Wintersowing Commences

I signed up for the a seed growing project over at Gardenbloggers, and I'm growing Nasturtium "Spitfire" for the GROW project (thanks to Renee's Garden for the seeds.) The press kit with the project seeds arrived the other day....
....they included a bonus packet of pink double cosmos seeds-cool!

So I decided to incorporate the GROW project seeds in my wintersowing this year. I moistened the seedling mix with a solution of water and this stuff. It's advertised to help prevent damping off, so I'd used it exclusively for watering my seedlings last year (my "maiden voyage" into indoor seed-starting). I had one seedling appear to succumb to damping off out of all these, so I'll stick with what works. (The only place I've found to purchase PHC is at Gardener's Supply, BTW.)

I sowed three, 36 cell trays: one of wildflower seeds, one of annual flower seeds, and for the first time one tray of veggie seeds. My blogger pal Monica starts her veggies this way every year and swears by it, so I'll try wintersowing and indoor starting the same varieties for a direct comparison. Should be interesting!

There! I set them all out on the porch to "chillax" and await the proper growing temperatures when they'll (hopefully) spring into action. (This was March 4th.)

In another month or so it'll be time to begin the indoor seedlings under lights...there will be a lot more of them. If everything I plant actually grows, I'm gonna be in trouble :)

"I'm growing Nasturtium "Spitfire" for the GROW project, thanks to Renee's Garden for the seeds."

Dragon's Blood Chicken Feeder

Here was a fun little project last summer-planting up this shallow old galvanized chicken feeder. Holes have been drilled all along the bottom for drainage, now what sort of plant might grow well in here?

Sedum! I have a lot of this Dragon's Blood Sedum , Sedum spurium. For the soil I went with a sandy cactus-type mix that I concocted myself...

...there! Doesn't look like much at the initial planting....
....but as the summer progressed this little planter did, too.
Now comes the real test...

...will my hardy sedum survive the winter in this small exposed pot? Another month or so and we'll have the answer!

Mystery Review Product Revealed!

I broke the news the other day that I would be reviewing a complementary item from CSN Stores , and I got word that it shipped on February 26th. March 2nd it arrived! Pretty speedy shipping, and Gizmo is obviously excited for the big reveal... ...it's an Earth Box! Have you ever tried one of these? According to their website: "The patented EarthBox was developed by commercial farmers and proven in the lab and on the farm. Our maintenance-free, award-winning, high-tech growing system controls soil conditions, eliminates guesswork and more than doubles the yield of a conventional garden- with less fertilizer, less water and virtually no effort." I'd seen these advertised and always wanted to try one, but they're fairly pricey (like $50!) so I never bought one. Thank you CSN Stores!!

Got it unpacked, comes with a bunch of accessories-even wheels!

Not too sure how I feel about this "plant food", since I prefer amending my soil over granular products. Guess I'll behave myself this first year and follow the instructions :)

Gizmo inspects the planter, pretty large considering he's 23" long (not including his tail). Interior planter dimensions are 27 1/2" long, 12" wide, and 8" deep....I should be able to grow a bunch of veggies in here!

Good clear instructions too...now I just need some warm weather....soon!
Meanwhile, Gizmo has selected his favorite item in this shipment =^^=
Wow, now I'm really anxious for this growing season!

Disclaimer: CSN Stores gave me this complimentary item in exchange for a review of their stores. The opinions expressed here are honest and all my own.

Important News!!***UPDATE!!***

Victory for the California Tiger Salamanders!

From the Save the Frogs website:
"Big thanks to the 452 SAVE THE FROGS! supporters who sent letters to the California Fish & Game Commission urging them to protect the California Tiger Salamander (Ambystoma californiense). The Commission voted 3-2 yesterday to protect the Tiger Salamanders under the state Endangered Species Act. This represents a major step forward in the conservation of the species. The salamanders are threatened with extinction due to the widespread destruction of their habitat; high rates of road mortality; and hybridization with invasive species. Thanks to the Center for Biological Diversity for initiating and following through with the petitions and lawsuits that kept the pressure on the Commission over the last six years."

Hooray! We did it!



My original post:

Important News!!

The California Tiger Salamander is threatened with extinction, and the state of California is about to vote on whether to list the species under the Endangered Species Act.

Please visit this link and send a letter to the California Fish & Game Commission urging them to list the California Tiger Salamander as Threatened under the state Endangered Species Act. The call for comments period ends at 11:59pm March 1st, so please act quickly!

When you go to the link, all you have to do is fill in a couple fields and hit "send", easy as pie! Please take a minute to help save the California Tiger Salamander...you'll be glad you did!

Something Different

While bird watching the other day, I noticed an unusual looking Pine Siskin at my feeder. See the white spot on his head?

It doesn't look like the other siskins in the bird book....

....it has a piebald feature.

Definately makes this bird stand out in a crowd...

....frankly I find it to be very "fashion forward"! :)