And so it begins…
It has been a long and restful winter here in New England, and even though I know we’re not done with the snow or freezing temperatures, it’s time to get started on this years garden. 😉
Yesterday I planted artichoke and rosemary seeds in the little biodegradable non-woven nursery bags I ordered off Amazon a few months ago. I was first introduced to the growing bags last spring when we purchased an heirloom tomato plant at our local garden club’s plant sale. All the tomatoes they offered were planted in the bags {they come in a couple of different sizes} and I knew right away I wanted to order a set for seed starting.Â
What I like most about the bags is that you can fold the sides down and get your seeds started and then as the plants grow and the first set of true leaves appear, you can unfold the bag upwards and add a little more soil to the bag giving the plants room to spread their roots.Â
The rosemary seeds I planted need both direct sunlight and growing temps in the 65 – 70 degree range so I decided to place a little bin of them on windowsill in the kitchen. The kitchen seems to be the warmest spot in the house with a window and with a nice view of the garden and chicken coop… how could they not grow well, right?
The artichokes though, I moved those out to the sun room. This time of year the sun room feels more like an outdoor greenhouse with it’s cool mornings and afternoon temps between 60-70 on a bright and sunny day. I do have the grow lights set up but I don’t think I’ll worry about turning them on until I get the lettuce and peppers started next month. It seems like a total waste of energy for just 28 little starts and since I’m out in the sun room daily, I’ll be able to keep an eye on the plants and rotate the tray if I need to.
Seeds I planted so far this year:
As for the garden… it’s covered with snow. Again. 😉 A few inches fell yesterday and so any hopes I had of going outside to get some work done were dashed yet again.
I don’t mind though… not really.
I know summer will be here soon enough and I’ll be out picking blueberries and pulling weeds.
And waiting for the wisteria to bloom.
And cutting hydrangea blooms to sell at the little farm stand at the end of our driveway.
Winter. It has my heart.
And the chickens don’t really seem to mind either as long as they get a visit from the nice lady that brings the cracked corn or fresh greens from the grocery store everyday.
Looking good ladies… looking good.
And those eggs!
And last but not least…. Miss Lucy Puggle. I had to bribe her with a piece of cheese to snap this photo because she was just too busy running around the backyard like a total nutter and wouldn’t hold still long enough for me to get a picture. Maybe she’s just trying to soak it all up because she knows spring is on it’s way. Dogs… they just seem to know these things. 😉
Wishing you the happiest {and warmest} of Tuesdays,
~Mavis
P. S. And hey, a big thank you to everyone who entered our Botanical Interests Seed Packet Giveaway!
The winners are:
- Becka who commented: “I’m most excited about the tomatoes…there’s nothing better than a fresh tomato still warm from the garden.”
- Kimberly who commented: “I want to grow some basil. Caprese salad is my new favorite and in addition to some yummy tomatoes, I could have it anytime I want! Thanks for the opportunity!”
- Marsha who left the comment: “Oooh the Purple Cherokee tomatoes! I would love to try growing them. Thanks for the opportunity!”
- Rocio who left the comment: “I love growing basil and tomatoes the most, but the Musqee de Provence is so beautiful and I would love to try that one!”
Stay tuned… More giveaways are in the works! 🙂 🙂 🙂
Peggy says
Yay, congratulations to Becka, Kimberly, Marsha, and Rocio! That’s a great seed collection! Your house and the snow are beautiful, and how does the rosemary germinate? I’d love to grow some from seed, the plants can get pricey and I planted one in the front of my coop last summer and my girls are pecking at the branches of it even now in February! Hope you have a wonderful day as well.
Jamie says
Thanks! I just ordered those little bags. I like that idea, can’t wait to get started!
Amanda says
I started seeds today too! I have a flat split into two different onion varieties plus leeks, and a flat of alyssum seeds to use as living ‘mulch.’ I also found an old envelope of rhubarb seeds, and tucked a few into an empty pot just to see. I can’t wait for next month when I start most everything else….finding space in the house to keep everything safe from the kitties is a challenge!
Susan says
I haven’t been out in my garden for a while. I was looking out the window and noticed the kale was growing pretty good.
Put on my muck boots and ventured out. Not only was there kale, but a row of carrots and beets that had been covered over with leaves and I figured would never amount to anything. And plenty of brussels sprouts that I left .
I need to figure out what to do with them! There are a LOT!!
Dried the kale and also made rosemary/ garlic beet chips. Turned the carrots into Creamty Smokey Paprika Soup. They made 1/2 gallon
I was so happy to find all that FREE food! It was nice to gather it all up and do something with it!! 🙂 I can’t wait for gardening season!!!
Karen says
Rosemary garlic beet chips sound so good!! Would you mind telling us how you make them? Dehydrated? I just recently re – discovered how I really do like fresh and roasted beets. Sounds like something I need to try! Thank you
Susan says
I did dehydrate them as requested by 2 daughters 🙂
Cut the root off – but not into the beet itself and the leafy top – again not actually cutting into the beet and boil for approximately 30 minutes – fork tender
Plunge into cold water and then cut both ends off and peel
Slice into circles .
Mix a little olive oil with some ground rosemary and minced garlic. You don’t need much oil- maybe a tablespoon for 10 – 12 medium beets
Rub gently onto beets with hands and dry at 135 until pliable- about 10? hours
I do as much dehydrating as I do canning and freezing. I really like to use all methods of preservation – especially during the busy season or finding a great deal on something at the store.
Cabbage is the absolute best- and will be on sale soon for St. Patrick’s Day! Just wash the outside- slice however you want and dehydrate. It is so convenient for soups and stews and I think has a sweeter flavor when dried. I store it in 1/2 gallon jars.
Diane says
This will be a silly post. I’ve never seen a pink egg before. It really blew my mind. How pretty, especially with all the other colors! Inquiring minds want to know: Is the pink colored egg from one of the Easter egg layers, or another breed? How often do you get a pink egg? Nature, isn’t it amazing.
Mavis Butterfield says
Yes, the pink egg is from our Easter Egger. Apparently less than 5% of that particular breed will lay a pink or brown egg. The rest lay blue or green eggs. Pretty cool if you ask me. 🙂
Athena says
All right Miss Mavis now that it’s time to start thinking about gardening I have a dilemma I thought you or some of your readers could help me with. We bought a house in September and it unfortunately came with a lovely critter in the backyard. We have a bunny rabbit (looks like one that may have been a pet at some point and let go, it is definitely NOT the jack rabbits we see out in the fields) that has taken up residence under our deck. We do plan to add some fencing and wood to the sides of the deck to prevent animals from getting under there this summer but we also need to do SOMETHING about this rabbit. Our big ‘ol dog runs around the yard chasing the bunny whenever she sees it and it still keeps coming back. What can we do to get rid of it? I don’t want it killed, it’s such a cute little bunny, but I don’t want it eating my veggie garden or the flowers and bulbs I put in. It also poops, a LOT, all over our backyard and I don’t want to keep cleaning that up either! We’re in Idaho, about an hour from Boise if that helps.
Katie W says
Could you look into humane pest control? I believe some will do capture and release.
Gigi says
Get a live animal trap and put bait inside. Catch an release somewhere else.
Diane says
Some areas have rescue groups specifically for rabbits. Others exist that are for small animals, not dogs and cats. I’d check for one of these groups, especially since you think it used to be a pet rabbit. Call Washington State University, they have a well known Veterinary school, perhaps they would have a list of groups in the area. Try Veterinary clinics in your specific area as well.
Bless you for being concerned for this little one.
Gigi says
This past weekend, we went to Pioneer Days as a small rural town. They hosted their annual greased pig catch and Free Chicken Fly (chicken toss). You keep what you catch. The kids run about the baseball diamond catching small pigs. The chicken toss was from the shorted building in town, the bank. They tossed ~100 chickens off the roof to crowd below. It was really neat to watch and everyone was try to catch one to take home. There were some really beautiful birds. Some even flew to a few building/tree tops