Some of the garden tasks for this spring includes up-potting the various cutting, seedlings, new and last-year plants.
I collected many volunteer Black Diamond heirloom watermelon seedlings popping up in the yard to give away.
Tag Archives: seedlings
Unboxing: Wildseed Farms, Johnny’s Seeds and Strictly Medicinal
Craving more Cosmos, I picked up large packets of seed at Wildseed Farms, along with some other annuals I hope will germinate well.
| Lady Bird Dwarf Cosmos Blend ×1 1/4 Pound |
| Mexican Hat ×1 1/4 Pound |
| Bishop’s Flower ×1 Ounce |
| Cosmos Dwarf Sensation Blend ×1 1/4 Pound |
And because I couldn’t get enough Cosmos and nasturtiums, I picked up more packets at Johnny’s Selected Seeds. I wanted to also grow my own dill in case the aphid apocalypse hits my veggie gardens again.
| Double Click Mix Cosmos Double Click Mix Cosmos Seed x1 |
| Double Click Cranberries Cosmos Double Click Cranberries Cosmos Seed x1 |
| Lemon Mint Monarda (Bee Balm) Lemon Mint Monarda Seed x1 |
| Alaska Mix Nasturtium Alaska Mix Nasturtium Seed x1 |
| Bloody Mary Nasturtium Bloody Mary Nasturtium Seed x1 |
| Fernleaf Herbs for Salad Mix Fernleaf Dill Seed x1 |
| Red Snapper Smooth-Leaf Spinach Red Snapper (F1) Spinach Seed x1 |
| Astro Arugula (Roquette) Astro Salad Arugula Seed x1 |
Finally, I had strong feelings about growing more types of basil, especially the holy basil kind, so I surfed over to Strictly Medicinal Seeds to whet my appetite for some hard-to-find seeds.
| TULSI (Holy Basil) SEED SET (5 seed packets): Amrita, Krishna, Rama, Temperate & Vana, all organic | 1 |
| Basil, Mtule (Ocimum suave), packet of 30 seeds, organic | 1 |
| Basil, Mrihani (Ocimum basilicum) seeds, organic – Packet | 1 |
| Wooly Lambs Ears (Stachys byzantina), packet of 50 seeds, organic | 1 |
| Skullcap, Helmet (Scutellaria integrifolia), packet of 30 seeds | 1 |
| Lime Balm (Melissa officinalis ssp. altissima) potted plant, organic – 1 | 1 |
| Sage, Jerusalem (Salvia hierosolymitana), potted plant, organic | 1 |
| Skullcap, Barbat (Scutellaria barbata) potted plant, organic – 1 | 1 |
End of March Garden Scenes
Progress pictures on the late winter, early spring garden.
Take a look closer and one can see the seedlings starting to pop!
Lest we forget, the narcissus and tulip show ramping up for April blooms.
Cuttings and Seeds Spring Edition
It’s been a busy week sowing seeds and taking cuttings, not to mention putting new plants into the ground and all around maintenance. Weather has been mild enough to promote outdoor yardwork. Hey, it’s spring!
Potted lavender needed haircuts, so the White Anouk and Lavender Lady got pruned down to the base. I kept some Anouk cuttings to see if I could get them to root.
Other cuttings include silver thyme, golden sage, variegated berggarten sage, and catnip. I sheared half the catnip bush sitting in the Rogue Bed to give the Silver Fountain gaura some room, plus propagate more plants for the catkids, who are delighting and rolling in all the pots that house them. This particular catnip has a very lemony fresh scent, one that I hope to make more child plants out of.
As for seeds, I’ve indoor sowed mirabilis jalapa, Thai long green eggplant, lemon bee balm, Korean hyssop and Sirius blue sage. I’m also giving the habaneros another go, and started some Fish Pepper as well. I hope that starting in soilless sterile mix plus 80F+ temperatures will produce better germination rates in the habanero peppers. My previous success with ornamental peppers did not prepare me for the stubborn nature of the spicy hot ones.
For outdoor sowing, I decided to chance the mild weather and broadcast flower seeds directly into the flower beds: lemon bee balm, marigolds, cosmos and zinnias. The majority of these were from my stash of Botanical Interests seed packets that I received earlier in the month.
Direct Sow
I’m always hesitant to broadcast seeds directly into the garden because of the risk of poor germination rates. Granted, previous experience had me neglect seeds sown directly into the beds, which need the right temperature and moisture to thrive. Daytime highs are in the upper 60s while nighttime lows in the high 40s and low 50s. It’s still too cold for some delicate summer plants to tolerate, as some of the starts are beginning to show.
I hedge my bets wherever I can, sowing indoors those seeds that I trust will germinate successfully and can handle transplant.
Seeds I’ve sown and re-sown both inside and out:
| Agastache rugosa, Korean Hyssop |
| Salvia coccinea, Scarlet Sage |
| Salvia farinacea, Sirius Blue Sage |
| Monarda citriodora, Lemon Bee Balm |
| Gomphrena haagena, Strawberry Fields |
| Tropaeolum minus Nasturtium Black Velvet (presoaked) |
| Nigella damascena, Miss Jekyll Blend |
| Zinnia elegans, Fireball Blend |
| Cosmos sulphureus, Diablo |
| Tropaeolum majus Nasturtium Alaska Variegated, Jewel Blend (presoaked) |
| Tithonia Speciosa Mexican Sunflower Red Torch (2017 seed) |
| Mirabilis jalapa, Marbles Yellow-Red (presoaked) |
| Tagetes tenuifolia Lemon & Tangerine Gems Signet Marigold |
The last vegetable seeds I direct sowed beginning of March were the bok choy Tiny Hedou and Purple Lady, along with bunching onions Tokyo White. They are finally beginning to emerge. Meanwhile I’m giving the Thai Long Green Eggplant another try although I haven’t had any success with the last batch.