Day 16 -Oh THAT'S what they were taking about!

After just over 2 weeks I have finally discovered what they meant by seedlings getting their first true leaves. Apparently, after they get these new leaves, they are mature enough to transplant. I am hoping to get my spinach plants, which look to be thriving, outdoors this weekend. That is, if my hubby builds me those containers before then ;) There are only a couple things I have really learned so far: 1. The self-watering seedling starter kit from Burpee's is WAY easier to deal with than the other one i bought. I dont have to water near as often and the soil stays continuously moist. Also the soil in those seems to be easier for the seedlings to sprout up through. 2. The mixed flowers in the large pots should have been scattered way further apart! I didnt think so many would actually

Day 50 - Loving the Sunshine!

Apparently my promise to keep up with this blog was equal to the promise that I would maintain an exercise regimen. At least I can say I was busy parenting lol!

Anywho, today is the 50th days of my plants lives. Most of them are thriving! The only one that seems to be a problem is the lavender. I have heard that it is difficult to start as seedlings and now I can agree. I will try again in the next few days though and hopefully we can get some of the fragrant purple goodness growing soon. I moved all of the perennials into a raised bed in my yard. We have a little terra cotta haven for the 7 year olds daisies, the carrots are in a large planter on my back patio and i still have not moved the onions and spinach out of the seedling tray! I really need to get on that :/ Pictures below are of progress as of today!

Day 6 - Donut Seeds

After 6 days of waiting for something to happen in the 7 year old's small flower pot, she walked in the dining room to find something unusual inside...Apparently the 1 year old had a heyday with her cheerios and one found its way into our small terra cotta cultivation site. The 7 year old burst out laughing and says to me, "Mom, maybe she thought she was planting a donut seed!". This is one of those moments I laugh and remember how I make it through temper tantrums, tangles and grape jelly on my laptop. I adore listening to her imagination and sense of humor run wild! Donut seeds, lol. Who'd have thought :)

Anywho, Day 6 has brought us even more sprouts! Almost all 18 of the spinach seedlings have sprouted. So far that is the only veggie to peek out of the dirt. The mixed flowers are out of control with over 30 sprouts in each!!! We are definitely going to have to thin those out some before too long. One lone Hollyhock sprout has joined the party and we can see a few little daisy seedlings beginning to emerge which thrills the 7 year old since she planted daisies of her own. The last frost her is around April 6th according to the online almanac so we only have about 6 weeks to get these little guys ready for the great outdoors! Time for the hubby to get to building my containers (I found a link for some that I loved here) and time for me to start reading up on transplanting!

Mixed flowers sprouting like crazy!

We are going to have tons of baby spinach!

My first Hollyhock is sprouting finally!

Ashley

Day 4 - I Can't Believe My Eyes!

We have sprouts!! I have only had to water them once (this morning actually) and when I went to water them, lo and behold, greenery! This may not be a sign that the, literally, hundreds of seeds I have planted will flourish and make it out of my dining room and into the fresh air and sunshine! Looks like following the directions I found online and on the back of the packets is beginning to pay off ;)

Mixed flowers have a ton of sprouts!

Spinach has a couple and is the only veggie that has sprouts so far

Day 1 - Playing in the Dirt

As promised, I began my newest adventure today...Gardening. Because we still have a high probability for another frost here, I decided to start my sweet little seedlings in a mini self-watering greenhouse. I went to Walmart (I know, I know...I am going to the local gardening store for everything else...I swear!) and grabbed a Burpee's Self Watering seed starter for about $20, a 1cu ft bag of Miracle Gro potting soil and two cute little 12 in plastic flower pots. Then I picked up seeds for a few veggies (like carrots, onions and spinach), a 4 pack of perennial flowers grown mostly for cutting (hollyhock, shasta daisies, echinacea, and coreopsis) that will be going in my little raised flower bed and mixed flower pack for those flower pots I got.

I followed the directions on the seed starting kit and planted my veggie and perennial flower seeds in it (72 hopeful plants!). Finally, I filled my flower pots with the potting soil and let the 7 year old help me sprinkle the mixed flower seeds on top. We added a little more soil, added water to all the seeds and sent up a prayer that these things start sprouting soon ;) Day one is down...now grow seedlings grow!!

Come On Spring!!!!

If there is one time a year that I feel is longer than any other time, it's March. It seems that the entire month is filled with days that each could be, but wont be, spring days. Moving to New England from the Midwest, I have realized that winter is not always the same in different regions and here, winter is cold and gloomy. Most days are overcast enough that just getting out of bed is a chore much less finding the energy to do anything productive. Between that and looking at the snow that is  covering the ground more often than not, you have ideal conditions for cabin fever. I have been pining away for spring since December and we are finally almost there! In preparation for being outside most of the summer I decided that I will try my hand at gardening. Yesterday I went and bought seeds and a few planters for several vegetables and a few flowers. I am going to post my progress on those as well under this new category. I am planning on starting my little seedlings today so check back later or possibly tomorrow to see how it begins ;)