Beds in process .. getting ready for WS plants

Here are some of my ws milk jugs. I have added MANY more to the group. This is the west side of my GH, I have MANY more lined up on the East side.

Here is the inside of my heated GH ( usually 40-45 degrees when heat is on). I used this one to root brug cuttings and overwinter some things. The heater didn't keep up with our cold freeze spell early winter, and I lost most of my tropical Hibiscus and Elephant Ears, and a few others.

The GH looks neater now - it gets messy really fast!

I still have my sloppy looking bubble wrap up, and hanging at the back is bubble wrap and the foil backed insulation that I use in winter to block off the entrance to my tool shed (don't want to pay to heat it.) It looks bad, but it works.

Lynn -- that is awesome!! i do recall your set up from last year too.

My next house... i want a planting shed, so i dont have to use the kitchen sink, and a green house. I'd love a hoop house too, cold frame and all sorts of fun stuff.

The first step, is getting out of this area.... oh, no -- first step is getting the kids out of the house... 1st one leaves in 2 months. then we can sell the house...

Here is the outside of my unheated GH

Terese, it is hard to wait, I wish I would have had the time for gardening earlier in my life when I had more energy (3 boys used all of my energy!) I have only done this for 2 years - and I am almost 58 now. I stopped working outside the home at that time, otherwise there is no way I could keep up with working and the yard.

2 more pix, and then I am done.

Also, the Piggy Swap last year and the introduction of WS ( mainly by you) is what started this passion for me. THANKS so much!!!!

Here is GH #1 this month.

Here is the same GH last September

I remember that one from last year you are so lucky to have two greenhouses, I just want one :( lol

Really nice, Lynn.

I used to think I wanted a greenhouse but have changed my mind on that. I would be to cheap to heat it as it would cost a small fortune in my cold climate.

What I really probably should do is convert one of the extra bedrooms exclusively to growing plants!

Karen

Good idea! If I lived alone, I would probably do that. You should move here to western WA, great Zone 7. We didn't even get any snow this year.

I am not going to heat the newest GH, too expensive. But since it is essentially the same night temp and cloudy rainy day temperature as outside, I use it for "modified" WS'ing. I just have to do the watering myself. The big question I have have, is if they will transplant to the garden as easy as the outside WS milk jugs did last year. I don't have a cold frame and I am too lazy to harden them off properly.

Le, which ones were the Salvia patens? I may have listed them incorrectly in my journal.

I forgot about this experiment in WS. I sowed seeds in each of the pockets of my stacker planters and covered the stack with a giant clear plastic bag, and some with bubble wrap (ran out of plastic bags.) I poked holes so they would get watered and air. The agastaches, Rudbeckia and BES are germinating really well.

Lynn, very nice pictures of your greenhouses. Kind of neat to see them when they don't look so hot, then when everything is planted and growing like wild around them, they look fantastic.
I know i read that before about you getting them off craigs list, i'm always amazed by that ... nothing like that shows up on our craigs list. Just a bunch of tractors ......

Oh, and I chuckled when you said you had a lot of Lea's salvias growing ... mine are germinating too from her!

Lynn you may have listed the patens as ‘blue angel’:

http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/showimage/90849/

That’s the one that’s a blue and I dmailed you to see if you wanted it after seeing your want list :)

Glad your experiment is working out for you that looks like it’s going to be a lot of plants too can’t wait to see those pictures this year!

Looks like we all have a few salvias coming up :) My black and blues are coming up too :) I didn’t WS but three salvias I think the rest are down stairs.

I just got thru WS:
Lychnis Alba ~ didn't think I ordered this one and found it :)
Blue Star ~ Amsonia tabemaemontana
Jack Flash ~ had this in my middle bed and I know I lost it last year never got to see it bloom :(
Saratoga Red ~ Nicotiana
Scarlet Magic

I've still got five or six jugs to get done tonite I'll never catch up with you on those jugs Lynn LOL Don't even have 75 yet!

Lea -- any special tricks for the B&B?
oh, i'm up to 4 teeeeeny tinies on the EB.

GREAT! The one I was talking about transplanting that was so much smaller than the rest is doing good too :) We're going to get some blooms this year girl think positive!

I just soaked the B&B for two days and put on a heat mat didn't cover them the mat sitting on maybe 73? I sowed them Mar.18th and they started coming up yesterday but only two so far out of about seven seeds.

i did not soak mine. they are on a heat mat in little peat pots. i think i started them on the 13th of March.

Lynn, I love the September pic. That's exactly how I want the outside of mine to look! DId you use that little radiator heater to heat with? I don't want to heat mine full time over the winter, but at this time of year, every once in a while it needs a little heat when I have seedling out there.

I didn't used to soak mine but they come up quicker that way I'm impatient! lol Those darn B&B you're lucky to get good germination with them or I am anyway if I get three plants out of seven seeds I'll be happy never have gotten but two any other time! I'd fall over if they all germinated LOL

how long do you soak?
i soaked some MG's the other night... and some were soft and slimy.

Really it just depends on when I get them out I would say over night until you can get to them the next afternoon would probably be good on the MG's, MG's are so hard how long did you soak them. I always have good intentions on planting my seeds after soaking over night on that afternoon but most of the time it gets to be two days lol

I have to admit, i did not get to them until 8pm ... so 22 hrs. **yikes**

If you need more seeds dmail me :)

Maybe you need to try the paper towel method let them germinate then plant them not sure if you put them on the heat though someone on here might know I've never done them that way.

This message was edited Mar 25, 2010 7:35 PM

I have not had any luck with B&B either. Good for you Lebug!
Msrobin, thank you for the compliment. Yes, I use the oil filled radiator heater in there. It is working very well (except for that freak 10 day freeze we had. But that was my fault, I didn't turn it up high enough. The air was warm enough, but the ground and everything sitting on it was frozen solid.) Bought the heater used on Craig's List also. We are CL freaks, hate to pay the price for new.

Lynn, we're finally to the point here where temps will generally be in the 40's overnite most nights and I doubt we'll have any below 30 the rest of this spring. I've got one of those little heaters and I've been thinking of putting it in the greenhouse on a timer just for insurance. I've rigged an interior tent in the center of the GH and it holds temps well over night at 50+, as long as it's above 35. Just hate thinking about the electric bill.

That's the draw back on greenhouses the only reason I can say to myslef just be glad I don't have one is the electric, not sure how much I would use one if I couldn't afford the electric it's defeats the whole purpose of having a greenhouse to keep plants in if I can't afford the electric. I've seen where people put one by a window beside the house and let the heat go in there in the winter but I don't even have my heat on with the furnace that much in the winter I live in two rooms trying to conserve the LP gas and using one of those little holmes heaters to heat the two rooms with works well in here so I couldn't have a window open all winter to the greenhouse. It will be so nice once the weather stays warm here I'm starting to get cabin fever in these two rooms all of the time lol

LeBug, that's what we're planning on doing this summer. Figured out how to tie into our heat system easily, but not permanently. Since our unit is too big for this place and roast us out of here at night, figured we could use the excess heat to keep the little greenhouse warm at night. Then open the window to let free heat in during the day. At least, that's how it's suppose to work.... :)

Sounds like you have a plan and sounds like it would work, you'll have to let us know :) No problem here over heating lol

here is an area i worked on earlier in the week.

I'm thinking about doing Holly Hocks and 4-O'Clocks here., and other various wild flowers.

I was thinking some tomatoes, but i do not know if 6 hrs of sun is enough.

Last year all i had here was a few "Desert 4-O'Clocks" I planted 4, but only saw 1 by the end of the season and never saw a bloom.

The soil here is pretty good, after i "turned" it, i broke up the clumps with my hands and pulled out any weeds... TONS of worms.

I've been doing pretty good working on my beds just when I thought I might 'half way' catch up and the weather was really nice we have a cold spell! Just for a couple of days but the weeds can go crazy in those couple of days lol Why doesn’t the perennials grow as fast!

I went thru the side yard, well I'm always doing it every where, and pulled all of the dandelions flowers until I can get to them to dig them out and pulled all of the buds getting ready to bloom and the very next day yesterday I had blooms every where again! Like I hadn't even been out there!

I've been working mostly in my mini shade garden I have plants coming from Ella and have so many plants to move from my back shade garden I got a few moved the other day and have spent most of the time trying to dig those nasty wild violets that's a lot of work just on the violets. I've been under the holly tree and transplanting my plumonaria was so worried about those making it after transplanting them they are one of my favorites and would really hate to lost them. Next I need to figure out where my blue vase shaped hosta are down back I have those tall green ones and they look the same when they are coming up.

I've been ignoring my shade garden out back for so long, probably a couple of years and found an astilbe that I forgot I had it gets 30" tall and it's red it's never gotten over a foot high down there just thought it was a shorter one and found the tag to it when I dug it that was a nice surprise lol Guess I have ignored it so long it just never reached it potential, I have a smaller red one and the bridal veil I need to move yet too.

It's turned cold for the next couple of days so I plan to get caught up on sowing some seeds inside really behind on that! But on a good note I have a lot coming up in my WS jugs that makes me very happy :)

Have you found a home for those extra husker’s red’s yet Terese I think I have lost mine they should be up by this time and haven’t seen any sign of them I’ve been watching was going to move those out of my herb garden. Do you have solomon seal I have some of those I’m moving out of the shade garden and they have multiplied like crazy they need a good home :)

I lost a hosta in the front yard all that is there is a big hole like something had pulled every bit of it down in the ground first time I have seen that happen here!

Lea -- yes i have a nice clump of Salmon Seal.. it's up about 2-3"

My Husker's are visible all year. they do not die back completely... and i have TONS of lil guys ... i need to get back there and move them together into clumps.

do you want any???

the ones i've potted up are going to the RU in June. I think i'm going to dead head this year so i dont get so many more.

Bummer about the missing hosta. those I treasure.

the Blue vase like one... that could be Krossa Regal... that's a good one. I love the vase like hostas.

The vase like hosta are the Krossa Regal couldn't think of the name of them at the time :) I've been sweating those for the last few years the sun is taking over the shade garden because of old trees falling down the past two years I have been wanting to move them but haven't been able to so now I'm trying but I'm wondering if I lost one can't find it anywhere yet coming up it kept getting smaller and smaller but with dad the last year I was taking care of him I didn't get much done then last year I was busy looking for paper work to fight my sister with and now I bet it is gone!

Yes I would love some HR if you have one to spare I don't even have any seedlings out there :( I'm sure I can find something here to trade with you :) I'm kind of busy today but will cmail you tonite how's that :) Still haven't planted my tomatoes so going to soak those for a couple of hrs. and pot my new EE's I just got in the mail :)

heck... i have plenty.... and you dont owe me, as i owe you for last years Mondara... i read that in my TradeTracker the other day.

so dont sweat it.

I even have a small priority box in my room.

do you need Bronze fennel or Coreopsis Early Sunrise??

Oh thank you Terese :) Nope don't need any of the others but thanks I forgot I sent you some mondra how is it doing I'm going to dig all of mine up out of my middle bed and plant it in the field it does really good there had a bunch growing and this girl that wanted to cut my field to get some sun kept cutting it down lol Now it is no more, she won't be cutting my field this year :)

I had some flax seeds that I wasn't sure if they were red or blue that came up the other day and they are blue :( I have three more jugs of the red though sent one home with Robin when she came :)

It's come back... i've got some nice big clumps now.

You have plenty of Blue Flax??

I was going to run to the PO, but i called and she would not guarantee it was there by Sat, and i dont want the box sitting over the weekend... so i'll mail next week... though DH and I may shoot up to Wisc for spring clean up.
but i'll give you a heads up when the box is in the mail.

I've got plenty of blue flax lol I just gave Robin a couple that were coming up I pitched some seeds last year and they are starting to come up now but have a couple of bigger plants in a couple more beds really never enough of those or the red ones but should have plenty with this other jug coming up I'll have it coming out of my ears lol Do you need any? I have enough to share when they get a little bigger :)

No big hurry on the husker's I have plenty to do to keep me busy right now for sure! The neighbor just unloaded a ham bone on me from Easter and half of the ham that's going into a big old pot of beans and I have tomato seeds soaking at the same time I have to start the bean soup I need to get them out of the soak and plant them :) Digging all of my shade plants out of my shade garden out back and the middle bed plenty to do guess it's about time to get my dahlias and cannas out of the box and pot them up too don't think there is enough time in the week to get everything done and these weeks just keep flying by they won't wait what is up with that LOL

As I was working in teh bed that has the Blue, i was diggin up all the volunteers and putting them in one hole, so they'd be larger clumps instead of scattered about.

I wonder... are they 'short lived perennials" ? that and some Bee Balms... i can see where they were last year, and nothing on the old growth, but lots of new babies.

OH and speaking of Bee Balm... I've got Wild Bergamot popping up all over. At least i know Maxine wanted some... i should dig up more.

If you want to get rid of so me wild bee balm :) I'll take some you should let me pay postage or do a trade with you if you send some :)

I think the flax is short lived I've had it for three years and not after that I have one that died this year in the middle bed haven't noticed any volunteers but haven't given them much thought out there trying to dig other plants up. I have a large one in the nectar garden too I should check seems like I didn't see that one this year either and it's about the same age. I'm getting ready to clean that bed up here soon I'll let you know what I find.

I've got some pink daisy like plants that are about four ft. high I've been looking for the name of them off and on sooner or later I'll find it lol Maybe 2011 ;P I think they have underground runners they sure multiplied this year and think this is the third year for them too. They may be a good one to plant where they can spread like the field you have out back I plan on planting them in the field they should be pretty there and can roam all they want, wish I could think of the name of them!

OK.. i think my Blue was 3 yrs also and now it was just a 'stick' but lots of babies around it.

and i'm planning on Priority, so the cost wont/shouldnt be any different. I did write down what you pd in postage last time... so we will be even.

the sun is finally shining again, should be upper 50's, so i'll be out in the dirt.

Well thank you Terese :)

Hope you have good day it's 32 here geesh! I'm hoping it warms up more than this today! I'm not going out for a while lol

31 here... :-p

It's supposed to be 58° here today so I hope to get out there, too. Not till later though. It's only 38° now. Might be too mucky to do much but should be a good day to pull weeds. (in my case, volunteer flowers)

Karen