I'm not growing anything yet. It'll be another week or two before I start. I was going to try onions from seed but didn't get them started last month. Instead, I'll buy them from friends at farmers market who grow beautiful onions.

This is a wonderful time of year. The sap is running very well right now. It's been in the mid 40°s during the day and mid 20°s at night at my house. When you step out into the yard after I've emptied buckets you hear lots of dripping. I love listening to the sap drip.

Blackbirds, cowbirds, starlings and grackles are making their way across the state. I've been seeing robins between Princeton and Machias all winter. The Maine Birding list had a report of a woodcock yesterday.

I still have 6-8" of snow in the yard and two feet some places in the woods. We're still snowshoeing. No signs of bulbs poking through around the foundation yet.

Hurry home!

I started my onions in Feb. and they are doing fine, have clipped their tops once so far. My eggplant is up with no true leaves yet. I will start some peppers later this week if I have time.

I ordered a bunch of varieties of poppies from Thompson & Morgan. Some double salmon pink orientals, and mixed colors of California in every color but orange. I sowed them in cups and put them out in the greenhouse. Last year I just sprinkled the seeds where I wanted them to grow in early spring, but not many of them came up. Apparently they are fussier than the yellow California poppies that reseed all over. This year I'll have more control.

I also sowed some mixed lettuces in the greenhouse.

Well I think am a little early on some things.... But I just couldn't help myself! Let's see the two things am most excited about; a girlfriend from Bulgaria sent me tomato seeds, that did wonderful last year, I read how to save the seeds, and followed directions and *They came up!* I am tickled pink about that! Than a neighbor gave me a pumpkin for my grandson, and I read about saving them, and they came up! Their already 6" tall so I think I might be a tad early on them! Hehehe That part of seed collecting; is what I like best! IÂve already planted:
Bells of Ireland (Never Had)
Obedience Plant (Never Had)
Chinese Foxglove (Never Had)
Ummmmm I think the list is too long! Heheheh about 15 different varieties so far, with about 10 more to go!

Robin I just tapped some trees for the first time this year. Would you know where I can get some supplies? I need the felt for straining the syrup? What kind of cooking setup do you have? I found out already the tapping and collecting is the easy part! The cooking is another story any advice?

lilyroseviolet are you a moderator here or something, I notice you're always trying to keep us involved in the forums! Good work btw! What happened to Dollmakers post?

Be Well
Sky

I am your average joe poster that use to be a wanna be cheerleader however,I would say veilchen is the moderator, and from her input much more experienced, but thank you for the compliment.

What do you mean what happened to Dollmakers post? Did she get a posting removed.? SOmetimes I find my posts removed,too, usually I think I deserve it, butsometimes its a mystery.

Did you see her post about leaving The Garden Web? Well that post was removed? Curious as to who did it and why? That type of thing really bothers me! It's funny how USA prides it's self on being a free country; but every day it seems more and more controlling than the day before! :(

Be well
Sky

I must confess I haven't started anything yet. However, I finally have a gro-light this year, so hope to have better success with seedlings. I tend to plant too early and end up with very weak and spindly plants so I'm trying to restrain myself. Will probably get some things planted next week. Veilchen---I've never had any luck transplanting poppies. Will you share your secret?

I just sowed some flower seeds for the wife but like the above post I am trying to restrain myself! I am going to start the pepper's this weekend. I think that I may wait a bit on everything else. My neighbor laughed at me last year for all the extra work I did with the early stuff and then the raised beds etc. He put his in @ the beginning of june and everything came up close to mine! His corn was the only thing that was late, ended up giving that to the deer. I miss having my hands smell like the soil that I work, its like hugging my wife only to smell her later in the day on my shirt. You stop just for a second and find yourself thinking of better day's. Oh Mother Nature be good to us and bring us the good weather!!
Mac

I spent an hour in the greenhouse yesterday. I started a few things while my daughter moved some herbs into larger pots. We removed an old mouse nest and will set traps today.

veilchen, have you grown black poppies? I bought seed this year.

>>Robin I just tapped some trees for the first time this year. Would you know where I can get some supplies? I need the felt for straining the syrup? What kind of cooking setup do you have? I found out already the tapping and collecting is the easy part! The cooking is another story any advice?I got my spiles, covers and buckets at Blue Seal in Bangor. Instead of felt I use a thick layer of cheesecloth. The covers do a good job of keeping stuff out so there's not much to filter out. If I come across felt I'm going to try it.

I use the frame of a turkey frier to boil down. If you don't know what I mean I'll take a picture this afternoon. It's set up in the driveway for easy access. You want a fairly short pan so that steam rises easily without building up on the sides and running back into the pan. I'm linking to a publication UMaine has online that should be helpful.

Here is a link that might be useful: How to Tap Maple Trees and Make Syrup

Thank you very much Robin, now I have more questions :) I am using milk jugs, easy for me to handle. So there really isn't any way for debris to get in the jugs. Seeing I didn't know exactly what they were talking about in reference to the felt, and I didn't have any cheesecloth I opted to just leave it in the jar, until I decided what to do. In a pint jar, there must have been atleast 1-2" of what I figured was the "sand" they spoke of. Am I doing something wrong? Turkey fryer! Hmmmmmm no am sorry I don't know what it looks like, when I first read you're post I thought you meant a roasting pan, which is what I used to cook it on my stove top! I sure would appreciate a picture, if its not too much trouble. Thank you very much for the link.

Be well,
Sky

No never tried the black poppies.

Established oriental poppies are difficult to move. I have some patches of them that are "colonizing" the area they are in (too many). They're the common red ones. I do love them but they really are spreading. So last year I potted up as many divisions as I could get, on a cloudy day, watered well, and placed in the shade until plant sale. Out of about 20 only 5 survived.

I have taken root cuttings from them, that always works.

It's an experiment growing both oriental and california from seed. I figure that if I transplant the orientals from their pots while they're still small they may be ok.

The californias seem to transplant fine from pots. They're an annual anyways, so no need to "divide" them. In the past I have sowed the seed in place but this year I want more control over their success.

Ok Mac ... LoL I guess I am in deep doo do planting so early! But but I am betting on a very early planting season this year! "Yeah yeah early planting season; thatÂs why I started so early!" *Smile* I just couldnÂt help myself thatÂs all there is to it!

So now that I started too early! And things are growing leaps and bounds, I am preparing for Plan B.

First question to you all is this: I bought some marigolds from a near by greenhouse last year, and I bought White Marigold seeds, the plants of course are a different variety, but the height was to be the same. When I planted the greenhouse marigolds they had a wonderful root mass and of course a blossom, but mine didnÂt! Now when I spoke to a girl at the greenhouse, she said the root system came from bottom heat. Now one would think a better root system would mean a healthier plant, and more blossoms but this sure wasnÂt true in this case. IÂve enclosed a picture for you to see the difference. Both plants were set out the same date. I eventually pulled up the orange marigolds, because the white ones just over powered the greenhouse grown marigolds; and they looked pitiful.

That is why I began growing my own seeds in the first place! IÂve watched the difference in performance in flowers bought from green houses deteriorate so badly year after year. I can only assume itÂs because of forcing them to bloom! I realize most people what to see color when they buy a plant, but at what price?? Off on a tangent here.

Plan B: CanÂt I just put them in a cool area, and slow the growth down? Also I plan on transplanting too Mac. LOL

Be Well
Sky

Here is a link that might be useful: {{gwi:1041706}}

I've got some Liatris seedlings emerging and some lavender. Also a few White Swan Echinacea from Johnny's seeds are coming up in my containers. I have more to start at the end of the month once, I move the others and the second sets of leaves appear. I have a little bit of room in my art studio for my seedlings. I've been reading alot about winter sowing but would like to hear from some other people in Maine who have had success. This is my second year gardening and growing seeds. Technically, it could be my third but all I did was move some daylilies from one area of the yard to the next. Tom