Planting Seeds, exploring the yard & deer problem
It was a beautiful day for working outside and I feel every bit of in in every aching bone and muscle I have.  The mysterious sprouts that I couldn't remember when I spotted them on Thursday, I remembered today. How?  It just hit me that I put the Chinese Lilies in that particular pot.  This is what I have to look forward to in the coming months:

Chinese Lily

Josh's beans shocked me when I saw them this morning.  The success was absolutely amazing!  I'm not sure what to do with all these terrific looking seedlings.  I don't have the heart to just dump them.  I planted 9 of the seedlings today (2 of the ones that made it past Josh's fuzzy stuff and 7 redos).  

Bean Seedlings planted February 25, 2012

I also did some direct sowing today - basil, parsley, and chives.  Some people read the seed packet, measure between rows and how deep they plant and do a wonderful job.  I am not that kind of gardener.  I still manage to get my plants to grow in my garden for me.  ;)  As I think about this, I compare it to the cook who uses a cookbook and a cook who cooks from memory or taste.  So let's take a look at how I planted those seeds today since we KNOW I did not even look at the back of those seed packets. 

First, I used the hand rake to get rid of all of the old roots and stuff out as well as any new weeds that may have started to grow inside.   Then, I sprinkled some Osmocote on top.  Osmocote is my all around fertilizer used for almost everything except palm trees, fruit, and acidic soil loving flowers.  How much?  Oh about that much.  Look  at the photo.  Like I'm cooking, about that much is often my measurement given when asked. Until I'm finished using my current supply of this fertilizer, I'll continue using it.  When it's gone, I'll be looking for one that's a bit more earth friendly.  Use the hand rake to mix the fertilizer into the soil.  

I took about 1/2 the seeds and sprinkled them into my hand first.  Then I scattered them across the top of the soil.  I used my open palm the disperse the seeds and get them covered by soil at the same time.  This was done very gently.  Finally, I watered the freshly planted seeds with a watering can that gave a very gentle water. 

Do you remember when we talked yesterday about the dead trees?  Well, my limon tree (cross between lemon and lime tree) was dead.  I swear it was.  Nothing but dead branches were sticking out of that pot and I was just too lazy to go out and take care of it.  Today, I went to take care of things and looky, looky what I found! The fragrance was out of this world beautiful!!

You may have noticed by now that everything is so far is in containers.  This is because I have a deer problem.  We live in a preserve area that is a gated community that keeps the deer inside and protected, but this also means they are heavily overpopulated.  They eat everything in sight.  Any tender growth, bulbs, even my hanging flower baskets weren't safe from these monstrous appetites.  While the animals are beautiful to behold, they are the bane of my garden.  I'm investigating new plants that deer do not like due to their heavy fragrance or thorny stems for planting outside the screened lanai to move beyond my containers since I'm so cramped for space. 

Our surprise sprouts

Dill seeds planted  February 11

Planting Seeds & Spring 
Is it a sign of getting old when you don't remember what you had planted in a pot the year before or does this mean you have too many plants?  As I was doing my "daily rounds" I found some new sprouts showing up to the garden party.  It looks like the dill is about ready to be moved into its permanent home.  

Close encounter of bean sprouting

 The beans, ohhhh the beans.  Those took two tries.  I had a bit of help from 3 year old Josh.  Everything went just great, even down to the poking the little beans into the dirt.  We put 2 little beans into each little compartment.  We found some old peat pots that made it so much easier for a toddler to understand to keep the beans into their squares.  The trouble came with the watering.  He drowned the poor little beans and then they got all furry and rotten.  Of the 12 seeds we planted, only 2 made it out alive.  So, last weekend, Josh and I started again. But, I was not paying attention and I handed him the bean seed envelope from last year without doing a viability test.  He did a wonderful job this time!  When I realized my mistake, I took out this year's bean seeds and poked in 2 more seeds into each compartment.  In less than a week, we have stunning results!

Bean Seeds planted 2/25/2012

Along that walk of mine, I also inspected the trees because we planted 2 new trees last year and I was a bit worried about them.  The Crepe Myrtle looked for the most part dead.  It really needs close inspection to realize this is not the case.  Look closely now.

The Bougainvillea was looking dead as can be until the past week or so and then little by little, flowers began to appear.  The reason I'm bringing both of these up is that sometimes we're a little quick on the draw with our plants and don't give them enough time to show us they are still alive.  These were trees and they usually do things a bit faster.  Last year, I was pulling out what I thought were plants that died from a frost and lo and behold, I found 3 that had a teeny bit of green buds on them.  I transplanted them to a new sunny location that was in a more protected area and I babied the heck out of them and those little sweethearts came back.

Still recovering section of Bougainvillea

Recovered section of Bougainvillea

Sowing Seeds Indoors
Yes, it's time to think about starting those seeds indoors. You could be thinking of giving your gorgeous flowers a head start or your veggies or herbs a jump start so that you can either take  advantage of a double planting season or maybe harvest sooner or even have a short planting season if you are in the great, white tundra.  Some people have the mistaken idea that they need to go out and buy all kinds of stuff for this . . . peat pots, topsoil, fertilizers, yada yada.  I've had pretty good luck doing this on the cheap and I've found some pretty cool inexpensive ideas as well.  Egg shells, egg cartons, plastic fruit containers, and milk cartons all make excellent plant containers for the new seeds.  The egg shells are my favorites because you can put those directly into the soil and crumble them up as you transplant them.  Another option that is really nice 
and you can move directly into the garden, is the little pots made of newspaper.  I found an excellent tutorial online that gives step by step instructions for even the very blackest thumbed gardeners.  (Newspaper seedling pot instructions)


Let's talk for a minute about those seeds while we're at it.  You might have some seeds left over from last year.  Don't throw them out.  Test them out to see if they're any good first.  You may be surprised!  

1. Put about 5 or 6 seeds between 2 paper towels and spray them with a water bottle with water until wet but not sopping.
2. Fold or roll up the paper towel and put in a plastic baggie and label with date.
3. Place in a warm place and check after a few days.
4. The back of the seed packet tells how long it should take for germination.  If it is taking a lot longer than this for you to see the seeds sprout, they are likely not viable any longer.
5. If 2 of the 6 germinate, then you will need to sow 3 times as many seeds as you want plants to grow.  

These germination charts should help you to know what to expect from your seeds:

Germination Time for Common Seed-Grown Annuals

Common Name	Germination Time
Ageratum	5 to 14 days
Alyssum	7 to 14 days
Baby Blue Eyes	7 to 14 days
Baby's Breath	10 to 15 days
Bachelor's Button	7 to 14 days
Bells of Ireland	25 to 35 days
Black Eyed Susan Vine	10 to 15 days
Calendula	7 to 14 days
Celosia	3 to 6 days
China Aster	8 to 14 days
Cleome	10 to 14 days
Coleus	10 to 15 days
Cosmos	5 to 10 days
Geranium	10 to 14 days
Globe Amaranth	10 to 21 days
Impatiens	10 days
Larkspur	15 to 20 days
Love-in-a-Mist	10 to 15 days
Love-Lies-Bleeding	10 to 15 days
Marigold	5 to 7 days
Mealy-Cup Sage	14 to 21 days
Mexican Sunflower	7 to 14 days
Morning Glory	5 to 10 days
Nasturtium	9 to 14 days
Nicotiana	14 to 21 days
Petunia	10 to 14 days
Poppy	8 to 10 days
Purple Hyacinth Bean Vine	7 to 14 days
Scarlet Runner Bean Vine	7 to 14 days
Snapdragon	7 to 14 days
Sunflower	5 to 12 days
Sweet Pea	14 to 21 days
Verbena	14 to 21 days
Viola	10 to 20 days
Zinnia	7 to 10 days

Germination Times for Common Seed-Grown Herbs and Vegetables

Crop	Germination Time
Basil	7 to 10 days
Bean	7 to 14 days
Beet	10 to 14 days
Broccoli	7 to 10 days
Brussels Sprout	7 to 10 days
Cabbage	10 to 14 days
Cantaloupe	5 to 7 days
Carrot	10 to 14 days
Catnip	7 to 14 days
Cauliflower	5 to 7 days
Chervil	14 to 28 days
Corn	5 to 7 days
Cucumber	7 to 14 days
Dill	10 to 21 days
Eggplant	7 to 10 days
Fennel	10 to 21 days
German Chamomile	10 to 15 days
Lettuce	4 to 6 days
Mint	12 to 15 days
Parsley	21 to 28 days
Pea	7 to 10 days
Pepper	7 to 10 days
Pumpkin	7 to 10 days
Radish	3 to 5 days
Spinach	7 to 21 days
Squash, Winter	7 to 10 days
Tomato	7 to 14 days
Watermelon	5 to 7 days

Flower cart from Provence in France