Sorting Seeds

It's Sunday. I'm still in my pajamas. I'm cooking a big pot of chicken and rice. It's a cloudy, dreary 52 degree day outside with rain likely this evening and tomorrow.



So inside, I'm sorting seeds, packaging them for trades and the winterswap I'm hosting at the GardenWeb.



I've still got a lot to repackage.



59 packages have arrived for the swap. They all have at least 20 packs of seeds. Some have double that.



I'm planning to do something in the kitchen besides eat today. Maybe.

Still Raining

Day three of the monsoon season is upon us. It's been quite nice actually. It's a slow, steady drizzle with a few showers scattered here and there. It's 41 degrees. It's too cold and wet for me to get outside. So, I'm starting more tender varieties indoors.

First, I culled the plants that I started too early in late January. The zinnias have had it. Some of the rooted cuttings needed to go as well. A few Red Texas Star hibiscus seedlings looked too sad to save. I did the right thing and put them out of their misery. They'll make a nice addition to the compost pile this afternoon. I was able to keep about half of these plants.



After discussing my bottom heat contraption with another blogger over the weekend, I've decided to post some pictures of how I use it to start seeds. First, I find a container that will hold the seeds and fit within the larger container with the sand and rope lighting. I need another of the same size to use as a cover holding in the humidity until the seeds germinate. By the time all of these seeds germinate, I should be able to move the tray out to the hoophouse when the temperatures warm up next week.







In this container, I've sown sweet basil, purple ruffles basil, sage, and spearmint. These will be planted with the tomatoes and by the hammock. Basil and mint are reported to ward off mosquitoes. I'll be using pennyroyal too. The basil was sown on Thursday and have already started to germinate.



The 32 cent pack of cabbage has also germinated. It may get too warm for these before harvest, but I'll transplant them next weekend into the potager regardless of their size. Until then, they can stay in this cake container. Yes, there is some fungus. No, I'm not worried about it. I left the container closed for too long on bottom heat. I'll leave it open for a couple of days to dry out. The seedlings that don't make it weren't wanted anyway. I planted more than I can possible eat.



The cherry tomatoes are coming along slowly.





However, the other tomatoes are growing like crazy. I really need to transplant these, but I'm out of soil. I should pick up a bag today. But I am still in my pajamas.





Other indoor happenings...Datura inoxia, started from seed in late December.



Double Yellow datura stared from seed in early February.



Two rooted fig cuttings. The only survivors of 18 cuttings. I've got others in the fridge now. I'm going to be planting them out directly into the garden to see if I have better luck. Mold is a real problem rooting these indoors.



English Ivy slips were rooted for the North Bed. I plan to cover the entire side of the house with this stuff. The bed is nearly full shade and I'm not really a hydrangea fan. I rooted them with a piece of willow and a confederate rose cutting. They need to be planted out soon.





I guess that is about it. Sunday's picture was taken this morning. In my pajamas. In the middle of the street. While it was raining.



Time to get to work on the project. Today I'll be painting.

What a day!

It's 75 degrees and sunny. My sunburn is deepening. It feels good to be tired from work rather than tired of not working.

Still in my 'pajamas' this morning, I scattered several kinds of seeds directly into different beds and the gully. I tossed out a native coreopsis seed in the along the retaining wall where I plan to put my rooted willow cuttings in a few more weeks. I wanted to move them out today, but I know the frost will come and kill the leaves and possibly the plants. I should wait. It stays moist in that area almost all summer. The gully is a runoff from the two storm drains from the street. It also explains the mosquito problem I have here in the summer.

I tossed out a few more poppy seeds that I found in my seed box. I lightly covered some ornamental grass seeds in strategic spots around the perennial bed. I'm not sure they're viable seeds, so I didn't want to waste the dirt or containers to wintersow them. I also tossed out some vinca and marigold seeds. I wintersowed some, but the majority just went straight to where I want them to grow. I also tossed out some gloriosa daisy and Gaillardia that I had received in trades. I was told they are prolific reseeders. Let's hope a few come up. I did wintersow the yellow ones.

Speaking of wintersowing, now that it's almost spring, I put out 19 more containers today. I'll have to watch them carefully so that they don't overheat in the dappled sun at the end of the driveway. I took the covers off the rest of the containers. I hope they continue to germinate. I'll need to water them every morning now that they have access to the air, but I'd rather do that than broil the seeds under plastic covers.



I opened up the hoophouse all the way before noon. It was toasty in there. The concrete blocks hold a lot of heat and have helped to keep my cuttings and seedlings going through the cold winter we had. Well, cold for us. I know some of you think I complain too much about 40 degree days.



I also moved all the indoor seedlings outside into the shade. Right now, they're sitting next to the truck. Another hour and I'll have to find another spot, or move the truck.



I planted a few of the rooted cuttings in the bed I created a few weeks ago at the end of the driveway. Two kinds of euonymous were transplanted - Green & Gold and a dwarf leaf variety. I planted two gardenia cuttings in the shadier areas. They didn't have a lot of roots, so I'll need to watch their water needs carefully.



I planted two sets of rudbeckia too. A set is a group of three or more plants in my book. I like odd numbers when I group plants together. If I had more, I would have done 5. But I am saving some of those plants for my sister and a few friends. I have about 15 more in the hoophouse. I've got other rudbeckia and echinacea too, but I don't think they will bloom this year. So they'll go into a holding bed that has yet to be created. I may just enlarge the perennial bed.



I finished the tomato plot. I made 4 rows that can hold at least 12 plants each. I double dug the "rows" and tilled in some tobacco fertilizer and wood ashes. I can already taste them.



Out in the gully, I moved all the limbs and branches to the "creek". I really want to clear more of this out, but I found bats under a few of the concrete slabs. I placed it back where I found it and worked on tidying up other areas instead. I need bats. They kill mosquitoes.



More crocuses are blooming too. Most of them are this bright yellow that just screams "LOOK AT ME!"



But there are some purple ones starting to peek through now. I didn't plant any of these. They came with the house. I used to mow them down in the spring thinking they were onions or some other weed. In autumn, there will be a light purple crocus near the roses. I believe it's a Saffron.



The tulips are disappointing me. I know, it's been cold, but I thought there would be more showing by now. Last year they were in full bloom by April 1.



Finally, I watered all the planted out wintersown babies. They're mostly doing fine. I have to do something else with the front bed. The soil dries out in a matter of minutes and all the HOS (hunk of seedlings) have died. That's okay, I have another 159 containers to set out. I think I need some more organic matter. I really don't want to take another trip to the landfill. This is lunaria (money plant). It survived the snow last weekend and has grown a couple of new leaves.



All that done, I need a nap. The hammock is calling me.



5:03pm - Still 75 degrees. I didn't get a nap. I did make it to the hammock but I saw something I wanted to do instead. So I finished the rock border along the bed at the rear of the house. Then I pulled the miscanthus out of the pot in the hoop house and divided it into 4 small clumps. I planted one in the bed by the driveway and the other three on the front bed's lower section. It's going to be a lavender, grass, salvia bed. A few coreopsis are already there. I think there might be a stargazer or two in the mix too. I can't remember if I got them all out when I amended it. Then, I chopped my ferns into pieces. They have been in the basement all winter. I potted one into 4 small pots and the other one I split between two hanging baskets. They look pretty dead. We'll see if they grow. If not, one fern this summer will give me 4 pieces. They always sell them root bound.

I'm burned out

I know it's wordless Wednesday and all, but I've got to tell you, I am burned out. I'm frustrated by my semi failing experiment to raise plants from seed in the basement and later clone them for gifts. My fig cuttings are dying one by one. I have two that show even a glimmer of light. None of the traded cuttings survived. I don't know what I'm doing wrong, but there's definitely something not in my favor. Mom says it's the way I hold my mouth.

In the hoophouse, my plants look awful. The hardwood cuttings still show no sign of understanding that they should be producing calluses for the roots they'll need this summer. My perennials that I started from seed last year have one, maybe two leaves each. The willow is busting out of the containers. I NEED to get them in the ground soon. And I still have all that are to clean up first. The gully needs some attention soon.

But outside, the wintersown plants are just sitting there. They're taking almost anything mother nature throws their way. I get it. They're not pampered. They have their own roots. They get no support from me aside from emotional. And they're thriving. Some are even growing.

So what did I learn? I'm burned out on trying to find ways to cheat mother nature. Aside from tomatoes, this will be my last attempt as seed starting indoors. Or maybe I just won't start as early. My zinnias are blooming for pete's sake. I'm just over it. I'm over winter, and the frostbite makes me feel a little more than burned out.

Dying figs


Leggy seedlings


Damp


Dead


Struggling


Zinnias in bloom


Barely surviving


Yeah! They've got leaves and no roots!


Ready for spring


Watching and waiting


Poppies


Just when I feel like I can't take the waiting any longer, I see this.



A few more weeks. That's all.

Up to my eyeballs in seedlings, plants, cuttings, and seeds.

It's 70 degrees, breezy, and sunny. A stunningly beautiful day here in NC.

I didn't feel too well this morning. Must have been all that food my parents cooked and brought last night. But I finally made it outside.

In the hoophouse, I had started my cool weather veggies. I transplanted red/green cabbage, carrots, and lettuce to the rear bed in the backyard.









Since I had the hoophouse open, I took some photos of what's inside. Not everything is actively growing. Some of these were cuttings that I rooted this past fall. There are gardenias, confederate jasmine, euonymous, roses, and privet. Some are stuck in sand or soil that I'm trying to root now like Japanese Maples, dogwood, redtwig dogwood, double mock orange, etc. There's more I know, but I didn't take the time to make a list. Instead, here are some pictures of the plants.





I have 32 Black Eyed Susans that I started from seed in October. I'm hoping they will bloom having been through a cold spell out in the hoophouse. I did the same with Shasta daisies, but they didn't all make it. I've also got 15 coreopsis "Early Sunrise" divisions from a single plant I purchased last spring. Most of these will go into the plant sale in early April. You'll notice I use plastic cups instead of nursery pots. Two reasons, I can get them locally and they don't take up as much space while providing lots of room for deep roots.







I also have plants growing inside under lights. I've got zinnia, pineapple sage, brugmansia, and other tender perennials and annuals.







I started some more seed yesterday in one of my bottom heat contraptions. This one has 1 set of 150 Christmas Lights buried in 2" of sand. I mist the sand with a spray bottle to keep the humidity level high. The lights warm the sand to just over 80 degrees. That warms the cups to about 75 degrees. I have been trying to germinate yellow datura now for 2 weeks. I think my seed have rotted at this point. I'll leave them a few more days to be sure. There are annuals like petunias and zinnia as well as a whole container of different tomatoes. I want to use the cloning machine to propagate enough plants to sell at the farmer's market this year.





I've also got rooted figs, lady banks roses, and confederate roses. These were cuttings received in trades for other plants that I have/had. It still amazes me that I can stick a twig in dirt and have it grow into a new plant within a few weeks. The areochamber will get a nice workout this summer propagating softwood cuttings.







baby figs!



I can already see and taste the fruits of my labor. Spring is just around the corner.