Seed starting spring 2013

Roses---

Thank you for the link. I read it all...
Not sure at what stage my attempts are at? I will NOT be upset at all if this does not work.

I fell in love with blue Poppies while visiting my sister in Homer, AK.
We went to an amazing artist's museum--somewhere in the woods--and he also
had the most amazing gardens. That is where i saw the blue Poppy for the first time.

In PF--there are different blue Poppies shown. The one I was given seeds to may not
even be the Himalayan Poppy. She called them "Hungarian" Blue Poppy.
Surely, Hungary has nowhere near the climate as the Himalayas?

Maybe I will have to D-mail Adina Dosan. She lives, kind of, in the same area. Maybe?

Gita
Pic from Alaska...

Gita. most of the links have Hungarian Blue Poppies looking like this:

http://www.amazon.com/Poppy-somniferum-Hungarian-One-Stop/dp/B0017O5CZQ

I have grown Hungarian Blue poppies. They are a kind of bread poppyseed variety so will grow in our climates. They can be direct sown.
The Himalayan Blue is different and exceptionally difficult to grow. I tried them twice. The second time after starting them in the fridge I got 2 plants. That was a victory in itself! I finally was able to plant one small seedling but it got eaten by something so that was the end of the experiment. I guess we have to live in Washington (the state) to get good results as it has the right climate. But if any of you do have success with the Himalayan please let us know what worked!

Finally opened the box of seeds but haven't gone through the bag they are in yet.....I have high hopes of starting some of them this weekend.

Thank you Gita for the seed fermenting process. Very interesting...Not sure if I will be doing that at any point or not, but is good to have the information.

Happy growing everyone.

Ruby

Ruby--

It is a good idea to ferment Tomato seeds. They come out totally clean.
Jill just posted, somewhere, that it also kills any pathogens that may be on the seeds.
Also--that they germinate better....May be on this same Thread.....

It is no big deal to do it! As you read--Shoe's version does not follow the changing of the water
like the one Dave posted. I suppose--both must work.
And--I never smelled any bad smells while the jar sat around....
G.

I think it's only smelly if you get curious and stir it up during the process. It's not pleasant-looking, though! I used to just stick the little glass or jar on the ledge behind the kitchen sink, where I could keep an eye on it, until DH pointed out just how unappetizing that looked. Usually a layer of "scum" forms on the top, and that blocks any odors that would come from the (anaerobic) fermentation taking place... if you disturb that top layer, though, you're going to smell it, just like cracking open a rotten egg!

I don't grow veggies except for tomatoes and arugula, but I did order 2 different kinds of fennel seeds since we really enjoy it raw in salads or sauteed in various recipes. I tried them once with poor results. recently Gardadore told me that I needed to make a deep furrow, sow the seeds barely covered, then proceed to bring more soil into the furrow as the bulb matures. I'd like to try again, especially when I see what the prices of these in the markets recently.

i didn't know that about growing fennel...maybe my seed packet of a couple years ago can still get me a few to try. thanks Teri!

My friend Irene (Theresa's mom) starts fennel inside, I'm pretty sure... same way she does her onions... sets them out as little bulbs.

Joyanna and I sprouted a bunch of pea seeds last week and planted them out in the bed near the house. We also had some red onion-ettes that we bought at Southern States when we stopped to see the chicks. I've never done this before, but I thought it made sense to sort of plant them along with the peas, figuring that by the time the onions started to grow in earnest the peas would be done. I hoed up a trench maybe 8 inches wide, put a row of peas along one side and a row of onions about 6 inches away. Both will need to be thinned, by half if everything grows. Later in the summer, I'll plant cucumbers and pole beans where the peas were.

I planted my favorite Sugar Snaps as well as a couple rows of the shorter Sugar Ann. I also had some fun ones to try from Summer Hill: "Blue-Podded Pea" (an heirloom variety) and "Golden Snow Pea." We planted the tall vining ones in a pattern: green, blue, green, gold, green, blue... But I also saved out a few seeds of the blue and gold ones to plant by themselves, growing up painted tomato cage supports that I use over a couple of hardy hibiscus. By the time the hibiscus are a foot tall, I think the peas will be done, and hopefully I can save relatively uncrossed seeds from them.

Teri, that may work for fennel once it germinates but I believe we were actually discussing leeks which I do grow that way. I have never grown fennel. I also read somewhere that fennel can be fussy where planted and may not be compatible with certain other vegetables. I will have to check on that. Has anyone grown celeriac? I am trying that for the first time this year but no germination as yet. Any tips on getting that going. It is easy to get confused when all these things do form bulbs of some sort although leek is more like an onion which doesn't get a round bulb.

That is also how they get white asparagus...Cover the stems with soil as it grows...

There is something else that they do that to--but it does not come to mind at the moment.
OH! Leeks, I think....

I sprinkled my Arugula seeds yesterday between my Romaine lettuce starts.
I also got some old Dill seed out and sprinkled that between the rows of
garlic and the other stuff I planted. Those should co-exist pretty well--
Onions/Garlic grow underground--and Dill is a "lofty" herb.

Had a problem with my Flat-leaf parsley germinating. Only ONE did!
Planted a few more seeds of it. Maybe they were/are old too.
If all that fails--I can get a 4" pot of already growing Italian parsley at Richardsons for $2.50.

Need to pot up my Daturas! They are really getting big in the cell packs--still under lights.
Don't know where i will put them after I pot them up.

Melampodiums are doing well--getting good sized. So are the Snapdragons. Not big yet--
but coming along. Still smallish--but then that is how they are...

I am beginning to dread the time when everything has to be potted up.
The way the weather is going--there is little hope for putting them outside now and then.

Went to Walmart today and picked out another Rose. A pink beauty. "Arizona"
I still have the other white one that I bought for my neighbor. "White magic".
Thought she would want 2--NOPE! Just one. So now I have two new roses to find a spot for.
Geez! How long can I be looking at a Rose that only has ONE stem every year?

I am not upset if I have to say "goodby" to one of them I now have. It will be the yellow "Golden Gate'.
Will give me a chance to re-dig that area and add some good stuff there.


It will all work out. It always does...... Knowing that makes me less stressed out...
G.

gardadore---we cross-posted....

No problem, Gita. I just looked up fennel to satisfy my curiosity and refresh my poor memory. Several sites did say that fennel should not be planted near other plants. Here is a quote from one: "Fennel is known to attract bees, butterflies and birds. Suitable for containers. Fennel should not be planted near almost all plants, as it can inhibit growth, cause bolting, or actually kill other plants." Sounds kind of lethal, doesn't it?! One site said its best companion plant is dill, but another says avoid planting near dill as the plants can cross pollinate creating seeds that don't taste very good! I also learned that it is a bulb that does not grow under the soil but needs to be hilled up to keep it white! Another site said it is not suitable for containers as it gets so big but that a 5 gallon bucket would be suitable for it. It apparently doesn't like to be transplanted so is better started outside. But in my area that is not as practical as it supposedly takes about 100 days to mature. So I leave it to all of you to decide what to do with your fennel seeds! And I look forward to hearing what has worked for you since I also love the taste of it!

gardadore, thanks for the fennel help.

Fennel fronds will feed the same swallowtail cats as parsley.

Parsley, I have read the seed does not last long.

I was on another forum and saw a picture of plants in SOLO cups- those plastic 16 oz drink cups everyone uses for parties, and the same cups, of which I have about a hundred that my kid brought home from some unknown activity last year. YAY, the size I need right now for some plants. So glad I saw it as I was about to go buy some nursery pots, cheap yes, but these cups in my basement are ''free.''

I/ve never attempted leeks, Jessica, so I think I thought we were talking about fennel. I'm going to try it with the fennel anyway, since I do want a larger white bulb. I knew that I couldn't be planted near other plants so I started them away. The 5 gallon drum sounds like a good idea, but does this need to be away also?

Most of my seeds are in some sort of disposable plastic or styrofoam drinking cups so that I don't need to do too much transplanting. As I've said before, I can't find room for all the transplants if I start too many flats.

This message was edited Mar 23, 2013 7:27 AM

Here's a good fennel growing link. Looks like the continuous burying is good for all plants where the bulb needs to be kept white:

http://www.gardeningblog.net/how-to-grow/fennel/

So... how seriously are they taking this water restriction in Montgomery Co? I need to water the wintersown containers, but we're not allowed to use water outside...

Sally, I didn't realize parsley seeds didn't last long. Some of the seeds I wintersowed are 2 years old. They haven't done anything, but it just hasn't been warm enough.

I had some luck with my two or three year ? old parsley seeds- planted extra due to the age, got one or two for each cell.

I read that article on fennel as well. I guess you could plant the seeds in trenches but they mention hilling up which is done from on top of the ground. All one can do is try both ways and see what works!

Still need help with my celeriac. Nothing has come up yet in the pots. How long do I need to wait? These were new seeds this year!

Sally, I love the Solo type cups for tomatoes, peppers and eggplants ( I get my 18 oz ones at K-Mart - not the Solo brand which is more expensive . K-Mart does carry Solo brand as well) K-Mart also carries a 16 oz clearer plastic cup I like - not the hard plastic but the softer like the red cups (actually a white color but one can somewhat see through it and watch the root development) so I can cut holes in the bottoms more easily. They come in sets of 16, I think, or 50. They have a sale at our local store - buy one pack, get the next one 1/2 price.

I have Bronze Fennel, I got it because it is so pretty. Haven't harvested it only dug up a few small ones to share. I should have a few for the Spring Swap. It is self seeding in the garden and the plants growing around it don't seem to be having any issues. Oh I hadn't really thought about onions, yet. There is an old thread in the Veggie Gardening Forum about growing onions lots of good info on it. They talked about planting onion sets deep for spring onions and very shallow for onions that you harvest later.

Started more indoor seeds today. Picked up two more packets of Hollyhock 'Summer Carnival' - got one going a few weeks ago and wanted some more. Also, had left over packets of vine seeds from 2-3 years ago. Will see if they do anything:

Purple Bell Vine (Rhodochiton astrosanguineus)
Snail Vine (Vigna caracalla)
Royal Plum Cup and Saucer Vine (Cobaea scandens)
Opal Cups (Anoda cristata)
Hardy Passion Flower

So far, no sprouts on the winter sown seeds. Of the indoor seeds, the datura from Gita is doing the best - about 20+ nice little plants. Doing fairly well are the Hollyhock 'Summer Carnival' - 8 nice little plants. Not much luck with the african foxglove - a lot of little spindly seedlings, but looks like only 3 will make it.

For the first time I'm seeing something happening to the Vigna Caracalla!!!! I soaked them in warm water for a whole day, nicked them with a knife and then dunked them in rooting gel. If this doesn't turn out well it'll be my last try.

Teri, oh no - I didn't do anything special to my Vigna Caracalla, sounds like it is difficult and I'm sure to have no luck. Hopefully this time around for you WILL be a success, and then I can try again next year using your lessons learned!

Ggee Roses what more could you do? Go nucllear..lol
aspen good thing you have property. Twenty datura take up lots of space. But imagine the scent! Would be heavenly

Ric has seedlings coming up all over the GH. He will have to post what is growing and what isn't.

YAYYY!!!!!!

I see tiny sprouts of Blue Poppy seedlings coming up in the peat pots that I had in the fridge for a month.
Brought them up and have them under the, forever growing population of things, under my task lights
on my kitchen counter top.
They are just like little loops of threads. But--they are there!!!! I am excited....ahem...

Hope rings eternal!!!! G.

Gita, Good luck with those seeds. I haven't done anything with mine yet. I hope to see them when they bloom for you.

Good for you, Gita! Send us some pics.

Later.....There is nothing there to photograph yet...
The little sprouts are microscopic--but they are all there.....G.

Roses---I bought 2 packaged Roses at Walmart--"Arizona" and "White magic"
They are only $4.67...I am sure these are the Out-of-patent roses. But--for that price....

Still have to plant them. This weather is not too conductive to digging and planting...
Need Spring!!!!

I thought this would be a good time--again--to post my Poem I wrote way back in 2003.
That year--like this--Spring just did not want to come...we also had snow...
So--ENJOY!!! minus the pretty font I have it saved in.+

*****************************************************************

SPRING
Make a wish for the sun to shine,
Let the days be yours and mine!
Flowers swaying in the breeze,
Birds all singing in the trees.

Snow to melt and grass to grow,
Tulip- heads in my beds to show.
Geese on wings in the sky above
All living things, so full of love.

The Earth is stirring—my green grass grows,
Daffodils blooming in pretty rows.
Robins hop, and Sparrows nest—
Which fork in the tree will be the best?

I scan my garden and hope for the best,
That all will be well, before I rest.
Where soils is now—oh so bare,
My flowers will be fighting for a place to share.

I worry and fret-- I scan the scene,
Will it ever again soon be green?
Will Roses bloom and Lilacs sway?
Their fragrance wafting over my way.

I have to remind me, day by day,
That nature always has her way.
Flowers grow—and seeds they sow,
And where they land—I do not know!

Here’s a Pansy! There’s a Mint!
Sunflowers!!!—I had no hint!
Here’s a Maple—there’s a Holly,
What’s peeking out there?
It’s Lily of the Valley!

I sit and I savor—on my porch swing I rest,
Again to my Garden, I’ve given my best.
My eyes and my senses caress all I see,
And again it’s given it’s best back to me!

I look at the Earth—I look at the sky,
I see another Summer flying by.
I fear not! Worry not, for you see—
There will always be another spring for me!

Gita (April 8, 2003)

Very nice poem, Gita! Can't believe we are supposed to have more snow tonight!!

Crossing my fingers that the blue poppies do well!!

I did ferment my seeds from Limbaugh's Legacy Potato Top tomatoes, and I swear I got 100% germination. I should have some for the swap. This is one tasty heirloom and lasted nearly the whole season. I have almost everything I sowed coming up. Some things I've resown after a very low % germination. One that comes to mind is Datura, but I've no idea how old the seed was. I have cut some of our fennel for kitchen use, but net a lot. It seems that somehow I always miss the seed. I also like to keep a little in water by the sink to use as a garnish. I did resow my pansies on Feb.3rd, They are growing but I haven't been impressed. Next year I'll probably sow them about Christmas.

Ric--

if you got your datura seeds from my box--they are a couple years old.
The yellow ones may be from 2010 or even 2009. The purple ones--I can send you some from
last year. Datura seeds are supposed to stay viable for quite a while--but that may be if they are
buried in the beds somewhere.....so I have read...somewhere..
However--I planted the same seeds--and they all germinated. The yellows took forever--
but are now up and growing now. They all are now really big and need to be potted up.
They are in cell-packs--so there is enough room for them to grow a bit longer.

G.

LLPT tomatoes did taste VERY good- but I only got to taste very few, last year. It may not be the best grower down here in my 'hot' southern -LOL- garden. Or it could have been a bad year, or bad location. My veg garden is so small and choices are limited.
I have too many 'Aunt Jewels German beefsteaks' growing , they came from Carolina. And Cherokee Purple did VERY well here.

I have never gotten pansies to sprout- need dark-- and I've decided to just buy them LOL

I have extra Yellow Datura this year too! But I might try extra hard to make room.

Gita Yes, they are your seeds but I have several packets so if I get just a few from each packet to germinate I will have plenty and I think that one of the packets were last years seeds. I don't think there is a need for you to send more. Thank you for the offer.

This thread is way long! Should be lots of extra starts to share at our Spring Swap in May


Picture of bleeding heart seedlings sown by Mother Nature over the winter!

This message was edited Mar 27, 2013 4:58 PM

Coleup, thanks for watching the thread lenght but I have a favor to ask.
Can we please continue at "blue spiral"s thread? . She had dmailed ma asking for a continuation and I didn't quite get to it.. It is here:

http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/1304426/

Apologies to all for my letting the thread get WAY longer than the customary (around 200 post) mark. Please go to the thread I linked, by blue spiral. Thanks, and happy seeding!

It really NEEDS to get above freezing soon, for my newly-potted up seedlings are basically steroidal and my whole living room (I don't have a rec room or dining room) is now a greenhouse.
The zucchini are string to bloom, and the doggone Morning Glories are doing their best to grow into the crevices in the panelling...yikes!
I am trying to give them a walk every day to our cold frame, but jeese, it is very hard to do as the consistency is off - yesterday it was fine, but today it is Winter again.
I do see that my ornamental Plum tree has a ton of buds on it today.

I am so excited, I saved Bonfire Begonia seeds last fall and they are germinating. If they do well I will make sure to get plenty of seeds for next years seed swap. On second thought if they do well I will have plenty to give away at the spring plant swap and you all can collect your own seeds. LOL

Lol sounds great Holly!

Holly--

got a picture of those Begonias? name sounds good.....