I'm so happy today for two big reasons:
1. The baby chicks made it comfortably through the night. I feel just the same way about these babies as I did when I was really young. I constantly check on them. I just love staring at them and studying their little behaviors. In fact, Jesus got her name (I know...Jesus isn't a girl's name) because she kept walking through her water dish. She just goes around in a couple of circles, then moves on to other business. I decided she was trying to walk on water and gave her that name.
2. I came inside all bummed this morning because some rodent got into the garage (even though it was closed) and ate up some of my ruby corn and basil seedlings. Completely out of the blue, Tom decided he was going to buy me a greenhouse!!! I actually never really considered having a greenhouse, but once he brought it up and all of the wonderful possibilities took shape in my imagination I was excited! Apparently he has been thinking of buying me one for a while because he knew (off the top of his head) prices and types from different places. He probably felt sorry for me...bringing tray after tray of seedlings inside every night, not being able to eat a meal at the dinner table because it's covered in baby plants, creating a graveyard of starter pellets and pots with seedlings that didn't make it. A husband can only handle seeing his wife go through so much hardship. Haha!
Also, several more zucchinis sprouted today :)
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
More Learning
Lesson 2: Begin the week long process of getting your seedlings accustomed to the outdoors ("hardening them off") about a week before transplanting them, not upon germination.
Duh! I was throwing these brand new sprouts out in the sun when they were the equivalent of a human newborn. What was I thinking?!
Here's what's sprouting these days...
Ruby Corn
Basil
Snap Dragons
Spearmint
Tomatoes
Peppers
One Zucchini sprout :)
I'll finish this short little blog with the most exciting news...
I finally got my baby chicks!!! Introducing...
Lady and Scarlet (Rhode Island Reds)
Dolly and Betty (Barred Rocks)
Jesus and The Professor (Americanas-These gals will lay blue-green eggs)
They are so cute and very lively! Maybe I'll post photos in a future blog :)
Duh! I was throwing these brand new sprouts out in the sun when they were the equivalent of a human newborn. What was I thinking?!
Here's what's sprouting these days...
Ruby Corn
Basil
Snap Dragons
Spearmint
Tomatoes
Peppers
One Zucchini sprout :)
I'll finish this short little blog with the most exciting news...
I finally got my baby chicks!!! Introducing...
Lady and Scarlet (Rhode Island Reds)
Dolly and Betty (Barred Rocks)
Jesus and The Professor (Americanas-These gals will lay blue-green eggs)
They are so cute and very lively! Maybe I'll post photos in a future blog :)
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Live and Learn
....or, in this case, garden and learn. In this, my first year as a gardening aficionado, I'm making many newbie mistakes. Here are my latest:
I've lost nearly all of my tomato, brussel sprout, swiss chard and kale seedlings. Since I've never grown brussel sprouts or kale, I figured they were just wimpy little things. Tomatoes however, I've grown before. I was stumped!
Now I'm reading about seed starting in my 672 page Reader's Digest Guide to Gardening. Here is what the book says: "When the same soil is used repeatedly in the greenhouse, cold frame or even with potted plants, eventually it is almost certain to become infested with nematodes, fungi, and other soil-born pests and diseases. They can be destroyed by sterilizing the soil with heat or by using chemical soil fumigants."
There was my problem. I was trying to recycle potting soil. I was also trying to stretch the potting soil I bought by adding my own garden dirt. Apparently that's a "no-no". Gladly, I can sterilize the dirt myself by saturating it with several applications of boiling hot water. Sounds messy, but a heck of a lot better than using fumigants.
The next mistake is not yet a definite. I sowed new seeds just after the average last spring frost date (see March 2nd). Thinking they'd be safe from frost, I left them outside overnight. I'm pretty sure it was too cold for them, though. They should have sprouted by now and most haven't. Ho-hum :(
Anyway...I'll give you the lowdown on what I've sown and planted next entry. Adios!
I've lost nearly all of my tomato, brussel sprout, swiss chard and kale seedlings. Since I've never grown brussel sprouts or kale, I figured they were just wimpy little things. Tomatoes however, I've grown before. I was stumped!
Now I'm reading about seed starting in my 672 page Reader's Digest Guide to Gardening. Here is what the book says: "When the same soil is used repeatedly in the greenhouse, cold frame or even with potted plants, eventually it is almost certain to become infested with nematodes, fungi, and other soil-born pests and diseases. They can be destroyed by sterilizing the soil with heat or by using chemical soil fumigants."
There was my problem. I was trying to recycle potting soil. I was also trying to stretch the potting soil I bought by adding my own garden dirt. Apparently that's a "no-no". Gladly, I can sterilize the dirt myself by saturating it with several applications of boiling hot water. Sounds messy, but a heck of a lot better than using fumigants.
The next mistake is not yet a definite. I sowed new seeds just after the average last spring frost date (see March 2nd). Thinking they'd be safe from frost, I left them outside overnight. I'm pretty sure it was too cold for them, though. They should have sprouted by now and most haven't. Ho-hum :(
Anyway...I'll give you the lowdown on what I've sown and planted next entry. Adios!
Monday, March 2, 2009
Seed Planting and Killing
I sure hope my first year as a gardener is no reflection of how my first year of motherhood will go in the future! I'm so ditsy and neglectful! I left all of my seedlings directly in the hot sun a couple of days ago and killed about a third of them! Poor Babies! I still have about 10-15 of each of the following seedlings: tomatoes, kale, and broccoli, beets, and spinach. It's a good thing I planted, like, 50! That gave me a whole lot more wiggle room for mistakes and neglect! Now I've moved the seedlings into the shade. I'm sorry, seedlings!
I went sow-crazy yesterday: thyme, spearmint, beefsteak and cherry tomatoes (to replace the ones I killed), early summer crookneck squash, allsweet watermelon, tutti frutti snapdragons (like normal snapdragons but sort of candy-striped), tuscan sun hybrid bell peppers (I bought quite a few hybrid seeds, later discovering that I won't be able to cultivate their seeds since they're basically lab-created. oh well), and marigolds. Hopefully this time I'll be very careful and actually have 50 seedlings...so many that I won't know what to do with them and maybe have to pawn them off on friends and family :)
I must admit...I no longer make my own recycled seed starting pot-lets. I have succumbed to laziness. Although now I feel a lot less guilty because I've found that I can buy the jiffy seed starter pellets without the whole "greenhouse" ordeal. At the Home Depot across the street from Parkway Plaza, they sell just the pellets. Hooray!
I've got a lot more seeds to sow this month and the weather is absolutely gorgeous! I'm in gardening heaven!
I went sow-crazy yesterday: thyme, spearmint, beefsteak and cherry tomatoes (to replace the ones I killed), early summer crookneck squash, allsweet watermelon, tutti frutti snapdragons (like normal snapdragons but sort of candy-striped), tuscan sun hybrid bell peppers (I bought quite a few hybrid seeds, later discovering that I won't be able to cultivate their seeds since they're basically lab-created. oh well), and marigolds. Hopefully this time I'll be very careful and actually have 50 seedlings...so many that I won't know what to do with them and maybe have to pawn them off on friends and family :)
I must admit...I no longer make my own recycled seed starting pot-lets. I have succumbed to laziness. Although now I feel a lot less guilty because I've found that I can buy the jiffy seed starter pellets without the whole "greenhouse" ordeal. At the Home Depot across the street from Parkway Plaza, they sell just the pellets. Hooray!
I've got a lot more seeds to sow this month and the weather is absolutely gorgeous! I'm in gardening heaven!
Friday, February 27, 2009
Yay for weeding! Not. Well, it's not too bad on a sunny beautiful day like today. I got a lot done and have a lot more to go. I filled up our entire "green" trash bin this week (that's a lotta weeds)!
I sowed two rows of Burpee's "Kaliedescope" carrot mix right into the veggie patch today. I'm really excited about these because, aside from the normal orange carrots, there are also purple, red, and yellow carrots! They should be really fun! I like things to be a little out of the norm :)
No more brussel sprout or kale seedling casualties and no more gophers in the patch for today...fingers crossed it will stay that way.
I sowed two rows of Burpee's "Kaliedescope" carrot mix right into the veggie patch today. I'm really excited about these because, aside from the normal orange carrots, there are also purple, red, and yellow carrots! They should be really fun! I like things to be a little out of the norm :)
No more brussel sprout or kale seedling casualties and no more gophers in the patch for today...fingers crossed it will stay that way.
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Weeding, weeding, weeding. And more weeding to do tomorrow.
A darn gopher got through my gopher labyrinth and into my garden, but stole only one broccoli plant. Bummer, but at least he only took one. I need to better protect my poor veggies!
I planted more nasturtiums today, but the normal variety this time. The directions on this packet said to nick the seeds before sowing, so I did. I wonder if that makes them grow faster. I'm really excited for these guys to germinate and start crawling all over the place! I just love this flower!
I sowed some lavender seeds, also. Two varieties: Lady and True. True is said to have the traditional lavender scent and Lady blooms in the first year. I'm excited to have some perennial beauties in my yard!
Rainbow chard, brussel sprouts, and kale are proving not to be very hardy seedlings. Although I have some brussel sprout and kale survivors, quite a few of the sprouts decide to just wilt and die. I've tried watering them more, watering them less, putting them in the sun, and giving them less sun, but they're just wienie little plants, I guess. I hope I see at least some of them reach adulthood!
A couple of herb seeds sprouted! I can't tell if they're the thyme seedlings or the spearmint seedlings, though, since I put them all in the same bin. Time will tell!
I made some more pungent organic bug spray. Too bad there's not a fabulous organic gopher spray that I know of!
I ate my first homegrown salad today! Yay! Buttercrunch lettuce and carrots from my very own garden! Yay!
A darn gopher got through my gopher labyrinth and into my garden, but stole only one broccoli plant. Bummer, but at least he only took one. I need to better protect my poor veggies!
I planted more nasturtiums today, but the normal variety this time. The directions on this packet said to nick the seeds before sowing, so I did. I wonder if that makes them grow faster. I'm really excited for these guys to germinate and start crawling all over the place! I just love this flower!
I sowed some lavender seeds, also. Two varieties: Lady and True. True is said to have the traditional lavender scent and Lady blooms in the first year. I'm excited to have some perennial beauties in my yard!
Rainbow chard, brussel sprouts, and kale are proving not to be very hardy seedlings. Although I have some brussel sprout and kale survivors, quite a few of the sprouts decide to just wilt and die. I've tried watering them more, watering them less, putting them in the sun, and giving them less sun, but they're just wienie little plants, I guess. I hope I see at least some of them reach adulthood!
A couple of herb seeds sprouted! I can't tell if they're the thyme seedlings or the spearmint seedlings, though, since I put them all in the same bin. Time will tell!
I made some more pungent organic bug spray. Too bad there's not a fabulous organic gopher spray that I know of!
I ate my first homegrown salad today! Yay! Buttercrunch lettuce and carrots from my very own garden! Yay!
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Tropically Inspired
After my visit to Kauai, I'm more garden-inspired than ever (it is affectionately know as the "Garden Island").
Right by our front porch, we have nearly empty stone terraces. Our plan has been to fill them with tropical-looking plants, especially because they surround our future jacuzzi area!
Of all places, I found a Hawaiian native plant at VONS! So I bought it, plunked it in one of the terraces, and surrounded it with other compatible plants I already had on hand. The first stone terrace is all done! Yay!
I also sowed some nasturtium seeds yesterday. These particular ones are the "Alaska" variety...same as the normal ones but their leaves are marbled green and white instead of just green. For once, I hope the soil isn't too rich...they won't flower well in rich soil. We'll see...
Right by our front porch, we have nearly empty stone terraces. Our plan has been to fill them with tropical-looking plants, especially because they surround our future jacuzzi area!
Of all places, I found a Hawaiian native plant at VONS! So I bought it, plunked it in one of the terraces, and surrounded it with other compatible plants I already had on hand. The first stone terrace is all done! Yay!
I also sowed some nasturtium seeds yesterday. These particular ones are the "Alaska" variety...same as the normal ones but their leaves are marbled green and white instead of just green. For once, I hope the soil isn't too rich...they won't flower well in rich soil. We'll see...
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