Apparently I forgot to post when I started seeds last weekend. Got herbs, peppers, onions, ground cherry, and Cape gooseberry seeds started.
My seed starting supplies. It was so nice out I decided to work outside, at least to fill the containers. I put in the seeds inside out of the wind.
2 heaping spoons if potting soil in the bottom then wet.
1 spoon of seed starting soil on top of damp potting soil.
Seeds added, sprayed down with water, then covered with plastic wrap to maintain humidity.
Mini greenhouse is about half full of you count my houseplants.
Thyme was the first to pop up.
More herbs today. Looks like they got a bit too damp so I sprinkled some cinnamon on them (lots of people say it helps with dampening off). I'm going to add a fan as well.
Added 2 more trays of peppers and herbs today.
Outside my strawberries are starting to show signs of life. Unfortunately not many survived the extra heat last year so I'll probably buy more. Now I'm looking at buying both pineberry and strawberry online, and possibly blueberry. Might get blueberry locally though. Haven't decided.
Getting closer to getting things ready to garden, despite the 15 inches of snow we got last week and the 3-5 predicted for this weekend. Picked up 6 more pots for herbs, to place in the garden. Picked up more herb and pea seeds. Also bought another new succulent since I had one die. Rory (the dog) loves going to Home Depot, Lowes, and Ace with me and all the employees love him. He's great about just letting me shop.
Current plan is 10 tomatoes (8 black krim, 2 black icicle), 8 sweet peppers (probably 6 snacking - 2 of each color, and 2 mini bell), 1-2 cucamelon, probably 2 each of ground cherry and cape gooseberry. I've got 3 types of peas I'm going to try (Kelvedon wonder, sugar snap, and Lincoln homesteader). They'll grow up the same trellis the tomatoes will but the peas will be done by the time the tomatoes are going over the top. I've got at least 3 types of beans I'm going to try (Kentucky wonder, rattlesnake, and tri-color mix). They'll go up the same trellis the peppers are against. I might also try Tenderette and Blue Lake 247 if I can find a good spot for them. Carrots and parsnips will be in large pots, possibly under the trellises but we'll see. Various types of lettuce and onions will be in 1 gallon pots. Lettuce will be under the tomato trellis, onions will be anywhere I can fit. Some herbs will be in a hanging planter and possibly pots on my porch. Others (and maybe duplicates) will be in pots or in ground scattered around the garden. I've got Lemon Balm, Cinnamon Basil, Garlic Chives, Aton Basil, Sweet Basil, Dark Opal Basil, Lime Basil, Red Rubin Basil, Big Italy Parsley, Garlic Chives, Common Thyme to start from seed. Hopefully my chives, garlic chives, chocolate mint, and oregano survived in their pots over the winter. I might buy some sage as well.
I'm planning on adding a variety of flowers anywhere I can to encourage pollinators and beneficial insects. I've got 2 patches of strawberries, 1 row of raspberries, and 1 potted dwarf blueberry that hopefully all survive the winter as well. The black raspberries should do awesome. The red one we'll have to wait to see. I'm not sure how my strawberries will do since they didn't do great last year but I go for June baring and white pineberries. I'll add in a few more dwarf blueberries if I can.
Sitting in a winter storm warning with the possibility of 8-12 inches of snow coming down today. I'm so ready for spring even though I won't likely get as much garden time as last year. Last year with Covid, schools all went remote at Spring Break, letting me spend way more time tending to seedlings inside and outside and preparing my garden. This year school should continue in person (a testament to the fact that extra cleaning and wearing masks is working since we have yet to have a case where it spread in the building, people get it, but not from being at school).
I'm starting to get my planting schedule sorted out, other than some of my direct sow stuff. I need to figure out how I'll get 3 cattle panels to my house for my trellises for indeterminate tomatoes, peas, beans, and cucamelon. It kind of stinks being a country girl stuck living in the city. So for now my 9x15 garden space and random other beds and containers will just have to do. I've learned how to plant things really closely and still get a lot of produce. And it actually prevents a lot of weeds once the plants take off. My dog does a good job of keeping squirrels and rabbits, and even birds, out of the yard.
This year I'm going to start a whole bunch more seeds than I need since I got a new mini greenhouse and some lights to start seeds. Then I'll sell the extras, fairly cheaply, to neighbors to they can garden as well. I'm also accepting trades of certain containers and jars. If I get a ton of seedlings doing well, maybe I'll even offer up 1 free plant to kids who want to garden (maybe they'll pick something their parents weren't expecting).
My biggest struggle right now is deciding which dwarf blueberries I want and where I should order them from. I thinking I might call a few local places and see which ones they usually have or can order. But I really like the cascade types for hanging in pots and I recently discovered 2 ground cover types. I'm also hoping to find some native strawberries and possibly more pineberries, depending on how well mine survived the winter. I still need to figure out a way to shade my once strawberry patch since it turns out that very efficient windows are efficient since they reflect the majority of the heat back outside (straight onto my strawberry bed...).
