Seed Starting Part 1: Onions, Peppers, and Parsley

I got my seed starting setup together this week and it’s looking good.

I’m trying a heat-mat for the first time but I didn’t want to spring for a $30 one on Amazon so I’m using this $.50 one instead. Christmas light seed starting mat!

After doing a bit of research it sounds like they don’t get too hot, they are mostly waterproof, and they are cheap. Sure the heat isn’t super even but these are seeds not high precision biology experiments.

I filled the trays from my Burpee Self Watering Seed Starting Kit
that I bought last year with some seed starting mix. I used Miracle-Gro Seed Starting Potting Mix which has mixed reviews but I’m a hobbyiest, not a professional and it’s easy to find.

I started 12 onions, 12 peppers, 12 coneflowers, and one pot of parsley. I made little row labels from something from the recycling bin and I’m ready to see them sprout. I know these early ones take a long time to get going but I’m hoping by starting them a bit earlier than I started my peppers last year, I’ll manage to get some good sized plants.

No spouts yet but it’s only been a couple days. I have way more started that I will ever have room to plant but people love seedlings and I love giving my little babies away. I just want enough margin for low germination rates etc.

Sarah

P.S. Let me know if you are local and have a garden in need of veggie or herb seedlings. I love to share!

Seed Starting 2014

I don’t know about you but I can’t wait for spring.  We had so much snow this year and I can’t wait for it to all melt and be gone.

While I’m stuck indoors during this crazy snowy winter, I’ve been giving a-lot, even too much, thought to my garden.

I’m trying some new things this year. The most exciting is bunching onions. I’ve got some Burbee Evergreen Long White Bunching Onion seeds that sound pretty easy.

Also new on the menu this year, spinach, radishes, and Kentucky Wonder garden stringless string beans.

I’ve also got some new flower selections. Snowball Marigolds and Lilliput Zinnia Mix. The Marigolds are white and very frilled and the Lilliput zinnias are a bit smaller than the standard zinnia.

I’m also doing tomatoes, hot peppers, jalapenos, sugar snap peas, and a variety of herbs. I’ve also got summer squash and zuccinni on the menu as well as another attempt at a butternut squash.

The tomatoes, peppers and onions will get started in March and the zinnias, lettuce, and herbs will start in April. Everything else will be direct-sown in april or may depending on how cold-hardy they are. I’m hoping for an early spinach crop as well as a profusion of green beans.

Now if the ground would thaw already I could start working in compost and doing some of the landscaping I’ve got planned for this spring!

Sarah

Garden Update

I’m afraid it’s all a bit sad. The garden is done and ready for the winter.

The cherry tree is bereft of leaves and showing it’s creapy hand once again.

The asters and annuals are done and slowly dying back.

The Spirea is tinged with yellow and it is only a matter of time before she returns to a mound a leafless twigs.

On the up-side, the pachesandra is doing wonderfully and has really thrived next to the driveway.

My little vegitable garden has been piled with leaves which will break down and be turned into the soil come spring. I also used the leaves to attempt to insulate the window-boxes full of my perennial herbs. They should be fine in the cold but the leaves should prevent too much frost heave.

The yard is once again full of leaves so there should be plenty more for insulating the fragile plants.

Stefan has turned off the hose and started up the snow-blower. He gave the grass a final short cut and we are ready for winter. I just hope spring comes quickly. In the mean time, it’s time for planning.

The garden did quite well this year. My roma tomatoes were over-abundant and I had a good slicing tomato plant and one good cherry tomato plant. I think the compost I added in the spring to the area where the carrots went really did wonders for the tomatoes. I’ll do that again to the whole garden this spring. Here’s my list for next year:

Carrots
Leeks
Roma Tomatoes
Slicing Tomato
Cherry tomato
Cucumber
Butternut Squash
Zucchini
Summer squash
Lettuce
spinach
Sweet peas

I’m thinking I might try to plant the sweet peas where the tomatoes will go. They stopped producing so early that I think I can get a sweet pea season done before I transplant my tomatoes out. I’m planning on adding a garden arch to grow the cucumbers on. I’m going to try to start them indoors this year. I had a hard time keeping the seedlings alive – something was eating them. Same with the summer squash and zucchini. The lettuce I grew last year was bitter and not very good. I’m thinking of trying spinach and harvesting the baby lettuce leaves when they are still just sprouts. I may also try a romaine. My mother has had good luck with that.

The leeks are new but I think they will be something interesting to try. I’ve also considered radishes. I read somewhere that if you plant the radishes early and then plant the carrots after them, they loosen up the soil nicely. I just don’t know that we would eat the radishes. They are good in a salad but not my favorite nor Stefan’s.

I’m really hopping for a better cucumber crop and a better sweet pea crop this year. And I’d like to get one Zucchini! I dont’ know about expanding the garden but I’m planning on really packing it tight and doing some work to define the space a little better. Perhaps some plant markers and certainly a wider path down the middle. Getting rid of the giant pile of bricks would help too but that’s probably not gonna happen this year.

I’d also like to do hanging baskets in the front. They are quite shaded so I’ll have to figure something out. I love the look of boston ferns. They hold up pretty well and they look so period I just don’t know if I have enough sun.

I’ll do zinnias, of course, and I have my gladiolas which I’m planning on putting into some large pots. My marygolds did great this year as well so I’ll probably do those again. I think those seeds were from Dollar Tree! I won’t be able to get rid of the morning glories if I wanted to so we’ll have those again. I’m already looking forward to spring..not a good sign 🙂

Sarah