Join Us! Seed Swap Seed Starting & Conversation #9

Speaking of weeds our dandelions started blooming today. I don't use pesticides, so it's a battle of dead-heading and digging up taproots. I get a thrill looking at neighbors who actually have real grass. It looks so nice...ours is a blend of weeds :0 somebody has to have clover for the bunnies!

which reminds me, a clematis that I thought was a goner last fall after being eaten to the ground (probably by one of those sweet little bunnies) is making a come-back! I'm happy to see it. I put a small fence around it to try and save it this year.

critter, liked your article posted today by the way :)
I'm still planting ws jugs and indoor seeds here

wind, that color combo is among my favorites! I'm doing a whole garden in blue, white, and yellow- my "Sky Garden".

Judy, June would be the BEST time to come here, although my door is always open :0) My rose garden, just started last year, should be in full bloom. I put in 70+ rose bushes last season and will be adding about 30 more this spring. Hoping last year's made it thru the ugly, weird winter, but it should be a pretty good show. Just let me know when.

~ jan

ps I have weeds, too LOL

neal, we cross posted. I love that combo, too. I was thinking blue & yellow, but the white really is necessary. too. Your name is wonderful! Sky Garden!! It makes an immediate picture in your mind.

Thanks, gram! The white does add lots of light and brightens the mix, doesn't it. I also think of it as the "clouds" too. Many of the seedlings I have going are planned for that garden. Its the part of the yard I see from the back deck, where we spend so much time in summer. We're out there a lot in the evenings, and the white and soft yellow will glow nicely at night too. I'm so excited about the boat load of lilies going in there, many underplanted with various blue annuals.

LOL, Well, I've never felt so welcome! I'll be sure to put the weed wacker in the trunk and bring my (unemployed) son along for some muscle! Wind, not to worry, I will get up your way, too! Critter, I was just in Frederick MD a couple of months ago so I won't be back there for a while! (A very very lovely city, Frederick is). And Grampapa, I will be up your way in the third week in June to see my sis. I hope the snow is gone by then and the blooms have started. And Indynanny, you are just a stones throw from me so I can get there almost any time.

Seriously, we go on a lot of road trips in summer and fall and I may turn up on your doorsteps for a garden tour. I won't invite myself inside, so you won't have to clean up the living room! (-:

Very very cheery pic of your spring bulb bloom, wind! It must be fair weather where you are!

I just ordered a 3 tons of stone to make a border for my new garden. And I hope these rocks dumped in my front driveway will be just the incentive for my DS to find a job somewhere else! Not a very subtle hint, is it? But I've tried everything else.

I read somewhere on DG that a gardener lost 20 lbs. putting in a new garden, and I'm hoping that will work for me!

tabasco, at least you've got some slave labor at your disposal for the busy season, LOL. And like you said, it will probably have the desired effect- what's fun for us is torture for others. Gardening season is how I shed extra winter pounds; I have such tunnel vision I forget to eat. My poor household gets used to me preparing good meals in winter, but come spring, its frozen pizza, LOL.

I have blue pimpernels germinating! I was concerned after reading of their erratic germination habits, but several are sprouting. Also have wintersown Baby blue eyes sprouting, and very happy looking little Ensign morning glories in the mini greenhouse. I'm pumped about these blues!

gemini I like your 'sky garden' theme, sounds nice and congrats on your blues! I didn't get the blue pimpernels planted yet. Wow, you have a greenhouse too... so lucky!

those bulbs are the ones I just picked up on an after Easter clearance. I probably won't get them planted for awhile.

In the front left of the Easter flowers photo is a variegated acuba I got from a friend. They root real easy and are a nice shrub for shade. She actually has all her cuttings in her house and they are growing just fine. I had to harden it off again~it adjusted no problem, not even one brown leaf. We also have one in the backyard that is not variegated growing in shade and clay soil just beautifully. It is not large enough yet, but my neighbor that gave us the plain one said they get nice red berries too.

today, I have two more ws containers sprouting: critter's rose campion and seeds I bought of fava bean, vicia faba broad Windsor :))))

I have white & speckled platycodon and 4 of my 7 var. of Dianthus germinating-I planted these this last Sunday!! YEAHH!!!

Wow, have I really been gone 5 days? It will take me 2 more to catch up on everything!

I do not intend to fill my post with a heart-wrenching story about a corporation who worked their employess merciless for many weeks only to build an inventory large enough to lock the doors and bring scabs in to take their place. Nor do I intend to sing a song of woe about a poor old lady who has worked for the same company almost 25 years and was recently kicked out the door and now finds herself jobless.

Let's just say I now have all the time I need to dote on my seedlings and other plantings.

But where do I start? The poor babies have been most neglected the last few days so I've spent most of the day pricking out seedlings. Oye vey what am I to do with them now?

Ahhhh (she says in a knowing voice) I will move some of them to the greenhouse! Oh yes, the greenhouse! I was given an old, used GH for Christmas this past year and my excitement has been over the top! But the weather has not co-operated so it has sat lo these many months at the home of the previous owner. Monday night I was lamenting to my mother about all the plants (a veritable jungle) that had to be carted home from my office. I have no space now, what am I to do with 2 dozen more houseplants??!? She started laughing and said, "you haven't been in your back yard for awhile, have you?" I knew immediately where she was going with that question and I screamed, "Do I have a greenhouse?" And indeed I do. LOL, it has been there almost 2 weeks, but because of the long hours I've been working I didn't even know it!

So some of these babies will get toted outside tomorrow. The structure still needs some repair, but I think it's shelter enough for some of the hardier seedlings. My only problem now is that I'm not sure what those are. Almost everything I have started indoors are annuals so now I have to figure out which of those will take the cooler weather. I guess I will spend tonight doing research.

La, I'm sorry about your job situation and hope this won't be an end but rather the beginning of something much better for you! It's pretty sad when you're working such long hours that a new greenhouse in your back yard goes unnoticed for 2 weeks... I'm sure you'll be able to put that space to great use this spring!

As you're getting caught up, you'll find some posts above from Suzy on which plants are hardy enough to kick outside now. :-)

Oh, Lala_J, That really sucks! A local company did that here, too (not sure about the overtime part, but people working for ATA Airlines went to work today and the doors were locked. They had NO IDEA when they left for work today.
Grrrr. That makes me so mad!

If you want to list your annuals out, I can maybe get the list cut in half so you have fewer to look up if you think it will be of any help.

Lucky you on the greenhouse - what is it made of? A hard shell or a soft shell with a zipper?

Suzy

Oh, this thing can barely be called a greenhouse, LOL. Its basically a shelving unit with a soft zip up covering. I'm not complaining though, I've got 2 and they've been a real life saver. Kind of just upright cold frames. Some of the snapdragons got too warm in them, so I've sat them out to harden off. Oh, how I dream of having a real green house!

Fairy, Congrats on the Platycodons! Did you sow them indoors? I have 2 varieties WS, but no sprouts yet.

La, so sorry to hear about your job! I worked for people like that and let me tell you I'm a firm believer in 'what goes around comes around" they will get theirs one day!

I can't believe you had a greenhouse for two weeks and didn't know it LOL I look at my yard so many times a day just because I'm wishing it was green and full of flowers and yes I did when I worked 12 and 15 hrs. a day and 8 on Saturdays lol I'm obessed, yes!

I've been taking some notes on here and not sure how much they will help but I dmailed them to you, I do the same for ansonfan :)

Gem, That's good to know about the snaps...I am far behind you, I fear.

Lowes had snaps out along with Dianthus and several kinds of pansies and violas...that's all well and good. BUT THEN, they had some veggies,,,typical brassicas which are cold hardy, and TOMATOES! The guys were unloading htem, so I asked where they were from: Alabama! Those tomatoes were shivering, I swear I saw it! LOL!

I have a 6 x 8 walk-in. 2 sets of wire shelves just like you've got, with an A-frame over all and an aisle in the middle. It is bigger, and it does heat up, but I don't have to watch it quite as carefully. It also has a lot of zip vents top and sides and a door that I can open when it's really sunny. It's current;y nearly empty because I haven't hardened stuff off yet, and it's cold at night in those things.

Lea, Tell Ansonfan I have more seeds if he needs them. ROTFLMAO!!!!!!!!

I have a question I need help with. I have a purple Moonvine seedlings that is gi-normous and I wondere if it like cool temps of the heat. Same with Castor Beans, OMG! It took them 1 week after the germinated to hoist themeselves out of the soilless mix and get upright!

No doubt there will be more questions. As usual, I am growing things I have never grown before.

Suzy

My HD had tomatoes, and they looked like they wanted to go back wherever they came from, poor things. We had a good solid frost this morning, too. I almost wanted to buy one just to save it from HD, but I also don't want to encourage them, or store a tomato in the house until May.

I've got a couple of Dianthus sprouting, and Fairy's tricyrtis-all very tiny yet, but super-cute. Plus, Ansonfan's Amaranth, both Green Tails and Love Lies bleeding, some of Weez's dahlias, nemesia, mimulus, salpiglossis, borage, painted daisy. I kind of messed up and wintersowed Delphinium and Larkspur, but I've got a couple of those germinating, too. (!!!) I wintersowed my Anagallis Monelli, and have some of those doing fairly well. Like Neal, I was surprised to see them pop up so quickly after what I'd heard.

I still have to start my snaps, trying to figure out the best way to do it so they can be separated and taken out as soon as they germinate, Suzy-style.

Thank you all for the kind words. I am choosing to look upon this as an opportunity (in between the times I feel angry, sad, and scared, LOL) and I do believe that one door doesn't shut without another being opened. :-)

Lea has recapped some of the above posts for me which helped greatly. The snaps have been outside from the git-go and tomorrow I'll also tote out the marigolds and the bazillion gaillardia. And I think the petunias can go out too? and the dianthus...and the zinnia and dahlias need to stay inside? I think the coleus and sweet hibiscus do too.

A good deal of my other annuals came from you Suzy, so you just might know who else I can kick out. I have the coral nymph salvia as well as the horminium. Mask flower (can I pinch those?), Angelonia, Scarlet Milkweed, Crape Honeysuckle, 4o'clocks, Torenia founieri (which was mentioned in Lea's note, but I couldn't tell if it was a yay or nay vote), Saxufrage, Corncockle, Monkey Flower, bupleurum, Laurentia axillaris, Helicrysum, ice plant, ...and what was decided on the nemesia?

The rest are all just a few seedlings here and there that don't take up much room, so they can stay inside until it warms up a bit more. I have never "hardened off" this early in the season and am not quite sure how that works either. I'm usually always on the watch for frying the seedlings in the sun, but when putting them out this early I assume I'm also keeping a close eye on the temp?

I forgot to add that the GH is the hard-shell Quonset hut type. It's small....about 8 X 8 1/2, but it's perfect for me! (Unless I intend to sell flowers for a living now.) Hmmmmm. LOL!








This message was edited Apr 4, 2008 12:59 AM

La,
Sorry, I forgot to say I was sad to hear about your job. I just don't understand the way companies do things anymore. Seems like there's a lot of heartless, short sighted [xxx insert favorite phrase here xxx] running things these days.

Congratulations on the greenhouse, anyhow. At least you'll have a little time to enjoy it right now :)

Here is what I know, and of course they need to be hardened off and can't just be kicked out one day. They aren't teenagers. LOL! You will also have to watch the heat on a lot of them: ice plant and any that came from WZ. If there is going to be a freeze, the ones marked yes will be okay. *** BUT If there is going to be a freeze, watch the dewpoint because they can't take frost. The dewpoint (meaning dewpoint temperature) must be higher than the forecasted temperature. Your local weather forecast will have this, but keep in mind it is only important if the temps are around freezing: 33 or 34 degrees (or lower.)

Here is the definition to be precise because I worded it poorly. From Wikipedia:

When the dew point temperature falls below freezing it is called the frost point, as the water vapor no longer creates dew but instead creates frost or hoarfrost by deposition.

Bums that can be kicked out:

coral nymph salvia - Not sure. Neal and Lea might grow this...is it leafed out there? It isn't hardy here so I can't check mine.
horminium - yes
Mask flower (can I pinch those?) yes you can pinch. Yes, kick out
Angelonia, - no
Scarlet Milkweed, unsure
Crape Honeysuckle, have no idea, Dryad, are yours leafing out?
4o'clocks, no
Torenia founieri - yes
Saxufrage, unsure
Corncockle, yes, for sure. harden it off and plant it
Monkey Flower, I think so, not sure.
bupleurum, yes
Laurentia axillaris, I don't think so
Helicrysum, unsure
ice plant - yes

Sorry I can't be more help.

I just checked the weather.com site and for the next 10 days there is no frost and nothing under 40 degrees forecasted. The calendar goes out to April 12. April 22 is the day I use for our last frost date, although the official date given by the Ag Extension is May 1-May15.

How big a chance would I be taking if I planted some of these babies out on Sunday and next week? They have the size, and it's either plant them out, or pot them up, but I checked some and they won't fit into the nursery cell packs (the little packs than annuals fit in) and I'd have to put them in 3" pots. I have at least 40 pots that are densely packed with seedlings ala Chia Pets, and I really don't have the sheer number of pots I'd need. I just can't decide what to do next.

Lea, can we move that April 26th date up? LOL! I need to get rid of these seedlings. If it's going to rain on Sat., can we do it during the week? (I can't believe I am actually buying into the Farmer's Almanac forecast that was written months ago!)

Suzy

First bunch has been brought outside last weekend and another one was going to go out on saturday. But now it's going to get cold again (just above freezing) so I'll have to postpone that again. It's too cold for this time of year, what happened to global warming?

Sorry DH, we're going to loose the bedroom to the babies.....

Coral Nymph and some other Salvia coccinias are on their 3rd set of true leaves, but I've still got em inside under lights. I keep thinking Salvias like it warm, but this is my first time raising them from seed. I guess I'm thinking that because I've had S.coccinea reseed in the garden, but seedlings were very late to appear and only started blooming in fall.

Gemini, to prevent them from getting stragly, pinch the tops out! Sounds cruel (and it probably is) but it will give you better plants!

Sorry Suzy, I've not started the honeysuckle yet, so I can't help you with that one.

I'm keeping my salvias in for another few days - or at the very most putting them in the covered little greenhouse (Tuink, mine is identical to yours, except the cover zips open in the front) so they can start getting used to the temps without getting buffeted by the weather. They are on their fourth (at least) set of leaves, and I've pinched nearly all of them back to get them to bush out a bit more. I left one (Lady in Red) to go to bloom early, and she's putting up a nice flower spike for me already.

La - so sorry to hear about your company being part of the Evil Empire - those that care not for the people who make the money for them and their shareholders. That's why I'm no longer in Human Resources - I lost the last battle I had as head of HR as to how they should treat a bunch of people and can no longer handle the damage that kind of work does to my soul. The worst is being part of the HR bunch that has to let people go - knowing you will be the last one kicked out the door in the very same fashion, I went through that once - absolutely horrid. And what goes around does, indeed, come around. It is also true that a door closing means others are waiting for you to walk through - some may already be opened, others may require that you open them yourself, but they are there - and your life's worth of experience will unfold itself in so many useful ways! And you get to play in a new greenhouse - YAY!!

OK, overcast, but in the 40's here this morning! Those petunias look like they may open up today - one is much darker, I'll have to look up which one that is, right now it's only got a number - LOL! Now I have to go through what's sprouting that I can start kicking outside for acclimating to get more room inside. And taxes, still have taxes I'm working through...sigh...

These salvias are short and stocky thus far- very happy looking little things! If they start lengthening I'll be sure to pinch. Oh Robin, how cool to already have a bloom spike!

Okay, everyone. I can tell you that starting zinnias using the Deno method (you know damp coff!ee filters in plastic baggies) is HUGE success!

Luckily, I was far more clever this time - I only started 10 of tall types (average germination seems to be about 8 of 10) and many more of the shorter types. I won't know how many in total I will end up with.

Also used the Deno method to start annual lupines, including Texas Bluebonnets. These are currently in the bed of the truck. The truck has a canopy - but it has been raining sooo hard that we put the lupins, the batchelor buttons, and the sweetpeas undercover.

I am potting them all up in 3" paper pots (they are about 4" deep). On Sunday, I am going to build a temporary "greenhouse" on the driveway to keep all these babies warm and in the light.

If I ever find the *&#@ cord for uploading pictures, I will show you some of what I have managed so far. I guess I am lucky it is going to rain today - nothing better to do but to keep potting up plants.

Also started calendula (who knew they would germinate in 2 days?????) and marigolds. So ooodles of things to pot up.

I guess I should be grateful the winter sown stuff is just starting to emerge, or I would be totally overwhelmed!

Here's a shot of the Lady in Red

And here's a shot of the earlier supercascade lilac petunia, next to another supercascade lilac - and I gotta tell ya, the second one is SIGNIFICANTLY darker than the first one - even though it's not fully opened yet.

That looks like it will be a pretty color with the rose ivy-leafed geraniums... :-)

OK, I was in my office all set to clean up and dive into taxes, and spotted another bloom. This is from Weez's "2nd generation" mixed petunias packs.

Oh gosh, it's tax time guess I'd better dig dad's papers out I've been dreading that lol I keep putting it off but I guess I'd better hop to it!

I didn't think about putting my petunias outside, do you have yours outside Suzy? I usually do put them out earlier. I've got almost a whole shelf of those! LOL

Seandor, did you start your calendulas outside? Those are always a little tricky for me, when I first started growing them it took me two years to get one to germinate LOL I know they like to be cooler to germinate, I got one of the new ones this year. And I can't grow mine in full sun they won't grow, do you grow yours in full sun?

My black and blue salvias haven't died but they aren't growing? Anybody else have those growing and if you do how are they doing? I had another one germinate and it just has the first feeder leaves and no middle for the next leaves to come out! It's not going to make it :( At least I'll have two if they make it.

I worked for one of those company's that didn't care about their people, I didn't have to deal with their stuff but I was always upset because of the way they were treated and my stomach was in knots all of the time I was soo glad to get out of there! If I didn't like what was going on I could just move to another job, I knew them all, but a lot of those people worked in hell all of the time it was so upsetting when the warehouse changed to UPS some of those people stayed and I couldn't understand staying for more treatment like that and when I hear what is going on I still get upset and it's been about four years now for not working there!

Suzy, I can do it anytime I'm open for dates. I found a note and last year when we had our late freeze it was mid April! I couldn't believe it was that late! So I won't trust my plants out there until the last of April :)

Suzy you were a big help as was Lea....you have ALL been a tremendous help!

I can cut my plants by 1/3 by taking out the ones you suggested...which is a darn good thing since I just got 150 coleus cuttings this moringing that need to be rooted.

Oh, La, that just stinks. The same thing happened to my brother. The company even transferred him from S. Carolina to Louisiana and THEN let him go after almost 30 years. He was able to take an early retirement, but it was much less than he would have gotten if he had been able to work a couple more years until 62. Of course, that's why they let him go. They were downsizing, but it's obvious why he was included in the layoff.

On a more positive note, Lea and I have just found out that we are twins separated at birth!! Not only do we share a birthday, we are the same age. Therefore, we will be expecting a BIG virtual party to celebrate the fact that we have finally found each other LOL. You have some time to plan. Our birthday is not until April 28 ;0)

What are the odds of that? What time were you 2 born? Lea, ask your dad if he gave away one. LOL

Hey, wait a minute LOL

Lea - you didn't tell me we were gonna see you two days before your birthday!! Whoopeee!!!! OK, now I have to be a good girl and go back to taxes...

Overcast here, but at least not raining....yet...

I know isn't that cool that Jan and I have the same birthday LOL I was born around 6 in the morning I think? Mom never did give me too much information :) So what time is that party going to be? I deink XX beer! A 6 pack will do and if I drank that I would be on my you know what LOL

grampapa, my boss at the warehouse I used to work for was transferred from Maine, when he got here and bought a brand new house they laid him off! He was a great person too and a hard worker! I even got to train him for the job here, I was like a boss without the frills, trained a few bosses there and one that turned out to be the head of the company, I had the run of the place when I got tired of one job I could go to another cause I knew how the whole place ran lol They always came to get me for third parties when the trucks came to the door that was my favorite job and when I left they tried to talk me into staying because they had no one other than the bosses that understood third party they wouldn't offer me more money though so they didn't need me that bad it wasn't worth it staying around anyway seeing how they treated other people and how they got fired for no reason at all everybody was on pins and needles all of the time so see La I know how you felt, I worked close to 70 hrs. a week by choice I practically lived there until I took the lay off, I did that from the time I got there for 8 yrs. When I first got there I wouldn’t stay on one job so when they were telling people where they were going to work at they told me they decided I was going to be a floater LOL I get bored with one job LOL

Oh Suzy, I just saw about the cannas when I was trying to play catch up yesterday, didn’t even think about the watering situation between the canna and the geranium, what are you going to plant with yours? As much as I hate it I might have to go to the nursery to find something to plant with them, what a joke! lol

Robin I wish you all would quit talking about taxes, I still have to hunt dad's papers up, I hate that job, not that anyone likes taxes :)

It's misting rain here, we got about three inches and the basement is flooding again, I went to get some more jugs and the water is almost over the highway where I went, didn't even think about that it's a good thing it's not going to rain anymore today or it would go over the highway it still might with all of the creeks running to eachother from the river I think that is about past flood stage.

My sis told me that y'all went without rain for something like three or four days, and even had sun and a breeze, and all the standing water STILL didn't dry up a bit. I was really surprised to see all the flooded fields - it seems much worse this spring than last. And all we can do is stand at the window and lament - too much now, probably not enough later - and wouldn't it be so cool if there was some way we could save what is just bothering us so much now? I'm thinking of talking to my sis about her installing an underground cistern to save all the rainwater she's getting so we can pump it back out for watering and such.