Getting the Tomatos Started

The Lettuce is growing!!!! I am really amazed. The aerogarden was "planted" with lettuce on February 19th and all 7 cells had sprouted by February 28th. In the last post, I said that the kitchen would be home to this grand experiment, but I ended up putting it in the south window of the great room. I have seen the temperature move from 45-66 degrees in this room...AND THE LETTUCE STILL LIKES IT!!!!!!
The catgrass sits next to the garden and receives some of the aerogarden's light. The cats are on the second "trimming".
Here are the store, I started 6 varieties of tomatoes. With the help of the Humidome, (which keeps the soil moist in our dry climate) the tomatoes sprouted in 6 days.

Hydoponics in a cold house

The catgrass is almost ready for the 3 kitties to consume. They can see it growing in the baby greenhouse. So, now I'm going to try and grow lettuce...a cool season crop...in a borrowed aeroponic system. The aerogarden baths the roots with water from the top of the root system still letting them get plenty of oxygen. It will be an interesting experiment. My only problem?!?!?!? Can I find a place where the cats will take little interest in them and warm enough to grow lettuce. The kitchen should be the best place for this experiment, but the temp drops down to 50 at night. It should not be too bad for the lettuce...we shall see.

Just Returned from Local Industry Show

During the last 4 days, my co-workers and I have been attending workshops on a WIDE variety of topics. Merchandising, color trends, people trends, chickens, insects(both inside and out), perennials, annuals, pesticides for old and new varieties of trees, lawns, and insects. Enough topics to make your eyes glaze over. So, as you can see, we are full of knowledge, so that we can serve you better this coming year. And I am also glad to be out from under the unnatural lights. It really disconnects me from the great outdoors...unnatural light, recirculated air, dark rooms, something you do not usually worry about when you are out in the garden.

I can be a cheapskate

Well, the catgrass that I planted last week is starting to send out roots. The yummy green shoots will follow soon. The Kitties are starting to salivate. So, now it is time to take cuttings from my 7-10 year old geraniums. I want to keep these plants going because they have sentimental value. My Mother in law gave me cuttings and she is now in heaven watching me take care of her babies. The geraniums look like octopus right now, so they need a good trimming. The 4-6" trimmings have the bottom two sets of leaves plucked off and then those leaf scars are placed on 4" pots filled with moist Fertilome potting soil. Practically buried up to their necks. They are then placed in a partly shaded area to root for 4 weeks.

Need to get my hands in the soil

It is almost too early to start many garden seeds, unless you are lucky enough to have a greenhouse to play in. Me, I just have a section of sunny south windows and a section of bright south windows. So, this morning, my cats begged me to plant catgrass for them. I scattered about 20 seeds into 2 six inch pots, watered then in well, and zipped them into the Queen size sheet containers. Yes, a sheet container. Perfect mini greenhouse to set in the bay window. Also, in the window, I have some "pass me down" geraniums cuttings which I took 6 weeks ago. They are now blooming ...a breath of spring.

Where did these bulbs come from?

I found them in the basement, staying cool, and not looking too bad for a living thing. These bulbs, tulips and daffodils, should have been planted outside in October. If you are in this same boat, find some pots, put in about a inch of potting soil, set the bulbs in tight, cover with more potting soil, water well. Then, I put mine in the unheated basement where temps will range from 45-55 degrees. Maybe your garage has similar temperatures. After 4-6 weeks (we are faking a winter on them), the roots should be coming out of the bottom of the pot and the new shoots should be coming out the top. Bring a few into a bright room to green up and flower. After they flower, cut off the flowers and treat as houseplants until the leaves die off. Then, out to the garden with them.

Can You Believe It?

With all the recent snow, it is always a surprise to see the first green. Unfortunately the first green was a clump of Myrtle Spurge. Yuk! This List A Noxious Weed (http://www.colorado.gov/cs/Satellite/Agriculture-Main/CDAG/1174084048733) was actually sold in Colorado as an ornamental for the garden up until 8 years ago. But it liked our climate too well and has become invasive. It can also do harm to people who are sensitive to the white latex. So, it is a good idea to wear rubber gloves and maybe even a mask when removing this plant from the garden as soon as you see it.

Funny Fox

Last night on my way home, my headlights caught a fox valiantly trying to drag its next meal off the side of the road. I should not have been surprised since these lovely critters work all winter, hunting for food for the new kits which will soon be inhabiting the den. They are also good friends to us gardeners because they try to keep those pesky voles and rabbits under control. If these pests(not the fox ;-)) have bothered you in the past...leaving tunnels in your grass, eating junipers and other landscaping... and you do not have a resident fox, try either Fertilome Mole and Gopher Bait to kill the voles, or use MoleMax granulars that will help repel the pests.

Seed Saver Exchange Seeds Have Arrived!!!

With the warm weather in Late October/Early November, I finally got my container vegetable garden cleaned up and put away for the winter. Today, the Seed Saver Exchange Seeds arrived. Seeds to dream about growing for the coming season. These wonderful seeds out of Decorah, Iowa are not Genetically Modified Organisms(GMO). They are heirlooms, passed down through families and friends for many, many years. And the great thing is that if you happen to miss a few bean or pea pods or you let the lettuce bolt(go to seed) you can save those seeds for next year. Very Cool! I did this with the Tom Thumb Peas in 2010. These bush peas were grown in a big pot. A few of the pods were missed so became dried up peas. AND next year's seed(2011) made this year's peas.