I also planted my arugula bed on February 9th;  the seeds will come up in 3 days if the ground is warm enough.  These just started to sprout after 12 days!!  

 

I guess I jumped the gun a bit.  Oh well, we have lots of arugula seeds.  I can sow them again if needed.

 

 

HAPPY GARDENING!!!

 

I thought you might like to see my seedling progress.  These were planted on February 9th.  

 

This is one of the flats of cool weather crops:  cabbages, cauliflower, broccoli, kale.  The other flats have lettuce, beets, Swiss chard, mustards, and leeks. 

 

The celery hasn’t come up yet.  Still waiting, and hoping I didn’t miss the window for planting.  

 

 

HAPPY GARDENING!!!

 

 

 

My Forsythia is starting to show color.  

 

I am so excited!!!  Maybe I will cut a few stems and bring them inside to open up.

 

 

HAPPY GARDENING!!!

 

Saw the Mahonia the other day, and it is looking gorgeous.  

 

This bush is about 7 feet tall and as wide, and blooming all over like this.  I love to get up close, because the flowers smell heavenly.  But you can see those leaves are not too friendly, so we don’t get too close.

 

I will try to get a full picture next time.  It all depends on the light.  

 

 

HAPPY ALMOST SPRING!!!

 

I heard somebody last week complaining about too much rain.  

 

Not me:  I get Shiitake mushrooms.  After a few days of rain our Shiitake logs started sprouting.  The mushrooms were small, but there were about 20 popping out all over the log.  Then after a couple more days of rain, some were big enough to harvest, and others are waiting for more rain.

 

You might hear me whine about NO rain, but never about too much.  Rain is how we get food.

 

 

 

HAPPY GARDENING!!!

 

 

 

When we walked the loop one day last week, I noticed the Bradford Pears have already set their flower buds.  They usually bloom the middle of March.  That’s a whole month of possible winter weather away.

 

I couldn’t help thinking:  here is the definition of “faith.”  

 

I love trees.

 

 

HAPPY GARDENING!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

I read in the seed catalog that I can buy one bunch of 12 sweet potato slips for $32.95.  Wow!!!  I can buy a whole lot of sweet potatoes for 32.95 (plus shipping, by the way.)

 

Hmmm, says she who can grow anything…I can do that.  So I cut up a sweet potato (like you do to plant potatoes) and put them in my flat on the heat mat.

 

Then I looked it up on the internet and found out that all you have to do is nestle a whole sweet potato in a few inches of soil, and put the flat on a heat mat and it will sprout.  So, I got it half right.  Anyway, those sprouts are called slips.  No sense throwing away the cut up one, so we will see if both methods work.  

 

I’ll let you know.

 

 

HAPPY GARDENING!!!

 

 

 

Don’t mean to brag, but we made and mailed 47 valentines this year.  Not sure what the brag is:  that we have 47 friends, or that we can afford postage for that many valentines.  Haha!

 

Four went to nursing home friends, fifteen went to family, and the rest are for old and new friends.  We are joyful and so grateful to have so many family and friends.

 

I hope your Valentine’s Day is special and full of love.

 

 

HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY!!!

 

It is so fun to see the Speedwell blooming, so early in February.  It is low to the ground, and you have to really look for the blue flowers, amidst the clover.  But once you see it, it just jumps out at you:  sky blue!!!

 

I always think “Bluets,” when I see them, but their flowers are actually purple and some are white.  These tiny blue flowers are Speedwell, Veronica persica.

 

I hope you get to see some in your travels.  They are sure to bring a smile.

 

 

HAPPY GARDENING!!!

 

Yesterday was the new moon for February.  That means:  time to start our seed flats.  

 

We start with the cool weather crops:  beets, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, celery, chard, kale, leeks, lettuce, and mustard.  The seeds get sown in flats and put onto heat mats in the basement.  When they germinate, we will put them in 6-packs and get them under the grow lights.  Then in 3-4 weeks we will put them out into the garden.  They don’t mind cool weather, just not COLD.  

 

Then on the new moon in March, we will start tomato, pepper, and eggplant seeds, and put them on the heat mats.  They take 8 weeks before going out into the garden, but it’s the same process:  sow seeds in flats, when they get two sets of true leaves we transplant the seedlings into 6 packs and keep them under the grow lights.  Then in May they will go out into the garden.

 

This is such an exciting time of year for gardeners.

 

 

HAPPY GARDENING!!!