Batnavel's Blog

Well, I am back from Cancun, had a great time, and I am starting the garden activities.

The other night I started my "Garden Journal" -- bought a black 3 ring binder at Walmart, and put some blank paper in it, along with my invoice from my Burpee seed order,  and the plans for my "portable greenhouse" ( which by the way, will probably not come to fruition this year, decided to attack things differently. )

Anyway, I plan on putting some tabs in my binder with sketches of the yard,  ideas on future beds etc, sun charts, seed order info, successes and failures, and just plain journaling my garden activities. I think I will probably write blog entries for anything significant too.

Here are the other things I did on Feb 3rd.

• I cut out and attached pictures from the Burpee Catalouge to my seeds. Seeds direct from Burpee come in generic looking packages, with no pictures, and until I am an expert, and can visualize each flower or plant by name.... I need this.
• I bought a 12 cell seed started at Walmart too, the kind that comes with the little dome and peet pellets. I started this in a very sunny kitchen window, with my wife's approval, after striking a deal. I told her I would kill the struggling Vinca ( formerly thought to be inpatiens ) that had been in that window in a blue pot. She accepted the deal, and the Vinca went. The Vinca were struggling because I put them in VERY poor dirt, they needed to die.
• In the 12 cell, I planted ......what do you know, VINCA, Lavender, Baby Duck Petunia, African Impatiens, Chocolate Mint Coleus, and more Vinca.
• I have read up on starting things from seed, and plan to follow everything to a T, in hopes of success.

Thats it for Feb 3rd.  OH, I also bought a book in St. Louis at Books a Million for $5. Its an HGTV garden book, and it highlights some  botanical gardens from around the US. I know of two I will be visiting for sure, ST. Louis, and New York.