Cyber Monday

 Check your favorite seed companies today for Cyber Monday deals!  I think its a good day to stay in and finish my seed orders for 2025.  We did not get the worst of the lake effect snow, maybe 8" to 10".  We have to plow this morning for the first time, and I think we have already had more snowy days this winter than we did all of last winter.  

Here are some Cyber Monday Sales of note:

https://www.johnnyseeds.com/

https://www.harrisseeds.com/

https://www.gardeners.com/

https://www.botanicalinterests.com/

https://www.gardenanswer.com/

https://www.burpee.com/

MegaGreenhouse

Cutting Out the Ugly

 That's what I've been doing.  We are on the brink of tearing out a lot of the garden for autumn, but for now I just start each day with a muck bucket and a pair of snips and I trim out anything that doesn't look nice.  That could mean anything from just deadheading Dahlias to lopping off a wheelbarrow load of Sunflower tops and overgrown Cosmos.  We have just reached the end of a two week dry stretch which culminated in several hot, oppressively humid days.  We are now entering a break of cool weather with some rain and I won't have to worry so much about watering annuals to keep them looking nice.

The grasses in the dry river bed are heading out.  Above is a Pennisetum Foxtrot.  This is the second season for this plant and it has finally filled out and reached its full height of four feet and is putting out these fun little fox tails.

One of my stand out Dahlias this year is the new to me "Ice Tea" which always has a dozen or more blooms on it.

It began flowering as a rather monochrome, ball style dahlia, but later in the season it is showing some good, dark eyed color and looser, decorative form.

Another favorite is the Mai Tai (above)  This is a big, impressive plant with close to ten blooms at a time.  Not bad for a first year single tuber.

Summer's End

I am deep into planning for next year's garden.  I have my layout finalized and am already placing seed orders for things that are available now and going through my inventory to make sure I have everything set for next year.   I use a spreadsheet and create icons for each of my containers, plant supports and required row covers so I know I have the proper equipment to carry out and support the plan I've made.

 I have a list of fertilizers and such that I need to restock so I can budget for that in the spring. I have placed orders for spring bulbs and those will be arriving the end of this month so I will be able to enjoy planting again.  At the same time that I am cleaning up the detritus from this year I will be putting new life into the soil for a fresh, new spring.

Gardening Day One

 Today the March snows have melted and the sun was shining.  It was the perfect day to spray the apple trees with dormant oil to take care of any creepy crawlies.  They will soon be budding out.  I pruned them quite hard last spring and they have put on a lot of new growth.  You can see below that there are many upright water sprouts in this one tree that need to come out.  That could be a sign of over pruning, but the tree did well otherwise.  Maybe it is due to last summer's drought stress.  This tree is in the drier of the two spots. The Gala sapling I planted last spring survived the winter well and looks like it will be the first tree to push new leaves.

The spring flowers are doing their best to brighten things up and there are even a few honey bees out and about.  I spread Milorganite fertilizer on all of the crocuses to discourage the deer.

Crocuses

Winter Aconite

This past Saturday I started some seeds indoors under grow lights.  Normally I would have been sowing peas, lettuce and carrots out in the raised beds this past week.  As part of my lower stress plan this year I am putting that off until April, which was just as well because last week was snowy and blowy and nothing like spring gardening weather.  But it is time to get the peppers started and it would be a good idea to have some lettuce transplants ready to go out.  To fill out the pepper tray I am trying some Celosia and Coleus.  I will also be seeding Celosia and Coleus out in the could frame next month along with the Marigolds and other annuals but I want to see if I can get some further along than I did last year.

First Flame Celosia and Tomb Thumb butterhead lettuce babies were awake this morning

Twenty years ago last Wednesday (beware the Ides of March) I moved into this shabby old farmhouse.  This extra chair was in the attic then, and there it stayed for lo these many years.  Baking away in the extremes of the attic, it had become as dry as an old chicken bone.   Knowing it was up there in its ruined state actually bothered me more than that one ugly chair we had at the table.  I feared if something wasn't done with it, the next people would maybe just throw it on a burn pile.

Someone must have tried to stand on it many years ago because it has a lot less wear and tear on it than the others do.  I don't know how long ago the previous owners had purchased these seven chairs.  It could have been sitting up there a mere ten years before I got here, or it could have been up there thirty years or more.  Either way, it needed a bath and it needed a lot of furniture polish.

Even if it has only been up there twenty five, thirty years or so, that's a few thousand less sittings than the others have endured.  Thus it is really in pristine condition.  Today it is almost ready to rejoin its mates.  Happy Anniversary olde chair.

Tomorrow I may get to tying it off and putting the finishing strip on it.

And then I'll see how it sits!

How Does a Seed Company Work?

 Have you ever wondered what goes on behind the scenes at a seed packing company?  Epic Gardening is a very popular YouTube channel which I do not follow, but YouTube knows what I like.  This recommendation popped up in my feed and it was really enjoyable.  This is a video tour of the Botanical Interests company.  

Botanical Interests is very reliable seed company that I use from time to time and they are known for their amazing seed packet artwork.  You may have noticed that if you mail order seeds, most companies do not bother to put pretty pictures on their mail order packets.  They may spend the money on point of sale packets that you pick out of the seed rack at your local store, but save the money by sending mail orders in plain white envelopes.  Not these folks.  They always send you seeds in packets and boxes covered in appealing artwork.  I even save the boxes when I get one.

This time of year I am thinking about seeds, dreaming about seeds, seeing seeds when I close my eyes... 

Keep it Simple Stupid

 Is anyone else battling garden fantasia?  This is the time of year when garden plans get out of hand.  I have two more companies to order seed from in order to prepare for my carefully thought out Plan.  However, I get ideas.  Now that I have decided to confine the vegetables to half of the garden, and plant pollinator friendly annuals in some of the remaining beds, I am fighting delusions of grandeur.

The Plan is to plant one bed in Zinnias, one bed in Sunflowers, and one bed in Dill and Parsley for the caterpillars.  Then I decided I would also plant one in Cosmos.  Simple.  All of those things are easy and low maintenance.  As long as I set it up properly and make sure these tall flowers are supported, I should be able to direct sow them, monitor moisture and forget about it.  Simple.

Then I start thinking that maybe I could add some special Nicotiana or Stock.  Or Calendula.  And maybe use up some leftover Snapdragon seeds.  And I keep having to tell myself - No.  No.  Nonono.  If I do that, I am going to start running into different germination requirements, and prestarting indoors.  And that will complicate my life.  And that is contrary to the goal of The Plan.  There would be a lot of variation in plant height and support requirements.  The finished look could be somewhat messy. Before you know it, simple sow and walk away resulting in tall, billowy masses of flowers will be out the window.

Floret Flowers

I did allow myself to over order on Dahlia tubers.  I had already planned to spend more time fussing over Dahlias.  I ordered a dozen new varieties of those so I can sort of cull through what I am overwintering and remove some varieties that aren't doing it for me anymore.  And I indulged in different Zinnia seeds.  In the past I have grown a lot of State Fair mix and lots and lots of short Profusion.  But honestly - the gold color that comes in State Fair mix, is one of my least favorite annual flowers ever,  And there are usually a lot of them.

State Fair Mix

This is the selection of varieties I chose for Zinnias.  They all come from Eden Brothers, and the seed packets are already here.  So I am done with zinnia ordering.  Probably. 

And rather than spend a small fortune on a dozen different Sunflower packets, which I have done before,  I chose a simple mix, also from Eden Brothers.

My main seed order always comes from Johnny's Select Seeds.  I have a $50 order sitting in my shopping cart which covers restock on veggie seeds, and the Dill and Parsley and Nasturtiums and Cosmos.  But they don't have my Seychelles pole beans in stock yet.  And I don't want to pay double shipping.  And Johnny's doesn't do backorders.  So either I have to wait until the projected date in January.  Or I could order the Seychelles from Botanical Interests and find some other thingsIdidn'tknowIneeded to fill out the order.  But- No,  Nonono.  Be patient.

Preparing for Seeds

 It is still winter and the anticipation of spring is both exciting and ominous.  All of these plans we make actually have to be carried out.  And you can't make greenhouse style plans if you have no greenhouse.  I have to make sure that I am prepared to start things when they need to be started in the conditions they need to survive.  Otherwise the seed purchases and summer dreams will be all for naught.

This starts with a calendar and some facts.  Seeds don't all want the same thing.  For starters, some need light to germinate and others need dark to germinate.  It helps me to make a chart.  Nasturtium are the only thing I am starting that require darkness.  Those will be started in the basement.  They also require either soaking or scarification (breaking the shell).  Everything else can be started in the cold frame.

Did you notice in my chart that these seeds require 75 degree soil?  That won't be accomplished in the cold frame the first week of April without a heat mat.  I have two tray size heat mats that I have used for years in my basement set up for tomatoes and other veggies.  I plan to order a large heat mat (20" x 48") that will fit four trays at a time.  My old ones are not adjustable and they typically keep the soil five to ten degrees warmer than ambient temperature which works well for the basement.  This one has a temperature sensor which can be set at 75 and it will regulate itself to maintain the desired temperature.

Another thing I need to have is enough seed starting mix.  I usually use potting mix in the cold frame.  There are two caveats with that.  #1, reused potting mix is no longer sterile and you can get damping off problems.  #2, potting mix is a little coarse for seedlings and it helps to run it through a sifter to remove larger elements.  You can sift your potting mix and sterilize it with boiling water or some time in the oven.  Working with soil in April can be a bit of a hassle.  This year I am just going to buy a couple bags of seed starter.  You know, its the little luxuries in life that make us happy.

This year I am going to grow some Ranunculus.  This is sort of exciting.  I've seen them on the internet and they are beautiful.  To be successful, it is recommended that you soak the corms and set them in potting soil for ten to fourteen days to pre-sprout them before you plant them out.  I am going to use regular (non-draining) plant trays to do this.  This will begin March first.  I will need to make sure I have unfrozen soil to use.  We are supposed to get a 45 degree day coming up.  I will probably still need some warm water to thaw the iceberg, but it will be a good day to go out to the dirt locker and work on that project.

Something else that can benefit from pre-sprouting is Dahlia tubers.  Again, you fill a tray with soil and place the tubers in the soil and put them in the sun.  This is sort of like chitting potatoes.  You want to wake them up without risking planting them out in the ground too early.  If they are in trays you can move them to the warmest, sunniest spot and bring them in at night.  I have these bus tubs (for restaurant use) that will be the right size.  Again, I'm going to need soil but the Dahlia sprouting won't begin until May 1st so hopefully things will be more thawed out by then!

Speaking of soil.  I need more.  Every year I buy about a dozen large 50 quart bags .  The first priority for new soil is my container tomatoes.  They always get new soil because I want it to be free of disease and high in nutrients.  In the fall I save all of my good potting mix for the next year.  I have the 73 gallon dirt locker and I also have four heavy 18 gallon Rubbermaid totes.  Anything leftover that doesn't fit into this storage is either dumped in the raised beds or into the compost pile.  This starts me out with 145 gallons of potting mix.  Its still not enough.  I will need another dozen bags or so to fill my expectations.  

And this list only includes my set plans.  It won't cover me deciding to plant up leftover marigolds in small decorative pots to place here and there in bare spots.  It won't cover any perennials I want to dig into the creek beds because those each require fiber pots of soil.  I will be able to stretch the potting mix quite a bit by adding about 25% of my finished compost to each container.  Suddenly 145 gallons of saved potting mix doesn't seem like a lot.  But a simple decision like not planting sweet potatoes can change the scenery quite a bit. These are the things I need to know and take into consideration.  If I DO end up buying fourteen bags of new potting mix to plant everything my heart desires I will be faced with a storage problem in the fall.  Its a system of checks and balances.  I make my plans and consider the consequences.

Parting Shot:  Some spare Strawberry Blonde Marigolds spontaneously using up some of that valuable potting mix.

The Largest Tomato Sandwich - And How I Save Seeds

 Can you even see the bread under there?  This is the largest tomato I will have this year.  It is from the Pike County plant and it is a beauty. 

Naturally we want to save seeds from not only the earliest fruit but 

also the biggest and most impressive fruit.

This is my method for saving tomato seeds.  Some people will just squish them out onto a paper towel and let them dry and certainly that will work.  This method will give you a little cleaner seed without pulp attached.  Be aware that some people have trouble with seeds sprouting before they dry.  I don't know if you are aware, but tomato seeds will sprout inside a tomato.

Source

Some people recommend that you only ferment seeds for 2 days for this reason.  I ferment mine for as much as a week or more and have not had a problem.  I just put the seed gel into a small glass and add some water.  After a few days you will get a nice layer of icky mold on top.  This means that the gel is breaking down and releasing the seeds.

I give it a good blast of water to break it up

The good seeds will drop back to the bottom.  I carefully pour off the mold and dirty water.  Give it another little blast of water.  Repeat this pouring off the dirty water and bits of pulp until the water runs clean...

... and the clean seeds are left at the bottom.

Pour off as much water as you can then dump the seeds out onto a waxed paper plate.

The plate can be used all season.  As soon as the seeds are dry they can be scraped off and put into an envelope.

So what do you do with a giant tomato if you can' eat it all at once?  Just place it face down on a plate like I did above and it will keep for a day on the kitchen counter.  

You can have leftovers for lunch tomorrow.

Black Friday Shopping

 While most people would be saying "I'm done with my Christmas Shopping!", I am pleased to announce that I am done with my seed shopping.  Right down to the seed potatoes and sweet potato slips.

As I was wading through my junk emails this morning, with all of their Black Friday promotions, I noticed that the Maine Potato Lady is ready for 2021.  Those were the last on my list and I went right over and made out my order for next year.  I also have Johnny's Seeds and Gurney's in transit from earlier this week.

Lavender (F1)

 I'm sure I will order a few last minute pot stuffers, like these Lavender Cauliflower that are not yet in stock at Johnny's.  Other than last minute impulse buys, all of my purchases for next season are done.  

NoGA Pants

I also bought a couple of clothing items I'd been eyeballing at Duluth Trading - thanks to a convenient Facebook link yesterday when I was letting my Thanksgiving dinner settle.  30% off over there.  I don't buy a lot of Duluth items because they are pricey, but as they agree with my idea of doing outdoor work in stretchy athletic clothing, I may be shopping with them more from now on.  We'll see how these tights hold up.  

Now - I must decide - do I or do I not want to put up the Christmas tree this weekend?

Seed Ordering During The Coronavirus Emergency

I just wanted to save some of this for posterity so we can look back at the surge of home gardening. Click on the pictures for a larger, readable version. It just sort of boggles the mind.  It isn't uncommon, before spring is over, to go looking for a certain variety and have most suppliers sold out, but this wave of orders is just unprecedented.

Luckily I ordered all of my seeds in January, but there is no going back and deciding that this year I want to start all of my herbs.  Not unless you want to pay shipping for a pack of this from here and a pack of that from there.  it just isn't cost effective.

The one thing that was stressing me out was the potting mix for my tomatoes.  This year I plan to grow tomatoes only in containers, after last year's accidental success.  The used soil in my dirt locker is earmarked for carrots and potato bags.  I feel it is wise to begin with fresh potting mix for tomatoes because it is less likely to harbor disease.  I did have a bag and a half left over from last year because I always make sure I get at least one bag in the fall so I have it in the spring when I transplant my seedlings and I don't have to chip it out of a frozen stack on a miserable day and load a mucky, frozen bag of soil into my car.

Well I did get my garden soil from Home Depot.  My husband needed a window well cover to replace ours which was destroyed in last week's hail storm.  Our HD has hours from 6 am to 6 pm.  We got up at 5:30 Saturday morning and when I walked out the door I had failed to realize that we were in the middle of a snow storm.  Pitch dark, high winds, two inches of snow on the ground, and more falling.

We were the first shoppers through the door at 6:10 am.  Hubby went one way and I headed out to the snowy, blowy, but well lit Garden Center.  I had to brush the snow off of the pile, but I got my three large bags of potting mix and made a round to see if they had Milorganite (which they never do and this was no exception) or any other highly valued garden supplies that I won't want to have to make a second trip for.

I did note, on my way to the check-out, that they had stacks of toilet paper right by the entrance.  That's another highly sought after resource.  After loading our treasures in the car, we stopped by the grocery to pick up some milk and headed home.  We were home and back in bed by 7 am trying to convince ourselves that it had all been a bad dream.