Julia, I know what you mean. We seem to do okay with winter until we get a thaw. We have been in the low 50's too and the snow is going fast but I'm sure there will be more!
I have alot of unknown pollen parent seeds here too. I messed around with pollenating last summer and didn't keep records. I am a little excited tho, because I can remember thinking what a cool mix this or that would be. I kept track of the pod parent and I have little sprouts started. I also put them in the slider window facing south and they do fine. I have a greenhouse but it's too early to put them out there. Soon...

Nancy VB

Hi Julia!!! How fine do you want to sift your dirt?
I used wire (Rabbit)fencing 3+50' 1"sq holes stapled
too 2 by 4 boards 3' by 3' using a rake or your hands
to work through.works for me.You can always use wire
with larger holes.Good luck.
Pat.

Nancy: What type of greenhouse do you have? I've done so much research on them just to learn the pros and cons. I don't think I'd heat it during the winter as the cost of fuel is getting so high here. Need to spend the $$'s on the heat for the house first ;-).

Pat: We want the dirt fine enough to get most of the large rocks out of it. I think the 1" wire would work.

Overnight most of the snow has melted and I can now see 90% of the garden beds with there brown foliage. I'm sure it is pure mush.

Julia

Julia, My husband built the greenhouse out of clear corrugated plastic roofing. He built the frame out of wood and covered it with the roofing. We have an attic fan on one end towards the top and it is connected to a thermostat so it can't get too hot in there. We stabbed a well right inside for easy watering. It is 12x16 with a dirt floor. On the north side we have storage and on the south side are shelves for flats of plants. We also use a tarp to cover the roof with to shade it with in summer and we used an old storm door for the entry way. Last year we added a small wood burner to use for the colder spring nights. I usually don't put anything out there until the first or second week in April. It has worked out great for us because we also start all our own veggies.
Here is a picture of me watering some of my babies. You can see the fan and wood burner. This was inexpensive and works like a charm!

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Hope this has helped. If you have any questions, I'll be glad to help you.

Nancy VB

OH I'm sorry, I moved the picture to a different folder and it went away from the post. Here it is again, sorry.

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Nancy VB

That is a nice greenhouse Nancy.
Or temps reached 60 Yesterday, and I had the day off , so it was a GIFT. I actually did some gardening, just picking up sticks, straightening labels, and generally checking things. Only one iris was heaved up, and I was able to press it back down, cause it was so muddy. Then I placed a heavy stone on it to keep it down. Today it is mid 30's , All of the snow is gone, it is lovely, although the lake is still icy. Here are some signs of spring. Hyacinth coming up, I can smell them now!!
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This is Bowies' mom in the background, but look at the daffs coming up, this is a group I had dug up last fall and divided out. I have this moss that grows in certain sections of my flower beds, but I can generally just pull it out, and yesterday I was able to pull at it and it just rolled right off in big sections, seemed like rolling carpeting. LOL.
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I was able to wash windows too, So this is a pic from my patio roof, it is a good way for me to see the layout and the 'bones' of the garden.
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Can't wait to set up the garden. I also spent the winter finding a bottle tree, something I have always wanted, and I don't have the skill to make one. Well, I found it, and it was a bargain and well made. I am gonna place it out further, this was just to see how it will look. Guess my neighbors will know what I do all winter as those are mostly wine bottles. ha! Cindy
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Over the top - Bottle Tree Ranch

Here is a link that might be useful: Bottle Tree Ranch

Nancy: Great idea for the greenhouse. It looks like you used concrete blocks for the base and then attached the wood to that?

I wish I had taken a pic of the gardens yesterday as most of the snow was gone. Temps were wonderful but all that changed late yesterday when high winds rolled in bringing the temps back to February weather. It has been snowing here since early this morning :-(.

I can almost smell those hyacinth.
Several wineries around here have the bottle trees.They put christmas lights inside the bottles.

Julia

The Bottle Tree ranch was quite the place!!! Thanks for that link. I wish places around here sold the bottle tree, but no such luck. That has to be pretty with the lights in the bottles. I know I can be obsessive about my gardening, but I will NOT get the crazies about Bottle Trees!! Just the one will do for me. LOL. I can change it by switching the bottles, so I am on the search for different colored bottles. I stand in the wine section at the store, trying to see if the bottle glass is colored, etched, or anything interesting. People watching probably think it is a new way to determine if it is a 'good' wine. haha
We are supposed to get a few inches of snow this week, so back to cabin fever, but the 60 degree day sure was nice.
Cindy

We aren't even close to things acutally GROWING yet! *sigh* I'm sooo jealous! We had a couple day tease which got rid of most of the snow, but we had rain all day yeasterdat and now it's a soup bowl. Yuck!

Dani

Cindy,
Gardener's Supply sells a bottle tree, you provide the bottles of course.

I am so eager for bloom. Like you the daffs, hyacinths and tulips are pushing up, but no bloom yet! Ah Spring! We Need you.
kay

It is Deja vu here today. Snowing since last night and still going strong here. I feel like the movie Groundhog Day where the day just keeps repeating itself over and over again.
We are almost at the end of February so hopefully mother nature gets it out of her system this month and March brings more spring like weather.

When is peak bloom in Florida?

Julia

Kay, that is where I found mine!!! I like that company. it was relatively cheap, seeing how most were selling for 100.00. Sturdy with a long four prong stand, and a natural look to it.
Julia, same thing here, snow coming down like crazy, already several inches and they are calling for much more tonight. Enough already!! March can't come too soon, it is usually the change over month. We can only hope. Perhaps March will come in like a lion, and go out like a lamb!! I hope so, cause I have a full week off the last week of March, and am already dreaming about what I am going to do out in the garden. I think peak bloom in Florida is May???
Cindy

Another round of snow is heading our way again for Sunday afternoon. Could get another 6 inches and just when most of the snow is gone from all the rain we have had.

My indoor seedlings are doing really good and only have 14 cups left under the Grow lights. All the rest were moved over to the patio doors on the shelving. Too bad we won't see the sun again till maybe on Monday. :-(.

Did a quick walkabout of the gardens today.From what I can see when looking at the seedlings I planted last year they all survived. All of the sev/ev crosses have green showing at the base of the plant. Now I am really in a pickle as I planted them too close and I'm sure once the growing season starts, they are going to be way too crowded. I don't want to dig and move them since I'm hoping for some blooms and moving them may set them back. Lesson learned!

Julia