I've Started These Flower and Herb Seeds

16 years ago

I've been busy starting seeds in flats this week--some of them indoors under lights and some wintersown in flats that are sitting outside on the porch, partially shaded, and out of the wind. (For the wintersown seeds, I have to tape the clear dome onto the flats with duct tape because the winds we're having this winter seem especially strong and persistent.)

Here's the seeds I've started.

HERBS:

Basil, Fineleaf (Dwarf)

Basil, Italian Flat Leaf

Basil, Italian Large Leaf

Basil, Lemon (regular)

Basil, Lemon ("Mrs. Burns")

Basil, Lime

Basil, Purple Ruffles

Basil, Red Rubin

Borage

Catnip

Catmint

Feverfew

Peppermint

Spearmint

Thyme

FLOWERS:

Achillea, "Summer Berries"

Achillea, "Summer Pastels"

Agastache, Lavender Hyssop

Butterfly Weed (Asclepias tuberosa)

Celosia "Red Velvet"

Dahlia, "Bishop's Children"

Gazania, "Sunshine Mix Improved"

Hollyhock, "Queeny Mix"

Hollyhock (Fig-Leaved), "Happy Lights"

Ipomopsis "Hummingbird Mix"

Kniphofia "Flamenco"

Mexican Ciger Plant

Nicotiana, "Aztec Sweet Scent"

Nicotian, "Lime Green"

Nicotiana, "Perfume Deep Purple"

Penta, "Kaleidoscope Appleblossom"

Penta, "New Look Pink"

Penta, "New Look Red"

Penta, "New Look Rose"

Penta, "New Look Violet"

Penta, "New Look White"

Petunia, "Laura Bush" (purple)

Petunia, "Pink Laura Bush"

Salvia "Bonfire"

Salvia "Whopper Lighthouse"

Salvia superba "Rose Queen"

Tobacco 'TN86' (ornamental, yellow flowers)

Verbascum, Mullein "Shades of Summer"

Viola "Helen Mount"

FOLIAGE PLANTS:

Coleus, "Rainbow Mix"

Cordyline (aka New England Flax or Spikes)

Pampas Grass, Pink

Pampas Grass, White

It sounds like a lot, and it is, but I have a lot of beds to fill. The last two years have been rough ones. Last year, we were excessively wet (as I am sure y'all remember) and I lost a lot of perennials and annuals who couldn't handle the prolonged soggy soil. (Even improved red clay tends to hold excess water for a long, long, time.) The previous year, the drought was so bad that I finally quit watering in mid-June and lost a lot of plants to the drought. (The red clay baked to the consistency of concrete, cracked and wouldn't absorb water.)

So, at least as far as flowers are concerned, I'm starting over while keeping my fingers crossed and hoping that some of the reseeding annuals and perennials will return, but all I'm seeing so far is a lot of bare soil.

I hope to start more seeds today. Still have 2 flats to fill.

Dawn

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Comments (16)

brandy222
16 years ago
Ok Dawn, I'm going to do it . . . I'm going to start some seeds this weekend! I bought some tray that have a draining tray and a lid. I am sure I could have done it with stuff I have here at home but I didn't want to take chances. lol

The seeds I have bought to start are:
chamomile
spinach
hollyhock
marigold
carrots
tomato (supersweet hybrid)
jubilee tomato
brandywine tomato
peppermint
anaheim chili pepper
nasturtium

I have been reading as many of these forum entry's as I can and I got the book "Companion Planting" and am trying to take all of the advice into consideration. I have a lot more seeds I would like to start but I don't want to overwhelm myself. I will still buy some transplants from the nursery.
Do you have any specific advice on these varieties? What kind of light considerations should I be thinking about? I have done tomatoes and peppers in my windowsill before with good luck.
Well, I am just trying to absorb some gardening knowledge here. hee hee
You want to know the worst part? I am a full-time student and every minute I spend on this forum is one more minute I should be doing homework. hee hee
Okiedawn OK Zone 7
Original Author
16 years ago
Brandy,

Do you have a light to grow them under, or will your only light source be light from the window?

We made a simple light shelf by buying cheap white plastic shelves from Wal-Mart and then buying 3 fluorescent light fixtures and hanging them (using screws that were screwed into the bottom of the shelf above) by little chains so I could raise or lower the lights. (I now have three shelf units like that, and the biggest one holds 15 flats of plants!)

New seedlings like and NEED to have the lights very close to them---so close that the lights almost touch the plants. Without that, the plants will be "stretching" to get enough light and will become "leggy" which means they have too much stem and too little leaf and often collapse and fall over 'cause they stretched and grew too tall too fast. You don't want tall, leggy seedlings. You want short, stocky, dark green, healthy seedings. The reason they get leggy is that artificial lighting is weaker than sunlight so they stay hungry for "more, more, more".

If you have had success with veggies on the windowsill, you might get enough light from that window to grow your flowers and herbs without supplemental lighting.

The worst part? Maybe it is the best part. Being a full-time student is HARD WORK and it is important to have "down time" in which you do something fun or enjoyable. Think of it as "mental health time". No one can (or should) study ALL the time. Don't get me wrong. It is important to study. But it is also important to have a life and to do things that make you happy.

Dawn
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Here's some of my experiences growing herbs from seed. Thyme: the best for eating is Summer Thyme. It germinates best (indoors) with a heat mat giving consistently warm temps, and then after germination it grows quite slow. This can be started any time now to have decent transplants. Oregano germinates easy and grows a little quicker but would still be worth starting early as it takes a while to get plants to harvestable size. I've not grown winter savory, but I do start Summer Savory each year - this is a fast growing plant and doesn't require seeding more than 6 weeks ahead of frost when started indoors. Basil is another seed that benefits from warmth for germination. This plant most definitely will suffer from cool temps. Dill and Borage can be direct seeded. I've not grown any type of mint from seed, only from cuttings. Be very, very careful where you plant this as mint's main purpose in life is to take over the world. I've not grown Cilantro yet but I do have seeds to start this year. I'm planning to start them about mid-March and grow cooler rather than warmer. I like to grow herbs in pots which, I find, keeps the plants cleaner therefore easier to harvest. You can also then place the pot in conditions the herbs like best. Basil, Oregano and Thyme all like as much heat and sun as you can throw at them and dryish soil. I like to make an herb garden in a 3 to 5 gallon pot, covering the soil with crushed rock after transplanting, which helps keep the soil warm and the herbs clean.
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Hey there, I too will share what I have learned... Basil - It will grow in a pot or garden (if you use a pot I suggest it has own pot), one plant will take all the dirt if you let it(unless in the garden), more plants and the dirt runs out sooner. I suggest you kill it early, having planted one every other week or so, that is unless you want free seeds. In that case let one or a few plants live till they flower and die, or if you want just trim the flower/seed part off after the majority of the flowers have open and turned brown, then harvest the seed, very easy to do, just a little time consuming. You can keep using the basil though some think that the basil becomes bitter after it sets flowers, i cannot tell the difference. As for starting from seeds, start them in your normal pot, just broadcast a few seeds on the dirt, water it and it will grow. If you harvest your own seeds you will no longer worry about how many seeds you put down(i.e. you will have too many!) Garlic Chives - mine are in a sq ft garden, Mine are three years old now, started from seed, and transplanted. They will over winter fine (they just look ugly during the winter). The leaves have gotten broader each year, they look nothing like the chives at the store, but they taste good! I agree with what others have said each plant has a bulb it works from, and has a few to several leaves per bulb. I am sure these would work in a pot, but I think if you can put them in the yard or garden it would be much better for you they are a very tidy decorative plant. These too will go to seed, they produce a cool little flower for each plant (the bees loved these!!!). That is where the seeds are developed. also you can eat the flower if you want, just tear it apart and use like chives. You can save the seed for spring if you want each flower makes like 25+ seeds, way too many for me use, as you do not have to replant chives each year. Cilantro - Really easy to grow, broadcast some seed, water if you want, they start regardless. They do have a hard time in the heat, just plant more (seeds are free!) I think they do like a mostly sunny spot that has some shade in the day (they did better when I had a lot together, probably kept the ground cooler). Leave a couple or more to go to seed again, and free seed!! Each plant (depending on size) make like 10-50 seeds. Again you won't care about the amount you plant you have plenty from each plant. Again the plant tends to lose flavor when they go to seed. Their ok in a pinch (nutritionally they should be ok just not as much flavor). I suggest a planting each week if you really like it, or every other week if you don't. Takes a few (2-4) weeks to reach a collectable amt per plant. These will over winter BUT the plant has no flavor (sometimes a bad flavor) in spring time. Suggest tilling in, unless some one knows if the plant will recover? I have one plant that has overwinter and is becoming bigger than any cilantro plant I have every had, it is the size of a large parsley plant now, I want to see if it recovers or not. Btw collecting their seed is way easier than the basil's, they have a large seeds. Btw the seed as a spice is called Coriander, I set some seed aside for cooking with. Thyme - A store bought starter plant, is several years old now overwinters fine, but has thick (2-3mm) stock now like kinda like a little bonsai tree (haha). Not as productive as first year (but that may be because I STUPIDLY put pasta water on it, DOH there is salt in that!!! It's not good for the plant you know, didn't kill it though, just made the leaves really tiny. haha that hurt to write). Even though it has flowered, I have not found how to get seeds yet (though I have not searched yet). It has pretty little flowers, could be something ornamental if you wanted. I have started other plants from clippings, just give be sure it has enough plant to give it the chance to live. Parsley - I started with seed (this year, and last year), I have it in the garden and in pots. in the garden it might overwintered fine, last years plant was older with a large root the size of a carrot or so, it rotted before the middle of winter, this years plant is still alive and is growing fine, go figure. Though it is not a bushy little plant, now it is a flat plant very close to the ground, tastes fine though. The plants in the pots are from last year, they are still doing well, I had them inside during the winter, seem to fare well in the window, almost no growth as expected though, that is until I put them outside in the late winter sun. These did not go to seed, though I thought they should have (would have been nice, but no free seed!). Garlic - This is the first year for me, and they are still in the ground. Pots should work, I think ground is better. I started the first batch in the garden in October, the second batch was in pots planted about Nov-Dec, they sprouted inside the house by the window. The first batch in the garden really took off now the weather has warmed, with some of the stalks now about an inch in diameter (much bigger than I expected as it is not supposed to be ready to harvest until August). The second batch isn't doing as well. These were put out before the last frost, and taken in at night (to avoid the frost), to take advantage of the warmer weather and sunlight. But they have not had the growth the first batch have had, they just seem spindly, but I think they will catch up. I have just planted another batch in the garden. I really think that the way these are sprouting they may catch up to the first batch. My original spacing was with 4 per sq ft, I think that is too far apart though, I think that you could probably squeeze 5 in a sq ft easily. I'm told the garlic leaves are edible (might be thought though), use them like green onions. Garlic may develop a bulb looking item on a stalk (and/or flower) this is a seed/clove and is also edible or you can plant it. I saw a video from some farmer on expertvillage.com and he had a great Idea. Intended for plantings in a garden, but works in a pot also. Say for example you have a garden full of winter vegetables right now, no room for garlic. Well what you do is plant the whole head of garlic in October like normal in a small area or a pot. The cloves sprout, you let them grow like normal till spring, then remove the bunch of sprouts and separate them (carefully) and transplant them where you want when the ground is ready, viola you have a jump start for the garlic. I have tried this, so far the plants seem good. Mint - grown from seed in a pot, grows and grows and grows... Once established will take over anything you put it in pot, garden, yard... beware the mint! Its not as bad as that, but I have heard the horror stories... Also I don't know why but... my mint sucks, It has no flavor, no aroma, little leaves. I'm gonna give it till the summer to shape up or I'm gonna compost the little sucker. Gonna have to find a better mint, suggest you try before you buy a plant. Oregano - Grown from seed, in pot, this might overwinter. Grows similar to mint with it's long stems,though they do grow a lot slow than mint. It might be able to grow up a trellis, and may be worth it as it has nice little flowers. The stems will take root to begin a new plant if you want, not sure about how to get the seeds though. Oregano in an 8 inch pot got root bound by end of the season. Sage - Was grown from seed in a pot, started last spring. It is a shrub so should have no problem overwintering. I have several plants in one 8 inch pot, does not seem root bound yet. Alright hope this helps, sorry I was so long winded!!.
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JamesY40
16 years ago
Hi Dawn, Where did you find the penta seeds. I have not been able to locate any? Thanks, James
Okiedawn OK Zone 7
Original Author
16 years ago
Hi James!

I got mine from Park Seed. They are EXTREMELY HARD to germinate and quite slow to germinate, as well, so I have them on a seed-starting heat mat, and that is helping. Everything else I planted sprouted within just a few days, but the pentas are just now sprouting. The seeds are teeny-tiny and need to be surface sowed, by the way. And I only water them as needed with a spray bottle set to a very fine mist so I don't wash them down deeply into the soil.

Dawn

Here is a link that might be useful: Park's Pentas
JamesY40
16 years ago
Dawn, Thanks for the reply. James
ozlifter
15 years ago
Hi everyone. I posted a few times last year, and I've been reading the forums since, but this is my first post this spring.

I've started seeds in the past on a windowsill with moderate success. This year I decided to invest a little money and time in a seed starting shelf. All together, it cost around $150 (not counting the seeds or trays).

Well, I went a little overboard with my seed purchases and have run out of room. I haven't yet decided if I want to start a second shelf or just not plant everything I bought right away.

I'm such a newbie, that I have no idea if all the seeds I've started will do well in Oklahoma. Perhaps I've started some of them too early? I'm going to keep a little spreadsheet and see what works for me and what doesn't. I ordered some seeds from Select Seeds, some from Harris Seeds, and picked others up at Wal Mart and Lowes.

Here is what I've planted so far:

Rainbow Coleus
Queen Anne's Thimbles
Cleome White Queen
Cleome Color Fountain
Spanish Flag Ipomoea lobata
Chinese forget-me-not
Ageratum "Blue Horizon"
Amaranth "Magic Fountain"
Amaranth "Oeschberg"
Phlox Coral Reef
Purple Bell Vine
Balsam Impatiens
Cockscomb
Impatients Dwarf Pink
Gaillardia
Petunia "Tidal Wave"
Marigold "Disco Yellow"
Veronica "Blue Bonnet"
Ptilotus "Joey"
Salvia "Strata"
Salvia "Flare"
Gomphrena "QIS Carmine"
Bidens Verbena Amarilla
Scabiosa "Summer Breeze"
Texas Blue Bonnet
Black Eyed Susan vine
Tritoma "Red Hot Poker"
Asclepias "Butterfly flower"
Marigold "Snowman Hybrid"
Bachelor Buttons "Blue Boy"
Achillea "Summer Pastels"
Moonflower Ipomoea alba
Tithonia Torch
Lantana Red and Orange

Purple Basil
Thyme
Rosemary
Tarragon

And I just ordered today from 2B Seeds:
A-940 Pentas-Butterfly Mix
A-181 Black Dragon Coleus
A-384 Millet-Ornamental Purple Majesty
A-424 Nicotiana-Perfume-Mix
A-259 Geranium Maverick Orange
A-152 Celosia-Flamingo-Purple
B-612 Bee's Select Seeds, Celsoia-Yellow

So, can I just leave the plants in the peat pellets until I get ready to put them into the ground? Or should I move them into a larger container like a paper cup first?
Okiedawn OK Zone 7
Original Author
15 years ago
Oz,

Whether or not you leave them in the peat pellets is up to you. I'd base my decision on a couple of facts:

1) How soon they are going to go into the ground. If you are going to plant them out in March (and with our variable weather, that might be iffy), they should be able to survive that long in peat pellets. Once the plants are 3" tall or so, though, you may need to feed them with a water-soluable fertilizer because peat pellets are essentially "dead" and have no nutrition in them for the plants. You could use the fert. of your choice--I like using liquid seaweed or fish emulsion.

2) How warm the seed-starting room is/how quickly they dry out. One of the problems with peat pellets is that they hold too much water initally when you first add water to them to get them to "expand" and "fluff up", and then once they dry out, it can be very hard to get them wet again. So, water regularly so they don't get dry and hard, but don't keep them sopping wet. If you keep peat pellets too wet, then damping off, which is a disease that kills the seedlings, becomes a huge issue.

3) Potting them up into cups gives them a huge advantage root wise, so I always pot up into cups using a good, sterile soil-less potting mix. Look at the size of your pellets and the size of the roots you can have in those pellets. Then look at a 12 or 16-oz. cup and imagine what size the roots could attain in those. If your plants are going to be inside another 3-4 weeks, your plants could gain a lot of root growth in paper cups during that time.

4) Potting them up into paper cups makes hardening off a lot easier. With larger plants in paper or plastic cups, you'll find the hardening off process will be easier to achieve. Plants in very small peat pellets often dry out very quickly as you are hardening them off outside in the sun and wind. If it is especially windy, they can be blown out of the flat. Plants in cups have a little more weight and hold moisture better, so they are a little easier to manage during the hardening-off process.

And, I've grown most of what you've started from seed and they've done well for me here. I haven't grown pilotus, though, and Texas Bluebonnets usually flower in April-May from a fall planting. I am not sure if you'll get flowers this year from seed if it was planted only recently. On the other hand, I have planted "Alamo Fire" (red-flowered) bluebonnet seed in the spring, and those bloomed in June-July.

Dawn
devilwoman
15 years ago
I used an old typewriter/computer stand I had in the garage. Since it's considerably more narrow than the four-foot light I got I placed a piece of plywood on top of it so there's room for two trays end to end under the light. The tray with seeds is covered and on a heating mat. Doesn't look nearly as nice as ozlifter's or Dawn's, but it seems to be working.

I can't remember now if I planted seeds last Tuesday or Wednesday evening, but by Saturday night I had okra, cucumbers, purple-hull peas, and basil all sprouted. The basil seeds are old, from 2006 I think, so I'm amazed they sprouted. This morning I noticed onions had sprouted. I also think I saw one four o'clock trying to push a sprout up.

I have two kinds of tomato seeds planted but no sign of baby plants yet. I also have some vinca that haven't yet come up either. Oddly, at least to me, all these said germination would take between 7 and 10 or 14 days, and it only took them 3-4 days!

I took the baby plants out of the covered tray and put them in an open one just under the light. Tonight I will replace the ones removed with some Grandpa Ott morning glory seeds I collected from the ones I grew last year, and some various colors of Sundial series portulaca. The portulaca are seeds I bought last year and only one grew in the bed where I planted them, but I think maybe wind and rain helped cover them up more than they liked.

The okra that's sprouted is from the very first pod that formed last year. I figured one pod was not enough to eat so I just left that first one on the plant to go to seed.

I'm using peat pots with Jiffy Seed Starter mix in them. They're about the size of old bathroom Dixie cups. If I'm not planning on putting them in the ground until late April would it be wise to get some styrofoam coffee cups, which are a bit larger though not much, to put them in while we wait on Mother Nature to warm things up enough? If so how soon should I put them in cups and can I just put the whole peat pot in it with more starter mix to fill the cup? Or should I go for something larger than coffee cups?

Debra
Okiedawn OK Zone 7
Original Author
15 years ago
Debra,

It doesn't matter what your seed-starting setup looks like as long as it gets the job done!

Fresh seed often does sprout in only 3 or 4 days, and I've had tomatoes sprout in 1-2 days, especially when using a heat mat.

I wouldn't start the Grandpa Ott seeds too early. They will be ready to go outside just a week or so after they break the soil surface and you'll drive yourself crazy trying to manage them if you have to hold them inside for long at all.

Of the seeds you started, these are rapid growers that need to go into the ground within 2-3 weeks (or less) of sprouting: okra, cucumbers, purple-hull peas. I don't know if you can hold them inside for another 6 weeks or so.

Portulaca, vinca, basil, and tomatoes grow more slowly and will be fine inside if they cannot be planted out until late in April but would be happier transplanted into styrofoam or paper cups. In order to hold them in those cups and still allow adequate root growth, I'd use 16 or 20 oz. cups with holes punched in the bottom for drainage.

If you use the Jiffy peat pellets that have the netting around them, remove the netting and plant them into the cups. I would put an inch or two of potting soil in the bottom of the 20-oz. cup, then set the pellet right on top of that soil, and then pack in potting soil all around the pellet.

I use peat pellets only as germinators, so I might have 9-12 tomato plants in one pellet for example. If you use them that way, you label your cups (I label mine with duct tape attached to the cup and written on with a waterproof garden marker), poke drainage holes in the bottom of the cups, fill them with potting soil and then prick apart the seedlings gently and plant one or two per cup. I like doing it that way because (a) I use fewer peat pellets, (b) pulling the plants apart gently and replanting them actually stimulates better root growth, and (c) anything left in peat pellets is prone to moisture problems, so I like to get them mostly out of the peat.

Small onions need to grow on for a while before you can transplant them, but George or someone else who grows them from seed will have to tell you about that because I start mine from small onion plants.

Dawn
devilwoman
15 years ago
Thanks for all the information, Dawn, you are, as always, a wealth of wonderful information!

If necessary, I can probably just get another light and hang it over my garage work table to put taller plants under. I think this one was only about $14 at Westlake. Other than having to provide another light source for the taller seedlings, I have all kinds of space I can use.

I used peat pots rather than the pellets. They're just about the size of the old Dixie paper cups people used to keep in bathrooms. I still have to fill them with seed starting mix. I figure I can probably just add some more mix to the bottom of a cup then set the peat pot in the cup and fill the sides with more mix.

Like you said, I put quite a few of very small seeds in each pot. Larger seeds I put 3 per pot. You never know when they are not going to sprout. I'm thinking I might be able to cut the peat pots to separate out the seedlings where many of them sprouted. I guess that's another good reason to move them into styrofoam cups. Of course, I may end up with way more plants than I have space to grow!

OH, and I noticed last night I have two tomato seedlings! The Traveler 76 seeds have sprouted in two of the three pots I planted them in. The Better Boy have not yet, but I did notice when I planted them that they were pelletized. Would that be prone to making them take a bit longer to germinate?

Debra
jlhart76
15 years ago
I repotted all of my tomatoes this weekend; took them from the pellets into individual pots. Holy smokes I have a TON of tomato seedlings! Even after I kill half of them, I'll be giving the rest away. I also repotted my herbs into their new homes, so all I have left are the peppers but I'm out of pots. Guess I need to go buy some paper cups so I can finish. I tried wintersowing a few things, & whaddya know, I have sprouts! Plant seeds & ignore...I can do that! Now hopefully the others will take off too.
Okiedawn OK Zone 7
Original Author
15 years ago
Debra,

If you didn't pre-soak the pelletized seed in water, it probably will take them a few more days to sprout.

I don't even know why they pelletize them. It isn't like they are really tiny like carrot seeds.

When you repot the peat pots into cups, SOAK the pots until they are soft, or cut an "X" in the bottom of them with a knife so the roots can escape. Otherwise, it can be very hard for young roots to grow through the bottoms of the pots and it can set them back about a month or so.

Jhart,

Tons of tomato seedlings is good. You can never have too many. When you have extras to share, it makes people so very, very happy!

Wintersowing is wonderful. I like seeds that sprout and grow with only minimal assistance.

Dawn
ozlifter
15 years ago
Dawn, I have a question for you. Or for anyone else who might know.
Atwoods has their seeds for 25% off right now. I'm thinking of buying some more wave petunia seeds to add to the ones I already have, but I'm wondering if it's too late in the year to be starting any new petunia seeds.
spademilllane
15 years ago
Okiedawn, Ozlifter, et al.:

Do all of you have a lab notebook (you know, the big-size flexible notebook with graph paper on it and little lines below saying "Date", "Experiment Approved", "Research" and so on) and record all of this?

I am stunned by your attention to detail, the scope of your endeavors, the depth of knowledge you bring to this. Is all of this intellectual and sweat equity just being tossed onto the internet like buying a package of seeds and sprinkling them to the winds, or are you saving it for analysis?

I'm just impressed with the depth and breadth here, and wondering if, at the end of the day, anyone is analyzing the results....
Okiedawn OK Zone 7
Original Author
15 years ago
Oz,

If it was the older types of petunias, I'd say it is too late because they are so slow to start blooming. Wave, though, is pretty fast and I think Purple Wave is faster to bloom from seed than the rest of the Wave series. As it is, I'd say you're right at the verge of being too late but it might be worth a try. A lot depends on how petunias do for you in your part of the state. Also, if you are going to plant them where they get shade during the hot afternoons in July and August, then a late planting ought to do just fine too.

Down here in extreme southcentral OK, the June heat just beats them up and I don't like the way they look from July on so I usually replace them then, or at least I used to back when I grew Wave petunias. In your part of the state, you might see the petunias looking good deeper into the summer so it might be worth your while to start some now. This is one of those where you can flip a coin and decide.

Spademiller,

This forum IS our lab notebook!

As far as analyzing the results, I think we all do that. We try things one way or another, keep and continue the practices that work and discard those that don't. Keep it up for a few decades and you start feeling like you know a little bit about something. : )

It can be hard in Oklahoma to achieve comparable results from year to year because some years are hot early and very dry and others are cold late and very wet, etc. So, all we can do is think about what "usually" works and describe that to one another, and then hope our wildly variable weather is somewhat cooperative with what we're trying to do.

For about 10 years in Fort Worth in the 1980s-1990s, I did keep garden journals and it was helpful to refer back to them at times. I tried keeping a garden journal after we moved here, but I have a significantly larger property and more plants and couldn't even keep up with the journaling.

And, because every one of us is gardening in different soil, different weather and different microclimate conditions, everything we say essentially comes with the unspoken understanding that such conditions are uncontrollable and, therefore, "your mileage may vary".

For what it is worth, I learn something new every day here, and I think that is pretty amazing.

Dawn
spademilllane
15 years ago
And I am learning from you! It amazes me!

I'm just hoping it doesn't all go away, which, unfortunately, is the way of the web. (I know, I have been programming for almost 40 years...) As it is all bytes and bits and magnetic particles on computer hard drives that will eventually develop bad sectors, it will disappear and all of this will be gone.

That is the sad part....

:-(

I've Started These Flower and Herb Seeds

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