What Are You Thankful For?

I am thankful that my Flowering Kale lasted as long as they did:-)

Happy Thanksgiving Everybody:-)

A Moment for a Fallen Comrade

I don't know what it is about holiday plants but, I can't even get my Amaryllis to come back!

Plant Update

Here are my seedlings:

Pretty soon, it will be time to separate them into their own pots. They may be ready as early as next week.

I also wanted to show you my holiday plants. I started forcing my amaryllis a couple weeks ago and here is what it looks like now:

Although now, it is starting to slump. I fear that I might lose her so, I put her under the big light downstairs.

And, here is my Christmas cactus (sorry about the quality of the picture...my camera is really going):

Last year it didn't bloom so hopefully it will this year since I pruned it.

As a final note, I am going to buy poinsettias again this year. I tried to keep them 2 years in a row and I just end up killing them every time:-( It is my biggest nemesis but I will figure it out!!

Friday's Foto Fun with Sprouts

It's time for Carrie's Friday Foto Fun:-)

Yesterday, I posted about my Indoor Garden but I actually started the garden on Sunday. And today, I have my first sprouts:-)

I told you that the lettuce sprouts quickly:-)

Indoor Gardening

I am ready to get my indoor garden going:-) I am so excited to start!! Let me show you what I did:-)

I keep my seeds in my grandma's old recipe box. I staple each seed packet to an index card and file them alphabetically. That way, they are easier to find.



The index card includes information that I would like to track. Obviously, the name of the seed goes on top. Next, I record the date that I started the seeds or the "Sown" date. Then, I write down when they "Sprouted". Once they are big enough, I notate when they are trans- "Planted" into a bigger container. And finally, I celebrate the "Harvest" date.

I start the seeds using:

I put the mix inside small plastic pots that I have santized (1 part bleach to 9 parts water). Then, I label each pot with a popicle stick so, I can remember what is what. The pots go inside a tray and then I water them. That way, any drainage, goes right into the tray.

Next, I place the tray under my grow light. This is a two-shelf unit that my husband built for me in our basement a couple years ago. The pots go on the bottom shelf and the light hangs from chains on the top shelf. The chains are adjustable so when your plants grow, you can raise the light. Lastly, the "walls" of the shelving unit is curtained in relective paper to keep the light and the heat in.

This is what it look like when the curtains are closed:

So, there you have it. By next week, I should have some pictures of sprouting plants! Wish me luck:-)

Tackling Tree Trimming

It's time for Tackle it Tuesday with 5 Minutes for Mom .

This week, we tackled tree trimming. Although the apple tree produced apples this year, they were really small. The tree itself hadn't been tamed in years so, we decided to lob the top off and hope for bigger apples next year.

I don't have before pictures (our server has my older pictures held captive:-) but, here is what we cut off:



And here is what is left of the tree:

It's kind of hard to tell from these pictures but the goal is to make it short and fat. We have achieved short and in spring, hopefully, it will fill out to fat:-)