This time of year it's all seed-starting, all the time! Which is fine by me because I love it. It's totally amazing to plant this little speck in some soil, water it every few days and BAM! a plant! Like giving birth but without the pain (or the screaming, pooping human).
And, speaking of giving birth...
Ever heard of pregnancy brain? I totally didn't think it existed and that preg ladies just used it as an excuse for forgetfulness. To everyone that was ever pregnant before me: I am sorry I thought that...I believe you now. There's something about incubating a human that makes your short-term memory a little wonky. As in, I thought I posted about last week's seed starting but when I pulled up my blog to announce what sprouted first, I realized I hadn't. Whoops.
Anywho, yeah...seed starting. Last weekend, I started most of my summer vegetables. It was rainy and gross and it sounded like a lovely way to spend my time. I started everything but cucumbers because the packet said to start them 4 wks before I'm going to put them outside. Okie dokie! For more info on seed starting, see my previous post. Oh, and I had to buy some more potting mix for the seed starting at the tune of $10.99.
I'm pleased to announce that the zucchini and the marigolds are the winners of the First Sprout Contest. Although, I suppose the marigolds technically win as they are fully sprouting and the zucchini has just started to emerge. Last year, my basil and dahlias had sprouted and this point and the tomatoes sprouted a day later. I don't see that happening this year...I think I need another seed heating mat.
The kale and kohlrabi I planted before are getting their first set of real leaves. Adorable.
In other garden news, I planted the other half of my garlic (which, as you may recall is a bit of an experiment in fall vs. spring planted garlic), some carrots (yeah, it might be too early) and some arugula. The last 2 are in large pots. We'll see how they do. I'm such a control freak when it comes to seed starting; I want to control the water and sunlight and exposure to critters, damn it!
Direct sowing is a bit more of a leap of faith than starting seeds inside, I think.
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Just wait til you develop Momma brain! Talk about wonky...Anything that happened more than 20 minutes ago (and does not directly relate to the cherub that rules your life) will simply leak out your ears ;) Your seeds look lovely :)
ReplyDeleteHow do you water them? I've got a spritz bottle that I use, and I flood water my cilantro and chives, but I can't decide if hey're getting too much, or too little. I'm afraid the roots may be really shallow in the ones I spray water.
ReplyDeleteI started basil, chives, oregano, thyme, rosemary and cilantro, mostly because I was desperate to see something green. Our last predictable frost in Montana is May 15, so I can't start the vegetables until at least April 1. Boo.
Courtney- I spray them with water until they have sprouted. Once sprouted, I use a small watering can every other day or so (when the soil is a bit dry) to water them.
ReplyDeleteKate- thanks for the heads up on Mommy brain! I think I'm going to need to up my level of list making... :P
Have you transplanted any broccoli yet? I started a bunch, but when I went to divide it and transplant, it didn't do very well. The tomatoes are doing great, but the broccoli kind of shriveled up. I transplanted the tomatoes when they got their first two true leaves and buried the two "fake leaves" (or whatever those early ones are called.) W/ the broccoli, I just buried them so that the first leaves were close to the ground (as they had been really leggy in my first pots.) I'm wondering if that was a bad idea... of the 8 I transplanted, only 2 are still kicking, I think.
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