Yesterday after lunch I sat down and pulled out all my seeds and went through and organized them according to planting dates. I checked out the available seeds I have that I can use for Mid March Gardening in Mid Coast Maine.
I had sorted them last month but never got around to dividing them up by planting dates {probably because I needed the kitchen table for something else… Like eating}.
Let Check my Journey on Mid March Gardening in Mid Coast Maine
It’s amazing how many seeds won’t get started until June 1st {corn, winter squash, green beans, sunflowers}.
This year I think I’ll try and start my bean and sunflower seeds indoors about 10 days before I plant them outside though, because for the past two summers birds have come along and pulled up about half of the seeds just as soon as the seedlings emerge.
According to my calculations, I’m about a week behind starting peppers, eggplant, celery and rosemary.
I started my all time favorite sweet red pepper Jimmy Nardello, as well as jalapenos, orange sun and sweet surprise peppers in a flat {30 Jimmy’s, 18 jalapeno, 12 orange sun and 12 sweet surprise} and started the rest of the peppers in milk jugs.
Winter sowing is new to me, but so many of you have suggested it, and my friend Heather is into winter sowing too, so I’ve decided to give it a try this year.
So if it doesn’t all pan out… I know who to blame! 🙂
Having my hands back in the soil again… It felt so good.
I also planted some basil seeds in one of my Orta Pots. I set it under the grow lights with the rest of my seedlings and once they pop through the soil I’ll move the container to the kitchen counter so I’ll be able to snip tiny fresh basil leaves for my recipes.
Today I’ll work on planting the celery and herbs.
I wish I had a greenhouse. {Maybe next year?}
My onion and leeks are coming along nicely.
Current state of the kitchen garden.
And of the commune sized garden.
It’s hard to imagine winter is almost over and that in just a few short weeks the HH and I will be outside in the garden again everyday working on projects.
It was a good winter. Lots of indoor projects, lots of rest and a lot of warmth thanks to those four cords of wood we bought last summer.
I think I may actually be ready for spring. 😉
How about YOU? Are you ready to break out the gardening gear and dig in?
~Mavis
Kath says
I plant my peas indoors because the birds take the sprouts if I plant directly in the garden. I wait until they are about 2-3 inches tall to put them in the garden.
Mavis Butterfield says
Yep, I do the same. 🙂 I wish I knew what it is about pea and bean sprouts that they love so much.
Bonnie in GA says
Maybe they are putting them in a Salad. Lol. They are good in salads. One day I hope to try growing some for that.
Bonnie in GA says
I don’t which kind they use for salads though.
Deborah says
I live in Southern Indiana and plant my peas in February. I cover them with hardware cloth until they are a good size so that birds and other critters won’t get at them. As they grow taller I form the hardware cloth so it’s domed above the seedlings. That gives them the space to grow taller. I cover other seeds/bulbs this way also. I’ve also used chicken wire. Depends what I’m covering.
Linda says
What a wonderful assortment of hot peppers! Besides chili & salsa, how do you manage to use them all in your recipes & everyday cooking? We live in Florida & grow with raised beds but moving from Vermont 8 years ago, we’ve had to re-learn planting times down here. Its been a challenge! No more starting seeds under grow lights in March. Looking forward to your seedling progress.
Mavis Butterfield says
Yes, I dehydrate and freeze the peppers for year round use. Not having to buy them 11 months out of the year saves a boatload of money.
Rosemary Calhoun says
I got all my plants and seeds planted a few days ago – tomatoes, bell peppers, eggplant, romaine, red leaf lettuce, spinach, sunflowers, onions, cucumbers, beans, corn, radishes, beets and marigolds. The marigolds are planted all around inside the greenhouse to try to keep the aphids out (we have a terrible issue with aphids). Everything is planted in the greenhouse with no roof. This is my first time using the greenhouse this way – hoping it works!
PS: Hubby took the roof panels off the greenhouse (way too hot in Florida to grow anything in a greenhouse in the spring/summer). The main reason for this is to keep the animals out – we live in a rural area and the deer will eat everything (and we didn’t want to have to put up a fence.) And, I won’t have to water it as much as it will get all the rain.
Margo says
I garden in raised beds and Grow Boxes. I have to cover a lot my seedlings with tule netting or the birds pull them up. The little darlings (saying through gritted teeth) , that I normally love to watch and feed, don’t even eat them all the time, but pull them up and just leave them on the dirt if I don’t cover them. I am starting a lot of seeds indoors as well, including tomatoes and peppers and some of the herbs.
Marie Bernard says
I’m curious to find out how you will be using the weed block in your garden. I purchased some and plan to use it in my corn patch and also in limited ways in my vegetable garden as well.
Mavis Butterfield says
Marie, check out this post here: https://www.onehundreddollarsamonth.com/gardening-in-maine-free-vegetables-landscape-fabric-that-really-works-and-vegetable-pucks/
The Duck Lady simply unrolls the weed barrier and then cuts small slips in it as she is planting her vegetables. Works like a charm! I’m going to do it this summer and look forward to not having to pull weeds. 🙂
Maureen says
I start my beans, cukes, squash and peas in jugs outside as winter/spring sowing so the birds don’t get them and then I transfer them to the ground when bigger. I put each one in an empty TP roll inside the jug and fill around them so the roots are still contained (only about 10-14 days usually needed). That way I don’t have to harden them off but they have a fighting chance.
Tracy says
I swear every year that I will scale back…and every year, it gets worse. I have 30 24-cell trays of vegetable and annual flower seeds started under gro-lights now, and spend every afternoon potting over 1,100 dahlia tubers into one gallon pots. I’ll plant about 450 and give the rest away to neighbors and friends. I am addicted to Dahlias. They’re stacked three high in my one car garage until I can set them all out on my driveway in May. It will be absolute chaos until June. Send help.
Ca says
Dang, Tracy, do you live in Northern California? I’d love to help you with planting your tubers and take a few off your hands! I’ll bet your yard is beautiful.
Julie says
Oh yes, I am ready. I trimmed back a bit in the front yesterday and trimmed some pussywillow for inside though it is to early just because it was 50F and I wanted to be out in the garden. I’ve been starting veggie seeds indoors, signing up for gardening seminars online, and calendaring in workshops to attend.
lien says
In eastern England we are well into spring with temperatures now slightly above average at 14c today but still, unusually for us, it is very wet.
We now buy new seeds every year as most are F1 hybrids so no good to keep. There is a frenzy of sowing now with the run up to Easter.
We bought a polycarbonate greenhouse last yaer and now building staginging out of reclaimed wood from rebuilding the kitchen extension last year and other bits and pieces from neighbours. There are new raised beds which are made from crates from the US which contined aircraft parts shipped over with various labels attached and markings stamped all over. They are 2ft square and 1ft deep.
The problem we have are pigeons which peck off the tops of any new shoots so the peds have to be pigeorn proofed. I have always wondered one they on ly come in one size – fat and round – you never see small ones.