If you know me, it will come as no surprise that I’ve already been out in my garden. It’s my happy place. I love my garden.
I stopped by the local hardware store and picked up some spring-friendly goodies to plant. Here’s what I bought:
- Onion sets
- radish seeds
- butter crunch lettuce seeds
- spinach seeds
- basil seeds
- sugar snap pea seeds
I prefer to grow my plants from seed. I also prefer to stick my seeds right into the ground where they will grow. Some years I get a wild hair and start some seedlings in my house, in a light hut, in January. Usually, I just shove seeds in the ground in the garden.
I think starting seeds in the house is a pain. All the growing, thinning, transplanting, hardening off, and finally relocating them into their final home – the garden. I simply can’t be trusted to remember to turn the heat lamp on and off at the right times. I also can’t be trusted to remember to water them. Between the scorching they get from the endless heat-lamp light, the darkness they get from when I unplug it and forget to plug it back in for 3 days and lack of water because I forgot they were there – my seedlings don’t stand a chance. If they happen to survive, mine will have gone through shock approximately 18 times once they make it to the garden.
I honestly think that the growth I gain by starting them in the house is lost while trying to get my plants out of shock when they finally make it to the garden. I can lose weeks of valuable growing time because the plants are trying to figure out why it’s so sunny and windy and cold and dark ………. seedlings from my house are just too high maintenance.
So, I stick my seeds in the ground.
Looking at dirt isn’t very exciting, so I’ll show you some things sprouting…….
Remember the garlic I planted in January? It’s coming up and looking happy.
In my herb garden, the chives, oregano and thyme are coming back to life.
I cleaned out the fire place and dumped the ashes on my asparagus bed. Did you know that asparagus is a perennial? Once you plant asparagus the plant will give you spears for over 15 years (some say up to 25 years!).
Asparagus likes soil with more alkalinity. Adding wood ash in the soil can help your asparagus thrive. Many plants do not like higher alkalinity, so be sure you only apply the wood ash to beds growing the right plants.
I’ll keep you posted as my new little seeds begin to emerge. It won’t be long!
Happy Gardening!
XO,
Candi
