Getting up to speed

I'm a little behind on this journal, as I have already started planting! I am trying out Winter Sowing this year, and hoping it works! I bought probably 20 packets of seeds from Waterloo Gardens, and received another 40 packets through Garden Web's "Newbie program".

We have been having an EXCESSIVELY warm winter, nearly record-warmth. Today, on March 7th, we will reach about 60 degrees. Tomorrow it will be nearly 70! We've had a few cold mornings here and there, but overall it is impressive how warm it has been.

Today, Carolyn's b/f Caleb is coming over to help with some gardening. I am going to have him construct two  8 x 2 raised beds, which will pretty much be used exclusively for greens. I am also going to have him screw in some hooks on the side of the house, so that I can attach vine support for morning glories.

I want to get 2-3 yards of gardeners mix soil delivered, but A-1 mulch currently doesn't have any. Not sure what I'm going to do, as the arugula is already coming up like gangbusters, and it will be a very short while before I am planting them out.

I set up a system of Indoor Growing in the basement. I have an old heating pad down there, set on my aerogrow. The seeds are planted into peat containers, and covered with the bottom half of a milk jug, with a towel on top. It seems to be holding the soil at about 78 degrees, which is just perfection.

Alright, onto the data:

Bloom/Sprout Report

• The coral honeysuckle that I planted last year started to set beautiful reddish leaves about 2 weeks ago. It is looking pretty healthy, though I am already seeing some spots of PM on it :(

 

Coral Honeysuckle Leaves

• Mass sprouting from my Arugula that I w/s two weeks ago today.

Arugula Sprouts

• Mass sprouting from the German Chamomile I w/s 2 weeks ago 

Chamomile Sprouts

• Just noticed that the Bloomsdale Spinach is beginning to break through!

 Planting Report 

Two weeks ago (2/22/2012), I winter sowed into milk jugs:

German Chamomile
Blue Penstemon
Arugula
Bloomsdale Spinach (1/4 of jug)
Red/Yellow pear tomato mix
Brandywine Pink Tomato
Pacific Giant Delphiniums

Yesterday (3/6/2012), I winter sowed into milk jugs:
Anchusa Capensis "Blue Angel"
Columbine, "Tequila Sunrise"
Hardy Hibiscus - a magenta and a red/white mix
White (common) and Pink  (swamp) milkweed
Mexican Sunflower - tithonia rotundiflora
Verbena Boreninsis
Blackberry Lilly

Yesterday (3/6/2012), I Indoor Sowed:
2 packets of mini bell peppers
Hungarian Black pepper
Ariane Sweet Orange Bell peppers
Brandywine Pink Tomato
Sugar Snack Cherry Tomato (f1), recieved in swap so not sure if it will come true
Italian Red Cherry Tomatoes
Slicing tomato, No ID (received in swap)

Today, I W/s:
1 line of spinach seeds in the spinach WS container, as well as a line of arugula in the same spinach container.

Today, I I/s:
I threw some seed mix, moistened, into a plastic baggie, and threw the delph giant seeds in the baggie. Put it in the back of the fridge. I want to cover my bases - I know they can be difficult to germinate, so I I have a container WS'd, and a baggie in the fridge. We'll see if either of them works!

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