Life is like a box of chocolates, ya never know wut yer gonna get

Life is like a box of chocolates, ya never know wut yer gonna get

Sunday, March 21, 2010

seeds and seedlings and garden review

I've never had good luck starting plants from seeds.  I think it is the same weakness in me that flips the pancake too soon...patience is kinda hard for me to practice.

This year I planted many many seeds in shallow containers.  They live   in the dining room near the big sliding glass door - so they could get the light...even though seeds don't need light yet.  (the momma in me tells me that they need light, warmth and water)  The packages of seeds all had various timing on them.  Watermelons should take 7 to 10 days to germinate.  Garlic may take 14 days, etc.  Well, everything I planted took longer than the package said it would take.  I was on the verge of tossing the whole project out in the dirt, when my wise husband told me to just start a fresh batch of seeds and consider this the first batch...just be diligent and wait and see if anything happens.  What's it gonna hurt to just wait?  There are many variables that may change the germination date.  Okay, so - I did not throw them away.  Between he and I we kept those little containers of dirt wet.

We now have a tray full of inch high garlic seedlings.  :)  They will go out and live in the raised onion beds in the front yard.  The rabbits and gophers have left the onions alone.  I don't think they like stinky savory stuff.  We also have a tray of pumpkin seedlings!  It was an ancient package of seeds I'd had in my gardening stuff forever...and they are ALIVE!  I'm really jazzed by this.  :)  In my trays of watermelon seeds we have only one seedling sprouted - but it was an old package too...and who knows?  maybe I will just keep watering it and they might sprout...??  ...  we will see.

Today I will transplant the pumpkin seedling to larger pots.  they can live there while I prepare a bed for them out near the street.  I want the kids in the school bus to see the pumpkin patch come fall.  I'd like to plant corn out there too.  and have a scarcrow.

Many more seeds will be started today.  That gives me a month to get the main garden bed in shape.  I still need to bring over the horse poo (from across the street - he said we can have it for free) and work in into the clay.  Eventually enough organic material will create lovely garden soil. 

I have been working the soil in the front yard area and on the "island".  Transplanting the sea lavender and geraniums and iris and daffodill bulbs I am finding many earth worms.  Hooray!!  Signs of healthy soil.  Signs that my persistance is paying off!  I love it.

I would love to be able to live off of our land here.  I almost feel bad for planting anything that is not food. 

Our neighbors Bill and George are older gentlemen...in their 80's.  They are from Greece originally.  They own an island over there and Bill visits it quite often.  He was talking to Boyd the other day about the economy in Greece and Italy...how bad it is.  They told him how in the past depressions that they survived because they had grown fruit trees and kept chickens and rabbits for food.  they have many many fruit trees in their yard now.  And they've planted grapes on the fence between our yards.  They are very happy that we are planting vegetables.  they believe that the time will soon come (again) when we will need to be able to sustain ourselves through our land.  They are impressed that we have changed the geography of our land to take advantage of their runoff.  I think they like that frugality.  I have a feeling we will be trading squash and tomatoes for grapes and pears, etc.  I like that alot.  :)

we will be starting chickens again next month.  maybe we should get a goat.

1 comment:

  1. Yay! I'm glad that something will be growing there. And I'm glad you're getting chickie-poohs. I don't know about a goat. But I should send this blog post to my classmates who thought it was crazy for my character to just up and buy a goat...they'll see my inspiration firsthand.

    ReplyDelete