Garden Fuss

This has been a long time coming but I am finally putting the pictures of our winter sowing project up for you all. All the brassicas are up of course, and the lettuce looks great. I plan on starting some more vegetables this week, getting the squash, cilantro, peas, and beans going. The wind helped rip off the covers to some of the peppers and marigold so those are a loss. It didn't help that my helper *ahem ahem* forgot to put holes in the bottom and the drowned before they had chance to freeze to death. Oh well, maybe better luck next time.

I can't tell you enough about how excited I am with this Winter Sowing ! As you can see from the pictures below the seeds are germinating like crazy in their recycled plastic containers and I couldn't be more pleased. What I notice most about this process of starting plants from seeds is the strength of the seedlings themselves. They are stout sturdy little buggers! Just as a little science/botany project I started some of the same seeds in our aquarium system. The aquarium plants are much longer and thinner than the seedlings started outside the "natural" way by Winter Sowing. I highly recommend this method of gardening for everyone. Not only will it put to use some of those annoying plastic containers we all struggle with getting rid of. It gives us a way to more easily start the process of gardening.  The pictures below if you can't read the labels are: Sweet William, Cosmos, and Sugar Daddy Peas. Here is how it all started a month ago.

There has been quite the debate in my family of late on whether it is possible to successfully use the winter sowing process for warm weather plants like Okra, tomatoes, peas and so forth. Winter Sowing is a process where you use recycleable containers as miniature green houses to start "hardy" seedlings outdoors during the winter months. This is supposed to be an easy method of germinating seeds that if done successfully will allow you to save #1. money, #2. time, and #3. time & money. First off it is very feasable financially to buy seeds and germinate them by direct sowing, in-door starting, and/or winter sowing. The cost to start your garden whether vegetable, herb, or flower could start to break the bank if you are purchasing plants instead of seeds. Starting seeds on time for the upcoming growing season can take a lot of work and planning and if inexperienced can also take a bite out of your wallet. Expenses that can sneak up on ...