First Seeds of 2015

I started celery-tall utah, rosemary and parsley today.

Planting started out in the garden

Yesterday and today I planted peas, some spinach, arugula, carrots, garlic, Walla Walla onions, red onions, white bunching onions, and romaine lettuce. I'm glad I waited to buy the red onion sets because I got them on sale today. Kaitlyn was a big help getting the raised beds ready for planting. She used the hoe to mix the compost into the soil while I finished mixing and smoothed the soil.

Hopefully what I planted will grow ok and not drown because shortly after finishing this afternoon it started raining really hard and it's supposed to keep raining for several days.

Lots more seed starting

Today I started Pumpkin - Gurney's Giant Magic, Pumpkin - New England Pie, Zinnia, Borage, Nasturtium, Forget-Me-Not, Echinacea, Blue Flax, Dill, and Pink Baby's Breath. If the pink baby's breath actually sprouts I'll be very surprised. I discovered the seed packet when I was clearing out space in the office for the plant shelves and it's labeled for 1999. I figured it couldn't hurt to try it and see if they do anything. :)

There's a lot of growth in the plants that have been started. Now if it would stop snowing and warm up I could get compost on the garden beds and plant the peas & other early plants.

Squash and Melons Started

Teresa gave me a great seed tray with coconut coir seed starting cells so I used those for the melons, and squash. I started Hannah's Choice Muskmelon, Melon - Minnesota Midget, Watermelon - Sugar Baby, Watermelon - Black Diamond, Buttercup Squash, Spaghetti Squash, Early Prolific Straightneck Summer Squash, and Broccoli - Summer Purple. Al requested the Summer Purple Sprouting Broccoli because it's supposed to be a little milder tasting than the head broccoli.

Tomatoes, etc started

Yesterday I started a whole bunch of tomatoes - Early Girl, Mortgage Lifter, Roma, Rutgers, Sweet 100, Green Doctor's Frosted Cherry, and Juliet. I started them in smaller cells than I have in the past so they'll all fit in one black seed tray and I'll transplant them as needed. I also started petunias - Celebrity Blue, Celebrity White, and Celebrity Red. Also started chamomile and marigolds. I'm trying Cathy's suggestion and starting the flowers in smaller containers with lots of seeds as she did with her marigolds last year. I'll separate and transplant them as needed. (The plastic part from the boxes of Girl Scout Tagalongs made great trays for the petunias!)

Some of the seeds I planted already are starting to sprout. I'll need to get the new shelf put together in the office soon so I can move the sprouted seeds under the shop lights.

Bell Peppers are sprouting

Sweet Marjoram sprouting

Most of the basil, thyme, cauliflower, broccoli, and marjoram have sprouted

More Seed Starting

Today I started Broccoli - Coronado Crown Hybrid (the one that earned Kaitlyn a blue ribbon last year at the Itasca County Fair), Cauliflower - Farmer's Extra Early, Cauliflower - Snow Crown Hybrid, romaine lettuce, sage, sweet marjoram, sweet basil, and thyme.

Broccoli, Cauliflower, Romaine, Marjoram, Thyme

Seed trays on top of the fridge to germinate

2014 Planting has begun!

The first seeds of 2014 are now started. Planted Celery - Tall Utah, Italian Flat Leaf Parsley, Eggplant - Twilight Hybrid, Bell Pepper - California Wonder, Habanero Pepper, Jalapeno Pepper, Poblano Pepper, Sweet Banana Pepper, and Rosemary.

Bell Peppers, Banana Peppers, Jalapeno Peppers

Eggplant, Rosemary, Poblano Peppers, Habanero Peppers, Celery, Jalapeno Peppers

Peppers

One of the buttercup squash I started for Cathy sprouted Friday. We brought several plants up to Crooked Lake this weekend. I helped Cathy transplant several plants while Al, Dad, Terry, and Larry built a greenhouse instead of fishing Saturday. Temperatures there were in the high 20s/low 30s with snow and lots of wind.

Next year I'll start marigolds as Cathy did. She started almost a whole package of seeds in one small tray and then we transplanted them. It's a huge savings on seed starting mix and space under the grow lights.

We brought back a whole black tray of plants back home. A few of the tomatoes will be experiments in indoor gardening because they're too small to put in the garden and actually have them produce anything before frost. There's also a rosemary that's almost dead that I'll try to nurse back to health.

One of the sugar baby watermelons sprouted over the weekend. I went out to check the garden and found that several of the peas, black seeded simpson, and arugula are coming up. Some of the onion sets are sprouting. 3 of the CDs came off of the posts so I retied them. The rhubarb is really taking off and some of the asparagus is growing well. Some animal, probably a squirrel, dug up a bunch of the new strawberry plants so I replanted them. Several others look like they're thriving and have leaves now.

Cathy gave us lots of landscaping fabric, so I'll use that in the walkways with wood chips instead of newspapers.

It's supposed to be about 70 today, 93 tomorrow, and in the 70s the rest of the week, so the soil should warm up enough to plant peppers and tomatoes soon.

Seed Starting & Compost

I started the watermelon and all of the squash and put them above the fridge to germinate.

I hauled 4 cartloads of compost tot he garden and put it on the beds. The handle broke on the garden cart on the last load so we'll need to fix the garden cart and/or the wheelbarrow before we can move any more compost.

The rhubarb that I spotted a little nub the other day has sprouted further and now has a couple leaves.

Plants on growing shelves downstairs

More rhubarb coming up

Darn Snow

It sure doesn't seem like spring yet. We got close to 6" of snow on Thursday and about an inch Friday. Today we had a bunch of snow and some freezing rain. One of these days it has to stop snowing!!! Because of the snow the compost site has delayed opening until next Saturday (4/20) so we'll plan to get compost and wood chip mulch then. Hopefully the snow will melt and the beds will dry out by then so I can plant the April seeds then.

Snow on the garden 4-10

Still snowing 4-11

Snow in the driveway 4-11

I never thought I'd need to use this in April.

I have several romaine and buttercrunch lettuce plants that are just about ready to transplant. The broccoli and cauliflower are just about ready too. I moved the lights above the tomatoes up several links.

Bachelor Buttons and Marigolds

Eggplant

Romaine

Buttercrunch lettuce, cauliflower

Tomatoes

Peppers

Plants under shop lights

Since it's been so cold I'm concerned about the borage, nasturtiums, and forget-me-nots actually germinating if I direct sow them so I started inside today in peat pots and put them above the fridge.

Seedling Maintenance

Most of the tomatoes are up now so I moved the trays downstairs under the shop lights. (I took the eggplants out of the trays and kept them on top of the fridge since they haven't sprouted yet.)

Some of the celery sprouted as well as a few marigolds and more parsley, sage, thyme, basil, romaine, buttercrunch lettuce, and peppers. One of the banana peppers is finally up! I started the chamomile and a bunch of bachelor buttons and marigolds.

More of the snow is melting today, but the beds probably won't be completely snow-free and workable for another week or two.

peppers

peppers

thyme

celery

tomatoes

more peppers

tomatoes

tomatoes

tomatoes & peppers under the lights

cauliflower & broccoli

Sprouts & Making Pots

More peppers are sprouting as well as most of the cauliflower and some of the broccoli. I moved the peppers, cauliflower, and broccoli downstairs under the shop lights to make room on top of the fridge for the tomatoes.

Kaitlyn helped me make pots out of newspapers.

I started the tomatoes and some of the marigolds. I put the eggplants in the tray with the tomatoes since they haven't sprouted yet. I still need to start 31 more marigolds, but I have to get more seed starting mix.

cauliflower, broccoli & eggplant

broccoli & cauliflower

bell peppers & jalapenos

More Seed Starting

I started petunias, another basil, 5 eggplant, 6 thyme, 4 broccoli Coronado Crown, 6 Cauliflower Farmers Extra Early, 3 Cauliflower Snow Crown, and 6 buttercrunch lettuce. The tray is above the fridge.

Found them

I found Early Girl tomato seeds at Home Depot. Their website says they have poblano peppers, but the store by Northtown doesn't have them in stock. A couple of very helpful employees tried to help me find the poblano seeds, but none of us could find them. When we go to Linders in May to get the French Tarragon I'll see if they have poblanos. If not I'll just plant a couple extra jalapenos.

I started the rest of the peppers (minus the poblanos) and set them on top of the refrigerator for warmth to germinate. When Kaitlyn and I moved the aloe vera plant to make room for the peppers it came unpotted (the whole plant came out of the pot, including the roots) so we had to repot it. Hopefully it will survive on the living room window ledge.

Seed Starting & New Plant Labels

I started parsley, romaine, impatiens, sage, marjoram, and basil. I laminated the rest of the new plant labels.

I talked to Melinda.  I'll start some tomatoes, bell peppers, jalapeno peppers, and 1 habanero pepper for them. She had some mixed bell pepper seeds that Roxie gave her so she gave them to me to start.

I went to Menards and picked up two black trays to replace some that were cracked. I also got a package of seed starting containers (72-pack to fill a black tray). They had some seed packets on sale for $.19 so I picked up a packet of buttercrunch lettuce. They didn't have any poblano peppers  Early Girl tomatoes so I'll have to order them from Park Seed if Walmart or Home Depot don't have them.

Parsley

I put parsley seeds in warm water to soak overnight before I plant them.

I talked to Cathy. She doesn't think she'll have time to start many plants so I told her I'd start some for her, especially tomatoes and peppers.

More Seed Starting

Today I started rosemary, red onions, and yellow onions. I put them under the shop lights downstairs. Most experts say to just buy a rosemary plant instead of starting them from seed since they grow so slowly, but I thought I'd give it a try.

2013 Seed Starting

I started celery seeds & put them on top of the fridge to germinate.

Celery started in trays

My new shelves with shop lights

More Garden Work

I pulled some more weeds and dug enough to fill the planting boxes for the peppers, pumpkins, the small box next to the pumpkins, and about half of the box where the cauliflower, broccoli & celery will go.  I should be able to plant the broccoli and cauliflower in that box in the next few days.  It’s supposed to rain with possibly severe storms tomorrow and Wednesday, so those probably won’t be planted until Thursday or Friday (whenever the weather allows).

Kaitlyn helped me plant pumpkin seeds in the garden box.  We planted two hills with 4 seeds each.  Once they sprout I’ll thin them to the strongest two per hill.

Seedling progress

Wow!  It's starting to look like a garden inside!  Too bad we can't plant these outside yet!

Tomatoes

Peppers

Tomatoes & Peppers

Tomatoes

Squash, herbs

Marjoram, Celery, Peppers

Broccoli

Marigolds & Basil