Things are really starting to heat up around here! Yesterday it was a whopping 46 degrees outside and Lucy and I went for a long walk and then played around in the yard for a little bit. These little peeks at spring are awesome and according to the weather report, Thursday and Friday are going to be really nice as well.
I think by the time the weather hits the mid 40’s consistently {a few more weeks} I’ll be done with all my indoor projects and truly be ready to jump into gardening mode.
Speaking of gardening…
The fence panels have been ordered!!! Yee-Haw! They should be ready to pick up in a few weeks and I am super pumped about that. The HH though, not as much as he’s the one who will be digging the post holes and putting the fence together. 😉
We decided to go with the spaced wooden cedar pickets again. We installed these at our last place, and loved the look. I think having a little white picket fence {and gate} will really help shape the vegetable/herb garden and cutesy up the front of the house a bit. And, as an added bonus, Miss Lucy will have a place to roam freely again.
I found a new book! The 3,000 mile garden. Have you heard about it? Basically a woman from Cushing, Maine {Leslie Land} strikes up a conversation with a gardener from London {Roger Phillips} at a gardening event and they end up corresponding back and forth via letters for years. Eventually their letters were turned into a book {and apparently a tv series?}.
I’m only about 50 pages in so far, and it’s a very interesting read.
Have you started your seedlings yet? How are they doing? The chives and onions I planted last month are growing like mad.
And just look at the petunias. Aren’t they beautiful. I LOVE petunias and they are going to look great planted in front of the blue hydrangeas I plan on getting in the ground later this spring.
The rosemary I planted is doing well too.
And check out the purple coneflowers! I have an entire flat of those growing in the front window. We get so much sunlight here, I don’t even need grow lights.
Years ago when I first started growing my own seedlings, we were in an area that didn’t get a lot of sunlight and so when I started seedlings they would get all spindly and be weak when it was time to plant them outside. So I depended heavily on grow lights back then.
This house and our last house as well had so much direct sunlight streaming through the windows though that I haven’t needed to use them. I don’t really do anything special other than rotating the trays each time I water the seedlings {which is about every 3 days}.
To me, every year seems to bring its own new experiments, and I think that’s why I like gardening so much. There’s always something new to plant, or new to learn.
I know this picture doesn’t look like much, but if you look real closely you’ll see a tiny white speck on one of my little jiffy pellets. That’s my first English lavender seedling coming to life! 🙂
The tray of seedlings has been hanging out in my refrigerator since early February {they need a cold/moist environment to germinate} and usually take anywhere from 3-6 weeks to begin to emerge so this is a good sign. Fingers crossed I end up with a whole tray of seedlings because I think an entire row of English lavender at the base of a white picket fence would look absolutely beautiful.
Next up for seed starting will be peppers. I’ll start those this weekend. Jimmy Nardello peppers are my favorite! Have you grown them before? They’re sweet and kind of wonky looking and fun to grow. 🙂
And as far as outdoor garden projects go, first on my list… is to remove this mess of a hedge that someone planted at the base of a beautiful tree. Wide open spaces, with clean lines and simple plantings… that’s what this property is begging for. And I’m just the girl for the job.
Spring… it’s almost here, and I AM READY!!!
Let’s get this show on the road! 🙂
Here’s to a wonderful Wednesday,
~Mavis
Louise C says
Glad you found that book!
Robin says
All that bright green is gorgeous! And it really gets you going for spring doesn’t it? I am gearing up for the 8-10 week till last frost plantings now, tons of stuff to get going. I already have lots of lettuce sprouted and it is gorgeous.
I think your fence is going to be beautiful, Lucy will be thrilled to get out there and run around after it is installed.
Carole says
I have seen the TV series, The 3000 mile garden long years ago on PBS. It was wonderful. I wonder if it is available somewhere? Some of the things she did were weird, like dumping her outhouse “liquid” on her yard??? YIKES, but most of it was really great to watch.
Mel says
Our garden is waking up a bit in southern Maryland (zone 7B). I pulled our over-wintered carrots a month early (because a vole was eating them) and made roasted baby carrots. I planted peas and potatoes and switched out some of our strawberry plants with new ones. We have one variety of over-wintered sprouting broccoli that I’ve been harvesting since fall and another variety that should explode in late March or April.
I ordered herbs and peppers (including Jimmy Nardello) online this year because they take so long to grow under lights. Our peppers were also majorly stunted last year (probably because our house is cold), so it’s better to just order those. I’m starting tomatoes (some old favorites and some new varieties) and some of the faster herbs (like basil) under lights in the next couple of days. I had to rip out most of our herb garden at the end of last year due to a garlic chive invasion, so I’m super excited to get that going again.
I do really need to sit down and map out where everything will go (last year I had trouble reaching everything to harvest), but I’m having trouble thinking ahead. I might take the easy route and just have my husband install another raised bed so everything fits.
Sue says
Mel — what variety of broccoli are you having such success with? I eat a lot of broccoli but can’t seem to get the hang of growing it successfully. Will keep trying! Thanks for sharing!
Mel says
I’m also awful at growing heads of broccoli (it’s like it knows I’m its natural predator), but sprouting types grow well for me. I’ve been harvesting Montebello Hybrid Sprouting broccoli (from Burpee) over the winter. It’s tasty, but it cooks lightning fast (so I tend to overcook it), and I seem to need a lot of plants to get a good harvest when days are short. It’s picking up now that the days are longer, but this is the first time I’ve grown it, so I don’t know how long that will last.
But purple sprouting broccoli (from Baker Creek) is my favorite. I plant the absolute wimpiest seedlings in the fall, wish them luck, let them sit out in snow and ice and whatever else all winter, and come back in spring to tons of purple shoots of broccoli! It stays tiny until spring when the plants suddenly grow and produce, and just a few plants yield up to a quart of broccoli every few days. I don’t know how long they last because I always pull them in May to plant tomatoes, but you get several weeks of harvest even before that.
Sue says
Thanks Mel!
Mavis Butterfield says
Did you use row covers this past winter? Or are you doing something else? Curious minds want to know.
Mel says
Nope. I’ve tried them in the past, along with pop up greenhouses, but they drive me crazy. The pop up greenhouses fade and get dingy (and don’t come clean!), the row covers blow off, etc. I also lose patience with garden maintenance by fall, so I have started only growing winter stuff that will tough it out without much help.
The purple sprouting broccoli from Baker Creek that I mentioned above in my reply to Sue is bred to overwinter and hardy in Zones 7B and higher. We have relatively mild winters, but this year we’ve had several nights in the low 20s, snow, and a wicked ice storm, and it seems completely unfazed by all that. Baker Creek says it can grow in colder climates with some protection, so it might work in Maine! It likes coastal environments as well.
https://www.rareseeds.com/store/vegetables/broccoli/early-purple-sprouting-broccoli
suzanne says
I’m growing the Habanada pepper this year. No heat all the flavor. They’re up and doing well. I need shop lights here in the PNW as you know. Now I want to try the Nardello !!!!
I also have about 20 jalapeños as I make a lot of cowboy candy. Even with a mask and gloves the hot peppers are a pain to process.
Mel says
We’re trying habanada too! I’m very excited.
Barbara says
Your seedlings are…Oh La La!
I miss seeing Cisco’s Morris.
Barbara says
Ciscoe. Hate spellcheck.
Pat from NY says
On a visit to my sister’s home in Tacoma, WA (I’m in NY), two years ago, I watched Ciscoe with her on TV. We love him – he is such a hoot! Hope he continues on.
Kippy says
Ciscoe Morris still comes on New Day Northwest every once in awhile. Such enthusiasm and always good plant suggestions and advice.
I ordered a bunch of vegetable and flower seeds from Botanical Interests after seeing how pleased you were with ones you’ve bought. Now hoping that I have enough space to grow everything! L
Nancy says
Here we had a temp of 65 F in N. Illinois and it was glorious. Tomorrow we are supposed to get rain.
Linda Practical Parsimony says
It is already in the 80s here in the middle of Alabama. Your little green plants excite me. I have to get the little greenhouses to plant in, like you have, whatever they are called.
Mavis Butterfield says
Jiffy peat pellet Greenhouse. Home Depot has them. They are $6.99 each.
Sarah says
I’m about to start my brussel sprouts, cabbage, and kales. I’d love a longer growing season, but I also like living where nothing’s venomous. 😀
Sharon says
Mavis how do you get your jiffy pods to look so good? Mine always seem chunky
Carol says
Mavis can u share where u ordered the cedar fence sections? Thanks