Everything is in the ground.  I'm sore and tired but couldn't be more happy.

Potato Planting

It's time for potatoes! Well, in containers anyway. Tonight there is a freeze warning. They are calling for temperatures around 27 with a Real Feel of 19!. Yikes. We haven't seen weather like that in a while. No worries. The potatoes can easily be protected on my porch for the night. The first step was to thoroughly moisten some peat moss. The peat is important for keeping the pH low enough to prevent scab on the future potatoes. I dumped peat in one of the large containers and poured tons of water on it. You have to keep stirring and mixing it. The peat is very hydrophobic at first. It takes a while for it to start to accept the water. Just keep mixing....and mixing....and mixing.
Once the peat was thoroughly moistened, I filled each large container 1/4 of the way with the peat. It's pretty moist (as you can see), but then I filled the containers to the half way mark with potting soil and left over top soil. Mixed it well, and in went the potatoes. In this case I planted Kennebec potatoes that I found a Walmart yesterday. One large seed potato went in each container. Each had about 4-5 eyes that were already sprouting. I pointed those points upward and gently covered with the soil. Once the plants reach up over the rim, I will fill up the rest of the container with soil. Boy it feels good to get my hands all dirty!

I'm beat. On this lovely afternoon, I planted my tomatoes, peppers, celery, zinnia, asclepias curassavica, fennel, cosmos, and marigolds. I still have a few more leftovers and other plants that need to get planted, but I'm exhausted. That's hard work. Sure feels good though.

Potatoes and Carrots

Yukon Gold potatoes and Scarlet Nantes carrots are now planted!

Time to Plant Some Seeds!

On an unseasonably warm day I got to plant my first round of seeds. One Mucho Nacho jalapeno, 9 Fat 'n' Sassy peppers (now named King Arthur), 12 Burpee Petite Series snapdragons, and 9 Velour Blue and Bronze viola. I also started the paper towel method that I described last season to start some Tango celery seeds. It has felt like forever since I've been able to garden. What a wonderful day!

Hardening Off

POST NUMBER 2 FOR THE DAY
For approximately the last week all of my plants have been on my porch getting some direct sun and fresh air. With the exception of my cayenne pepper plant that was plucked out by a bird or squirrel, they are all going strong. I did have to bring them back in the house this morning. The winds are really whipping around out there and temperatures are about to drop.

On Tuesday I plan on planting my Purple Ellagance lavender and Asclepias tuberosa outside. Perhaps near the end of the week, when the temperatures rebound, the tomatoes will be planted. Right now they are about two feet tall, very lush, and the perfect size for planting. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the weather will cooperate.

State of the Seedling Address

With warmer days just around the corner a majority of my flower, herb, and vegetable seeds have been started. In a few more weeks the remainder of seeds will be started. Delicious muskmelon (Minnesota Midget and Iroquois), Bush Sugar Baby watermelon, and Jack-Be-Little pumpkin seeds are waiting for their turn to shine.

Here is a copy of what seeds I have started and when. The abbreviations mean the following:
SP: Small Peat pot ~2 inches
LP: Large Peat pot ~3 inches
PT: Paper Towel - For some seeds I used the paper towel method I described in an earlier post.
*** All others were started in 72 cell trays with a seed starting mix.

FEB. 6, 2009
4 Gloriosa Daisy PT
16 Moss Curled Parsley PT; 3/14 all were moved to LP
6 Verbena bonariensis Top sown again 2/19/09, resown heavily 3/16
3 Husker’s Red Penstemon PT; Surface Sow
7 Quartz Mix Verbena Just cover; only 2 up, resown 5 on 2/26 in PT
8 LP Tango Celery Soak overnight; plant shallowly, needs light

FEB. 12
2 LP Mucho Nacho Jalapeno
8 LP Fat n’ Sassy Peppers
2 LP Anaheim Chili Pepper Received and planted 3/21
1 LP Jalapeno M Jalapeno Pepper (Planted 3/3) Germinated 3/21

FEB.19
8 Butterfly Mix Pentas Do NOT cover pelleted seed!
4 Delfino Cilantro

FEB. 24
5 Little Gem Romaine Lettuce
4 Jericho Romaine Lettuce
1 LP Black Krim LEAVE ROOM TO BUILD UP TOMATOES
1 LP Celebrity FILL LP's ONLY 1/2 WAY
1 LP Cherokee Purple (Replant 3/6 and 4 on 3/9) Bad seed?
1 LP Cowlick's Brandywine
1 LP KBX
3 LP Opalka
1 LP Constoluto Genovese
1 LP Sandul Moldovan (Started Feb. 26)
1 LP Gold Nugget Tomato (Started Feb. 19)
1 LP Green Cherokee (Started 3/14)

MARCH 2
11 Scarlet Starlet Marigold (wait for April 5 next season. Moved to LP 4/5.)
8 Salvia Mix (Lady In Red, Coral Nymph, Yvonne’s, Dill); Heavily resown 3/22
7 Strawberry Fields Gomphrena; PT, cover lightly
1 Helen Mount Viola
1 Mosaic Kong Coleus (Planted 3/5)
1 Sun Mix Coleus (Planted 3/5)
1 Giant Exhibition Coleus (3/5)
2 Onion Chives (Planted 3/12)
1 Red Rubin Basil (Planted 3/16)
4 Simpson Elite Lettuce (Planted 3/20)
18 ‘Evergreen’ Long White Bunching Scallions (Onions) (Planted 3/22)
D. Sow ‘Cherry Belle’ Radishes (Planted 3/28)

April 5
12 SP Queen Mix Cleome
4 Thumbelina Zinnia
10 SP Will Rogers Zinnia
7 SP Alaska Nasturtium
2 LP Black-Eyed Susan Superstar Orange Vine
1 LP Mexican Sunflower ‘Torch’
1 Fernleaf Dill
Pkt. Burpeeana Early Peas (First planting 3/25)
Pkt. Sugar Snap Peas (First planting 3/25)

APRIL 28...The final round
2 LP Cameo Elegance Morning Glory (For container with Thumbelina and B-E Susan Vine)
4 LP Scarlet O’Hara Morning Glory (S) Notch or 24 hour soak morning glories
2 LP Clarke’s Heavenly Blue Morning Glory
2 LP Scarlet Runner Bean
2 LP Jack Be Little Pumpkin
2 LP Salad Bush Hybrid Cucumber
2 LP Bush Sugar Baby Watermelon
3 LP Minnesota Midget Muskmelon
2 LP Iroquois Melon