seed packages

OH it’s like Christmas in February when your seeds arrive! And mine have, so HAPPY day! Once again, I ordered my seeds with no real plan as to how I’m going to fit them all into the garden. This will probably mean another garden bed added this year… and maybe sticking a dozen or so tomato plants in my mom’s garden when she’s not looking – shhh.

So now it’s on to setting up a seed-starting schedule. And if my little bundle of joy decides to come late, then I should be able to get some eggplants and hot peppers started before the end of the month. If not, it’s anyone’s guess what seed schedule I will keep!

trading post

Is it time to order seeds yet? IS IT?!? It’s gotta be.

I remember this from last year, feeling like it was forever before it was finally time to order them. Last year I chalked it up to it being my first year as a GARDENER and wanting to get a jump on things. This year? Hmm. All I know is that I am ITCHING to order seeds. I can’t stop surfing seed sites like these…

www.cottagegardener.com

www.damseeds.ca

www.hopeseed.com

www.saltspringseeds.com

www.seeds-organic.com

www.terraedibles.ca

I’m also hoping to do some seed trades this year… I’m not quite sure how that is done but I’ve heard that there are websites… secret websites perhaps… where one can go to do some seed trading. If you know the secret handshake and the meeting place, count me in. I’ll make it worth your while.

the magical fruit…

The first frost has come and gone, but I am still harvesting. These beautiful black turtle beans grew tall in my beds this summer, crying out to passers-by, “Notice me! Notice me!” But I knew better and ignored them in their green glory. I let them bake in the summer sun until their husks had dried out into papery packages. Finally, as the nights got cooler, I invited them inside. Now they sit in a clear glass jar in my pantry and wait patiently for dinner.

hello World!

If these nasturtium seedlings aren’t the cutest little things, then I don’t know what is! They elbow their way through the soil, arch their backs and then open their hands with an offering. Well, HELLO right back at you, my little ones!

sugar and spice and everything nice…

Finally! An update on the Roma tomato seedlings. Here is what my best and brightest looked like a week ago:

For those keen-eyed readers, you will wonder what is dusted on the leaves. Cinnamon! YES!!! I heard that cinnamon is good for warding damping off. And since damping off had thwarted my last round of seedlings, I plied this second round with sugar and spice and everything nice (not really, for the sugar – but doesn’t it sound nice?). So far, so good, because here is what my best and brightest looked like tonight:

WOO HOO ROMA TOMATO SEEDLINGS!

if at first you don’t succeed…

And – once again – WE HAVE LIFTOFF!

Keep your fingers crossed this time.

seedling S.O.S.

Just LOOK at this beautiful picture! Doesn’t it just make you want to grow everything from seed? These seedlings looked so full of hope and promise when I photographed them on Sunday. Yes, past tense: looked. They were the first of my Roma tomato seeds. But when I got home on Monday night, several of them had started to droop, and by this morning half of them were shriveled up. The two hot pepper seedlings are also looking questionable at this point. I don’t know what happened. Was it something I said?

It’s bringing back flashbacks – I think this has happened to me before but that I’ve tried to suppress it. No, no, no!! Little seedlings, what is it you want from me?

At least the magic pots are holding their own.

my street is drunk

That’s right, it’s not even noon and by the looks of things outside, you could be fooled into thinking the people on my street have a drinking problem. They are walking outside in meandering paths, with silly grins on their faces, as they drink in a glorious spring day outside.

I’m holed up inside, watching them enviously, as I bang out a paper that’s due this week. It is my last paper to write for awhile – I said “Higher education be damned!!” when I wondered about whether to take another course this summer. I knew that my garden would be too much competition for summertime course work. But I can resist the outdoors for this one weekend, because I have seedlings beside me. YES – my first two hot pepper seeds have finally pushed through the surface! I feel like a new mom as I glance over every few minutes, checking to see if they look any different. I am so proud.

how does your garden grow?

You may have noticed that I haven’t posted any progress on the hot peppers and eggplants. Well, that’s because THERE HASN’T BEEN ANY. And in my humble opinion it has been far too long. Or I’m impatient. Take your pick.

Most people suggest putting your seed trays on top of the fridge to keep the temperature high enough for the seeds to germinate, but my fridge doesn’t seem to give off much heat. So, after some help from Kathy over at I Wet My Plants, I am going to try a seed heating mat. I picked this one up at Lee Valley tonight on my way home from work. I’ve got my fingers crossed that it will do the trick!!

all teary-eyed

There are those of you out there for whom this warning isn’t necessary, but for everyone who is like me…

Warning: When planting hot pepper seeds, DO NOT rub your eyes immediately afterwards.

Somehow it didn’t register with me that I need to treat hot pepper seeds for planting exactly the same way that I treat the ones that I use to spice up my pasta sauce. Now, I know.

And yes, this weekend I finally got started on my seed planting. I’ve got hot peppers and eggplants in plugs. It was superfast and easy, not nearly the arduous task that I imagined. Somehow I thought planting seeds would involve the same level of effort and mess as transplanting a plant. Not so.

So now it’s sit and wait time. At least until it’s time to start the next batch of seeds!