We got more snow and then rain this last week. It was very treacherous for the evening commute. Ontario Provincial Police put out a bulletin asking people to please stay off the roads if they could possibly avoid it, but there were still lots of accidents. I'm so tired of this winter. It's -10C with windchill and the only reason I can see a few of the early planting raised beds is because Duane dug them out so he can start solarizing the soil in March.
My coleus and Chinese aster have not sprouted. I've never grown these before, but I was hopeful. I barely covered the seeds, watered well from below, put them into a tray with a dome lid in the laundry room with shop lights for light and warmth and nothing.
My alliums are a mixed bag. Allium seed is not viable for more than a few years and I think some of the seed I sowed was old, so I'm giving them another go today. Utah celery is up and thriving plus 3 tubs of regular cat grass. Wildflowers' variegated cat grass gets sown today.
been 70 degrees here this weekend. Just recovering from a bit of a head cold. Hubby has it now poor guy. Went out side yesterday and saw that my garlic was coming up as well as my Amaryllis gonna go out and clean them up today and get some daff bulbs planted that I had stuck in the fridge over winter.
Gheeze, I caught a head cold too. Feel awful. Really tried to get some gardening done today but only managed to pot up a few seedlings and pot up some geraniums my aunt sent me when I saw my mother in Dec. Planted one flay of seeds in vermiculite. Just can't do any more though. My face is hurting from sinus! Got about 40 packs of my swap seeds planted though.
I joining the " I don't feel so good group too" Head is screaming and it all from sinus headache and have the chills big time. It this crazy weather. One day 1F and the next 70F than back to 1F again.
The winds the past few days have been so terrible. I can't even hardly stand to drink my coffee for chapped lips. That is bad when I can't have my coffee.
Saturday it was so nice but the wind was cold but folks was all outside in drooves. Even folks in the South get major cabin fever. Now we have rain for most of the week as we get ready yet for another round of cold. brrrrr
Name: Anita Crusoe Indiana Love forgives all wrongs.
Hi all! We had very strong winds and some rain but nor tornadoes. The head cold is circulating around this area. I battled with it the past couple of days and today I feel so much better. I haven't had a cold in years.
I was so excited to have my new seeds thst I had to winters some. My grand daughter and grandson both decided to start seeds inside. My DVD even made a sign to mark seeds and left a note reminding me to water. LoL
Love prospers when a fault is forgiven, but dwelling on it separates close friends.
Ella -- I;m still in FLA. we are fine but HUGE storms rolled thru, but developed just to the west of our location. They were calling for tornadoes, but have not heard on the news if there were any... the weather kept cutting in the olympics .... lots of wind and rain with some hail... but not in our location.
We are in Leesburg FL til Friday then head south for a few weeks... though I just may be ready to head home... not to the COLD but home. [where the cold is]
Terese -- Leesburg, FL & Lake Delton, Wi
My Email is my userID at hotmail.com
My piggy package arrived today! I pulled in the driveway and could see a little bit of the brown package sticking out of the mailbox and I squealed in delight (literally...) "Piggy package is here!". Hehe. I am happily rooting through my trough.
Thank you to all who sent seeds and wonderful stamps too! I will be busy all night rooting around the many goodies!
Thanks again Ella for organizing and sending and doting over the packages! So very appreciated!
Whop... Whop.... Yes! I was hoping you would get it this week. I know it usually takes them about ten days once clearing customs. I so happy it arrived. Another piggy safely to its new home.
Glad the storm piggies checked in. That another relief. Now I see a lot of folks back in the polar plunge. I know it hard, but winter will end someday..
LOL Anita... It always nice when everybody gets in on the seed action. Hopefully ya got some things ya don't already have.
Name: aka GardenQuilts Facebook, NGA and the beloved Winston the pug
I am still going thru my piggy seeds!
When I get a batch of work done, I get to play with seeds as a reward! it is a crazy week here for me. We had a couple days warm enough to melt some ice off the walkways - Winston and I were outside scraping. Now, it is back to cold with blustery flurries. Guess who is sulking today. he went out on the deck to sit in the sun again, felt the wind, and came in. At least it is easier to go for a walk now that more roads and walkways are clear.
Twenty -three days until spring, but who is counting! Easter is late this year, I have a feeling spring may be also.
Oh this cold just won't end! I've really had it and it's making me grumpy! I started on my garden plan yesterday and I'm about half done - I put which plants I want in each bed and the timing, which helps me know when to pull seeds for planting. I've got March's seeds pulled, but I hit a snag when I went downstairs and saw that I have not washed the 6-pack inserts that I use for the brassicas. That's my chore today, getting a big stack of those washed. Duane's got trays to leak-test and duct-tape as well as a bunch of party cups he uses to pot up his peppers. He'll be potting up his Chinenses this week and starting the faster-growing Annums and Baccatums. March is going to be extremely busy for us this year. We've got a Seedy Saturday every single weekend and I'll be sowing seeds every week from now until mid-May.
The coleus, aster, and American Flag Leeks did not germinate. The coleus was Black Dragon, commercial seed from Aimers and the Hulk Aster was from Tuink 2 years ago. I'm going to sow seeds I got from her this year and see if I can get them to come up. I pulled other seeds that did not germinate for me last year just for some feedback: Portulaca, Sundial Peppermint from Bluespiral, Salvia splendens, Tall Peach Pink from Danita, Nemesia, Mello from starlight, Astilbe simplicifolia from Tuink, Culantro from starlight, and Korean Mint from Richters. Most, if not all fault for this is no doubt the sower's. I'm still mush for brains with most flowers. I've got more of the coleus that I can re-start as well. I will probably not sow again until tomorrow, so if anyone has really obvious kindergarten instructions for me and these flowers, I'd sure appreciate it!
Julianna, you might try pre-germinating the heat-lovers like coleus and portulaca in moist paper inside a baggie, set directly on top of your heat mat. I use the top of my water heater since I don't have a mat, and it works really well, too. Once you see signs of germination, then carefully place them in their container of growing medium.
I've only had culantro germinate once, ever; and it wasn't all that great at that. I think I had just a few sprouts from a batch a couple of years ago. Last year's seeds didn't germinate at all.
Sorellina... I agree with Chelle. You need to get more heat and allow more time for alot of the flower seeds. Just about all the seed you mentioned needs alot of heat and anywhere from 20 to 30 days to germinate and Astibile can take even longer. Your still learning to grow them. You'll get it one day. At least you know how to do veggies good.
Chelle, with Culantro, the one thing I have learned is to like broadcast in a tray a ton of seed. Culantro produces oodles and oodles of seed but very little of it is viable, where it got pollinated. Culantro is one of the last seeds that I usually start. It has to have 78-80F consistent bottom heat 24/7 for almost a month before it will germinate. Rubbing the seeds around together and scratching them up a bit helps too to remove the outside seed coat. I have this little metal baby like colander. Think it orginally for shaking powder sugar, but I will put the Culantro seeds in it and take a spoon and move the seeds round and round the inside of that baby metal grater type thing to scratch them up.
Chelle... Yep it is. Once I get a bunch of seedlings going I cut them back as soon as they have a little bit of height on them. That will cause them to sprout new shoots by the crown and it easy to pull those babies out and put into different pots. Oh and they like a more acidic type of soil.
If your holes are bigger than the seeds, put a little piece of cheescloth or a coffee filter in there and a bowl underneath to catch any seeds that fall out. Some time you can rub the seeds together between your fingers and you will see that you end up with a teeny tiny black spot and that is the seed. They just about microscopic once the seed coat is off them.
I have never tried to root cuttings of it though. I don't know about your area, but with it being a hard one to get germination from a one gallon pot that not maybe more than about 8 to 10" tall will go for 20 bucks down here.
I'm looking at these Tithonia seeds and sighing and getting ready to try and get them to sow again. Will this be the year for success or will I fail and be begging again another year for more seeds.
So does anyone have advice about my slow germinating riudbeckia? Some seeds indoors and some outside in WS jugs...no germination in two weeks. I posted about it earlier in thread and still no action. Three different varieties so I knows it's me and not the seeds. I have half the indoors ones ona heat mat, Maybe I should put the ones not on heat in the fridge?
Judy.. What cultivars do you have? Different cultivars have different germinations. Some need 75-85F with light for 2 -3 weeks. Some need a mosit prechill for several weeks , others a 6 week cold chill period and some just semi warm temps and sun.
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Hopefully ya got some things ya don't already have. 
I started on my garden plan yesterday and I'm about half done - I put which plants I want in each bed and the timing, which helps me know when to pull seeds for planting. I've got March's seeds pulled, but I hit a snag when I went downstairs and saw that I have not washed the 6-pack inserts that I use for the brassicas. That's my chore today, getting a big stack of those washed. Duane's got trays to leak-test and duct-tape as well as a bunch of party cups he uses to pot up his peppers. He'll be potting up his Chinenses this week and starting the faster-growing Annums and Baccatums. March is going to be extremely busy for us this year. We've got a Seedy Saturday every single weekend and I'll be sowing seeds every week from now until mid-May.
