Showing posts with label Seeds. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Seeds. Show all posts

Tuesday, February 11, 2014

Preparing for Spring during the off season

Hello folks!


I haven't made any post recently because there isn't much going on in the garden at this time of year.

Some of my other interest include fly fishing and tying flies. I've stayed busy lately tying flies and getting syched out about the up coming fishing season. Anyway, I'm still getting ready for the gardening season.

I have planted seeds inside using the lighting stand that I built. The seedlings are growing well under the lights with the help of a south facing window..



All of the tomatoes came up pretty quickly, but the peppers and eggplants have been much slower to germinate. They have finally started to peek their heads out though. As you may be able to see, some of the tomatoes have started  their first set of true leaves. They will have to be transplanted to bigger pots by next week.



I will transplant them to these 18 oz. plastic cups. I have drilled a small hole in the bottom of the cups for drainage. This was easier than it sounds. With the cups stacked together I was able to drill through several cups all at once. They were very cheap at the Dollar store and I can save them to use again next year.



I also made some plant tags. I cut them from an old kitty litter bucket with tin snips. I was able to get 64 plant tags using only the flat sides of the bucket. These can be used in the pots and with a hole punched in them, they can be tied directly to the plants in the garden. I'm going to have so many varieties of tomatoes, I'll need the tags to keep everything straight.


I'm going to have a lot more plants than I can use in my garden this year, so I may try to sell some on Craigs list or give them to members of a permaculture group that I joined. Having free plants is a good way to build your friend list!

After the gardening season starts, I will have plenty to write about. So don't give up on me yet!:)


Soooo......Until next time......HAPPY GARDENING!

Saturday, December 28, 2013

Seeds for Spring Garden

Hello folks!

Before Christmas,  I couldn't stand it any longer......I ordered seed for my 2014 garden. After extensively searching through their on-line catalog, I placed an order with Southern Exposure Seed Exchange. They specialize in heirloom and open pollinated seed, specifically for the hot, humid climate of the southeastern states.

 
Here is a list of what I ordered.
  • SPANISH BROCAD FRENCH MARIGOLDS
  • MAMMOTH SUNFLOWERS
  • GREEN POD RED SEED ASPARAGUS BEAN  (YARD LONG)
  • DAIKON RADISH (MIYASHIGE WHITE)
  • BLACK BEAUTY EGGPLANT
  • JIMMY NARDELLO'S ITALIAN SWEET PEPPER
  • ABRAHAM LINCOLN TOMATO
  • TROPIC VFN TOMATO (Developed by the University of Florida)
  • RIESENTRAUBE CHERRY TOMATO
  • MATT'S WILD CHERRY TOMATO
  • AMISH PASTE TOMATO
  • ASIAN CUCUMBER (SUYO LONG)
  • YELLOW CROOKNECK SQUASH
  • SLO-BOLT LOOSE LEAF LETTUCE
  • WILD GARDEN LETTUCE MIX
  • HILL COUNTRY HEIRLOOM RED OKRA
  • BUCKWHEAT (COVER CROP)
  • CRIMSON CLOVER (COVER CROP)
As you can probably tell, I love growing tomatoes. I haven't ever grown any of these varieties, so this will be a year of experimenting to determine which will grow best in my area. After I find varieties that grow well and taste good, I plan on trying to cross breed some tomatoes and see if I can develop a tomato of my own.
 
A lot of these seed varieties were chosen because they are suppose to be able to take the heat or have good resistance to disease.
 
I'll be starting the tomatoes, pepper and eggplant inside in a few weeks so they will be ready for planting by March.
 
I CAN'T WAIT !!!
 
Also, a big "THANK YOU" to Southern Exposure Seed Exchange for their great, fast service.
They shipped out my order on Dec. 24th and I received it on the 26th.
 
 
Soooo......Until next time......HAPPY GARDENING!