It's planting time....again.

Set out my onion slips and sets today. I've been hardening off the first batch of broccoli starts and may decide to plant them today or tomorrow. I now have the main bed all dug up and ready for the potatoes which I will plant soon.

BRRRRR!!!!! Cold Snap

Its turned cold with the lows in the teen and the highs in the 30s. My lettuce and cauliflower seedlings have sprouted but look bad. I think the seed is past its prime. My second set of broccoli starts are doing fine. We had a nice bit of sun yesterday and I positioned them in the window to allow them to drink up. ZUM PROST! So I'll have to sow a new batch of starts. We really needed this cold to keep everything on schedule.

Where have the chickadees gone?

Temps H 50 deg. Well it's back to cool weather. I wonder if the birds have changed their mind about nesting so early. I really need to take all the bird boxes down and clean them out. One bird that hasn't been seen around here for several years is the Chickadee. There used to be a lot of trees growing wild here in the neighborhood until the new owner of the rent houses had much of them cut down or pruned. Also, we had that ice storm and killed a lot of trees. So there was a definite loss of habitat. The west Nile virus had also taken it's toll. Sure do miss the chickadees.

UPDATE:  as of 2015 there have not been any chickadees spotted yet.  Sure do miss them.

Gave the broccoli starts a sunbathing session

Nice clear day with the Temp in the lower 16s.

I decided to put my broccoli starts out in the cool garden to get a little sun. I had to water the place on the south side of the house where I sowed the bachelor buttons. The rain almost always comes from everywhere but the south. So, although the south side of the house is sunny and warm it usually needs to be watered even after a rain. This is especially true right next to the foundation.

The onions I sowed last week are all emerging.

Succession Planting

Sowed the second batch of broccoli and cauliflower today. I also sowed some bibb lettuce. I made the nifty little seed packet boxes several years ago. The one of the left has slots rabbited on the inside to allow dividers to be slid in. This helps keep them upright until the box is full. They are alphabetized in order to find them easier.

My Seedlings Progress

Here is my seedling's progess. I think the light may have made a big difference. Wish the temp in that room was cooler.....may be the reason they are so tall.

Damping Off or Heat Exhaustion

I'm not so sure if that little fellow is damping off or just grew too big for his britches.

Seed Serchin'

Cool Temp. 48 deg

Went to Warehouse Market and picked up 1 lb ea yellow and white onion sets @ .99$/lb. They didn't have any slips and usually get them too late. Since the hardiness date have been moved up the garden center have not responded. Cry Me! Went to the feed store in Turley and they had nothing but said they might have them in a week or so.

Went to the Ted & Debbie's Garden Center on Harvard and bought these seeds:

1. Cosmos - Candy Stripe
2. Bee Balm - Dotted Mint
3. Butterfly Weed
4. Cucumber - Japanese Soyu Burpless

One of my broccoli plants may have come down with the dropsey...damping off. The rest look quite healthy. Well, they always do right up to the day they keel over.

Finally...Rain

A nice slow healthy bit of rain. Temps in the 40s. That's more like Feb.

Still Springish

Iris, Rustler

Temp upper 60s. Another beautiful day. weeded the herb garden and seeded it with bachelor buttons near the gate. The surprise lilies, jonquils, and crocus are starting to emerge. I would like to move some Star of Bethlehem bulbs to the front iris garden. I planted the Rustler iris in the front iris bed near the lilac and some iris seed at the corner of the bed next to the shop.

Is it spring yet?

Got out in the garden and worked on the roses a little more. Linda Bob did most of the pruning but I just had to get my hands on them anyway. A pair of sparrows have already claimed dad's bird box. Turned the bed next to the shop and it's ready for sowing. I have a lot of debris piles in the garden and always have trouble deciding where to move the compost pile each spring. In a little cup I sowed some onion seed. If I have success it will be a first.