Does anyone else get nervous, or am I just nuts?

I am sowing seeds today that I have never tried, and I am actually nervous about it! I know that is ridiculous...gardening is supposed to be relaxing, not anxiety-provoking! Anyone else get scared at the prospect of cuttings, division, pruning, transplanting, and basically every aspect of gardening? Tamara, resident weirdo

Hey ya Weirdo...LOL

I believe we were all nervous when we first started gardening. Just plunge right on in and have fun. Check out my 2007 seed sewing journel for all the seeds I've sewn since Dec.06 and more to be sewn. I quit sewing in June because I don't want small seedlings suffering in our summer heat but generaly pick right back up in mid Sept w/ slow growing perennials and the next year's biennals.

P the local petal pusher

Bigred, that's what's sad...I've been gardening for 4 years! I guess I need to tone down my Type A tendencies and realize that the world will not come to an end if I can't get my Stephanotis floribunda to germinate. ;-) Tamara

It won't?...LOL I've been gardening almost twenty and I still get that feeling of failure if everything doesn't germinate...LOL

P

:-) I swear I worry about my plants almost as much as I do about my boys and dogs! hehe Tamara

zone5girl, one trick I learnd is to not sow all the seeds at once. in case the condition aren't right the first time, you'll have backup. also, who needs 100 tomato Plants using bottom heat helps a lot. some books that are excellent. Making More Plants by Ken Druse, Dr. Norman C, Deno seed germination theory and practice 139 Lenor Dr.State College, Pa. 16801, USA $20.00 it reports the results of testing over 4000 species. lol Jim

One thing I have found out with growing from seed and propagation is that it is hard to plan. I don't know what seeds will take, how many plants I will have, what percentage of cuttings will survive the winter or how fast they will mature. I think about new beds and say "I will probably have a bunch of this and some of that" but it is hard to say.

On the flip side this can make gardening easier. I just try to grow a bunch of stuff and let it grow in an out of the way spot. When I have a bed ready to plant I can just grab a bunch of plants from my nursery area and stick them in the new bed. Instead of thinking "I sure hope that this $8 plant will survive in my garden" I tend to think "why not try out a grouping of 8 of these". And if they don't survive I have several backup plants just waiting.

- Brent

Brent, it's always a challenge isn't it!!! I know what you mean, I always start more than I need, just in case, they all don't take. but then I have extra to give to friends or donate to my garden club plant sale. then there's always the delema, where will that look good in the landscape? I'm always moving plants around, because they were small when I planted them and now I have a mature plant that has overgrown it's area. Jim

Maybe I should grow some valerian...it's supposed to have a sedating effect. Maybe that will counteract the overly dramatic Italian in me. hehe I think I am overwhelmed at the moment, and just need to make a list of all the stuff that needs to be done...seeds wintersown, seeds sown indoors, have DH help me set up the rest of the lights, etc. *deep cleansing breath* I feel like Bill Murray in "What About Bob?". Baby steps, baby steps. ;-) Tamara

zone5girl, after reading some articles by some of the leading plant collectors Dan Hinckley, Darrell Propst, Tony Avent. I didn't feel bad about not always being successful with propagation. they have failures just like everyone else. their favorite saying is " been there killed that" so if it doesn't work try something different and the books I suggested made all the difference in the world for me and my propagating success increased 100 fold. and don't take on more than what you can keep up with. ( I can't believe I said that, I always try to do more than I'm capable of keeping up with) when I buy more seeds than what I can germinate and raise to maturity, something suffers. or they sit for several years tucked away because I couldn't get to them. good luck, Jim

Tamara---- I reckon i'm a weirdo also-I've been wanting to try to take a cutting from my "lucky bamboo" since Sept. I even went to the library to get info. Still too nervous to try, since joining DG I just might get the nerve. I am always worried I will over water, not water enough, too much sun, are they too hot or cold? So pretty much like you said--every aspect of caring for them.
With a little encouragement from one weirdo to another maybe we can do it together?
Elizabeth

Tamara, if you're taking over as the resident weirdo where does that leave me?????

No, you're not the only one who freaks and gets nervous about this stuff. How many times a day do I check my seeds to see if anything new germinated? Oh, only about 1,000. Yeah, like anything new has popped up in the last 10 minutes. Been doing this for years too.

Someone once told me that you're not a plant geek until you've killed the same plant three times. That made me feel better...or at least part of "the club."

Tamara, you're not a weirdo, you're just a plant geek. =^)

lol Heather! So glad to know I'm in good company! And yes, I check on my seeds and seedlings several times a day as well! Tamara

I now have a small greenhouse so this is my first time propogating seed in this quantity. I didn't have much luck starting seed in my house. I started some foxglove last fall and they are doing well. I think I have about 40 of them and plan to give some away at a round-up coming up in May.
Here's what I need to know: should I go ahead and start my seeds now? It's still getting down to freezing at night and the greenhouse can be fairly cool. I suppose I could heat it a little more.
I have larkspur, heliotrope, yellow African impatiens, flowering maple, blue lobelia, alyssum, forget-me-not, kiss me over the garden gate, blue impatiens, and mimulus.
Any advice will be gratefully received.

woodspirit,
you can check my 2007 seed sewn journel. I have everything listed that I've done so far since Dec and whether or not thye've sprouted in "comments"section.

P

Bigred, can you send a link to your journal? Or explain to my slow self how to find a specific member's journal without going through the entire list. TAmara

Tamara,
Well,I did have mine on "private" because I didn't know you could have it private or public. Changed it to "public" but darn if I can see or find it on the list of journels. SOMEBODY HELP US!

P

Try clicking on my name in the box next to my message to see if it shows up there. When I click on your's I see your journels.

This message was edited Mar 5, 2007 6:51 AM

P you are there.... No help needed.
Except for me... now I want more plants!
NO NO Bad girl!
NO more plants or seeds!

there's another book on seed germinating theory and practice by Norman C. Deno if anyone is interested I'll post his address. the book is $20, Jim

pod,
I just changed it to public this am. Didn't know you could do that until I went wandering around this am,clicking on everything.

Shoot,I have two 20x40 greenhouses,a little lean-to,one and half acre of yard and three veg. gardens and I still run out of room but doesn't stop me from being drawn to every darn seed rack,bench of plants and catalogs I see.

P

Boy, do I feel DUMB!!! It's one of those links I've seen so many times I didn't notice it anymore. Kinda like when my glasses are on my face and I'm desperately trying to find them. ;-) TAmara

I never know where my blasted glasses are. I put on the top of my head,in my pocket,hooked in the front of my shirt...I wind up looking like I'm giving baseball signals...LOL

P

I see you are starting vigna caracalla. How did you do yours? I used the baggie method (per the instructions on the packet). I don't feel comfortable using only 1 method, though, when it's a seed that's new to me. Tamara

bigred: can you tell me anything about the "wild hollyhock" you have listed in your journal?

Wild Hollyhock aka Kanakee Mallow(Iliamna Remota)zone 5-?Blooms June-July.

Sent to me as a bonus so no first hand experience with it until I've had in trial this year.

Tamara,
I've got mine on light bench and heat mat,in jiffy strips.

P

This message was edited Mar 5, 2007 10:09 AM

Tamara you wrote:" I am sowing seeds today that I have never tried, and I am actually nervous about it! I know that is ridiculous...gardening is supposed to be relaxing, not anxiety-provoking! Anyone else get scared at the prospect of cuttings, division, pruning, transplanting, and basically every aspect of gardening? Tamara, resident weirdo"

Tamara! Don't be nervous! Just plant, plant, plant. One thing I will recommend, is to just go for it. I'm one of those people that dig right in. I'll tell you, it has been nothing but rewarding. My garden is 5 years old, and I knew absolutely nothing about sowing seeds or dividing plants.

I'll admit, I did not read any of the replies above, and I might be stepping on some toes. I apologize for the toe stepping.

Sue, go for it!!!! I like not knowing much about things, then I don't have any bad habits to unlearn. you're right, it's all supposed to be fun. gardening is one thing that can be totally self expressing, you don't have any bosses, grumpy colleagues, or anyone telling you what to or what not to do. if someone says if you're going to do it do it right. tell them not to come back. because you can do it your way. there's a lot of roads to take on your journey. Jim

Guess what? The 2 Madagascar jasmine seeds (in a damp coffee filter in a baggie on top of warm TV) started to have some white mold on them, so I pulled 1 out and noticed it was soft. I gave it a small squeeze, and this white funk shot out like a big zit! Ewwww! So, being the "strangely fascinated by gross things" person that I am, I had to pop the other zit...er, seed. I still have 4 left, but I'm pretty skeptical that anything will come of them. Especially since I have recently read the dismal reviews of Thompson and Morgan's seeds' germination rate. :-P Tamara