a couple useful links

Here are a couple of useful links for info and products:

A planting calendar specifically for Grand Rapids MI:
http://letsgrowveggies.com/michigan/49503/spring_vegetable_planting_guide/

A landscape irrigation system that is inexpensive and works great!
http://www.misterlandscaper.com/

We have this all over out yard in the gardens with 2 timers hooked to it.  These make watering all our plants a BREEZE!

Some ideas for natural pest control in your garden:
http://www.suite101.com/content/natural-garden-pest-control-a54194

Ideas for small space gardening:
http://gardening.about.com/od/gardendesign/a/PatioGarden.htm

Instructions for cloning or propagating shrubs from cuttings:
http://www.finegardening.com/how-to/articles/propagate-your-shrubs-from-softwood-cuttings.aspx

i have always wanted to plant more bulbs

We have a number of daffodils and tulips through out our garden, but I have always wanted to add more.  Usually the best time to plant these is in the fall.  By that time I am also usually tired of working in the garden. 
A couple of years ago my mom planted a number of tulip bulbs that she had brought back from Holland.  There are a couple of really cool looking ones.  As they bloom I will try and post some pics. 
The tulip pic here is a of one that grows along the house on the south side.  It is actually blooming quite early.  We figure this is due to the proximity to the stone foundation and the radiant heat that it provides.  There are a number of plants that grow along the house on the south side that are usually about a week or two earlier that any where else in the garden.  Its kinda nice to have this. 

still planting

Raised the lights up

Ok so tonight Malia and I planted two types of beets and carrots!  The spinach, Chinese cabbage, cauliflower and snap peas are all coming up nicely.  I was hoping to take some pics and post but have not yet.  In the basement I just planted marigolds and zinnia.  I also transplanted the last of the tomatoes and now I have run out of pots.  I really can not wait to start getting some stuff outside in the ground.  I should start hardening off the cauliflower and cilantro that is in the basement and get them outside.




oh crap!

So last night I went down to the basement to water the seedlings and I found a disappointing sight.  The impatients that I had planted in the sponges that came with the Bio Domes were all rotting and there was a slight mold mold growing on the sponge.  The rot was right where the stem met the sponge.  A number of them are lost, but I hope I saved a bunch.  I re-potted them and pulled most of the sponge away from the roots.  I got thinking about this later and I remembered that I had turn off the de-humidifier the other day.  I am thinking that the air was too damp down there which cause this problem.  I am also hoping that this mold does not spread to other plants.  I did make sure to keep all the impatients close to one another and none of them are sharing water with any other plants.  Really this whole thing has be baffled.  I have never had this type of a problem in the past.  I have had issues with tomatoes in the past, but not like this.  Anyways, lesson learned and I hope I was able to salvage a good number of plants.

unexpected help

So the other day I was out planting some spinach seeds and Super Woman swooped in and helped me out!  Now her flying abilities and super strength was not that useful in seed planting but it sure was help to have an extra set of hands.  

 I finally did see some of out snap peas peaking out from the dirt.  There are only a few but they are finally starting to come up.  I also believe that one of the cauliflower seeds is also coming up.  I hear that it is suppose to be snow on Saturday I am hoping these tiny seedlings will be hardy enough to survive, but just in case I will be putting a cover over them.

So I was in the basement today surveying the other seedlings and most of them are doing really well, but like other years there are a number of seeds have not sprouted yet.  This happens every year with some seeds.  This usually means that these seeds are either quite fussy or possibly they just wont grow.  So hopefully today I will be planting some new seeds.  It is a little late but late is better than never!

I also have been starting to re pot some of the impatients that have not been growing very well.  Hopefully the fertilizer in the potting soil will help these plants catch up to the ones that are more than 20 times their size.  I will also have to start replanting the tomatoes since some of them are more than 4" tall and growing fast!

well on their way

So all the seeds (now seedlings) are all well on their way.  The tomatoes are 4+ inches tall and growing very well.  What is interesting is that I found one bag of the plugs that come with the Bio Domes and I planted impatiens in them.  I also planted some impatiens in some seed starting soil.  The impatiens that were planted in the soil are 10 times the size of the ones in the plugs.  I attribute this to the lack of "food" provided by the the plugs.  Anyways, guess I will be using the soil from now on!

So the other night I planted the second last batch of vegetable seeds, cucumbers, zucchini and tomatillos!

The peas, cauliflower and cabbage has yet to make an appearance outside, but they should sprout soon. 

I will be starting to transplant a number of plants soon so I can free up one of the bio domes to plant the last batch of seeds (mostly marigolds). 

couple plant updates....pics that is

So Malia is very disappointed that we can pick peas yet, after all we planted the seeds on Friday night, it has been a whole 3 days!!!!

Anyway here are some pics of the plants (couple weeks old):

  

planting has started

So tonight Malia, Deanna and I planted peas, Chinese cabbage and cauliflower.  Its not much but its a start!  Its great to get my hands in the dirt again!