It’s now officially spring…my seeds are up!
Seed starting begins here in February. Trays are washed. Seeds purchased. Sometimes I feel like an Army general coordinating the troops. What goes in when? Timer on – check. Lights all working – check. Plants high enough so Pierre can’t get them – double check.
A quick peek under the grow domes of the flats under the lights in the basement revealed wonderful tiny plants:
- Tomatoes
- Dill
- Snapdragons
- English primrose
- Missouri primrose
and now I wait…for the Echinacea and Spanish lavender, the peppers and the basil. And I’m eying the rest of the flower seeds. Some must go into the seed starting trays this weekend. I’ve got call Parks too. I placed an order over the internet in February and haven’t heard from them yet. I know they can’t ship my sweet potato plants until it’s time to plant them here, but I also ordered a lot of flower seed packets for the butterfly garden, and those should be started in about two weeks or so. I supposed I can start them late. I just don’t want to miss one single warm day when they can be growing outside!
The Dollar Store had miracle bargains on gladiolus bulbs, so in addition to the package of 30 I snagged at Wal Mart, I got a few packages of six for just $1. I’ll grow them for cut flowers. I haven’t had cut flowers in the house in two years thanks to Pierre. When he was a kitten, I couldn’t stop him from exploring any countertop, cabinet or table where I’d place a vase of flowers. He wouldn’t sniff the flowers. No, not Pierre. He would shred them, snag them, whack the vase until it tipped over. Thankfully I never lost a vase, but I mopped up so much water from tipped flower vases that I stopped putting them out. Now that he’s “mature” (ha) I’ll dare it again. So far – knock wood – he hasn’t found the vase of tulips I bought on Sunday and put on the kitchen table to brighten the mood.
This weekend, temps are supposed to be nice and warm, in the high fifties. I can’t decide yet whether I’ll fix the fence on the vegetable garden or do some cleanup in the flower beds. I think the flowers bed may be a good start. Any jump I can get on the weeds, such as clearing some areas that got overgrown last year, is a good thing!
I’m doing the happy dance around the office. Spring arrived in the form of tiny seedlings!
yes! so far, i’ve got tomatoes, peppers, sweet peas, & moonflowers up and growing … my goal is to have real tomatoes on my late June birthday this year!