Cool Beans!!!
Critter, you are just a big OINKER! :)
Suzy
Join Us! Seed Swap Seed Starting & Conversation #9
Youi ant Silver Shield because when it does grow up it has some totally beautiful foliage that sparkles and shimemrs in the sun. it gonan be a annual up in yoru area unles s you bring it in. it an expensive plant down here and more times than not wil act as an annual here too unles s hevaily mulched and protected.
The different shades of purples and what almost seems like irridecent rainbow colors goes great in borders and beds as an accent color for other plants.
Did everyone here see this thread on the importance of wearing gloves while gardening?? http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/826023/
I don't always do that, but I will have to get better at remembering. I am still recovering from cutting my finger while opening a can (and getting 7 stitches) and I think the wound is slightly infected--will go to the doc today to have it checked and on the way home pick up several new pairs of gardening gloves.
And some of the latex ones for wearing indoors in my 'seed starting lab'.
About the plastic bags, I used zip locs in the WS bins and I have some germination in them. I think it would be nicer/better to have the gussetted bottoms.
I wish I had ordered some cow-pots. Everyone seems so happy with them. They were too pricey for my taste even with co-op prices.
YUCK!!!!
Star-Thanks-I am doing my rack that way!! It looks easy to handle and to add onto!!
Suzy-the poop pots aren't bad if you buy a case-35 cents each-I am using mine for co-op plugs to give em a boost!!
Lucy-I am totally serious about the tuna and the cat!!;)
tab-maybe you can find someone to share a case with??
Hi everybody. A brief break from lily bulb mania, and haven't caught up on all the posts above yet, but wanted to report Salvias sure grow fast when ignored for a couple of days, LOL. The seedlings had to go from having a doting "mama" to being ignored for a few days while I was sorting out my lily co op. The sorting was in the plant room, so I was keeping an eye out from a distance for signs of stress. Last night I got up from bed realizing I needed to water, and was blown away how much the salvias have grown! Do they prefer drying between waterings once they have true leaves? I'm not sure if its that I watch them so closely typically that I don't notice the growth rate, or if they really cranked once neglected for a couple of days.
Gemini, I only water them overy other 5 or 6 days. If they've got 3 pairs of "true" leaves by now, it's time to pinch out the tops to promote bushy growth!
Oh, Man, Tab, That's a rotten way to greet the day! I never wear gloves! I would need about 6 pairs a day because I always seem to ge them wet -- can't stand wearing wet gloves (or shoes). I suppose now I'll have to go out and buy a dozen pairs.
Coop, anyone?
Geminii -- oh, yes, that Salvia thrives in the dry soil as long as you see it the day it starts wilting. Dryad came over yesterday and found a pot of wilted Salvia patens that perked right up after it got some water, but I'm sure I wouldn't have noticed until today or tomorrow, and by then they would have been crispy! (and I must admit it's awfully fun to have another Dger sooooo close!!!)
It's probably also a function of where they are in development...seems like once they get to a certain point, they just take off.
I have a probelm in my garden -- tooo many spikes: Salvias, Agastaches, Veronicas, Stachys coccinea, well, more than that; I just can't remember right now. I need to get those dahlias and Zinnias started to give me some ball-shaped plants!!!!
Suzy
LOL Suzy !!! Pegz has a co-op for gloves... or at least trying to get one started.
add me to the Co-Op addict list!!
I've thought about getting that silver shield too but just thought it was silver so it has different colors in it? I'll have to get some seeds for that for next year I've debated that one for a couple of years now :)
We have a dark dreary old day today and the wind is blowing like crazy suppose to rain allllllll day! Rain Rain Rain, it's getting to 70 today and I won't be able to get out because of the rain LOL
I transplanted 70 purple cascante petunias from Tunik last night, Tunik what is 'cascante' does that mean cascading? How much room are these going to need when I plant them in the ground? Sounds like a lot but I have people wanting them so I just did the whole seed tray lol
Yep, that's french for cascading. I didn't make that up......
They'll reach about half a meter if you don't pinch the tip out. They're perfect of hanging baskets!
I wish I could do haqanging baskets where I am but they never do good where I have places to hang them so this year I'm trying them in the ground I kind of hate it cause I know the rain will mess them up but I don't think I'll have to worry about the rain that much this year LOL So it's worth a shot, kind of figured that's what they were cascading, the rest of the package has that language on it too :) Thanks! :) I have the lilac ones going too that I got from you that are cascading :) Just not as many lol The pink wave I only got about 5 or 6 but that's all I need I read where they don't all come up at once so I just quit at that number lol
After pricking out, you may want to try some stirring. That sometimes work, as they need light to germinate!
All you in IN talking about your weather, it's funny because whatever weather you have - seems like I get the sam e thing a couple days later! Today it is 60F and drizzly. Next we are supposed to be windy.
Tunik, I've already dumped that tray of pink petunias I got what I wanted more than enough :) I did try your method of stirring for some more daturas but so far they haven't come up but it takes them a while and I very seldom have them all germinate at the same time.
Meredith, ansonfan is the same way with his weather, what I have one day he usually has the same weather a couple of days later and he is in NC lol
OMG it's April already I turn the big 59 this year at the end of the month! I was thinking we had a few more days of March left! I really didn't want to see this month come! LOL
Lebug I will just use your weather as a forecast! It will probably be more acurate than the weather on the news lol. :)
I had my first (okay second) spilled seedlings :( It was okay though, they were in a cup and I needed to thin them out to individual spots anyway. They all seemed fine, so we shall see if they thrive.
I am wondering what in the world I am going to do with the 50 or so seeds I have left that I want to start, -no need to start- ;) in the next couple weeks, for which I have no idea where they will be put once they germinate!!! :o
I am very hopefull that I will be getting that patio greenhouse I saw on wallyworlds site. I called a store in concord which is about an hour north from here, and they have 2! My aunt whom lives there said she would try to stop by and pick one up for me :D
What to do with them? Sowing, of course! There's always a space somewhere! (you can always move in with the chickens in the barn!)
But a greenhouse would certainly help. I couldn't do without one anymore.....
Good luck Meredith I hope you get it I went out and looked at the ones I got last fall and they are only three shelves not like my four shelved ones didn't notice that when I got them I just went out to see how dirty they were to mail one of them lol But the offer still stands if you need one :)
Well I am lost in trying to WS and getting the rest of my seeds sown now lol Just too much going on a friend of mine just found out she has cancer so I've been spending quite a bit of time with her and already lost one tray of pepper seedlings and almost lost a few others that needed watering and all of the coop plants are starting to come in now too and dad's doctor appts. are starting again LOL I usually try and schedule dad's dr. appts earlier in the winter for this reason but it just didn't work out that way this year.
me oh my I lost all of you and will have to play catch-up later! Wind-I got the white habeneros-What a surprise-I didn't know they were coming! Thanks a bunch.
Lea-I have all kinds of peppers from you coming up-variegated,shu and black pearl. I just read your post after I typed mine. Still thinking good thoughts for you and your friend.
So much stuff, so little time and definitely out of room, but I'm sure I'll plant more!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Okay Meredith, it's time for us to both get serious and get these seeds in. Here's my 7 Step End Of Sowing Season Emergency Plan.
1. Separate seed packs into piles: annual, biennial and perennial. Vegetables & Herbs are usually annuals.
2. Take a close look at the annuals, and see if any can be successfully direct sown. Maybe in a little raked section of clear earth that could be covered by a gallon milkjug in a falling-temperature emergency. Put those packs in a separate pile.
3. Sow the remaining annual seeds now, whether I have room or not.
4. In the next couple days, go through every seedling container and decide if they can be hardened off. Things like perennials and biennials can be hardened off, same with Bachelors buttons and Dianthius. This will create room for the annuals I sowed in step 3.
5. Harden them off, keeping an eye on the forecast.
6. If they are not really hardy, put them in a wheelbarrow to sun during the day, and wheel in and out of the garage at night.
7. Go back to the pile of seeds that can be direct sown and start in on them the first day it is dry enough to rake and fluff a little soil up out in the garden. [Note: Instead of sowing where I want them to go, I can also sow in a little 6" circle that I can cover and uncover, and maintain by pulling weeds easier, and of course I have better germination and more plants, but then the work of transplating migth offset all those benefits, so it's a decision I make on the fly.]
8. Wait for the annuals sown in step 3 to sprout and congratulate myself for getting all my seed sown.
How does that sound????
Suzy
Meredith I hope you get the green house. I was a day or two too late. So it goes. Good Luck. Yes our weather just seems to follow a path to the E . Sorry to tell you we are looking at more heavy rains.
So do you reccomend putting out very tiny seedlings a little at a time weather permitting to make room for more trays of seed. I only have one light set up and am going to need room as soon as the seed I am getting ready to sow germinates. I could do the outdoors thing if its warm, right? I will keep them out of direct sun. Is that a good idea.
I know that post did not appy to me but I hope I can use some of the info. lol
Veronica, I have my pansies and violets out in the little greenhouse and parsley in a couple more days I think I'll move my hardy geraniums out and feverfew, I think this one can go outside? I'm wondering about inula orientals and the freelander mix (Suzy?) Can't any prennial just about go outside right now and just brought back in if it gets like 30? Of course it got 30 the other night and my pansies were fine in the greenhouse but it's usually about ten degrees warmer in there I keep a temp. gauge in there.
I'm going to have to check and see what else I can put out there but I need to do some serious sowing in here today too not sure when I'll get to the ones outside maybe after I get these seed trays done and the jugs LOL
whew! Miss a coupla days and you guys are all over the place again! I won't drag us back multiple days and posts, but this is the tumple composter I have:
http://www.cleanairgardening.com/patdesaustum.html
It works great - you just have to remember to turn it. I don't use it much in the winter as it's free-standing and the lids freeze shut :) but then as soon as it starts warming up I tumble it and it starts to thaw.
As for putting seedlings out to harden off - I think Suzy would happily put something out that was a two-day-old sprout if she knew the weather was right!
My latest issue is with the last tray of seeds I planted - I used the square peat pots you fill with starting soil - and am having a horrid time with that nasty white fluffy crap on the soil surface. I don't have that anywhere but in that one tray with those peat pots. I think I hate them.
My cabbage, mustard, and violas have been out in the little greenhouse for three days now, and all look as happy as clams. I'm debating whether or not to bring them inside for tonight, as the weather is supposed to crash into the low 20's for a few hours and I don't want to lose them. What's a mother to do??
Sign me up for the glove co-op! A doctor told me several years ago to always wear gloves when I garden, and since I cut my finger so badly last month I've been pretty careful to do it, but it is a pain. Now that I've read her story ( in the link above) about her thumb, though, you better believe I'm going to get serious about it. And wearing shoes too. I love to go barefoot but that's a dumb idea too.
So are we at the end of the line as far as planting seeds? I still don't have my darn seeds from Specialty Perennials--and they were my beloved Rudbeckia 'Prairie Suns' and 'Indian Summers' (speaking of ball shaped plants for the garden). I should call them right now. I did get an email from Brent & Becky that my (deluxe) liatris bulbs are on the way, speaking of spikey plants for the garden.
I cleaned and clipped in my perennial garden today. I was surprised at how many plants came back from last year. I think I'm too much of a pessimist! But I was planning on more room for my baby seedlings!
I planted out my (purchased) pansies last week and I wish I had some ornamental kale or cabbages to plant with them. ...Some of my early daffs are blooming with the pansies and violas and I have to say, I am loving it! A little bit of spring right outside my front door. (-:
Dryad, Weather.com says 29. Do you have other information of lower temps? Personally, I'd leave them out, but you've babied them so long, I think you should take them to the coldest part of the house, then get their rear ends back outside tomorrow morning.
Veronica, This is soooo complex, and the formula I use is so hard to explain, but all of it, every single bit of it depends on sunshine.
If there is sunshine, a lot of different things happen...inside a closed plastic/glass cover of any kind, it's not only the pots of seedlings tha warm up, it all of the ground warming up underneath your trays/pots, too. There is more photosynthesis and plants grow faster. There are wider temperature fluctuations because the days (under cover with sunlight) are so warm, but plastic isn't thermal, so at night it gets really cold and the seedlings are sturdier and stockier because of it.
Without the sun, like this spring for example, none of those things are happening. My seedlings are sitting there, just waiting for the sun.
Sunlight is the biggest factor, but the second factor, nearly as important as sunlight is the variety of seed we're talking about. Zinnias, Coleus, Tomatoes and Peppers and Basil and a million other plants want the air to be warm, the soil to be warm, and their water to be warm. It is simply too early to put out the heat-lovers in Indiana now. If it's hot and sunny, you can be looking at April 20th as your earliest date, and mine would likeyl be a week later.
But there is a whole class of flowers that are emerging now in the garden, and those can go outside. These are hardy perennials and biennials. The Columbine is up, for example. I use the term "hardy", but I mean as opposed to tropical perennials, like Four O'Clocks. Hardy Perennials: They can ALL go OUT! Get'em out if you are having trouble with the lights. BUT WAIT! You can't just set them out, they will totally freak out and die. You have to harden them off for a week or 10 days, so start now, and put them out for an hour a day the first day, and increase it an hour or two everyday until they are out at least 14 hours by the end of the 7 days. This 7 days just happenes to be the time it takes, more or less, for another load of seeds to germinate. LOL!
Plants that leaf out late should also not be sent out to the cold this early...most of the Salvias (I've heard) are like that, even the hardy ones, so I would not put out any Salvia.
Yes, keep an eye on the weather, and get them under cover if it frosts, but a few degrees of freezing without frost won't hurt them.
The next class I would like to talk about -- Seandor, do you think I would make a good teacher??? :)) -- is the hardy annuals. These are annuals that self sow for the most part, and most of them prefer cooler temps to grow and bloom. I think it's safe to say they peter out in summer and may or may not repeat in fall. What I have had happen is they bloom, they go to seed in the garden, then germinate in fall and put on a repeat performance in Oct & Nov but they are totally new plants. They can take a lot of cold. A LOT. In North Carolina, Ansonfan can sow these in the fall for ultra-early bloom inspring, and Lucy could have them blom down there in Florida in the winter. We are at the cusp here in Indianapolis, but you might want to try. I lost all mine, even the Calendulas, so I know it's too cold for too long up here.
Your problem, everybody's problem, is knowing which of your plants fall into which categories so you know what to do with them. It would be nice to know the exact temps that are in our future forecasts, too. :) On the seeds, and which fall into which categories, you will either have to pull some seedlings to do your own experiments, or ask if somebody knows about them. I try pull a few kind to test out because I'm curious and I oversow. Those Plectranthus...I have a lot, so I'll save some for the Indiana buds, but I'll sacrifice some to see what happens to them in the cold. They haven't been hardened off, so tonight wouldn't be a fair test, but I'll get around to it.
The very best idea I ever had on seedlings is to put them in shoe boxes, not necessarily alphabetized, but by how they act, what they are. Are they annual, perennial, tropical, hardy, prefer cool season? They are grouped together so the seedling trays are more of less grouped together.
If you want to list some plants, collectively I bet we can help you know which to give the boot and which get to stay inside. Keep in mind Kathy/Flowerhead is in New Hampshire and Blueglancer and Margaran are in Florida...it is VERY helpful to know where people are coming from when you are getting information about set out!!!
Suzy
Lebug I am so sorry to hear about your friend :( I lost my mother in law a little over a year ago to breast cancer. She didn’t want to go to a doctor but we found out that she had it for about 5 or 6 years and the technology wouldn’t have saved her back then anyway. They’ve come a long way with cancer discovery & treatment though, and I wish for your friend, that all will go well for her, and that she can be back to her old self in no time :)
Dryad I always got that problem with peat pots, that is why I vowed not to use them anymore.
Suzy your plan sounds great! :D I started separating the seeds like you said, should I start my annuals I can’t direct sow now and do perennials second since they won’t do much this year? Isn’t that what you do. :)
Have I mentioned I am awful at hardening off? I always get nervous the stuff can’t take the weather and end up bringing stuff in too long, then starting all over again. My plants still get stressed out! and they’re not ready to plant until much later than I’d like.
If this was your weather forecast how would you handle bringing stuff out? I have some wild lupine that are quite big and could start bringing those out those first.
10 day forecast
High Low
49 27 windy
55 33 sun
44 36 showers
49 35 showers
54 35 am clouds/pm sun
51 37 part clouds
53 35 part clouds
50 38 cloudy
53 38 showers
So what do ya think?
If I get the zip up greenhouse would I handle it different?
it's not official yet ... but with the interest, i bet Pegz will do it.
Atlas Garden Gloves
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/829221/
Tab, I wasn't ignoring you- -I was writing my dissertation.
No, we aren't finish sowing yet LOL! NOW it's time for the tender annuals. Most of my garden is actually annuals, so I have a lot I want to start. (You probably read that as: I have a LOT I want to start, but more accurately it should be, I have a lot I WANT to start. LOL!)
Terese/TCS, Ahem, YOU should be doing the glove coop...you could go pick them up and save us all that money! (ducking before she hits me! ROTFL!)
Meredith, yes that's right, the perennials in my plan would be delayed for a bit. Annuals, then perennials, then biennials...usually biennials like to have some heat to germinate and subsequently grow.....Parsley, Hollyhocks and Foxglove, etc.
Yes, a greenhouse would change things up a bit. What date is your last frost supposed to be? Assuming it's May 1, wait until the 27 degrees rolls off the chart, take another look at the 10 day, and start putting those puppies outside. OUTSIDE! One hour the first day. Nothing will happen to them, just be sure you choose perennials and hardy cold-loving stuff. NOT Cannas, for example. When you see they are still alive after the hour, you should have more confidence to get them outside. OUTSIDE!! :))
You have to go through your seedlings one-by-one to determine if they are candidates. If you have questions, we will probably know, or you can go straight to the Annuals forum, or the Perennials forum, or the Seed Starting forum, or the Seed Germination forum (too many darn forums in this place!!!). I think anything that is breaking ground in NH is a candidate.
The object of the game is twofold, get them outside so you have more room under lights for the tender stuff you want, and also get them toughened up so when it's time to plant out, you can get them in the ground where they will grow so much faster and be so much stronger and won't die in heir pots on the table in July when you ran out of planting time and forget to water them for one day like so many people I hear about in the WS and other forums!
Suzy
I missed a couple posts while typing before.
That is a lot of great info Suzy! (now how do I bookmark it? lol)
Tab, hi there I was wondering about your specialty perennial order! It is a bummer it’s taking so long :( Funny you say that about the gloves, right after I read that post, I placed an order for some that I had been meaning to do for a while. These are my favorite (oh man I hope these aren’t the kind in the co-op) and if you get 4 pair (not 4 gloves – which it is not real specific about ==:-) this is a great bargain :D http://www.amazon.com/Atlas-Garden-Gloves-Assorted-Colors/dp/B000GOAB3Q/ref=pd_bbs_sr_3?ie=UTF8&s=hi&qid=1207084053&sr=8-3
Oh man! I refreshed before posting this time and I see they are the gloves I love!
And more great info Suzy! My last frost safe date is memorial day weekend. Usually we don’t get frost in May though. There’s nodda thing up here except a very few daf tips, tulip tips and my 5 crocus blooms (3 of which just popped out today :) It is a barren, half melted, sandy, brown mess out there :P
Meredith, I was NOT expecting you to say May 30th!!! That is 2 months away!
Let me go over what I wrote, but one things that changes is it is tooooooo early to start those fast growing annuals. You would have an indoor forest with all of them growing in gallon pots!
I'll look at it after dinner....Memorial Day? end of May? Is that really the date I am seeing?
Suzy
>>Terese/TCS, Ahem, YOU should be doing the glove coop...you could go pick them up and save us all that money! (ducking before she hits me! ROTFL!)
Suzy -- i didnt notice where they are coming from...
I thought for an instant about doing the Gusseted bag Co-Op as they are just in Waukegan ... then i slapped myself.
>>These are my favorite (oh man I hope these aren’t the kind in the co-op) and if you get 4 pair (not 4 gloves – which it is not real specific about ==:-) this is a great bargain :D [HYPERLINK@www.amazon.com]
>>Oh man! I refreshed before posting this time and I see they are the gloves I love!
LOL Meredith
I see it is in CHicago, but i have no idea where DART is, and google doesnt bring anything up
but with 10thousand participants and a bizzillion gloves ordered... I dont think i could handle that. YIKES.
Bags I could do, this... nope. LOL.
oooo - I just LOVE it when Illoquin pulls out her Instructor's Manual and gives us some info!!!
Suzy, I use a program called Weather Watcher (got it from www.majorgeeks.com - wonderful place) and it says 22* at 7:00 am tomorrow will be the coldest here - that's why I brought the babies in, that's a bit too cold. 29* and I think I would have left them out.
I've actually had my salvia and canna out twice so far this year - the weather was gorgeous and not windy, so I gave them a couple hours of sunshine a couple days. They're back inside now, of course, but they sure liked those two days of vacation! They're on the point of needing to be moved from the plastic cups to something larger.
I remember reading a thread where someone said they never garden without gloves as they love the feel of the dirt. I didn't post on that thread, as my take on it wasn't nearly as sublime as hers. Lets just say that my doc insisted I get my tetanus shot updated last year - and did. And I ALWAYS wear gloves, in fact I have four different kinds depending on what I'm doing (and Nora won't let me get more, so I'm not even looking at the co-op). I cheat a bit on the shoes - Crocs if it's nothing heavy duty, but otherwise I'm a good girl, long sleeves, hat, lotsa sun screen, drink lotsa water - oh, I'm a very good girl :)
Yes Memorial Day seems very far off! I wasn't going to start anything (that I know) is a fast growing annual. Mostly just stuff that is say, tender perennial but annual for me and more perennials. I have the stuff I’ve learned from experience (unfortunately) grows too quickly to start yet.
Tcs, it figures that those are the gloves offered in the co-op that is just my luck ==:-)
Oh and I have to bite my words, the melted snow has revealed I have rue that is just as green as the last day I saw it in the fall. :) I was wondering if these would be perennial here and looks as though they are. Yay
I need to be more like dryad (very good girl :) ) especially after watching 10 years younger on tlc last night. I don’t want my skin to look like 10 years older than it is ;)
Both my parents had melanomas removed, Mom had no end of skin issues (mostly related to allergies) - and toward the end of her life one of her medications triggered her system to be allergic to the sun. (Yes, the poor dear was allergic to everything, that's what finally caught up with her.) Because of both of their histories I'd be a ninny to not protect myself - especially as a landscaper. I harp on my sis CONSTANTLY as she's a horse person and also outside a lot - no hat on her! She gets sunscreen from me every year for her birthday (it's in February) - by the time she needs it she's no clue where she put it - LOL! (Besides, I can still hear Mom's voice telling me to be careful in the sun and "put on sunscreen!" - LOL) In my landscaper's bag with all the tools and first aid kit I also have two different kinds of sunscreen - a lotion and a spray, depending on how dirty I am when I need to re-apply...
Oooh I like the spray idea, which one do ya use? I've never found one that doesn't seem like it still needs to be rubbed in! I really do need to wear sunscreen and a hat (don't know about the long sleeves though - lol) I've also had too many cases of melanomas being removed in my family. :( I know it's so bad but I do love my tank top tan line in summer, it's the only tan I usually have these days! ;)
Oh, yeah, I meant the Gussetbag Coop LOL! Do you htink I am in too many coops? But they are so fun! It's almost always a person who has already done the research and wants something special in quantity -- and the prices are almost always way lower than one can get on one's own, although the gloves aren't any cheaper, are they?
Suzy