"Hoodie-Hoo".

Lucky you in Florida...snows still coming down!!!:(

Dori........Its all your fault Sunshine.....you sent Mother Nature mixed signals with your 'HOODIE-HOE' call.....Was in Midland yesterday at Dow Gardens at a Garden Seminar.....Met Glevely (Gloria) and Bill, we really did not get the chance to talk long, but had a great time.....The trip home was dicy, and took us over 2 hours in all that snow.

Deann

Always difficult to find the postings when you want to but this is a pretty good summary from the propagation forum:By poppysue
Pre-sprouting Seeds in Damp Paper Towel
I use this method for almost all my seeds unless they're just too darn tiny. It takes a bit longer but you have more control over moisture & temperature, the results are better, there's no waste with thinning, and you can watch what's going on with them. If the seeds aren’t viable – they’ll rot quickly and you aren't left staring at an empty flat for weeks wondering if they'll ever come up.

Cut paper towels into quarters, label with name of the seeds and the date. Then sprinkle the seeds on the paper towel, mist it with water until it's good and damp (not soggy), and fold the towel in ½ or quarters. Place the towel squares in a covered container or a zip-loc bag. I've found the aluminum cake pans with the clear plastic lids work well. I keep a pan in my refrigerator for seeds that need moist pre-chilling and a pan on the kitchen counter for those that germinate in warm temps. A few things that require darkness I'll seal in a zip lock bag and place in a dark cupboard. The seeds that require light seem to be do fine with the clear lid on the pan.

Check the seeds at least every other day to see what has sprouted. Some seeds take just a few days - others take weeks. Any of the seed that have sprouted should be potted up. Plant them in potting mix with the little root going down and lightly cover with soil. After potting place them under lights or in a sunny window. They'll usually break the soil surface the next day. It's important to pot them as soon as you see signs of germination - if you let them go too long they'll grow into the paper towels and it's hard to remove them without breaking the roots.

Most people have switched to coffee filters because the seeds are much easier to remove than from paper towels. Also some people suggest adding a small amount of hydrogen peroxide to the misting or wetting solution to deter mold. I use this method for seeds that need stratification by putting the packets in the refrigerator for the cold period, usually six weeks, then take them out and plant up as they germinate. Didn't have room for or desire to put potting soil in fridge. Hope this helps. Nancy

the sun shinning on the snow this morning is just beautiful we got all of 6 inches I shoveld for a while last night then the neighbor plowed every one out with his big tractor what a good boy

I met Deann yesterday wish we would have had more time to get to know each other ;0)
Gloria

We got between 6 and 8 inches of snow.....as far as I'm concerned, thats 6 to 8 inches too much.....grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr. I am soooo done with winter....

Deann

I "HIGHLY" Second that!!!!!

Delane ^_^

I third it. :) I'm ready for spring.

i think we are all at that point right now !!!! any one know what the Farmers Almanac says ???
Gloria

No, no, no ... no more talk of Sp - - - -! You just make the 'F' month ... which is the longest month in the year (to me anyway) seem even longer.

March 1st ... that's the ticket. LOL

Wow that was some storm!!! I know I am behind in this post, but seems like I have beem living at work. We got 8 inches Im sure. YUCK! Cold and wind. Man I agree with the other posts couldn't see acrossed the road. Flags were sticking straight out with the wind. Felt sorry for the people on the road. Am very glad I was home from work for the day. The poor dog didn't want to go outside who can blame him huh? Hope this week is better. I have some crocuses peeking there little heads out! Planted so many new ones last fall!!!! Ronna

It got down to three degrees here last night. Burrrrrrrrrrrrr. Enough already. We want heat. The sun is shining and that is always great. I should go look at my propane tank and see how much I have left. I was hoping this tank would get us through till spring but I'm not so sure now with the cold weather we're having. At least the lake levels should come up some this spring with all the snow we've had. I read in the Farmer's Almanac that we're having an early spring. I'll see if I can find it online.

Brenda

Long-range Weather Forecast
Lower Lakes
Annual Weather Summary
November 2008 to October 2009

Detailed 2009 Long-Range Forecast
for the Lower Lakes Region


Includes predictions for all or portions of Illinois (Aurora, Chicago, Naperville, Peoria, Rockford), Indiana (Fort Wayne, Gary, Hammond, Indianapolis, South Bend), Michigan (Detroit, Flint, Grand Rapids, Sterling Heights, Warren), New York (Buffalo, Cheektowaga, Niagara Falls, Rochester, Tonawanda), Ohio (Akron, Cleveland, Dayton, Parma, Toledo), Pennsylvania (Erie, Hermitage, Meadville, Sharon, Warren), Wisconsin (Kenosha, Madison, Milwaukee, Racine, Waukesha).

After a mostly mild November, snow at Thanksgiving will signal the coming of a very cold period, especially in the west. Temperatures will seesaw from January through March. Precipitation will generally be below normal, with above-normal snowfall in the southwest and below-normal snowfall in most other parts of the region. The coldest periods will occur in December, early and mid-January, and in early and mid-February. The snowiest periods will be in early and mid-December, early to mid-January, early February, and early March.

April and May will have above-normal temperatures and below-normal precipitation, with hot temperatures in mid-May.

Summer temperatures will be near or slightly above normal, on average, with below-normal rainfall. The hottest temperatures will occur in early and mid-June and mid-July.

September and October will be cooler and drier than normal.

Detailed Forecast for the Next Two Months
February 2009
Avg. Temperature: 24° (avg.)
Precipitation: 1" (1" below avg.)
Feb. 1-4: Snow showers, cold
Feb. 5-8: Rain and snow
Feb. 9-21: Snow showers, cold
Feb. 22-25: Sunny, mild
Feb. 26-28: Rain to snow, then sunny

March 2009
Avg. Temperature: 33° (3° below avg.)
Precipitation: 5" (2" above avg.)
Mar. 1-3: Heavy rain to snow
Mar. 4-7: Showers
Mar. 8-9: Sunny, warm
Mar. 10-13: Snow showers
Mar. 14-17: Showers, then sunny, mild
Mar. 18-20: Rain to snow
Mar. 21-25: Snow showers, cold
Mar. 26-28: Rain and snow, then sunny
Mar. 29-31: Rain, mild

geez snow in March to what a bummer...

LOL it is Michigan!!!
I will be moving into the GH soon! my window seat is full and i want to start more stuff!!
hot may-that sounds wonderful-apricot trees bud the end of april and my may first we have a frost-hope we can
skip that frost this year-just get to may and stay warm!

we got about 4in of snow-and they said tricities would get the most-ha ha haaaaaa
i want to be a weatherperson when i grow up!

I'm moving in with you....LOL make sure we have seed mats to sit on....

Ugh. Not sunny, not mild. And if the last days of Frozebruary have any rain at all, I'll eat my.........hmmmm.......leftover peppermint candy.

Actually I'll eat it whether it rains or not.

I forced some forsythia this week and it's pretty enough to get me through a few days.

Which Tricities, Martha?



I was wondering if anyone here is taking the Master Gardener program in Ottawa County? My dd and I are taking it together, and we both love it. I'm having a blast!

Also, a quick question for herb growers in Michigan. What can you grow in a window inside? I bought a mint plant the other day and put it in the window. It's already turning black and drying up. It's not dripping wet but I HAVE been watering it. Do they just not do well inside?

My guess is that it got too cold by your window. Perhaps if you back it off from the window some especially at night it might have been OK. I close my lined drapes at night on all my windows. Last night it got down to zero here. Not sure what the temperature is up by the glass of the window but my guess is it could be too cold for tender leaves on plants.

I'm growing rosemary in front of my west facing window. It's sitting on the diningroom table about a foot from the glass and is doing fine. I'll plant it out come June and try to cut it back and bring it back in next winter. It needs a lot of water. I give it a cup of water a day.

Tricites=Saginaw,Midland and Bay City!
please call me Not or NM or Dori-anything but Martha-Gag!

Oops! Sorry, :-D

We are Tricities too. Grand Haven, Ferrysburg and Spring Lake.