But, a saying like that does give you a goal and I can report that I have planted something by St. Patrick's Day. Thirty-six somethings. You can see my low-tech equipment above. Not shown is the letter opener that I ended up using - pointy end to push the seeds in, flat end to smooth the top. It worked just fine. When I was done, I put the plastic greenhouse lid on and put it in my closet. For some reason my closet has a heating vent in it and it will keep my little greenhouse warm.
Here's what is in my greenhouse: 6 Marglobe tomatoes, 3 cherry tomatoes, 3 Beefsteak tomatoes, 6 green peppers, 18 Marigolds. Some more low-tech equipment not shown above are the toothpicks that I used to mark the plants. I colored the tops and made a key in a little notebook. I would never remember what was what otherwise.
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| Past glory |
Mr. Bill and I have really enjoyed gardening for over 50 years and have had some nice results. We always did flowers and landscaping, though. With all that experience, I still feel like I'm in kindergarten when it comes to starting a vegetable garden.
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| That was a great year for the lilacs! |
One thing I figured out right away was that all of the plants in one container have to germinate at about the same time. After germination they have to be uncovered and moved to a sunny location. Some of my other seeds take longer, so I might do some individual pots.
The nice thing about doing this nowadays is that if none of my plants grow, I can head out and buy some from people who have 'grown-up' greenhouses.
How exciting!
ReplyDeleteYour instructions and simple equipment make the process of starting seedlings seem very do-able...not intimidating to try. This is something the kiddos might be able do - they've been hoping for a little garden this year, too. :)
Btw - that is a lovely picture of you by the lilac bush!