Seed-Starting Update: Buds and Blooms.

So. I didn’t label my seedlings. I forgot to buy labeling stuff and couldn’t think of an easy thing to use from around my house.

I thought it would be simple to tell what they were once they came-up. Most are. It’s a mistake I won’t repeat next year.

I planted a few things that are nowhere in sight now: Bee Balm? Babies Breath? They might be tucked-in somewhere…

I know for sure that I had a zero-percent success rate germinating the Sweet Pea flowers. Even after nicking and soaking…

Here are some pictures to update you on my successes:

First Geranium Buds

Snapdragons…(I think)

Scarlet Penstemon…(I think)

Johnny Jump-Ups

Marigolds

Impatiens (and stray coleus)

Petunias

 

Second batch of tomato plants blooming.

Morning glory

Moss Roses

“Pinched” Coleus New Growth

Roots!

First batch of tomato plants from seed.

Time to “pinch” the Coleus

 

 

 

Here is the flat of Coleus I started from seed in mid-January and potted-up in early March.

I have enjoyed watching them grow so much that I didn’t gather the courage to “pinch” them until I realized I could use the “pinched” tops for cuttings.

I decided to start them in water because I haven’t figured-out where to buy rooting hormone powder and other necessary supplies. Um…maybe tomorrow.

I gathered my containers and garden snips.

Made the cut just above a set of leaves.

I guess you can make two cuttings from a branch like this. I didn’t. I guess you should remove any leaves on the stem below the top set of leaves. I didn’t do that either. Feeling like a rebel.

Stuck all the tops in the water cups. 

This is what my flat looks like now. I feel hopeful that they will become bushy and beautiful now. The ones in the middle were quite lanky.I stuck the cuttings in the greenhouse to keep them away from the cats. If I notice that these cuttings aren’t looking good, I’ll venture-out and find some supplies to try rooting them in seed-starting mix. I found several articles on the web that detail the process.

 

🙂 Jenn

 

 

Potting-up

So….it still looks like this outside. I’ve enjoyed the drama of this brutally cold and snowy winter. It wasn’t long ago that we were complaining of mild, brown winters and asking,”where did the real winters go?”

I’m just starting to feel a little crabby about the cold and snow. I’m ready for temperatures to slowly rise above the freezing point! Bring-on the sounds and sights of melting snow and SPRING!

I’m feeling anxious for spring for another reason. I started a lot of plants and many of them …(ahem)…a bit too early.  In the absence of years of experience and hours to spend researching, I jumped-in with both feet and just did what was fun for me.

It is fun! I love watching my plants grow and mature indoors. However, I found some time to pick-up a few gardening books at my local library. The following paragraph from “The New Northern Gardener” by Jennifer Bennett struck fear in my heart:

“It is usually unwise to start plants much earlier [than the recommended dates]. Unless they are moved into progressively larger pots, overly mature transplants become root-bound and stunted. They wilt easily and may display symptoms of nutrient deficiencies. When they are transplanted outdoors, they take longer to recover than younger transplants. They may never reach full-size or productivity.”(p. 46)

Ouch!  My vision of growing seedlings to the size of the garden center plants usually purchased in May could be mis-guided. I’ve never transplanted a garden-center plant that wasn’t terribly root-bound. Speaking of that:

I knew I would need to begin the process of potting-up into larger pots of potting soil (instead of seed-starting mix). I didn’t imagine that the roots would look like this! I very gently divided my coleus and foxglove cells in half and gave them their own cells. I could have divided them into fourths, but that would take a lot of space that I don’t have. As it is, my initial investment in materials has been more than I anticipated (I didn’t give it a ton of thought…I was in “just do it” mode).

My future self would have started all of these tiny coleus seeds in a large, undivided tray and planted each seedling into it’s own cell at a much earlier point in the growth process (just after the second set of leaves appear?) I’ve read about this process in several articles and books on seed-starting. I didn’t understand why you would do it that way….until now.

And, since I already had dirt everywhere and was feeling the need really accomplish something…..I planted the rest of my seeds. All of them. Five new trays. Because I’m maybe a little ADD-ish and went all hyper-focus and impulsive.

This is what crazy motivated looks like, folks:

And after a morning of cleaning:

I am starting to feel attached to a successful outcome for my little plant babies. At first, it was all about the learning and the fun. Now, I want to see flowers and taste tomatoes. It’s a lot of work, a bit of money, and twice-daily maintenance.

However, turning-on the lights in the morning, interacting with the green, and sharing the experience with my kids provides profound nourishment for my spirit. I feel like I’m re-training my brain to toward optimism and the pleasure of experiencing real-life, tangible results from effort put-forth.  It’s giving me a leg-up out of a crushing, the-house-never-stays-clean, nobody-listens-me (especially not my kids), nothing-I-do-matters, winter depression.

Thank the Great and Mysterious Creator of All That Is for blessings big and small.

Amen.

-Jenn