Spring has Not Sprung!

 

Lettuce sewn in February sprouting up in plastic jug!

It is the 1st of May and while my coffee was brewing around 7am I squinted to check the outside temperature and it was 3 degrees C. In fact the whole week was cold, wet and windy. The pansies I planted just before Easter have miraculously survived below zero temps and in spite of the harsh conditions, new growth in the garden continues to appear.

Winter sowing project update:

The winter sowing that I did in February in plastic jugs produced some interesting results. I planted, kale, lettuce, milkweed, dill, rose campion, and poppies. The lettuce and poppies did great, but the others not so well. When it warms up a bit more I will set these plants out in the garden.

 

Baffled by seedling performance!

For the last two years I have been growing tomato plants from seed and each year I've had fabulous healthy plants by this time. This year my seeds all germinated but have been incredibly slow growing. I've potted them up in nutritious soil, provided lots of light etc. and still they are growing at a snail's pace!

This time last year my little greenhouse was filled with beautiful tall tomato plants (below).

This is what most of my tomato plants have amounted to this year! Big difference! I can't understand it. Same seeds, same location, same planting time etc.??? I have about six weeks before they can go in the ground, so I am hoping for a big growth spurt!

First geranium overwintered!

As they say; you win some and lose some! Compared to the tomatoes, this is definitely a winner. 

The jury is still out on my potted tulips though. Last year they were just starting to bloom at this time. I planted a new bag of bulbs last fall and they are up, but not a hint of a blossom yet. I also saved the bulbs from last year's pot and they have lots of green growth but no blooms. It won't surprise me if they don't produce blossoms as I had read that it is unlikely that they will produce a second year .... just thought I'd try it anyway!

The pot on the left is the one with the fresh tulip bulbs planted in the fall. The one on the right contains the bulbs from last year's pot. It looks good but not a sign of blooms.

The photo below was taken last year on May 9th! The ones above have 9 days to equal this.

Better Days to Come!

Hopefully, in a few short months this wasteland will become full and beautiful. Here's to sunny days ahead!

May1, 2022

Aug. 2021

June 2021