Tag Archives: seeds

2015_Day 305: Rain good for seed sprouting

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A couple weeks ago, I vaguely recall spreading zinnia seeds left from dried zinnias in my flower beds in the raised beds by my fall tomatoes and pumpkins. And with all the rain that’s fallen in the past 10 days, a bunch of them are now sprouting. Continue reading →

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 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 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 186: Prep work underway for fall garden

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It seems weird planting seeds for a fall crop. I love Texas!

It seems weird planting seeds for a fall crop. I love Texas!

When I planted my tomatoes back in March, I figured they’d be toast by early July. But they’re doing pretty good thanks to a cooler spring and early summer. There still are a lot of flowers on the bushes, not to mention fruit, so I’m hoping that they’ll keep producing for another couple weeks, despite little rain and upper 90s in the forecast. And, because one of gardening bibles (it’s okay to have more than one, right?), “Month-by-Month Gardening in Texas,” told me to, I planted seeds for a fall crop today, too. Continue reading →

2015_Day 126: Never too early to start thinking next year

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Marigold seeds.

Marigold seeds.

I don’t usually think about saving seeds for next year in May, when flowers have barely started blooming. Then again, as I’ve come to understand, things are different in Texas. I was looking at the marigolds I had transplanted last week and noticed a few of the flowers were dried up, so I bent down to pick off those dried petals, pulling up the seeds attached to the stem. Continue reading →

2015_Day 77: Spring awakens gardening spirit in many

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I love reading all the gardening posts lately by others who are really enjoying that Spring is here (or near for those in cooler climates). 

Everyone seems excited to get outside and turn over their dirt, relishing in the idea that soon seeds will be sown and they’ll be able to watch the fledgling sprouts grow into strong plants that will (hopefully) produce a bountiful (or at least beautiful) crop of fruits and veggies.

I officially have dirt beneath my fingernails — and I hope it stays that way for a long time. Because for me there is no better sign that I am working in my garden and yard. I don’t even care that my hands will be perpetually begging for lotion and I won’t be able to grow decent looking fingernails. (That reminds me, too, that it’s about time to get a good pedicure to hide the dirt beneath my toenails!)

Lettuce update: It’s still alive (mostly) although it’s really growing slowly. In the photo with this post, the right side is how the containers look today; left side is from Feb. 14, after a major thinning. Even if it does get big enough to harvest, I’m wondering how it will taste. Is there such a thing as “old” tasting lettuce?