Home-made heat mat for seedlings

I got a link for a homemade light box to start seedlings in my http://www.vegetablegardener.com/item/11658/diy-heat-mat-speeds-seed-starting email this week but it used expensive rope lighting that I did not have on hand and many of our local stores did not have in stock due to clearance sales. I also was not sure I wanted to construct a box of plywood right now as we are redoing the kitchen and that takes priority. I did have a heavy cardboard box the right size and several strings of mini-lights that are not LED  to make a try. 

1. After cutting the box to size for half my windowsill  I added a 3" wide box in the center for stability and possibly to set transitional plant on top of. 
2. Next the lights were divided between the 2 halves and mostly  positioned under the lids of egg cartons. This give a good surface to set the plant trays and keeps the light a bit subdued. 
3. Next I secured enough plastic to make a cover and added a couple of pieces of styrofoam to insulate near the window. The plastic keeps in the heat and humidity pretty well. 
4. I added a tray of seed for the first trial. The temperature at top of soil level is an even 70 degrees which is perfect for the tomatoes. We used the top of the  freezer last year but some of the seeds need light to germinate or shortly after and the hotter and cooler cycles probably weren't the optimal either.

I  made my own starter cups using a clear XL egg carton with its top as the drip tray. Of course I did use the organic seed starting soil I have used in the past. Next week we'll see how things are actually progressing.

Zone-by-zone to-do list for gardeners in December: Organic Gardening

Zone-by-zone to-do list for gardeners in December: Organic Gardening

Here’s a zone-by-zone to-do list for the month of December.

• 

December To-Do List: Zone 8

• Continue planting onions, chives, spinach, mustard, peas, beets, and radishes.
• Plant more lettuce in the coldframe.
• Plant petunias, calendulas, annual candytuft (Iberis umbellata), pansies, sweet alyssum (Lobularia maritima), cornflowers (Centaurea cyanus), stocks (Matthiola incana), scabiosa (Scabiosa atropurpurea), verbena, pinks (Dianthusspp.), and daisies.
• Plant bulbs, corms, and rhizomes of iris (Iris danfordiae, I. histrioides, I. reticulata), amaryllis, anemone (Anemone coronaria, A. sylvestris), calla, and liriope.
• Clean up garden debris to eliminate overwintering areas for diseases and insect pests.
• Start to build beds for spring by adding lots of compost.
• Plant bareroot trees, shrubs, roses, and vines.

Heating my greenhouse easier than expected

Keeping the plants from freezing was easily accomplished but keeping the soil temperature in the pots above 50 degrees to let the tomatoes and peppers continue to ripen and maybe to set more fruit on the cherry tomatoes has provided a bit of a challenge. 


A single layer of 6mil plastic was letting the temperature drop a bit too much at night so I added a night cover of a reflective back tarp I got on sale at Harbor Freight over the summer. Using it has let me turn the heater down to low and still maintain temperatures 10-15 degrees higher than ambient over night. It has been a bit of a hassle putting it on at night and taking it off in the morning but I am finding new baby tomatoes so I do not mind so much. 


The entire structure has a double layer of cardboard about 20" high around the base right now but will slowly be augmented with 2" thick styrofoam blocks. I will also try adding large cell bubble wrap to the inside of the roof in hopes of limiting the use of the tarp. Bubble wrap could stay in place all day and actually add a bit to the heating.


Thanks to all who helped find the ideal temperature for the greenhouse as the cherry tomato that went in covered with blooms a couple of weeks ago is setting fruit like crazy--saw 8-10 new ones today. The celebrity tomatoes that were already on the plants are thriving and the first one is ripening. I do not expect more fruit to set. Peppers seem to have a few new blooms but again am not expecting anything but growing out those on the plants already.
 

Construction of Greenhouse no small task

With the weather being a bit more favorable this fall the tomatoes and peppers were setting like crazy but not quite ready to pick. I put them into much larger containers which probably helped with their growth but presented a real problem moving them into the sunroom area for the winter. many were very heavy and there would be no space for seed starting. So off we went to Lowe's for 6 mil plastic sheeting and to the garage for scrap wood. We managed to make the entire 6'x7' structure with what we had on hand or could re-cut. I even made a door out of the old sliding door we do not use any more. I didn't move the water barrel out as it is full with 55 gallons and should help keep the temperature a bit more stable this winter.
 It heats up pretty good radiently which may be a problem on warmer days (not many scheduled any time soon!) but isn't keeping much over ambient by the end of the night. I pulled the oil radient heater and the red Xmas lights out of the sunroom and was able to keep the greenhouse about 10 degrees over ambient at 40-42 so we'll see how it does. I have put in more buffer (cardboard) around the pots too. My reading says to add bubble packing wrap to trap more heat from sunlight but not sure how much it retains over night. 
We did get the frames for the last 2 rainbarrels built and installed last week too. They are now full too. George is building lattice type screens for them as the blue is not as attractive as we would like along the front walk.

Fall gardening expansion and peppers

Following our plan to convert more of the front lawn to gardens, I tilled up a section about 10' wide and 27' long next to the existing bed and am using it for the cabbage, cauliflower, spinach, chard, and kohl rabi. I bought more of the purple cabbage that did so well in the spring and had to buy broccoli as well when the critters dug up all the ones I grew from seed. I was able to grow my own cauliflower and have added kohl rabi to the front and back gardens. I remember liking it as a kid and it is supposed to be a great fall crop. It will also look very interesting in the front garden.
The peppers are finally setting fruit and ripening now that we have had a bit of rain and cool weather. Even the habeneros are setting and ripening although not as well as I had hoped. We will grow enough cherry peppers to can, maybe enough jalepenos and anaheims but will be saddly short on green peppers which we use a lot of. The 2 celebrity tomatoes I bought in August are full of fruit and hopefully will begin to ripen soon. They are set up with plastic for covers if the nights get a bit chilly until they have to go to the green house. Eggplant are full of blossoms and little fruit so we get enough for dinner every 4-5 days or so. The okra is still trying but I am ready to pull it and plant 3 times as much next spring.
I planted a fall crop of green beans in August and am getting a couple of meals a week from them too. They did poorly in the spring but are doing quite well now. I am even getting a few cucumbers which are about the best I have ever tasted. I think everything is liking the rainwater. Now if it will hold out a while and rain a bit every week or so.

Flowers in the drought and more bees

It was a really good idea to create the front garden and fill it with lots of perennials that take less water (when established) but it has been a great deal more work than I thought it would be last February. I really did not count on the drought. I broke down in July and bought soaker hoses for the beds which are great for getting water out to the roots and let me get other things done instead of standing and watering for an hour every morning. Adding vegetables to the front has also added interesting visuals and the front is doing so much better than the back garden.  I think this is because of the tree's invasive roots. 


I expanded the veggie bed out front again and have quite a number of brassicas in there: cauliflower, red and green cabbage, broccoli and purple kohl rabi. I did put a couple dozen spinach transplants in there too with a few radishes. Basil is still thriving and finally the habenero peppers are setting and the red cherry ones are ripening. Okra is played out after the cold the last week but we got quite a number of them every few days. I thought eggplant was a hot weather crop but these have been much happier since it is cooler.  


speaking of bees, I am still seeing bees in the "fountain" I set up for them and flitting between the various plants. They seem a little slower now but are still flitting around most of the day.


Finally the garden out back is doing well. Lots of fall green beans, tomatoes, peppers--both hot and mild, and eggplant. The malabar spinach was a real disappointment as was the sweet potatoes. Still, I am glad to have a garden and fresh veggies almost every week. Already I am planning for next spring!

Everything you need to know about Composting and always wanted to ask @ Wells Branch Garden Guild

We will meet at 9:30 am September 10th at the Wells Branch MUD rec center for a discussion and demonstrations on Composting.  We'll have our local experts walk everybody through the best ways to make compost, discuss it's uses and how important it is, especially in this time of exceptional drought.  This will be a roll up your sleeves and do it kind of meeting, as well as a time to ask questions and discuss. The food scraps off you tables, grass cuttings and leaves out of your yard can make some of the best fertilizer you can use, and you don't have to buy it. 1. What is compost - commercial, homemade - chemical composition, nitrogen, etc. - how does it work?  Benefits to plants and the environment. - George 2. What are the ways that it is made - commercial, homemade: Ingredients: Leaves (leaves to avoid), grass, weeds (?), food waste  (what to choose), additives: molasses, manure, worms (vermiculture) - moisture and heat needed.  Slow and quick composting. - Dianne (this could be a key demo) 3. Equipment- in the ground, bins, tumblers (where and how to construct in ground, where to buy bins or tumblers, where to place in the yard) - plus and minuses of each - controlling pests and insects - Kathleen 4. Effects on plants, types of compost for plants needing low nitrogen or high nitrogen. - Yvette 5. Ways to apply and best times to apply. - Yvette 6. Seed bombs - Tara I'll have a number of books from the library for adults and families with kids to view on this topic too.  Backyard composting: your complete guide to recycling yard clippings The complete compost gardening guide: banner batches, grow heaps, comforter compost, and other amazing techniques for saving time and money,and producing the most flavorful, nutritious vegetables ever Composting Let it rot: the gardener's guide to composting The vegetable gardener's book of building projects: raised beds, cold frames,compost bins, planters, plant supports, trellises, harvesting and storage aids Compost stew: an A to Z recipe for the earth Compost critters Garbage helps our garden grow: a compost story OverDrive eBook: The Complete Compost Gardening Guide OverDrive eBook: The Complete Idiot's Guide to Year-Round Gardening

Sunflowers are living birdfeeders

Little did I know when I planted a few sunflowers for the bees and butterflies that I'd be attracting a whole flock of tiny birds too. I have been told this is a house wren munching on the seeds. I have sighted several differnt birds about the same size but distinctly different. The great thing is the branches of the sunflowers won't support the weight of the larger birds so these little guys get something to eat. I have set up a bird bath of sorts under the tree which is a work in progress. 
I tried something new with the bees and they seem to like it. I added a large piece of the landscape mulch to the tray so they could land on it. It gives them a place that is wet without falling in as this one had vertical sides unlike the other saucer. They still prefer wet leaves but sure cluster on the wood every morning and evening.  My guess is that we have a couple dozen around the garden at any time. Some of the lantana is blooming, in addition to the salvia, vincas, and the ruellia. Seeing the bees wiggle down into the ruellia blooms was funny to watch. The bumble bees don't fit but sure tried. 

A walk through our summer garden in July

Our garden out in the front has been a great experiment and a joy to sit in the chairs and enjoy it. I am not missing the grass and looking forward to taking out another large swath of it this fall/winter. The soaker hoses are really helping to keep the water in the plants root area and not just evaporating.

cabbages and bee baths

The cabbage continue to get bigger even with the temperatures over 101 every day. They are making little cabbages at the leaf junctions so I cut the top head and some of the huge leaves. I want to make more cabbage rolls and slaw but found some of the bottom leaves have created little water wells--bee baths to be precise. Coming into the garden around 6pm there were dozens of bees under and around the cabbages landing on the leaves and taking a sip from the water that accumulated in the leaves. If I had laid soakers, I never would have created these havens for the bees.

The  purple basil is going to see and blooming like crazy right next to the cabbage providing lots of spots for the bees in addition to the cosmos on the other side. Here's hoping they keep coming.

Growing the monster red/purple cabbage in Texas

This has been one of the most interesting vegetables to grow in the garden.When I was a teen we grew Brussels Sprouts and they really got our attention although I do not remember them doing really well. I put the cabbages into the front yard garden and used the square foot garden spacing--a foot apart but they have been WAY TOO close!
They spread out so that two feet on centers would have been close enough! They have attracted a lot of attention though as my neighbors walk by and monitor their progress. The weather this year has gotten far too hot for them but I have managed to bring all four of them to a harvest-able size. Never did I expect them to get this large!  The inner head is not so big, maybe a pound or so but each leaf junction is making tiny heads too so I'll keep babying them along as long as possible to get those to grow too.
We made stuffed cabbage rolls with the first leaves and will have more in a few days. The chard growing around the border of the cabbage is thriving too and giving us many meals.

Wells Branch Garden Tour this Saturday

Wells Branch Garden Tour!!

June 4, 2011 Time: 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.

We will meet at the first garden on the list and spend approximately 20 minutes at each garden, have some discussions and either walk and/or carpool to the next garden location. **Open to everyone!**

 Order of garden tour:

1.      Patsy Nelson-Farmer      2302 Rick Whinery Dr.

2.      Tara Fisher-Muñoz         2300 Rick Whinery Dr.

3.     Mona Speranza                2102 Nathan Dr.

4.     Mari Noga                         2027 Cervin

5.     Dianne Koehler                 14909 Alpha Collier

6.     Kathleen Clark                  2209 Quiet Wood Dr.

7.     George Holcombe            14900 Yellow Leaf

We will have some refreshments and mingling at George’s garden! Please join us for this fun Wells Branch Garden Tour!!

Shade plantings with Tom Spencer

Tom Spencer talked to a crowded room. The garden guild monthly meeting brought in over 60 people interested in learning about growing plants in the shade that we all seem to share here in the neighborhood.


He made a point of how established neighborhoods have to grapple with this issue.  I want to recap some of his points and suggested plants here for those who did not make the meeting. For more examples of shade gardens click on link:  bhg.com/

• ·       Use foliage to create interest. Use different sizes, shapes, textures, colored and variegated varieties, different leaf shapes—fine, fat, long, use mosses, grasses fern.
• ·       Include shade plants that bloom like turks cap,
• ·       Include statuary, pots in colors and shapes
• ·       Encourage growth that displays seasonal change like holly fern
• ·       Find things you love and use lots of them in groupings. Repeat shapes and forms in groupings.
• ·       Decide what kind of space and shape YOU like and use that. If you like flowing areas or regimented straight lines, your garden should include the shapes you enjoy.
• ·       Make spaces utilitarian spaces that draw YOU into them—that you want to spend time in.
• ·       Be practical about what you can maintain.
• ·       Establish water and heat zones for the plantings.

Shade grasses that do well:  inland sea oats (big area), Aztec Grass-Liriope muscari, for ½ shade: Gulf muhly—2 ½’ tall, miscanthus giagantus-gets tall,

Shade groundcovers: straggler daisy—horse herb—4-6” tall, gingers—variegated to 3-3 ½’ tall, hidden ginger- curcuma, scilla peruviana—dormant in heat but comes out in purple flowers in spring

Perenials:  columbines grow in high shade or partial shade, salvias—broad leaf tolerates more shade, tropical sage—white, red, peach, Salvia guaranitica 'Black and Blue' is unique. 

Shrubs- natives are found along the shade line or under the trees. Recommended Mexican Buckeye and red bud, Mountain Laurel; woody plants: flowering quince and jasmine.Oxalis sorrel grows in deep shade as does Asiatic jasmine. For shade vines: star jasmine, cross vine.

Spring gardening in the perennial beds

This has been a really interesting experiment combining the flower and vegetable beds but I am sold on it! Not only is it a better use of the space but it has all the walkers that come down my street keeping tabs on the progress. Although I do intensive planting in the back yard, in the front I am allowing more space as I am trying to establish perennials. I am also trying not to purchase too many plants but grow them from seed or cuttings and so far, so good on most things. The cabbage is way too close as the plants got much bigger than I expected-1 ft spacing with plants around them is WAY too close but they are self mulching this way and will soon be harvested. The variegated chard is a color punch next to the greens in the beds. The calediums and coleus are both giving nice color to the shady areas and are good next to the hostas.  Some of the begonias have red leaves too which is a pretty punch of color in the shade. I added the red leafed lettuce there too for show and for our table.


We planted some of the wildflowers in the bed under the tree but they get a bit too much shade so when they are done blooming they are moving to the sunny bed. I already moved a plumbago clumping to the sunny bed and added a few marigolds that self-seeded alternating with parsley along the border.  The geraniums wintered pretty well and are showing off nicely in the middle of the sunny bed. George is able to see the zinnias and sunflowers from his office window now that they are tall enough. The blue salvia is doing so much better than the white one that we are a little over on the blue plants. 


We are using natural colored mulch and have put in 20 bags so far. I think 5 or 6 more bags will do the trick. I am sure the garden guys at the big box just smile each time I leave with another 6 bags of the stuff. The mulch we used before was soil colored and too hard to identify when I needed to cultivate. We did add massive amounts of compost and organic garden soil to the beds this year and I am delighted we did that. Plants really are growing well in the mix. The organic soil is reputed to have too much nitrogen and the compost too little so the mix must be just right. 

Funky weather is great for spring crops

I am excited as I have never grown peas or cabbage successfully before but I am watching the cabbage begin to head and ready to start picking peas today. We have had lots of lettuce and spinach almost all year. The bibb lettuce is beginning to bolt as is the spinach so it is being replaced with other leaf lettuces that did well last year. The peas are filling quickly but do not seem to be string-less, however they will be wonderful. The new summer peas are coming up well too so we will get more, I hope.  
I have been doing a lot of mulching all the beds to combat the lack of rain and the winds. I am using lots of shredded newspaper in the vegetable garden out back and shredded cypress mulch from the store out front over paper.  I like it better as I can identify the mulch and add compost where needed too. 


Looking forward, the tomatoes are all blooming and I am finding some little tomatoes on the plants. YEAH!! The peppers have been setting fruit for several weeks and may give some up soon, Green beans are blooming with tiny beans beginning. The pole beans and climbing cucumbers are finding their way up the trellises so I am hopeful. I have several types of squash with nasturtiums planted around them to try and repel the borers this year. Hopeful on this too. 
Time to transplant the dill and parsley into the ground. Maybe I have enough this year to get past the butterfly caterpillars and have some for us too. 

The chard and peppers in the flower beds look beautiful. I have a section of red ruffled lettuce out there too under the tree that should be wonderful to look at and eat. 

Peppers: A Growing Guide: Organic Gardening

This was such a good overall article that I am sharing it here. I have 5-6 kinds of peppers out in the garden and hope to be eating a lot this year. Peppers: A Growing Guide: Organic Gardening
 This companion piece on the pepper support is interesting as well. http://www.organicgardening.com/learn-and-grow/pepper-support

March is here--what to do II?

 In the ever expanding garden spaces, I continue to move plants from the greenhouse to the land. The land that is filling up fast. The self-watering boxes are taking off and the peppers look fantastic. I converted all the pots of peppers that wintered over to double buckets and most of them are set up for self-watering. I re-potted most of the peppers but a few were putting on blooms so were left alone. 


Almost all the tomatoes are in the ground and are already double in size and growing well. 

One of the Celebrity tomatoes I bought has a blossom on it! The potato leaf heirlooms are looking good and may actually do something this year. Speaking of potatoes, although they were attacked by something that cut the tops off at the soil line, I put on large plastic collars and they are thriving. The ones in the tub are much larger than the ones along the fence. I only put in 10 seed potatoes this year but they are Yukon golds which we really like. I did plant a few shoots this weekend that were growing from store potatoes in the holes. We'll see if anything comes of them. I put down paper mulch between the rows of bush green beans--tried something new: shred office and newspaper, wet it good and fill the row with it, put on a lattice board to keep it in place.

 I found a folding screen in the trash last week and it will be the frame for the pole beans and cucumbers to grow on. They are in the new triangle raised bed. soil may not be deep enough but the beans have always seemed to have shallow roots and I'll add more compost and mulch as the plants get their heads up.  Put out the pickle cucumber seedlings and added a short row of okra next to them. Have the wando peas in 3 rows--supposed to tolerate the heat and NZ spinach on the other side of the bed--definitely does heat if it is watered. May want to find a way to mulch better before the plants get so thick this year. Some seem to be coming up from seed too  I hope to move a few around to the front beds to use as an edible border.
 I have 2 sections of the garden to rework a bit--one by the fence that is too heavy and gets a bit of shade and the other is against the shed that gets blistering sun but the soil is not so great there. Maybe this is the place for the eggplant that are really very small yet. Another  bag of the organic garden soil is in the future here and some peat and compost for the first spot, I think. 

The gardens out in front are a combination of flowering plants, shade loving plants (under the canopy of the tree right), and veggies. I put in red cabbage, rainbow chard, red cherry peppers, ornamental peppers, beets with red tops, purple basil, oregano, and an edible border of parsley and dill so far. The geraniums, begonias, and vincas are thriving and most of the perennials are coming up to be identified. The white irises are blooming here and there but the new multi-colored ones are probably not going to bloom this year. I moved some of the  liriope around and put in some of the hostas and nasturtiums. I also added 30 caladium bulbs that I sprouted in the greenhouse. They are a nice mix of multi-colored ones. I have lots of coleus that I propagated and am putting into the shady locations to add punch of color.

Bees, Bees, Bees!!

I was all ready to trim my holly bush way back as it is huge and is shading some new plantings but when I went out today to look at it, it is just full of honey bees. Whatever boom is there is so fragrant and there must  be 100s of  bees in the bush. 


So I'll wait a couple of weeks until it is done blooming and then trim it back. I do not remember it blooming longer than that in the spring. It is so nice to see all those bees.

Using software to plan the plantings

I have been trying out some of the limited time free software on the web to plan where different plants are going in the vegetable bed. I tried this on paper last year and soon lost interest. The place I tried out is Plangarden.com It has been easy to use and required almost no helps to get the areas set up and plants put onto the screen. I did have to measure all my beds and they are a bit smaller than I thought. It does not allow for intensive spacing so I just used areas to cover where multiple plants are.

I have also been using the myfolia.com site to log every planting and its progress and really appreciate the ease of use of that one and the information within the site. I have quite a few plants and have raised almost all of them from seed. It is my hope that keeping detailed logs this year will give us a better idea what is working and what to avoid or change. Keeping track of the variety on the peppers and tomatoes should help too. I already decided that  the carrots grown in tubs could be much longer than the ones in the ground. 

March is here--what to do?

The garden guild meeting was very informative on revving up our gardens and landscapes and thereby decreasing or eliminating our pest problems. Richard had a few books and websites to recommend and gave away PRIZES!  I am looking forward to using the Orange oil in the garden as it smells good and will deter pests. We also had a lively discussion on aphids. Do we squish them or squirt them or what? Also talked about ladybugs as the predator for aphids and how ants herd them.  

Found out the snails I have that go nuts every spring are called Decollate Snails.  They were imported for the purpose of controlling brown garden snails.  They track them down and eat them! (slugs, too) If you are getting too many, hand pick them and move them away but you may suddenly have lots of other snails, slugs, and pill bugs to contend with. The like to hide under decomposing debris so getting the leaves out of the garden last year helped a lot. They also do not seem to be attracted to well established plants but do feast on new transplants so they need plastic collars (the plants not the snails!)

We are continuing to till the new beds and bring in more compost to spiff them up. The soil looks really good but is not taking moisture too well so I am thinking enough compost and need a bit more of the vermiculite and peat moss in them. We put out the geraniums that wintered over in the sunroom along with some vincas and the begonias this week. I split up one of the blue salvias as it has many babies and spread it around. Several others are popping up so we'll get them spread out too in the next couple of weeks. I saw a bud on one of the irises that I transplanted last fall so spring must be coming fast. 

The vegetable beds look wonderful and full with lots of lettuce, chard, beets, onions, and peas. About half of the potato starts survived the freeze and seem to be thriving. The carrots are popping up too and I transplanted 6 of the tomato plants to a big bed. I used bagged organic garden soil mixed with some of last year's potting soil for their pots and the plants seem to have loved it---great root systems. I tried something new and put a layer of vermiculite in the bottom of the pot so I could bottom water them only and have not had one damp off. Must be a good plan. 

Last addition to the ever expanding space is the orange homemade earth boxes. I am trying this for the peppers to see if this will keep them more evenly moist. I have 2 done and 1 more to go plus a few double buckets to use in the same way. I am also trying out the colored mulches this year--red plastic and silver foil to see if there is anything in this. 

Looking forward to information on pest control

The garden guild meeting this month is going to address something we all battle with--how to share the garden with the pests but get the upper hand. Some of the pests turn into friends as they grow up and some do not. Organic gardening makes a commitment to not use heavy chemical pesticides  but instead use a variety of means to promote a healthy environment while having plants that flourish. 


The speaker this week, Richard Fadal of TexasScapes has long used less traditional methods on the green spaces in Wells Branch to keep our parks green and our water supply uncontaminated. It will be interesting to learn ways that each household can use to make their yards beautiful by treating the pests. The meeting is at 7pm on March 3rd at the library. 

February freeze brings changes in the garden

The freeze was long and very hard on my garden.  We just do not get this kind of weather in central Texas! Some things made it and some did not. It gave lots of time for contemplation as it was too cold to do anything else. I finally purchased a small tiller from Amazon to expand the beds in the front yard and to mix the compost in the two staging areas in the back around the patio. I have been adding finished compost to the mix from our local MUD too. I also found Organic garden soil at Big Lots. It is not potting soil but has chicken manure in it which is just what our last expert was recommending for our gardens. I side dressed the lettuce and chard a bit with it and they are IN LOVE!


The two mini-greenhouses I also purchased at Big Lots were a savior during the cold. Lots of tomatoes are up and into individual pots to grow to transplant size. Used a combination of a small oil filled heater and red Christmas lights to keep the temperature reasonable. The frames kept the heat in and the moisture up. Plants are thriving and were not set back as much as I can tell. I am also using a heat mat to germinate the peppers this year. They  want 80 degrees to sprout and they are getting it. Moving them to the little greenhouses when they are up. I am trying to log things carefully in the folia and love using it.


So what made it? some of the lettuce made it with covers all the way through. Red leaf did not. Bibb did best. Several types were inside and are supplying us well. Broccoli and cauliflower were totally destroyed except 2 that had a gallon jug of water against the stem. Good idea??? NZ spinach made it the first few days then the cold was just too much. Gave me time to pick a lot and use it up. Most of the chard made it as did most of the beets. The carrots in bins got harvested the 2nd week. Most of the potatoes in the bin seem to have made it. The ones in the ground are good to go.  The peas and carrots I seeded before the freeze are all thriving now. 


Now to the new garden but that is for another day. First tilling today eliminated 1/2 of the grass in the front yard.