You are indeed an optimist, Neko! I'm hoping that my tiny cedar is going to pop back up after getting laid out horizontally twice from the weight of snow.
Oh, ehbeth, the best way to ride out the next few weeks is to regard this snow and cold as being beneficial for the garden.
Here's how that spot looked last summer:
Started dumping last years' dirt out of the flower pots today. Started stocking up on potting soil and manure for the new flowers and veggies that I'll start planting in about a month. Getting excited about spring, like every year. The apple and cherry blossom trees are blooming and the azealas should start blooming very soon.
my basil seeds are already popping out some true leaves. Ive got onion seeds and my spinach (planted in the garden last fall) is starting to sprout leaf tops. I saw a crocus in a very sunny spot off one of my banks today. There is a tinge of green in the lawn and the trees, especially maples, are showing really red tips and end branches.
ITLL BE HERE+_HOLD ON
It's been snowing all day.
No big storm, just constant snow.
The worst part of it, is that it means it's still cold enough that nothing melted today. Grrrrrrrrrrrr.
I bought a bunch of seeds a couple of days ago and flats to plant 'em in today. Have a lot of places I'd like to put annuals and they add up, so seeing if I can do it this way. Most of them say to plant ~6 weeks before last frost, and looked it up and average last frost in Columbus is May 9th, so doing a bunch of planting tomorrow.
A little excited, not too because a lot could go wrong and I haven't done it before, but not too expensive to try and could be really cool.
Soz - lots of sunlight and a constant little bit of water will make most seed(ling)s happy.
We've been thawing! As the snow and ice recedes in the back yard, the glaciers are exposing more and more dog poop (bad me).
Soz, if you're using a window for light vs a grow light, rotate the flats once/day once they sprout so the don't reach too far toward the window.
Have fun tomorrow.
Soz.. Good luck with your growing project. This year I have more seeds then ever due to the townhouse project on my property. Every year I say that "this year I'm going to have the best garden ever!" Some years go well; some not so well. It is fun but if you think the Sozlet requires attention, wait until you get into this project. All it takes is a couple of days of procrastination/neglect and you can lose your crop.
I question the May 9th date. Seems a little early. My target here in VA is always about a week later in order to avoid the killing unexpected late frost. Also seeds need warmth, not light, to sprout (germinate). One catalog I have suggests putting the flats on top of the refrigerator. Keeping the planting mix moist without getting it too wet or dry is an art.
So what seed did you buy? And you did get a proper seeding starting formula, right, rather than using dirt from the yard? Good luck! Let's compare our progress periodically. rjb
Oh yay, thanks for tips guys. About to start, actually may put it off a bit pending more advice.
That seed starting formula is an example. The seed packets say that, and I called the local nursery to see if they had it. They said no, and weren't really sure what I meant. I explained, and they said well just Pro-Mix potting soil would work well. I said fine. I'd been thinking seed starting formula was like some sort of vermiculite-y special stuff, not just a variety of potting soil. We have a bunch of soil in the basement, some we brought from Naperville, some was left here by the previous owners. One kind -- a big bag maybe 1/5 full called "Jungle Growth Professional Mix" -- has "seed starting" directions on it and talks about all the wonderful minerals or whatever that are in the formula, just add seeds and water.
Do I need to worry about its age? I think this was left by the previous owners and have no idea how old it is. Looks fine. Dry.
As is the nature of most of these projects, it started with .99 cent seed packets at Target but the expense has crept upward bit by bit. I really like the flats I got though, they have clear plastic covers to keep moisture and warmth in. But point is if I can avoid the next $15.00 or so to get soil, too, I'd prefer that, but on the other hand I don't want to torpedo the whole thing by being cheap in this area.
I have
-impatiens
-petunias
-pansies
-violas
-alyssum
-forget-me-not
-nasturtium
-poppy
and, for the sozlet, no idea where I'll put it
-sunflower
Nasturtium is one of my favorites. These seeds can be planted directly outside when warm weather begins. Before you are ready to plant, wet the seeds under a faucet (shake off any excess water), then put them in a zip lock bag with a wet piece of folded paper towel
sit them on a window sill without direct sun. They will begin to sprout in about two days or so, and will be ready for planting. This method can be done with many other kinds of seeds.
Forget-me-not's will take over your flower beds
they will grow anywhere without any kind of nurturing. They will continue to grow everywhere year after year
that's why they are called forget-me-nots
I found out the hard way
You sound very enthusiastic sozobe, and that's all it takes to be a good gardener :wink:
I've used both seed starting medium and regular potting soil mixed with extra vermiculite. You want a light mix, not heavy soil.
I'd wait a bit for the ones that say 6 to 8 weeks before last frost date. I've just started some chives and spearmint but they both suggest 10 weeks before last frost.
If you have a cold frame outside you can start the other ones now and transfer them to a cold frame in about 6 weeks.
Most of 'em say 6-10 weeks -- I was actually worried that I was already too late. (May 9th seemed late for a last frost to me as a non-gardener.)
The zip-loc bag tip is awesome, thanks colorbook.
Nasturtiums are supposed to grow quickly and be especially fun for kids -- maybe I'll get another packet, one for growing in pots just for fun/ to see 'em grow, and one for planting outside directly.
Do either of you have any concern about the unknown age of the potting soil mix? Mold or whatever?
I'd think the potting soil would be just fine--particularly since it has dried out. Mold loves moisture.
Yes, Soz, I'm afraid I do have a problem with the age of the stuff you found in the basement. If you want to do this right, you should start with fresh stuff (ker-ching goes the cash register on this cheap hobby). J_B is correct that the right mix is probably a little lighter than potting soil. Some vermiculite would be good as an addition. Mix it all up in a trash bag or (my preference) a cardboard box and then practice the warmth and watering for a week or so more to get into the routine before you actually lay in the seed.
soz : i wouldn't use old potting soil. for a few dollars you can get all the potting soil you'll need - use the old stuff to mix into the garden soil when you are transplanting. instead of transplanting right away you may want to harden the seedligs for a few days by setting the seedlings outside during the daytime, but NOT in bright sunlight - they'll burn easily. if you want to hasten along the growing of the seedlings once they have been transplanted, cover them overnight during cool nights. i usually plant seedlings in little cardboard tubes when they go into the garden(from cut-up papertowel rolls and such - keeps the moisture in and prevents cutworms and other beasts from making a meal of the transplants - i learned it the hard way; i even plant beans and other veggie seeds in these tubes - hardly ever loose a seedling that way). hope the bunnies won't make a meal of your seedlings - spotted a goodsized bunny in the sideyard while we were having breakfast this morning. we'll be inviting bailey and cleo in late april to establish their territories and keep the the squirrels and rabbits at bay - for a while at least). green thumbs up ! hbg
I bow to superior expertise.
Ooh, I love the cardboard tube tip!
I went ahead and planted some of 'em, will see what happens. It's only about 1/8th of the total, will get new seed starting formula for the rest. Did some more research and a soilless mixture seems popular, like Jiffy Mix. The stuff I have is soilless, but not very fine. I had to take lots of bits and pieces out.
I'm definitely approaching this as an experiment with an expectation of a certain amount of failure and then learning what works for next time.
Haven't seen any bunnies around here which is actually fantastic news!!! The bunnies were the bane of my existence in Naperville... well, plant-wise anyway, they were awful cute.
"You get what you pay for" side note -- the 99 cent packs from Target were packed with a miserly amount of seeds. I planted one pack of viola from the local nursery -- seeds were about the same size as the Target impatiens seeds, but there were about 4X more viola seeds for about 1.5X the price. Ah well.
Thanks hamburger, that cardboard tube trick sounds great...I'm going to try it this year with my new seedlings
The bane of my existence (or rather, my garden's) is not bunnies, but deer. Just up the hill from my house, perhaps 50 yards is the ridge. And on the other side is the huge amount of land set aside to protect one of our reservoirs. We see deer pretty much everyday and I'm convinced that they watch us planting. And they plot how they can sneak in and take out everything. They are cute but devious.
