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Tuesday, March 1, 2011

Fresh Starts

I can't believe it's only Tuesday.

We started our cole crops last week, because hope springs eternal. I only tried starting brussel sprouts last year, and not a single seed germinated. (And the leeks I started all got about 3 inches tall and stopped growing, and the peppers just up and died after a week or two. I start seeds WHY??)  (Oh...cole crops are things in the brassica/cabbage family.  Cauliflower, cabbage, broccoli,  brussel sprouts, bok choi, etc.)

But, the girls and I had fun mashing seed starting mix into my tray, and throwing in seeds and labels.

starting the cole crops

These are in the sunniest corner of my house (flanked by a north AND a west facing window,) so until I have a better place to put them  (oh, and I will...just wait!!), fingers crossed!  I'm trying to be smart about what we plant out this year- I doubt we can use more than 3 or 4 cabbages in the spring, so that's what I'm growing.  Ditto on the cauliflower and broccoli.  Brussels sprouts I kind of went crazy, because NONE of them germinated last year so I'm hoping that if I plant way more than I need, I'll stand a chance to get at least some.  But, you  know, there are quite a few nurseries within spitting distance, so all is not lost if these don't work out!  (Fall crops will be planted straight in the dirt in August.)

Now that all the snow is melted, we are over due to plant our peas.  I plan on planting LOTS AND LOTS of bush peas this year- the kids love them, and they're great for the dirt.  Besides, they won't need fertilizing OR watering because we're still in our wet season(s), so they're an easy thing to harvest and deliver to the neighbors for brownie points.  Or to make up for the mess that our yard was last year.  Or to lay to rest any niggling doubts about our choice of landscaping (urban garden.) Take your pick  ^_^  

5 comments:

LunaMoonbeam said...

So, what you're saying is...I should get my rear in gear and and start planing stuff??

Unknown said...

Can you send the girls over to help with my planting? I'm late on the peas too and still haven't gotten over to the nursery for compost! Ay yi yi!

Alexandra said...

We have cucumbers growing inside, but they are miniature. As soon as it gets much warmer, we'll replant them. The only edible growing indoors are beans: pinto and black.I've got to get my seeds started this week. My daughter picked out quite a few seed packets at the Dollar General store last week. :) I remember seeing watermelon. I've never tried these, so we'll see.

Samantha said...

That is so cool. Though as the page was loading, I looked out of the corner of my eye and thought those sticks were a cemetery. :)

What I Did Today said...

Hmmmm. I used to do all the starts waaaaaaaaay back in the day as a teenager. I liked it then. Maybe I should get back into it. Heck! You've got THREE kids so it's not like I can use mine as an excuse to not garden.... I think my biggest reason for not being more motivated is that I get so overwhelmed about what to buy and plant. A couple years back I planted a HUGE crop of turnips. I think I'm the only person I know who likes turnips. How do you keep yourself organized in this area and know when to plant whatever you're planting?