0 comment Saturday, September 27, 2014 | admin
...but it's bitter cold!
I was out and about this morning; dentist trip with sprog (he's got a cavity but with a child who can sit still for only 2 minutes at a time, getting him desensitised enough to sit for it to be worked on can be time-consuming), then round and round getting a few deliveries made and copies run off. It figures, when I got home, the sun decided to come out, but at least it's given all the seedlings a good bit of light.
I visited a friend with Languishment and discussed our various propogation plans for the year - another friend of ours was made redundant this year and she is also turning to growing to supplement her groceries. In our wee social circle, we're trying to get together to trade cuttings, seedlings, surplus plants and also put together a plan for attending Pick Your Owns and how to store our food if we don't have a bunch of freezer space; with the way we've been cut off from grocery deliveries the last two winters, we've all decided we don't want to face difficulties, especially as disabled people, so we're banding together on this and many other levels. We're putting together sewing sessions and embroidery and all sorts of other stuff, tightening our belts and helping one another out - all of course with our own unique touches. Typical hausfrau we are not! Tattooed, pierced, black velvet gawth types but still embracing the Old Skool.
So this means my own efforts of growing from seed is not only for us, but anything extra I can't cram into the ground or a pot will still have a home! The asters and zinnias are doing well, the lavender even coming up - not a great germination rate, but I expected that, at least it's something! Tagetes are doing well and the sage is coming along nicely. I planted the tom seeds after doing a "wet germination" (wrapping them in bits of damp toilet roll) and the peppers have also been started. Sprog insisted we plant some peas even though it's early, but he's so excited to watch them grow I figured it was worth doing - my non-veg eating child happy about peas is a good thing! Even the black bean has sprouted, to my surprise, and I hope it will make it. I still have seed to propogate but I'm still out of dirt - may need to ask next door so I can get some potting soil to get the next wave of seeds going. Then again I may be able to give the compost a check in a few weeks and see if I might be able to mix it with the front compost pile to plant in. We'll see.
I'm still waiting on my potatoes to arrive so I can get them chitting. My shallot and onions sets have arrived, however, and once again it's just a matter of having the dirt to plan them in as my long windowboxes should do the trick for those. They can share space with the leeks and carrots. I've got ideas about where to put the growhouse but I still need to wait on the works in March before I can set up - and the toms won't need it till Aprilish anyway, so no rush.
After a somewhat productive day in the outbuilding I have managed to almost clear the space for the homebrew shelving. I've got my eye on a strawberry cider kit which sounds too good to pass up! My homemade ginger beer is also very nice to have on hand, is easy to make, and I embellish it with mint or strawberries from the garden. I've got my own ginger growing right now and I'm hoping to have a fair stash of the stuff by the end of the year if I can treat all the cuttings well enough.
We're coming to the end of Feb now, and it's time to wait on pins and needles for the first grant decision, as well as cross fingers for the charity work coming at the end of March to clear, pave, prune, and fill in some topsoil so I can start getting things outdoors properly.
It doesn't feel like it yet - and this week is going to get colder still - but spring will happen soon. Can't wait!
I was out and about this morning; dentist trip with sprog (he's got a cavity but with a child who can sit still for only 2 minutes at a time, getting him desensitised enough to sit for it to be worked on can be time-consuming), then round and round getting a few deliveries made and copies run off. It figures, when I got home, the sun decided to come out, but at least it's given all the seedlings a good bit of light.
I visited a friend with Languishment and discussed our various propogation plans for the year - another friend of ours was made redundant this year and she is also turning to growing to supplement her groceries. In our wee social circle, we're trying to get together to trade cuttings, seedlings, surplus plants and also put together a plan for attending Pick Your Owns and how to store our food if we don't have a bunch of freezer space; with the way we've been cut off from grocery deliveries the last two winters, we've all decided we don't want to face difficulties, especially as disabled people, so we're banding together on this and many other levels. We're putting together sewing sessions and embroidery and all sorts of other stuff, tightening our belts and helping one another out - all of course with our own unique touches. Typical hausfrau we are not! Tattooed, pierced, black velvet gawth types but still embracing the Old Skool.
So this means my own efforts of growing from seed is not only for us, but anything extra I can't cram into the ground or a pot will still have a home! The asters and zinnias are doing well, the lavender even coming up - not a great germination rate, but I expected that, at least it's something! Tagetes are doing well and the sage is coming along nicely. I planted the tom seeds after doing a "wet germination" (wrapping them in bits of damp toilet roll) and the peppers have also been started. Sprog insisted we plant some peas even though it's early, but he's so excited to watch them grow I figured it was worth doing - my non-veg eating child happy about peas is a good thing! Even the black bean has sprouted, to my surprise, and I hope it will make it. I still have seed to propogate but I'm still out of dirt - may need to ask next door so I can get some potting soil to get the next wave of seeds going. Then again I may be able to give the compost a check in a few weeks and see if I might be able to mix it with the front compost pile to plant in. We'll see.
I'm still waiting on my potatoes to arrive so I can get them chitting. My shallot and onions sets have arrived, however, and once again it's just a matter of having the dirt to plan them in as my long windowboxes should do the trick for those. They can share space with the leeks and carrots. I've got ideas about where to put the growhouse but I still need to wait on the works in March before I can set up - and the toms won't need it till Aprilish anyway, so no rush.
After a somewhat productive day in the outbuilding I have managed to almost clear the space for the homebrew shelving. I've got my eye on a strawberry cider kit which sounds too good to pass up! My homemade ginger beer is also very nice to have on hand, is easy to make, and I embellish it with mint or strawberries from the garden. I've got my own ginger growing right now and I'm hoping to have a fair stash of the stuff by the end of the year if I can treat all the cuttings well enough.
We're coming to the end of Feb now, and it's time to wait on pins and needles for the first grant decision, as well as cross fingers for the charity work coming at the end of March to clear, pave, prune, and fill in some topsoil so I can start getting things outdoors properly.
It doesn't feel like it yet - and this week is going to get colder still - but spring will happen soon. Can't wait!