Perfect Time to Start Planting Sunflowers

Sunflowers are a very helpful plant to any organic garden and I love planting them every single year for attracting bees and other important insects.  I planted them today along with a similar type of flower called cosmos.  They do not look anything alike, but they are part of the same family which makes them related.

Cosmos Seeds

I also had some seeds left from yesterday when I planted my queen anne's lace that I decided to use the rest of them on a couple of green pots.  I also planted some more statice which happens to be a good flower for attracting insects as well.  High nectar plants are perfect for this reason.

Lettuce, Watermelon, and More Flowers Planted Indoors

Yesterday I started planting more flowers indoors in order to get them a head start for the garden season.  Getting them blooming as fast as possible is the first thing that I focus on when gardening.  It is also important for vegetables and fruits as well.  Below are pots that contain amaranthus, calendula, queen anne's lace, and statice seeds.

That is why I began with lettuce yesterday as well as watermelon.  Watermelons take quite a while to mature and need more time in order to get a much bigger and tastier fruit.  Starting them inside is the best way to give them extra time as well as a few other strategies that I will use when I plant them into the ground.  More on that at a later time.

Lettuce doesn't take that long to grow, but they need cooler weather and the best time to start them is now because one they are ready I will place them outside at around mid spring which is when their preferred temperatures arrive.  They don't like cold weather like spinach, but much cooler than summer temperatures are desired.

Time For Planting Alyssum and Dill Indoors

The sun is out longer and daylight savings has occurred it is time to start planting flowers indoors and getting them the head start that is needed.  My two favorite flowers will include alyssum and dill.  They are simple to grow and don't take that much maintenance to keep them thriving through the whole season.

The best part of growing them is that they are fast sprouting and should begin growing within a week.  This is pretty much the opposite of the spinach that I planted a week ago.  They take quite a while to begin sprouting and will probably not show signs of sprouting until another week or two. 

I place my flowers in the window instead of using fluorescent lights.  I find that I can maximize space by using large plastic containers and placing them on the window and saving electricity at the same time as well.  They do not require that much light and what they receive on the windowsill will be enough for the time being.

I will probably leave them their for about a month until the weather gets warmer and then begin placing them outside to get acclimated to the weather and temperatures.  For now they will stay on the windowsill unless I need room for my vegetables and fruits later on.

The Garden Season Starts with Spinach

Every year I begin the season with growing spinach indoors in order to give them a good head start to the new season.  I have found that this is a good way to begin because it is always the same for the most part.  This year I am trying something new with my spinach plants that I think will be very beneficial in the long run.

One of the best strategies that you can use when growing spinach indoors or outdoors is to soak them in water for 24 hours and then try planting them.  I never did this before because I didn't think that this would help in germination.

I decided that this season I would try it and see what would happen.  The theory is that these seeds have a tough shell and in order to soften the shell you would soak them in water.  This will allow for better and increased germination.  This is only a theory and one that I am going to test this season.  I have 24 pots that I will be using for growing spinach.  This means that I should have 24 plants to transplant into the garden.

I planted spinach seeds in 12 containers today and placed them under the lights for faster germination.  The other seeds are in a container being soaked and I will plant them tomorrow in the afternoon.  Noon time is when I placed them in a container of water.  You should soak them for 24 hours.  I will see if this simple technique helps with germination.  I like to put at least four to five seeds in each container as this will increase the chances of getting at least one of the five to sprout.

This year I am also going to be using sifted soil that I created from my worm composting.  I used this last year, but instead of sifting it I just placed them in the pots.  This year I worked out a way to sift all the good soil without getting of the worms into the soil.  Hopefully all the good nutrients and worm castings got through.  I will know in a couple of weeks whether or not the sifting was a good idea.

I will also be starting to grow flowers pretty soon such as alyssum, dill, sunflowers, cosmos, calendula, and many more.  Make sure to check back to this blog and find out what is happening with my garden plants.

It is Now 2015 and Time To Get Seeds for The Year

It is always important that I get new seeds each year so that I will have the best germination rate among all the seeds that are planted.  I don't like using old seeds unless they are seeds that I have collected myself from the previous year.  Other than that using new seeds will give you a much better start to the season.

Going through all the seeds that I have is what I do in the beginning of the year before the season starts and is an important part of knowing exactly what you have and what you need.  I keep track of this in my garden journal which I recommend everyone using because it will become invaluable in the future.

There are two seeds that I save each season which includes cantaloupe and corn.

The seeds above are what I will be using this season and will save on costs not having to purchase extra corn seeds for the year.  The same thing goes with the cantaloupe seeds as well.  As long as they are dried properly then they should grow each and every year.  They also have to be heirlooms because hybrids will not work the next season and will most likely be sterile and give a poor harvest.

Like every year I like to try something new.  Last year I tried out celery which didn't come out that bad, but I think a better variety is what I will be doing this season.  Besides a new type of celery I am also going to grow the Ruby Glow romaine lettuce hybrid.  This has a much darker color and is packed with nutrients that will be great for any salad that is made this year.