1.30.2008

Buying Seeds

Buying seeds is so much fun. We were at Lowes a couple weeks ago and bought some seeds. I wanted to try hot peppers, but didn't want an entire packet of seeds. We found this greenhouse kit. It has 3 varieties; Hot Portugal, Santiago Hybrid, and Sweet Cayenne. I will probably buy some Sweet Bell Peppers too. Last year I chopped and froze any peppers that were not used within a week. We have not had to buy peppers since sometime last Spring.












I also got a packet of corn seeds. My sister wants me to try growing corn, and I didn't want to spend a lot on some fancy variety from a seed catalog and have a major failure. I don't want to plant it in my garden because of all the nutrients it will remove. My current plan is to move my compost pile somewhere else and plant it in that corner. The variety I chose is Candy Corner Hybrid.
My Mom got 2 packets of seeds; a Spreading Petunia (Tidal Wave{R} Purple), and a Black-Eyed Susan vine (Thunbergia). We were both interested in it, having seen it in one of the seed catalogs.

We also bought some Greenhouse Flats. I have a mini greenhouse that we bought when I was much younger. It's probably 10 years old at least. The plastic cover has started to crack, and I've been on the lookout for a replacement since last year. Most of the garden catalogs had some form of mini greenhouse, but cost more than I wanted to spend. We got a set of three for about six dollars. I can't wait to start planting! Unfortunately, if I start planting seeds now I'm going to have some very spindly plants by the time they can be planted outside. I've gone through my calendar and noted when to plant all my seeds.

8 comments:

Ginny said...

It bears repeating: Sarah, you are such a blessing to our family with your gardening. I can already taste your tomatoes.

Love,
Mom

WiseAcre said...

I laughed reading "about you" and finding "Mr Right". I married "Ms Right" but didn't realize her first name was "Always".

Try using a shop light to grow your seedlings. Keep the light no higher than 3 inches from the top of the plants. No need for "grow tubes". Set them up so you can easily adjust the height as needed.

Sarah said...

Mom- I can taste them too!

Wiseacre- We are planning to buy some shop lights - and I was just reading at Mr. Brown Thumb's Blog (http://mrbrownthumb.blogspot.com) that he uses the cheapest fixtures and bulbs he can get from the hardware store.
Thanks for the advice!
~Sarah

rees cowden said...

Hi Sarah, I stumbled onto your site this morning and just wanted to say hi and let yo know I enjoyed reading your posts. One hint on planting the corn seeds is to plant as much as you can so that it will pollenate correectly. If yo ucan plant a large block be prepared to help mother nature with the pollenation. I've had success with a 1" paint brush by twice a day, as the flowers on the top of the stalk start to open drag the brush across the flowers and then onto the silks. YO may need to open the silks a bit...good luck, there's nothing like fresh sweet corn right off the plant :)
Rees Cowden

Kylee Baumle said...

Thanks for faving me at Blotanical!

I bought seeds on Sunday at Lowe's. I have so many seeds that if I planted all of them, we'd have no grass at Our Little Acre! I can't help it though. Spring can't come soon enough!

I agree with Mr. Brown Thumb. I've used just plain fluorescent bulbs and shop light fixtures for our greenhouse in the basement and it works very well!

Sarah said...

rees- thanks for the advice. I'd heard that it's hard to get corn to pollinate when growing small quantities. I will add your advice to my garden notebook.

kylee- Your Welcome! I really enjoy reading your blog.
Thanks for commenting about light fixtures - I'm feeling a lot less nervous now about how the plants will grow without any fancy lights. :)

Tina said...

Hi Sarah,
I stumbled on your blog yesterday. What a treat!
My husband built me this Plant Stand a few years ago, and I adore it! (it stays together without glue by the way, and then you can pull it apart and store it away). And yes, regular shop lights work just fab. We did lengthen the sides to 20" though.

Have you ever heard of wintersowing? I do it every year and have so many plants I don't know where to put them all! With that technique you don't need the lights, inside space or anything! You can get more info here:
Winter Sowing"
and here:
Winter Sowing forum and FAQ's
And yes, it really works! Why not give it a try and see what you think? I'm betting you'll get as hooked as the rest of us. lol.

Sarah said...

Tina- Thanks for the links. I've been reading a lot of blogs that talk about wintersowing, and I think I may give it a try next year (or this year);)
I love the PVC plant stand. I hadn't quite figured out the shelves, but that might work better than what I was planning.
Thanks for stopping by.
~Sarah