Category Archives: Gardening

2015_Day 197: Pumpkins get a new home

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Room to breathe!

Room to breathe!


It felt like a good day to repot the pumpkins today, and since it’s just going to get hotter this weekend, I found a few containers, a bag of dirt, a trowel and a can of water. And the pumpkins, of course. Continue reading →

2015_Day 196: Seedlings continue to grow

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The good news is that a few more lettuce seeds have sprouted despite temps in the 90s and a lot of heat. The bad news is that it’s been 10 days since I planted all the seeds, and the pumpkins (below, center) desperately need repotting into bigger pots. No time for that tonight. Let’s hope tomorrow is better.

  

2015_Day 194: Pumpkins in need of repotting

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Day 8, 6:45 p.m.: Pumpkins are growing like crazy.

Day 8, 6:45 p.m.: Pumpkins are growing like crazy.


If the pumpkins keep growing so fast, I’m going to need to repot them in the next few days. I planted pumpkin seeds on July 5, along with tomatoes, lettuce and zinnias. Everything but the lettuce is growing pretty well, although I did notice another one or two peat pellets had lettuce sprouting from it today. Continue reading →

2015_Day 193: Patience pays off with daisies

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For at least the third time in as many months, the Gerbera daisies in front of my house are flowering.

For at least the third time in as many months, the Gerbera daisies in front of my house are flowering.

A few weeks after I transplanted some Gerbera daisies into a small area of mulch in front of my house, the flowers died off and the green leaves were full of holes. I bought them because I thought the bright pink and red flowers and pretty green leaves looked so striking agsinst the brown mulch, gray concrete and red brick on the house. Disappointed they looked so shabby so quickly, I thought about replacing them. After all, they were in a very visible spot, and it would be nice to have flowers there that looked good longer than a couple weeks. Continue reading →

2015_Day 192: Enjoying the beauty of a summery Saturday

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Love how the evening light hits the white zinnias.

Love how the evening light hits the white zinnias.


A simple Saturday post of photos from my backyard. Enjoy. Continue reading →

2015_Day 191: Fabulous five days for seedlings

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The difference in the seedlings in two days is unbelievable.

The difference in the seedlings in two days is unbelievable.

Seeds in 54 of the 72 peat pellets in my mini-greenhouse now have sprouted — just five days after they were planted. Still only a few of the lettuce seeds, but all of the tomatoes and most of the pumpkins and zinnias are peeking ou of the peat. A good week, I say. Pumpkins are growing so quickly that I’ll probably need to find a bigger pot for them this weekend. I’m thinking the tomatoes won’t be far behind. Continue reading →

2015_Day 190: Seed sprouting shock and awe

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Day 4: 52 of 72 of the pellets have at least one seedling in them.

Day 4: 52 of 72 of the pellets have at least one seedling in them.

My jaw dropped — again — when I looked at my mini greenhouse tonight. Just four days after planting four kinds of tomatoes, lettuce, pumpkins and three types of zinnias, sprouts are showing in 52 of the 72 peat pellets. Continue reading →

2015_Day 189: Purple, pinwheel and peppermint zinnias=pinnias

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Red cherry tomato seedlings (far left) and pumpkin seeds ( bottom row, middle) popped up three days after being planted.

Red cherry tomato seedlings (far left) and pumpkin seeds (bottom row, middle) popped up three days after being planted.


I love watching seeds sprout through the dirt, or through the peat moss, as in my case. Tonight, just three full days after I pushed the seeds into peat pellets, more than 20 of the 72 pellets have seedlings popping up out of them, up from about eight last night. The new sprouts include red cherry tomatoes, pumpkins and the peppermint zinnias. Continue reading →

2015_Day 188: Fastest sprouting seeds ever

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The purple zinnias are sprouting!

The purple zinnias are sprouting!

Well, that’s a record, at least for me. Two days after I planted seeds in the peat pellets, the first flowers have popped up. Yep, only two days after I planted them, purple zinnias are sprouting, along with a few pinwheel zinnias. I have never had seeds sprout that fast. Of course, the peat pellets are sitting in a mini greenhouse on my patio and it’s been in the low 90s the past two days. Plus, it only got down to about 78 or 79 overnight. Continue reading →

2015_Day 187: A few new flowers for the containers

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Purple and pink vincas have replaced the petunias in this container.

Purple and pink vincas have replaced the petunias in this container.


Over the weekend, I found some holiday flower sales and figured it was a good time to brighten up the containers on my back patio. One of them in particular had really gone downhill, I suspect because it had too much water. Not that we’ve gotten a ton of rain lately, but unfortunately the downpours we did get waterlogged the one container and it just didn’t want to drain. Continue reading →