Test Results

Last week, I tested some old seeds to see what I needed to buy for the sowing season. And here are the results:

The peppers didn't do very well:-(

The tomatoes did better.

But the pumpkins did the best!

Testing Garden Seeds

Now that I have a garden plan, I have to see if I have enough garden seeds for the plan. Before I go out and buy a bunch of seeds, I have to check to see if the ones I have from last year would fulfill this need. And this is how I do it:

1. I assemble the necessary materials:

Seeds (both packaged and ones that I saved last fall):

AND:

Paper towels, sandwich bags and a marker:

2. I dampen a single paper towel and place approximately 10 seeds on it:

Make sure that they perfect! If they look like this, throw them OUT:

3. Then, wrap up the paper towel and place it in the sandwich bag that has been label with the type of seed and the date. Like this:



4. Put them in a nice sunny area and wait for them to sprout.

1. If most of them germinate, then sow lightly.
2. If only half sprout, sow heavily.
3. And if less than half sprout, they are not viable and you should buy new seeds.
   

Happy Testing:-)

Garden Planning

Winter is a frustrating time for advid gardeners however, now is the perfect time to start making a plan for when fair weather returns. I am starting with seeds. Last year, I kept mine in a small recipe box. Well, have branched out into 2 more boxes this year:

This year, I am going to plant:

Tomatoes
Cucubmers
Pumpkins
Peppers (of varing shapes and sizes)
Onions
Celery
Carrots

Now, that I have a plan, I have to test the seeds....

Rinse and Fertilize Houseplants

The weather outside is still pretty nasty. So, what is a frustrated gardener to do? Well, now is the perfect time to do some maintenance on your houseplants. Even plants get dusty and periodically, they need a good shower. To illustrate, here is a plant before his shower:


And here is the same plant after:



Big difference, right? You simply put your plant in the sink and lightly spray off the leaves. Just like this:


Another important thing to remember is that plants are living things and just like you and me, they get hungry. So, after their shower, break up the soil gently with one of these:

And give them a nice slow releasing fertilizer like this:

Your houseplants will thank you for it:-)