Showing posts with label gardening. Show all posts
Showing posts with label gardening. Show all posts

Monday, March 12, 2012

Is it here yet?

To say I'm anxious for Spring this year is an understatement. Normally, I don't mind all the rain (never really been fond of the cold though) - but this year, I was ready for Spring in January. And it really isn't looking good. It's supposed to be less than a week away (I think) and tonight we have a chance of lowland snow :(

Thankfully, my husband feels my pain. This weekend, despite the ridiculously cold winds sweeping through our backyard, he finished up one of my raised planter beds. It still has to be filled... but it's one step closer. We'll be shifting some dirt around from other areas of the yard so this box had to be completed before other projects could be tackled. I'm hoping to plant our beans and peas (along with a few herbs) in this box. Maybe I'll even try my hand at growing cucumbers vertically.


I did get some chives transplanted from various areas in the yard. We also planted some of the garlic that the kids brought back from their school garden. But look how sad the raised planter looks :(


So today, while my daughter slept (she's been sick for many, many days now) - I made garden markers. I'm always experimenting with different ways of marking our garden. Not all of them have worked out as well in real life as they do in my head. But this time... I'm hoping I have it right.


Took some large Popsicle sticks that I found at a thrift store for next to nothing (it's a huge box so I will not run out!) and grabbed my wood burning tool. I'm anxious to stick them outside to see how they weather the elements. I could treat them - but I'd rather not.

As soon as it warms up just a little, I hope to add broccoli to the planter with the garlic. I didn't have luck last year with broccoli as the slugs ate every last little seedling. I am much more prepared this year and ready to give it another try.

Update: These plant markers do not work :( I supposed they might if you finish them with something rather than leaving them natural. Back to the drawing board!

Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Pinterest - Toilet Paper Rolls for Starters

This week's idea from Pinterest is the genius idea of using toilet paper rolls for your seed starts!

I have been anxious to start my garden. And while it's cold, wet and windy right now, I've been dreaming all about my summer garden. So when I found out that I could be starting the plants indoors (I was trying to be patient - I'm notorious for starting them too soon and not being able to put them outside at the right time), I jumped on it!

I found this site that tells me the best time to start plants in my area. It was just the cheat sheet I needed.

Of course, because I was trying to be patient and not plant too soon... I was not prepared and didn't have all the seeds I wanted. One of my recent favorite things to do is thumb through the seed catalogs - but I haven't placed an order. I guess I'll be supporting a local nursery this week to go buy my seeds.

The toilet paper rolls (and the one paper towel roll - which is not as thick**) that I used worked great and were easy to make. I'm excited to see what happens. I put them in a plastic tray that I saved from my kid's Lego Advent calendar. I knew it would come in handy for something!

** Important update - do not use paper towel rolls. Not all rolls are created equal. They fall apart when wet. Always learning, we are.

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