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I know I’ve
mention many times that I am not a terrific gardener, but I still want to keep
trying. I had some modest success last
year with the new raised bed garden I put into my backyard last spring and I did
learn a lot. I knew I still needed to
work on the soil quality and that I’d want to add more nutrients to the soil so
all winter long I have dumped the bunny’s litter bin into the raised beds. It has added a nice combination of manure,
hay and wood pellets. I plan to turn it all
into the soil this month once the ground warms back up a bit.
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As I’ve already
shared I only have a $100 budget this year for my yard and garden. I want to add another raised bed in the
backyard to extend my gardening space so that along with some fruit tree spray
I need to get is going to take up a fair bit of that budget. In order to pull this off I’m going to have
to be resourceful.
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Part of that
resourcefulness means using seeds this year instead of purchasing plants at the
garden store like I did last year. I was
actually quite disappointed with those plants because I didn’t get a lot of yield
from them. The bell pepper plants never did
get any fruit and didn’t get flowers until September. I’m hopeful that the seeds I planted will
make for better plants.
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| I wintered over a couple plants from last year and they're coming back! |
I had saved
yogurt cups to make seed pots with, but I didn’t buy a lot of yogurt so I
definitely didn’t have enough. I
supplemented with one package of peat pots.
I’m also trying something new this time around by using some plastic
storage bins I had in the garage to make mini greenhouses. That along with the grow lights I’d purchased
a couple years ago seem to be working rather well so far.
I’ve planted
bell pepper and tomato seeds as well as a nice variety of flowers. My fingers are crossed that I can actually do
well enough for them to make it into the ground in a couple of months. I also have some seeds leftover from last
year as well as new ones I purchased last fall to direct sow into the garden. Now all I need is some warmer weather so I
can get outside and dig in the dirt.
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Have any of you
started any seeds for your garden yet?
What are you planning to grow this year?
I have used newspaper to make small pots for seedlings in the past. Never ate enough yogurt . Now I cave and buy seedlings from the local nursery for my head start !
ReplyDeletebarb
I've made those newspaper pots too, but I didn't have any newspaper this time around and to be honest, I didn't have the time to go get some and make them either.
DeleteI don't do any gardening myself...I am thinking about it. But my mother used to make peat pots out of newspaper, so maybe you could try that. Also, our library has a seed catalogue and gives seeds away for free - maybe yours does the same?
ReplyDeleteI've done that in the past, but I needed to get the seeds planted because I thought otherwise I'd just put it off until it was too late.
DeleteI like those newspaper pots; they are so clever. And FREE!
ReplyDeleteAnd I like your greenhouses! A simple bin turned upside down--what a great idea. The seedlings have good humidity, there's a rim to contain any excess water, they are protected from marauding indoor nibblers, and you can lay the lights right over the top.
The first seeds I'll start are sugar snap peas, in my front porch urn planters this weekend. I will fill the pots, set in the metal iron trellises (they are shaped like obelisks), soak the peas overnight, and plant them! It will give my porch a nice bit of decorative greenery, it's a southern exposure so they'll have plenty of light. Bonus that we can snack on the "decoration" in a couple of months. I do wish snap peas were colorful like sweet peas, but one can't have everything. But I do have an extra trellis, sooooo... why not devote a pot to sweet peas just for the beauty?
I would like to start an onion, garlic, and shallot bed this year. I would also like to grow jalapenos, red/green peppers, and tomatoes this year. Nothing crazy or excessive. Maybe a few herbI would also like to grow some flowers specifically for cutting. We shall see!
I'm so happy spring is on its way. I love a nice, long, cool spring. I don't like it to get too warm too soon. 65 every day for the next 2 months would suit me just fine.
Happy planting, everyone!
I'm so excited for warmer weather and to get outside and start planting. I think flowers are every bit as important as the veggies so I say plant those sweet peas! :)
DeleteTomatoes need fresh soil each year. I grow in fabric smart pots and then fertilize with Tomato Tone from Espoma. These two items give us lots of produce from July-freeze. We bring in everything at freeze and let it ripen inside. Those get turned into sauces or a BLT if it ripens nicely:)
ReplyDeleteGood for you!
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