Tag Archives: seeds
Next Round Sunburst Granny Squares – Marigolds – chamomile tea for seedlings
I finally got the white rounds on my sunburst granny squares. Now I’m working on the next round. Only two more rounds to go then I can join them and start on another project. It’s taking me a lot longer on this one than the others. To be honest, my interest is lacking at the moment. But with time, I’ll get them finished.
With the exception of a few inside/window plants, I had no intention of gardening nor growing anything but pre-started annual flowers this year. That changed when we went to look for annuals to plants in our flower beds. We got some pretty flowers of several colors.
However, we mainly wanted Marigolds because they grow and bloom until first frost.
There wasn’t a marigold to be found in 3 counties.
Marigolds are the most inexpensive and easy to grow annual flowers and no store nor nursery had a one of them. The only thing I can figure, is ever other gardener wanted marigolds and they sold out swiftly… everywhere 
So I bought some marigold seeds and started some seeds.
The seedlings are looking quite healthy. I’ve begun watering them with chamomile tea water. Many years ago, my brother told me about using weak chamomile tea water to help stop the plants from getting a disease called dampening-off, when I transplant them outside.
I planted a test-marigold outside a few days ago. It’s been through sun and storms and looks pretty good. The chamomile tea seems to have worked wonderfully. I plan on planting the other marigolds outside this weekend if the weather allows.
I reckon this is all for me at the moment. I just wanted to drop by and share a few thoughts.
Wishing you all a pleasant rest of the week.
Cookie Tin Seed Trays
I needed only a few flowers started this year and didn’t want to spend a fortune on seed trays. So after a while of thinking about it, I came up with the bright idea to order some peat pellets and use my cookie tins as trays for them.
So far the tins are working out quite well.
I figure they might rust sometime, but for seed starting, that’s not a problem.
Wishing you all a wonderful rest of the week!
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March 2021 The Feeling of Spring is on it’s way
During the middle of February, our region got an ice-fall followed by a snowfall. Fortunately, it wasn’t dreadful, our region caught the edge of the artic blast that devastated so much of the country. The snow left long before the bitter temperatures did.
While the ground was covered in ice/snow, Spring seemed just a fairytale in a time far far away and the gardening season even further. It was out of our reach except in our memory, daydreams and picture books.
We’ve got Yukon gold potato sets, onions sets and a several packs of seeds on the ready to plant as soon as the weather breaks and last frost is a memory.
As I looked out across the snow covered yard to our garden spot, I longed for the gardening season to begin. Even though we’ve shrunk our garden to a small more manageable spot, it’s still a joy and relaxing to get out a work in. Plus the delicious veggies, oh yes.
As I was tidying up my potato bin, I found a sweet potato that apparently read my mind about missing gardening and felt sorry for me. It decided to break free of the plastic microwavable bag and grow.
Well, cool, I’ve been wanting to start a sweet potato vine, I just didn’t think the pre-treated microwave ready bagged ones would grow. Guess I was wrong.
I fixed it a small jar of water and set it in the window to see if it would grow further. In the above photo, except for the toothpicks, is how it was straight out of the potato bin. It was giving it a wonderful effort to grow.
I had my doubts that it was going to do anything for the first week and a half, then it surprised me with roots and lovely little green leaves. Feels like a bit of Spring in my home. 😀
It looks as if, I might get 2 or 3 slips (vines) to plant in the garden. If I can keep the vines alive, Hopefully, they’ll grow a sweet potato or two for us to have for dinner this Summer. ;D
My daffodils are blooming. They are such a cheerful spot of color against the gray and browns that dominate the landscape.
I was going to skip mentioning the folk lore of ‘snow lays once on daffodils’… however… I went surfing and from a quick look, the lore is disappearing off the net. There are fewer mentions of it now, so I feel I should go ahead and give it this quick mention lest it is forgotten.
There’s an old saying that’s been passed down, in many southern families, for oodles of generations, that says,
‘snow lays once on daffodils’.
Without fail, even if it’s just a dusting or light snow, every year, the saying holds true.
I never was clear on if the snow has to be after they bloom, so whenever it snows and the stems are up, I take photos and hope for the best.
As an added thought here:
I feel like we all need to keep some of the fun lores going, if for no other reason than to give newer and future generations a much needed chuckle for the day.
Do you have any pleasant or fun lore that you and your family pass down through the generations?
I wish you all a week of Sunshine and Smiles.
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Happy February! More seeds
My husband got into the seed buying spirit and decided to try to grow some different things we’ve never grown before.
Burpee sent me a free pack of flower seeds with my squash seeds. Pretty neat!
Hopefully our garden will be full of tasty veggies & colorful Flowers.
Wishing you all a pleasant February
Filled with Sunshine and smiles!
Fixing-to-get-ready for the 2015 Gardening season
Harvest 6-22-2014
We originally hadn’t planned to have a garden this year. We had decided to take a year or more off from gardening. We were both looking forward to not worrying with the work and responsibilities of gardening…
Then during one long dark boring winter evening we realized that Summer daylight hours are really long too. Other than yard maintenance and sitting on the back porch watching Shelibean chase bugs, we were headed for a very boring inactive Summer. We figure we need exercise and since we’re not much for athletics or any of the extreme walking nonsense, we decided to have a garden once again.
We plan on our garden being small, but that could change… and it always does…
We’re making plans and looking forward to tilling the soil, planting, weeding, harvesting and eating the produce of our labor… Yeah!
Last week I ordered a new supply of One Ball squash seeds. They arrived last Monday.
At our house, round squash has became a tradition. Now, I’m ready for garden season and purchasing the other seeds and plants we’ll try to grow.
One Ball Squash
So folks, get ready for another year of repetitive anecdotes and unprofessional garden photos straight from my home-place posted here on my blog. Lucky you. 😉
I hope you all are looking ahead and making
plans to spend time outdoors this Spring.
Seeds Saved and ready for 2015
I’ve got a few flowers seeds saved for next year. You may notice the white powder in the bags in the photo. The white powder is DE (Diatomaceous Earth Food Grade). I always put DE in with my saved flowers seeds in case some lil’ buggers hatches out during the winter. DE is helpful in killing bugs, insects, spiders, ants and stuff. We discovered it back a few years ago during a brown recluse scare. DE gets into the exoskeleton and causes the pests to dry out. I’ve used DE on a centipede and it killed it, so that impressed me greatly. I feel better thinking that I may help prevent some little pests or no-see’ums from surviving in my flower seeds.
I don’t have to put DE with my squash seeds since the seeds are clean, dried and will be put in labeled envelopes. I saved a lot more seeds than I actually plan on using (because I can’t make myself throw them away.) I told my husband that I plan on planting only 4 squash plants next year. He laughed at me and says, “Oh yeah, that’ll happen.”
I always go overboard with starting my squash seeds and then I don’t have the heart not to plant all the seedlings. But the problem is that I never know how productive my plants will be. I don’t plant 3 seeds or seedlings in a hill, I plant the individual seedlings about 4 feet apart. This year I started 9 round squash seeds, but 6 plants were all that survived. Those 6 plants covered us in round squash. Other years I’ve planted as many as 18 plants and we only got a moderate harvest. We’ll just wait and see how it goes.
Do you save seeds each year?
Do you have any special things you do with or to the seeds when storing them?
Have a terrific Tuesday.
🙂
Random Five Friday – 9-5-2014
Sheli enjoyed some time sitting in my lap under a shade tree. We’ve been trying to take advantage of the nice weather in between storms.
Last weekend, My husband built a small fire for me and our Grandson to grill some marshmallows to make some smores. Our Grandson was surprised I’d never made nor eaten a smore before. It was a lot of fun for me to have my Grandson show me how to make one. Here’s a photo of my first and only smore. 🙂
We were at our local department store and I was delighted to see that they have Mary Jane Peanut Butter Kisses stocked on the shelves already. Peanut Butter kisses doesn’t last long on the shelves and they’ll be out-of-stock within no time. I scurried over and got me a couple bags. Apparently there’s a lot of us that share a sweet-tooth for these chewy sweet goodies. I wonder if that’s just a southern-thang or if they’re as popular in the other parts of the states and the world?
Do you have a seasonal candy or food that you look forward too buying or making over a holiday? 
I chopped open some of my round squash to save the seeds. I didn’t keep the squash part, we’re burned out on squash for the year. I had my husband take them to the woods for the deer to eat.
While I was sitting under a shade tree trying to surf the net I finally got my blog page to load and then I noticed my reflection in my KindleFire, so I took a sort of a reflection-selfy with my digital camera. lol 
Notice the band-aid at the top of my KindleFire. It’s there blocking the camera lens. I do the same thing on my laptop too. I don’t like having cameras pointed at me all the time. I’ve never even activated the camera on my KF. I don’t see any reason too. If it had a camera lens on the back side like a cellphone, I’d probably activate it and use it though.
I wish I was more skilled at using the keyboard on the kindlefire, then I could do some serious blogging. Honestly, I don’t have the patience to sit and correct-the-auto-correct. For some reason it constantly changes what I type. Oh well, gotta love modern technology.
So, how about you, other than texting, are you skilled at using the typing part of tablets or cellphones to make blog posts or comments?
I hope these last days of Summer are going well for you all.
Have a nice weekend.
🙂
Ornamental Tiger Lilies
These flowers are ornamental Tiger Lilies and precious heirlooms to me. They came from seeds that my Mom gave me a couple decades ago from her own ornamental lilies. Mom’s ornamental lilies came from seeds given to her by her Mom from her ornamental tiger lilies. As close as I can figure, this line of ornamental tiger lilies has been in my family for probably 90 years or more.
I’m always anxious each year waiting for the bright orange blooms to burst into full color. It makes me smile to see these living beauties of love from my Mom and Grandmother.
I hope you all have a pleasant rest of the week.
🙂
Sprouts & Blooms
I’m happy to announce that my seeds of Spring have sprouted and are starting to grow. If they make it until they grow their first true leaves then pretty much they’ll grow sturdy until time to plant them in the garden. For now, I’m tickled-pink to have the sprouts. 🙂
Finally there’s some blooming going on in our yard.
The Bradford pear trees are gorgeous.
The miniature grape hyacinths are scattered through out the yard.
The moles and squirrels have moved them all over the place.
.
My big pink hyacinths are kind of curious. I planted the hyacinths in the middle of my peonies because I knew they’d bloom early then get yucky looking and the growing peony bushes would hide them. They’ve been in the same spot for over 10 years and the hyacinths have never reproduced. I looked online for an answer as to why, but I still can’t figure it out. So, I just enjoy them as they are and be happy with that.
🙂
Here’s wishing you all a beautiful sunshine filled week.
Joys Of Creating 