There's nothing quite like picking up grass clippings off a preschool floor after they've been accidentally coated in glue and stepped on by 9 kids. Sorry, Mr. Janitor!
Showing posts with label seeds. Show all posts
Showing posts with label seeds. Show all posts
May 1, 2012
Self portraits
Three weeks ago I went to my kid's preschool, talked about how plants grow, and then we planted grass seed in cups. Today I went back and we decorated them and cut the hair. Rather than carefully sculpting most kids preferred to go for the buzz cut, or rather just cut and cut until we finally told them no more.
(One of those cups is mine but I'm not telling you which one as I'm not convinced it's even close to being one of the better ones.)
There's nothing quite like picking up grass clippings off a preschool floor after they've been accidentally coated in glue and stepped on by 9 kids. Sorry, Mr. Janitor!
There's nothing quite like picking up grass clippings off a preschool floor after they've been accidentally coated in glue and stepped on by 9 kids. Sorry, Mr. Janitor!
February 14, 2012
Incoming
No sooner had we packaged up hundreds of extra seeds to distribute to others did I hit the internet and order more.Soon arriving in my mailbox from rareseeds.com:
- Dragon's Egg Cucumber
- Green Doctors Tomato
- Black Cherry Tomato
- Golden Midget Watermelon
- Orange Flesh Tendersweet
- Jack Be Little Pumpkin
- Chioggia (Bassano) Beet
- Cockscomb - Dwarf Coral Garden Mix
- Kiwano - African Horned Cucumber
- Mountain Princess
- Tess's Land Race Currant
- Snow White
- Dr. Carolyn
- Chinese Red Noodle Bean
- Romanesco Italia Broccoli
Time to build some more raised beds!
February 13, 2012
February 9, 2012
Anxious
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Brussel sprouts (child's request. Gross.)
Broccoli
Mesclun mix
Red onion
Lilac hybrid peppers
Snap peas
I have a dream this year that I'm going to build a trellis that allows peas, etc to grow from my raised beds up to the bottom of my deck. If it works, it will provide a nice screen to hide all the crap I store under the deck. Going to work more on growing up this year, as there's not much more sun to be had in my yard and we're running out of space to grow out. Then again, I did just get a new chainsaw, and some of those trees are looking past their prime...
April 27, 2011
Rip-off
I spent TEN DOLLARS on this Disney growhouse for Marielle. In my defense, I didn't know it was $10, because Home Depot had it marked as $4, and I didn't see the receipt until later. She has been quite excited by it, but I guarantee will not be getting a new one next year. I'll probably just wash this guy out!
We grew Zinnias - for Z sharing week at school - using a different packet of seeds than the one that came with the kit. I didn't want pink and red and whatever Disney assigned me; I wanted purple. Marielle insists they will be pink, because Sleeping beauty is pink, but she didn't see the switcheroo I pulled.
Anyway, here is proof that Disney even give you overpriced-shitty dirt. The plant on the left (top) was grown with the soil disc thingie that came with this set. The one on the right (bottom) was grown with one of those Jiffy refill thingies that costs 25 cents. Everything else was exactly the same. The seed, the lighting, the watering, the day planted -- everything.
Sorry about the orientation of the photo. I was going to fix it but then I decided I wanted to take a nap instead.
We grew Zinnias - for Z sharing week at school - using a different packet of seeds than the one that came with the kit. I didn't want pink and red and whatever Disney assigned me; I wanted purple. Marielle insists they will be pink, because Sleeping beauty is pink, but she didn't see the switcheroo I pulled.
Anyway, here is proof that Disney even give you overpriced-shitty dirt. The plant on the left (top) was grown with the soil disc thingie that came with this set. The one on the right (bottom) was grown with one of those Jiffy refill thingies that costs 25 cents. Everything else was exactly the same. The seed, the lighting, the watering, the day planted -- everything.
Sorry about the orientation of the photo. I was going to fix it but then I decided I wanted to take a nap instead.
April 16, 2011
Adoption Day Instructions
The Hectaro Lagrimoso grow houses were overflowing this week as our tomato plants took off. I needed to make room for more plants so I distributed many of my precious tomato plants to good homes. (Peppers = slow & not ready yet.)
There are a million websites that will tell you how to plant tomatoes, like this one or this one. But for those who have better things to do, here's a short summary of what to do with my babies:
1. Don't put them outside yet. I swear, do NOT do it or I will forever ban you from my list of suitable homes. Wait until it's warm. No earlier than Mother's Day, but if you can wait until Memorial Day, even better. The plants will not grow any faster if you put them outside, and you might even stunt their growth. I relearn this lesson every year.
2. Keep seedlings in a sunny place like a windowsill, or next to a sliding glass door.They need as much sun as possible. (I keep grow lights on 14-16 hours/day!) When the stem starts to grow towards the sun, turn them around.
If it is an especially sunny, warm day, feel free to temporarily put them outside. I move mine to the deck. But you have to bring them back in at night! Put them in partial shade the first few times they have go outside.
3. Water them, but not too much. Allow the soil to dry slightly between waterings.
4. If your containers start to disintegrate or the plants just get too darn big for their peat pot, transplant into a larger container, but leave them indoors. If they get to be 10" tall and it's not yet warm enough, you'll have to transplant them into a larger pot (at least 4-6", but the bigger the better).
Curious what varieties you have? I actually remembered to label the plants this year, so you can look them up by using the search box here or find them elsewhere on the internet.
Go ahead and start preparing their outdoor homes. Turn the soil, add fertilizer if needed, buy and put out tomato cages and stakes, etc. (But do NOT put your plants out. I will mock you publicly if I catch you.) If you want to build some raised beds, now's the time. Each plant needs about a 3 foot x 3 foot space at minimum.
If you are growing in containers (pots), get the LARGEST pots you can find. Add all new potting soil because in such a tiny home they will need all the help they can get. I like Costco's Miracle Gro Moisture Mix. You don't have to water it quite as often, and at Costco you can get a huge bag for about $11.
You should definitely cage & stake plants in pots. Remember containers dry out fast and you will need to water almost every day, so make sure a hose can reach wherever you put your containers.
This concludes today's lesson. As we get closer to super-sunny-fun-time, I will provide more instructions for you to ignore.
There are a million websites that will tell you how to plant tomatoes, like this one or this one. But for those who have better things to do, here's a short summary of what to do with my babies:
1. Don't put them outside yet. I swear, do NOT do it or I will forever ban you from my list of suitable homes. Wait until it's warm. No earlier than Mother's Day, but if you can wait until Memorial Day, even better. The plants will not grow any faster if you put them outside, and you might even stunt their growth. I relearn this lesson every year.
2. Keep seedlings in a sunny place like a windowsill, or next to a sliding glass door.They need as much sun as possible. (I keep grow lights on 14-16 hours/day!) When the stem starts to grow towards the sun, turn them around.
If it is an especially sunny, warm day, feel free to temporarily put them outside. I move mine to the deck. But you have to bring them back in at night! Put them in partial shade the first few times they have go outside.
3. Water them, but not too much. Allow the soil to dry slightly between waterings.
4. If your containers start to disintegrate or the plants just get too darn big for their peat pot, transplant into a larger container, but leave them indoors. If they get to be 10" tall and it's not yet warm enough, you'll have to transplant them into a larger pot (at least 4-6", but the bigger the better).
Curious what varieties you have? I actually remembered to label the plants this year, so you can look them up by using the search box here or find them elsewhere on the internet.
Go ahead and start preparing their outdoor homes. Turn the soil, add fertilizer if needed, buy and put out tomato cages and stakes, etc. (But do NOT put your plants out. I will mock you publicly if I catch you.) If you want to build some raised beds, now's the time. Each plant needs about a 3 foot x 3 foot space at minimum.
If you are growing in containers (pots), get the LARGEST pots you can find. Add all new potting soil because in such a tiny home they will need all the help they can get. I like Costco's Miracle Gro Moisture Mix. You don't have to water it quite as often, and at Costco you can get a huge bag for about $11.
You should definitely cage & stake plants in pots. Remember containers dry out fast and you will need to water almost every day, so make sure a hose can reach wherever you put your containers.
This concludes today's lesson. As we get closer to super-sunny-fun-time, I will provide more instructions for you to ignore.
April 10, 2011
Waiting.
Now is the time to pick your carrots and onions that grew through the winter, and start your lettuce, broccoli, kale, etc.
Or, if you're like me, you can just be lazy and spend all energy forcing yourself to wait another month (or more) until the REAL food can go in.
Seriously, I'm not wasting time on carrots. I want something that tastes amazing and cannot be bought for 20 cents a pound at every other store in America.
Gimme delicious tomatoes!! They are taking over my bathtubs and anxious for warm days ahead.
Or, if you're like me, you can just be lazy and spend all energy forcing yourself to wait another month (or more) until the REAL food can go in.
Seriously, I'm not wasting time on carrots. I want something that tastes amazing and cannot be bought for 20 cents a pound at every other store in America.
Gimme delicious tomatoes!! They are taking over my bathtubs and anxious for warm days ahead.
March 27, 2011
March 20, 2011
Ready, set, go!
It's time!! Well, probably not, but I couldn't contain myself any longer.
Rather than run to the garden center where I would be tempted to spend hundreds on things I don't need, I fired up the web. A quick click and 2 days later I was all set. Hundreds of seeds remain from last year's stash, so no need to buy more. Even though I really, really want to!
Things I did differently this year -
- Planted 1-2 seeds per pod rather than 4-5.
- Labeled them so I know what is what. Ground breaking stuff, right?
- Planted fewer varieties of tomatoes and only 2 peppers. I had a whole box of peppers last year and never ate 90% of them. This year we'll be doing herbs, tomatoes, jalapenos and giving the Jamaican Hot Chocolate pepper another go. (Mostly because we like to say "Jamacian Hot Chocolate.")
Even after filling 100 pods, I have tons of seeds left - especially from the tomatoes not making a return appearance in this year's garden. I'm just not a fan of the big beefsteaks. All I want is salsa, salsa, and more salsa!
If you would like any pepper or tomato seeds, leave me a comment or email me your mailing address. (mjp3md at gmail). If you're local and want some seedlings, let me know that too. Right now I've got 100 pods going so assuming all goes well, I'll have more than enough to go around.
Rather than run to the garden center where I would be tempted to spend hundreds on things I don't need, I fired up the web. A quick click and 2 days later I was all set. Hundreds of seeds remain from last year's stash, so no need to buy more. Even though I really, really want to!
Things I did differently this year -
- Planted 1-2 seeds per pod rather than 4-5.
- Labeled them so I know what is what. Ground breaking stuff, right?
- Planted fewer varieties of tomatoes and only 2 peppers. I had a whole box of peppers last year and never ate 90% of them. This year we'll be doing herbs, tomatoes, jalapenos and giving the Jamaican Hot Chocolate pepper another go. (Mostly because we like to say "Jamacian Hot Chocolate.")
Even after filling 100 pods, I have tons of seeds left - especially from the tomatoes not making a return appearance in this year's garden. I'm just not a fan of the big beefsteaks. All I want is salsa, salsa, and more salsa!
If you would like any pepper or tomato seeds, leave me a comment or email me your mailing address. (mjp3md at gmail). If you're local and want some seedlings, let me know that too. Right now I've got 100 pods going so assuming all goes well, I'll have more than enough to go around.
February 28, 2011
Are we there yet? Are we there yet?
Dying to bust out the grow house supplies and get to work! Trying to resist just a little bit longer though so I don't again end up transplanting seedings three, four or five times before it's finally warm enough to move them outdoors.
Last year I resisted until March 7. This year I should be able to make it a little longer due to impending travel commitments. Stay tuned.
Last year I resisted until March 7. This year I should be able to make it a little longer due to impending travel commitments. Stay tuned.
August 24, 2010
Will to live
I uprooted a cherry tomato plant I found particularly repulsive and replaced it with one of my smaller understudy tomato plants that had just been waiting for a nice, spacious home. I went out today to check on everyone and noticed a weed growing like crazy in the pot.
Curious to see what would grow so fast and so concentrated, I pulled it out. Verdict:
The tomato plant that wouldn't give up!
March 10, 2010
Click happy
At least four times over the past few days I have fired up the Tomato Growers website and oogled the different seed varieties. Each time I fill my basket with goodies, then realize they don't take Amex. (It's the only credit card number I have memorized.) Getting up off the couch clearly wasn't an option, so I would just wait. Problem was, it never saved my cart. So each time something new caught my eye, and the grand total grew a little higher. Today I finally placed an order....$88!
Here's how I selected my seeds:
For tomatoes, I selected mostly stuff we can make into salsa. But then I would be mesmerized by the strange varieties and throw some of those in too. Their fancy marketing language would sucker me in to others. Other times the names were just funny. I think those will jump right out at you.
I always like to plant crazy stuff you won't find even at most farmers' markets. White eggplants. Purple jalapenos. Ivory cherry tomatoes. One year I was so excited to grow purple green beans. Imagine my disappointment when I cooked them and they all turned green. BLAST!
We do have some space limitations, so I generally pass on growing things you can buy cheap in the grocery store - e.g. carrots - or things that take up too much space like pumpkins. I like to focus on the weird stuff and the expensive stuff like tomatoes. And this year we're aiming to make a LOT of salsa, so that was taken into consideration as well.
If you're curious, here's what I ordered today:
#7492 - White Lightening Hybrid - 30 seeds.
#9716 - Santa Fe Grande - 30 seeds.
#9437 - Purple Jalapeno - 30 seeds.
#9543 - Mucho Nacho Hybrid - 30 seeds.
#9007 - Jamaican Hot Chocolate - 30 seeds.
#9022 - Bulgarian Carrot - 30 seeds.
#9030 - Ancho San Martin Hybrid - 30 seeds.
#9206 - Lilac Hybrid - 20 seeds.
#9352 - Bianca Hybrid - 20 seeds.
#4927 - Tumbling Tom Hybrid - 30 seeds.
#5362 - Sweet Pea Currant - 30 seeds.
#6334 - Patio F Hybrid - 30 seeds.
#6970 - Florida Basket - 30 seeds.
#3524 - Baxter's Early Bush Cherry - 30 seeds.
#6044 - Health Kick VFFA Hybrid - 30 seeds.
#3566 - Arkansas Traveler - 30 seeds.
#2912 - Crimson Fancy VFFA Hybrid - 30 seeds.
#2768 - Bush Champion VFFA Hybrid - 30 seeds.
#6701 - Cisineros Tomatillo - 30 seeds.
#6273 - Purple Tomatillo - 30 seeds.
#5678 - Powers Heirloom - 30 seeds.
#6822 - Snow White - 30 seeds.
#4701 - Orange Banana - 30 seeds.
#5833 - Kellogg's Breakfast - 30 seeds.
#5213 - Big Zebra - 30 seeds.
#4518 - Glacier - 30 seeds.
#5268 - Viva Italia VFFNA Hybrid - 30 seeds.
#5070 - Rocky - 30 seeds.
#5542 - Mama Leone - 30 seeds.
#6099 - Grandma Mary's Paste - 30 seeds.
I think I'm going to need to get some more seed starting kits!
Here's how I selected my seeds:
For tomatoes, I selected mostly stuff we can make into salsa. But then I would be mesmerized by the strange varieties and throw some of those in too. Their fancy marketing language would sucker me in to others. Other times the names were just funny. I think those will jump right out at you.
I always like to plant crazy stuff you won't find even at most farmers' markets. White eggplants. Purple jalapenos. Ivory cherry tomatoes. One year I was so excited to grow purple green beans. Imagine my disappointment when I cooked them and they all turned green. BLAST!
We do have some space limitations, so I generally pass on growing things you can buy cheap in the grocery store - e.g. carrots - or things that take up too much space like pumpkins. I like to focus on the weird stuff and the expensive stuff like tomatoes. And this year we're aiming to make a LOT of salsa, so that was taken into consideration as well.
If you're curious, here's what I ordered today:
#7492 - White Lightening Hybrid - 30 seeds.
#9716 - Santa Fe Grande - 30 seeds.
#9437 - Purple Jalapeno - 30 seeds.
#9543 - Mucho Nacho Hybrid - 30 seeds.
#9007 - Jamaican Hot Chocolate - 30 seeds.
#9022 - Bulgarian Carrot - 30 seeds.
#9030 - Ancho San Martin Hybrid - 30 seeds.
#9206 - Lilac Hybrid - 20 seeds.
#9352 - Bianca Hybrid - 20 seeds.
#4927 - Tumbling Tom Hybrid - 30 seeds.
#5362 - Sweet Pea Currant - 30 seeds.
#6334 - Patio F Hybrid - 30 seeds.
#6970 - Florida Basket - 30 seeds.
#3524 - Baxter's Early Bush Cherry - 30 seeds.
#6044 - Health Kick VFFA Hybrid - 30 seeds.
#3566 - Arkansas Traveler - 30 seeds.
#2912 - Crimson Fancy VFFA Hybrid - 30 seeds.
#2768 - Bush Champion VFFA Hybrid - 30 seeds.
#6701 - Cisineros Tomatillo - 30 seeds.
#6273 - Purple Tomatillo - 30 seeds.
#5678 - Powers Heirloom - 30 seeds.
#6822 - Snow White - 30 seeds.
#4701 - Orange Banana - 30 seeds.
#5833 - Kellogg's Breakfast - 30 seeds.
#5213 - Big Zebra - 30 seeds.
#4518 - Glacier - 30 seeds.
#5268 - Viva Italia VFFNA Hybrid - 30 seeds.
#5070 - Rocky - 30 seeds.
#5542 - Mama Leone - 30 seeds.
#6099 - Grandma Mary's Paste - 30 seeds.
I think I'm going to need to get some more seed starting kits!
March 9, 2010
Sprouts
I was cuddling my seeds earlier today when I realized that SOME OF THEM ARE SPROUTING! After 48 hours.
Imagine my disappointment when I saw it was just the sunflowers. But those seeds did expire 4 years ago, so that's kinda cool.
Maybe the sunflower sprouts can inspire the other lazy seeds to get their act together. Nobody likes salsa made out of sunflowers.
Imagine my disappointment when I saw it was just the sunflowers. But those seeds did expire 4 years ago, so that's kinda cool.
Maybe the sunflower sprouts can inspire the other lazy seeds to get their act together. Nobody likes salsa made out of sunflowers.
March 7, 2010
Premature Germination
The sun came out today for the first time in about 8 years. Against my better judgment, I started a few seeds. And by a few, I mean around 200. Some of them I bought at Home Depot, others from Merrifield, and some I found on top of my fridge - where they had been since 2006. It will be interesting to see what happens to those.
Last time I grew from seed I started even earlier (mid-February) and had to transplant everything twice. After that mess, I decided it would be easier to just buy the plants every year. You would think I would have learned, but you would be wrong.
This year I'm especially motivated to grow some crazy stuff, so back to seeds we go. Plus, Badger asked me several weeks ago if I had ordered my seed catalogs yet, so it's been on my mind ever since. (Apparently Badger has morphed into a 80 year old farmer who is not aware of the series of tubes we call the internet.)
Today I planted-
1) Cherry tomatoes
2) Roma tomatoes
3) Thai red chili peppers
4) Assorted bell peppers
5) Cilantro
6) Parsley
7) Dill
8) Japanese eggplant
9) Sunflowers
10) Teddy bear sunflowers
That's only the beginning. I also ordered about $40 worth of seeds from Tomato Growers. If all goes according to plan, I'll have a huge pile of plants I can give to friends.
Last time I grew from seed I started even earlier (mid-February) and had to transplant everything twice. After that mess, I decided it would be easier to just buy the plants every year. You would think I would have learned, but you would be wrong.
This year I'm especially motivated to grow some crazy stuff, so back to seeds we go. Plus, Badger asked me several weeks ago if I had ordered my seed catalogs yet, so it's been on my mind ever since. (Apparently Badger has morphed into a 80 year old farmer who is not aware of the series of tubes we call the internet.)
Today I planted-
1) Cherry tomatoes
2) Roma tomatoes
3) Thai red chili peppers
4) Assorted bell peppers
5) Cilantro
6) Parsley
7) Dill
8) Japanese eggplant
9) Sunflowers
10) Teddy bear sunflowers
That's only the beginning. I also ordered about $40 worth of seeds from Tomato Growers. If all goes according to plan, I'll have a huge pile of plants I can give to friends.
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