Tips For The Anxious Gardener.

I have been on the edge of my seat waiting for all this GD snow to melt. We got 3-4 feet this year and of course my husband and I bought a house and started construction during the first of approximately 5 consecutive blizzards. Needless to say we have all been glued to the weather channel for some sign that the sun and heat would, eventually, return. Anyhow, I jumped the gun a little bit this year with my indoor green house and the seedlings so I thought I could spare others the frustration of dying seedlings.

Clearly not happy plants.

First I started my seeds about 2 weeks to early. That doesn't seem like much but in New England we only get 4 or 5 warm months a year to grow and the frost will get you every time. So I quickly realized that larger plants like squash and sunflowers grow really, really fast. I mean seriously, especially in a greenhouse. My advice is if the seed itself is on the larger side, plant those last. There are lots of websites to give you advice on when to plant in your region, I checked them out and filled a planner. Then I planted stuff early anyway, cause ya know, I'm smaht.

Even the toddler is confused about spring.

Second, I recommend being very organized with your labeling and time scales. Seriously, stuff gets jumbled very easily as seedlings sprout and need to be turned and moved toward the sun. At this point I'm going to have to plant the unrecognizables together and move them when I figure out what they are.

Third, Yes it is, in fact, warm out. However, it's still friggan cold at night. I have already killed several seedlings that were ready for planting and a grapevine that I was very excited about. (Don't worry I am totally getting another one.) So, seriously you have to be realistic about the time of year and that sometimes you are still trying to shed the freezer burn from winter and your baby plants are not equipped for that cold.

Finally, don't forget there are projects that can be done while you wait to be elbow deep in worm castings. Climbing vegetables are a great way to save garden space but you need trellises. I went the cheapo way and screwed together some 2x4's and stapled trellis netting to it. Took five minutes and it's pretty solid. However, since you have this time you could always paint it up make it look fancy or something. Get your potted plants settled in their homes in the house, watch the sun through the windows to pick the sunniest rooms. At this point you can also get those herbs growing, they do just fine indoors and are easily set into window boxes and the like. (PS. For the life of me I can not get my Rosemary to grow to I advise finding a nursery or garden center for clippings or the whole plant. Keep in mind that basil takes forever to sprout and parsley and cilantro grow tall and a little wild so you may need a cage to direct them up, eventually.)

Helping me do the yard work to prepare for garden season.

Be patient my loves it will be soon be warm enough to reap the rewards of your hard work and patience. Every year, I have found, you learn a little more and you get a little better so even if it doesn't work out as planned this time you have another whole year to try again and learn some more.

How have you guys been doing? Are you growing anything out of the ordinary? I am trying pumpkins and climbing strawberries.

Time For Plants and Gardens

I am back, my loves, after a little hiatus. Between construction on the house (almost there) and getting the greenhouse situated and anxiously awaiting the snow to finish melting I have had no ambition for any projects. That is until recently.
The greenhouse my best friend got me for Christmas is just wonderful. I have managed to grow almost everything I have attempted and all indoors. Even the potatoes are looking suspiciously happy.

 So I thought I would share with you the couple of different methods I used to get the greenery growing.

1.) For starters (and I found this on Pintrest) I took a couple pieces of paper towel and lined a 9x13 casserole pan with a lid. I used a Pyrex with a rubber lid and lined it and divided it into boxes with a pencil. Each one of these boxes will be used for each variety of seeds you are looking to grow. Plan out what you want to grow by companion planting, time of year and the region you live in. Again, Pintrest is a wonderful way to do this easily. Sort out your seeds and stick a sticky note on the top of the container. Before you put the lid on spray the seeds down so the paper towel is wet but not sitting in a puddle. I stuck my lil guys in the green house but a sunnyish window will accomplish the same thing. Check those bad boys everyday until they start to sprout. Plant them as soon as you see those little tails because they will naturally try to root in the paper towel and you will damage the sensitive roots trying to transplant them.
tip: When you see a white fuzz on any of the seeds then you probably have a little rot and you should clear those seeds out.

2.) Once your new friends are ready to strike out on their own and take root you can do one of two things. In my case I live in New England and spring doesn't always behave as we would like so sometimes we add extra steps. I took my sproutlets out and planted them in paper dixie cups. Yeah you heard me. Smaller things go in those little bathroom cups and since it is made of paper you can always rip the bottom off and plant the rest in the ground. I use this method in the little greenhouse until they are sizable seedlings. Spray them with a spray bottle to gently water them and keep up humidity.

tip: Follow the directions on your seeds for transplant times etc, if you live in the right zone you might be able to put the sprouts right in the ground assuming your have accounted for seed eating rodents and other pesky critters.

3: Now that I have cute little seedlings its time to harden them off. This is good in most regions to allows the little fellas so adjust to the changing weather, wind and natural occurrences they don't experience inside the stagnant environment of a greenhouse or a temperature controlled home. This part certainly wont send you running for the produce section just yet. I simply stuck the little cups on a cookie sheet or something and stick em outside. Yup, that's it. Granted, you will want to put them outside when it is warm enough not to freeze them and bring them in once the sun starts going down. You will want to do this for about a week or so.

4.) This is the part that requires a little more physical labor. You gotta dig out the bed you plan to plant in. (Doesn't apply to container gardening. Once your seed sprouts it can go right in the container. All done.) This year I have a raised bed attached to the new house we bought and while tilling it I discovered a decent amount of worms and the home has been untouched for three years. This leaves me with very, very fertile soil and I probably won't need much fertilizer. (Seriously, I got my hands in there and it's the most rich and wonderful soil and probably full of castings, I can't wait to plant it.) Without that discovery I would have needed a supplement like Miracle Grow makes. It's just called garden soil but you mix it in a couple of weeks before you plant and it replaces what your regular ground soil is missing. Once that has been mixed in and settled you can plant your tiny masterpieces. That part is simple... really just dig a hole and drop em in.

5.) Watch the weather, water them when they look dry but don't drown them, fence the plants that need fences and trellis the ones that need them. In a container you should try Miracle Grows moisture control potting soil, I have been using this and I am very happy with it. My routine changes all the time and this protects against under AND over watering. This is great for busy, active people. For containers you still want to get them outside as much as possible for best results but now you can grow year round.

There you are, from seed to garden, but I also tried one other thing that went well and that was using toilet paper rolls. I cut four even slits in one side and folded them to make a container and sealed with electrical tape. I also tried another method and it also worked well. I cut the top off of an egg carton and filled it with dirt and planting in each one of the egg cups. Once sprouted these also can go right in the ground since they are biodegradable.

Finally, there is seed tape. I have not tried this method myself but it sounds like it would work just fine. You roll out some toilet paper and fold a crease down the middle the long way. Space your seeds out according to directions fold the top over. Wet down with a spray bottle and stick in a container. Once they sprout you can just dig a trench and lay the 'seed tape' in. Your plants will be perfectly spaced for even beds.