Visited my parents over spring break and took the kids to the farm to explore. The barn is likely going to be razed this summer, so I went in search of old storm windows. Luckily, my dad is a packrat so even these weren’t the ones I was looking for, they’ll do. I loaded up the back of the fan with them and can’t wait to get started on the fun project I have in mind. More to come.
It makes me so happy to plant seeds for the garden. Most of these will have to wait at least seven weeks before they can be planted outside, but there’s something about the potential of all of these seed trays that lifts my spirit.
Starting a mix of tried-and-true seeds along with some new things this year.
12 Broccoli (Sun King*, Bonanza*)
12 Brussels Sprouts (Octia*)
12 Kale (Dwarf Blue Curled, Ornamental*)
24 Hot Peppers (Habanero, Jalapeno, Anaheim, Cayenne)
12 Sweet Peppers (Cabernet Hybrid)
6 Tomatillos Gigante
42 Tomatoes (Sweet Aroma, Early Treat, Super Tasty, Gladiator*)
18 Basil (Thai, Sweet, Pesto Party*)
12 Sesame*
6 Spinach (Baby’s Leaf*)
6 Chives (Garlic*)
12 Bachelor’s Buttons (Blue Boy*)
12 Zinia (Fruit Smoothie*)
I bought these calla lilies from the Master Gardener’s sale in May. I really had no idea how they would do, but they were cheap and I needed something for this bed. The first one opened today and it’s gorgeous!
When I bought them, I didn’t realize that calla lilies are rhizomes so they have to be dug up every fall and replanted in the spring. I’ve avoided planting any rhizomes because I like the ease of perennials. These might just make me reconsider that though.
Exciting developments in the garden today! Almost all of the tomatoes have their first blossoms on them. I can almost taste the fresh tomatoes! The broccoli plants are forming their first heads. I tried to grow it the first year of gardening (2014) and I didn’t realize how fast it would be overripe so I’ll be watching it much more closely this year.
I really need to start carrying my big camera out for detail photos. It’s too hard to pinpoint the focus on my cell phone.
You know how sometimes you have an idea in your head and then would you see it in reality it’s not as good? That’s not the case here.
I wish I’d taken a before pic because it was awful. We had a rack for storing firewood along the fence. The ground slopes down a bit along the fence so the ground is always really saturated after a rain.
There are three varieties of hydrangea. The two on the left grow 6 to 8 feet so they’ll be visible from the street. The other two are different varieties and they both grow 4 to 6 feet. The all should eventually spread together. I planted alyssum in between this year just to give it a little interest.
I’ve started seeds myself the past two years and have had good luck with germination. I don’t have grow lights though, so they got pretty spindly trying to get enough sunlight inside during April. I casually told N that someday I’d like to have a poly tunnel so that I could extend the growing season. He looked at the photos I found on Pinterest and said he could do it so off to Home Depot we went. We couldn’t find the lumber we wanted (I really wanted to have a tunnel for the 4′ x 10′ bed and they didn’t have anything in stock over 8′ feet. We settled on that and decided we’d put it on the old 4′ x 8′ bed instead just to see how it all worked out.
I didn’t take nearly enough steps of the process, but it turned out great.
The weather turned really cold and miserable with some snow so we had to wait a couple of weeks to finish.
ETA: May 16—We had two nights of heavy frost and everything inside was protected and happy. So happy we built this and can’t wait to use it in the fall and spring.
Spring break was lovely and the warmer weather has really made me antsy to get the garden started. One tray is all tomatoes. 72 of them to be exact. Four different varieties, including three new ones that I haven’t grown before. The other tray has tomatillos and four kinds of hot peppers. To be honest, the past two years I have had mediocre success starting my own seeds. My success rate for germination is great, but without grow lights, they tend to get spindly. Plus when it’s time to transplant outside, I’ve usually made a couple of trips to the nursery. When I compare my tiny plants to the start plants they have, I always cave and buy them. I’m impatient and don’t want to wait for mine to get bigger.
Over the winter, N built this shelf for me in the box window over the kitchen sink. It faces west so it gets lots of good sunlight. It’s the perfect size for two heating mats plus two seed starting trays (72 each).
Half an Acre 