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New things for 2010!
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message 1:
by
Bloomin’Chick (Jo) aka The Eclectic Spoonie
(new)
Jan 01, 2010 01:19PM
I'm creating a folder for us to post our overall reading goals for the new year (what we're reading in addition to anything garden related). Feel free to start your own individual threads and place them in that folder so we can all see & comment on what we're reading!
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Neat idea, Jo. So far I'm getting far fewer garden catalogs than I have in the past. Maybe I am just too impatient, Those catalogs usually take up a fair portion of my reading time in January and by the end of the month I have a pile of them dogeared and full of sticky notes sitting on my desk. This year I have a particular interest because I want to try winter sewing for the first time and I am in search of specific seeds.
Great idea, Jo. I'm looking forward to seeing what everyone's reading during the "quiet" months.
Thanks gals! I'm hoping it will keep us more active here during the off months. I'm going to start digging into my catalogs (half dozen have arrived) this weekend! So exciting!
Winter seed sewing - is that done outside or in Cheryl?
Jo--I'm going to try the method of using gallon milk jugs set outside in the snow. I read a magazine article about it (which now I can't find) in a gardening magazine and one of my friends tried it last year with mixed results. I've done some research on line and the only thing I can't find is info specific to my zone 4. I've tried starting seed inside in the past without much success I think due to not having an area in the house with the right kind of light.
I've seen that some where Cheryl. Try searching Mother Earth Magazine's site. Good luck with it! I'm always hit or miss with my seeds indoors.
I've had good luck starting seeds indoors with Gardeners' Supply starting trays - my biggest issue is remembering to water evenly, and those trays make watering almost automatic. I generally start tomatoes, peppers, petunias, and a few other heirloom varieties of flowers and vegetables. I direct sow squash, watermelon, zucchini, peas, beans, lettuce, spinach, and most other vegetables. I grow very few annual flowers, so I don't have a lot of experience there.
Last year, for the first time, I set up a fluorescent light above the starting trays because this house doesn't have a good south window bank to use. It worked well. Our local Master Gardener seed-starting gurus said to be sure to put the light just an inch or two above the soil surface (at first) and then above the upper leaf surfaces as the plants germinate and grow. So you need a fluorescent light mounted on chains that can be shortened as the plants grow. (My setup was very basic: a shop light hung by chains from a frame of PVC pipe, set up on a folding table.)
I always end up with mold when I use the trays so last season I tried using just plain paper cups & potting soil and had much better success! The paper cups (as long as they're not wax covered) can get planted right into the ground or containers too!
My kids and I made a lightbox for starting seeds in a couple of years ago. It is a large box lined with foil with 1-inch wide slits cut along the top edge to let some of the excess moisture out. There is a spiral fluorescent bulb on the top that I plug into a timer. The size limits the amount of seeds I can start, but it gives the seeds enough light that they don't get straggly. I haven't had any moisture problems. I usually use the seed starting pellets that Burpee and some other suppliers put out. I keep it in the attic and pull it out every January.
The "trays" I'm referring to are the APS kits (Accelerated Propagation Systems), and I use Gardeners' Supply seed starting mix too. These are styrofoam trays with individual cells that you pack full of damp propagating medium. You plant the seeds in the cells, then set the tray on top of a mat that feeds into a reservoir of water - as long as the reservoir has water, the mat stays wet and the planting mix stays appropriately damp. Here's the website describing them: http://www.gardeners.com/APS-Starter-...
Thanks everyone for all the information!! In the past I haven't planted many annuals either preferring to spend gardening funds on plants that come back year after year. I'm planning to start some annual flowers, green peppers, cabbage and anything else that looks interesting by winter sowing. The rest of my stuff I direct sow. I think the article I read was in "Garden Gate" magazine, but will keep looking on line for more info.
Great info everyone!
Hi Brenda--I am familiar with what you call layered or lasagna gardening only where I live we call it "planting the three sisters". I've had the best success with planting the corn seeds in about a 12" diameter mound built up about 2-3 inches high. Then I plant the pole beans around the edge of the mound and the squash in the spaces between the mounds. I like the way it looks when it's all growing together and also I think it makes the best use of the space I have. Are you going to try it?
Anyone familiar with growing wild lupines? They grow everywhere in Canada and when I was there last summer, picked up some seeds. I'd like to start them indoors and wonder if any of you have tried this.
This is not a new thing about gardening, but it was definately a new experience for me. Last night before I left for work I was looking at some gardening sites on the web when suddenly a box entitled "Security Tool" popped up and told me my computer was infected with worms and viruses and I needed to purchase this tool to fix the problem. Once this notification appeared I was unable to get out of it or get anything on my computer to work including the mouse. I already have McAfee Security and also a very strong filter on my computer that prevents me from getting pop-ups. To make a long story short after 3 hours on the phone with Dell Support and a bill for $130.00 I now know "Security Tool" itself was the virus and Dell was unable to explain how it got on my computer. Their best guess was it came from an attachment to an e-mail. Luckily I did not have to have my operating system reformatted and Dell was able the wipe the viruses. I just wanted to warn this group if something like this happens to you immediately turn off and unplug your computer. Next check with your credit card companies if you ever shop on line and then call your support. I was lucky no charges were made on my credit card, but this was a nerve wracking experience and hopefully won't be repeated any time soon.
Found a new gardening magazine at the grocery store today entitled "Small Gardens". Even though my yard is not small I couldn't resist the enticing cover. This magazine is a gem! Great color pics, lots of articles about existing gardens, plus hints and how-tos. Just what I need with snow perdicted from Friday through the week-end. I plan to curl up and enjoy.
Thanks for the computer info, Jo. I'll give it a try. I noticed your new pic too. You look great! I hear you are having very bad weather in your area--take care.
Kelly Jo wrote: "Jo - I love your new picture! You look so cheerful!"(blushing!) Thanks Kelly Jo!
Cheryl, I don't know about a work/company owned pc but at home when we had MacAfee it did next to nothing and we ended up with a Trojan that it couldn't remove so I bought Spyware Doctor and it's the best $30 or $40 a year I spend because it removes & fixes anything we've gotten on the pc.
I'm not very computer savey when it comes to viruses etc and was quite disguested my current problems happened in spite of having MacAfee. I'm going to check into this further.
MacAfee stinks!!! Really it does. I Hated it!
That's why I love Spyware Doctor and Norton Anti-Virus isn't so bad. With the two of them on here, we haven't had a problem yet, knock on wood!
Just wanted to share a new catalog I got this week. It is Gilbert H. Wild and Son. They have a wide range of daylilys, some Asiatic and Oriental lilys, grasses, few dahlias and hosta, lots of iris and peonies and the prices are terrific! Some daylilys are $3.00. Since I have large areas to plant I tend to buy inexpensively and try to be patient for a couple years while things get some growth and start to look interesting.
Thanks for mentioning! I'm going to check it out!
Gilbert Wild is my source for daylilies. Great plants!
Nancy, I'm glad to hear your comment on the quality of the plants from Gilbert Wild because I've been working on a daylily garden for a couple years and am excited to add to it. With the prices in this catalog I'll be able to add more than I thought.
