vine too but I am probably not adding to those..not this year anyhoo.
I think I may need a 12 step program...wonder if there is a Planters Anonymous..LOL or maybe Gardeners Anonymous...LOL
Hello everyone i have started a green house and am in desperate need of Seeds... If any one out there has any they could donate or maybe trade i only have a few though just let me know ...This project will hopefully bring me and my middle daughter closer .I want her to love the outdoors and nature so please help us out .If you have any suggestions for fun things to plant just send me an email...
fellow gardener
thank you so much
Mother's Day, slept through the alarm and just barely made it awake in time to get to church with my mother. Snuck in just as the service was starting. Was running so late I left the blueberry bushes and the card home, but it's not like I was dressed for planting anyway. I'll go put them in the ground later this week.
By the time I got back home, after going to my grandparents' house with my mother to deliver a hanging basket overflowing with pink petunias, Mr K had been working out in the yard for a good long while, from the looks of things. The mailbox area has now undergone a massive renovation. He put one of the azaleas, both primroses, and a few of the leftover vincas from a prior trip out there. What use to be about an 18" diameter circle around the mailbox is now nearly 10' long and 8' wide. It still has some more room to plant things, but that's OK because we still have some more things to plant. Of course the rest of the mulch was still in the back of the beast, so he was eagerly awaiting my return.
He's really been doing a lot out there this week. But now we need to start concentrating on inside, because we're having company next Sunday, and we've been spending every waking minute on yard-related stuff, and that doesn't leave much time for keeping the inside tidy. With 3 dogs and 2 cats running around, just the shed hair at this time of the year is overwhelming.
Gave Mr K's mom a pot of purple Cape Daisies for her birthday, and a hanging pot of vincas for Mother's Day. Gave Sylvia an orchid. I do believe that's the first time I've ever seen Cape Daisies before, and I'll be looking for seeds for next year. They were neat looking.
Hello all, I got my seeds today. I ordered a whole bunch of Basil seeds (different varieties) and my carrots (thumbelinas and little fingers) I am going out for the afternoon so I will probably plant them tomorrow. Everything else is going well. I thought it was going to rain last night (it looked like rain) but.....not a drop landed on my plants. I went out last night and watered the plants that needed it. Alot of my plants were dry and needed it but they are still alive and thriving. I can't wait to sink my teeth into my first home grown tomato. Take care all, Hugs to everyone.
Jeanne
8-10 weeks Gomphrena (www.gardenguides.com/seedcata
log/flowers/gomphrena.asp) 6-8 weeks Bells of Ireland (www.gardenguides.com/seedcata
log/flowers/bellsofireland.asp
) Snapdragons (www.gardenguides.com/seedcata
log/flowers/snapdragon.asp) Hyacinth Bean Vine (www.gardenguides.com/seedcata
log/flowers/hyacinthbeanvine.a
sp) 4-6 weeks Chinese Lanterns (www.gardenguides.com/seedcat
alog/flowers/chineselantern.as
p)
Supplies:
Capillary matting
Peat Pellets
Hot Kaps
This week I started some seeds of romaine inside in the house. The main reason to start seeds indoors is to give them a jump on growing outside. In spring the weather is cool and the seeds often have trouble germinating. Also, if you plant certain seeds, like a tomato in the ground directly you run the risk the plant will never get mature enough to yeild a tomato.
Seed starting kits are, in my opinion, the best way to go. I like the ones that have a little plastic cover because they create a mini greenhouse. You can also add a seed starting mat under the kit to increase the heat.
Be sure to place the kits in a sunny window. You can make your own mix to plant in or do the easy thing and buy a starting mix.
If you reuse your kit year to year sterilize the containers with hot soapy water. You can even use a bit of bleach, just be sure to rinse them out well.
Start your seeds indoors according to the directions on the back of the packet. Many seeds require 4-6 weeks of lead time before putting them outside. I have found that sees of carrots, peas and beans do not do well being started inside and then moved.
Lettuces, melon, tomatoes, peppers, and other warm weather crops are best started early.
Its a Cold Week Ahead
4/9/2007
It’s been a cold spring so far and this is going to continue through mid-April. I see the jet stream continuing to bring cold air in from Canada. Therefore, we have to hold off on some things we would otherwise be doing. The winter month caterpillars, a problem in the Massachusettes area, will be slow to hatch with this cold weather. Do not spray unless you are sure they have hatched. I have still not planted my peas or some of my other cold weather crops. With the daytime highs in the 40s it will be hard for much to germinate. If you have a cold frame or other covers for the seeds you can plant as they help mitigate the cold. Continue to clean up the lawn and perennial beds. Cut back your perennials.
You can prune summer blooming shrubs now. I cut back my rose-of-sharon hard this time of year. It will produce great blooms in August.
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