Harris Seeds to the Rescue

Have you ever realized that your best intentions of being early for something was quickly slipping away? Well, that's what happened to me on Monday, April 12th. Suddenly I realized that I hadn't ordered my seeds yet. Even though I received my Harris Seeds catalog months ago. I had even highlighted every seed I intended to buy. AND I made a matching list...All done months ago! But I had never actually ordered. So I hopped online Monday and ordered my entire list. ~Sigh~ I felt better.

3 nights later, I woke suddenly from a sound sleep. My heart was racing and panic filled me. I had forgotten to look at shipping! What if it was 6-8 weeks before delivery!?! What would I do? I needed those seeds to get started in the next week or two. Falling back to sleep was not easy.

Yesterday morning, as I wrote my blog about the seeds I ordered I nervously worried, and fretted. The "What if's..." playing havoc with my brain. So finally with catalog in hand I dialed the Harris Seeds number.

I hurriedly explained to the operator my worry. She immediately put me at ease by assuring me that most orders are shipped within 24-48 hours. YEAH! Then she offered to check the order for me. During the time that she looked up the information she talked to me about gardening, the warm weather, how she feared that some gardens hadn't given enough thought to the "killing frost" that sometimes hits late in the season. I told her about how I was starting my seeds much later than everyone else but how I refuse to trust my seedlings outside until Memorial Day (I'm in 5A after all!). It was a wonderful chat. Almost like talking with an old friend. She even asked for me to send some photos of this year's harvest!

Needless to say when the conversation ended I was very impressed Harris Seeds. I was so relieved and so pleased that I smiled for nearly an hour. Just as my smile started to fade I checked my mail and what did I find? MY SEEDS!!! It was like Christmas morning for me! I stood like a kid in the middle of the road, clapping my hands in excitement!

I was so pleased with Harris Seeds that I immediately sent off an e-mail. They quickly responded and asked for permission to use my "testimonial". I easily agreed. Why wouldn't I? With great service like that why wouldn't I?

Seeds...Better late than never?

I usually start my seeds in March but I've been disappointed by "leggy" and poor producing plants. Part of me blames the seeds. In the past I've bought any variety I could find at a local store but this year I received a seed catalog from Harris Seeds. I studied that catalog like a college kid cramming for finals. I liked the fact that they are located in Rochester, NY. I figured that if a variety did well in their test area...my garden shouldn't be too different.

I also heard that you shouldn't start your seeds until 4 weeks before planting to avoid legginess. Or so Martha Stewart's gardening expert said. Knowing that I won't be planting fragile plants until Memorial Day I've decided that I'll be starting my seeds indoors in mid to late April.

BUT IT'S TORTURE I TELL YOU!

Knowing I bought really great varieties this year. From an actual seed company! I just wanna get dirty!!! LOL. I bought:

• Harris Lettuce Blend (a blend of Cimmaron, Red Salad Bowl, Tango, Slobolt, Green Salad Bowl and Royal Oakleaf)
• Bush Blue Lake Beans
• Colored Sweet Pepper Seed Blend (Lady Bell ~green to red, Early Sensation ~green to yellow, Valencia ~green to orange, Purple Beauty ~green to purple, and Flamingo ~light yellow to blush red to red. The kids will love all those colors!)
• Regal Cucumber
• Nantindo Carrots (pelleted~last year I had a horrible time with overcrowding)
• Revelation Corn (early variety) & Renaissance Corn (late variety)
• Waltham Butternut (why mess with a classic?)
• Zuchini Elite
• Howden Pumpkins
• Charlotte Radishes (Can't wait to make more radish relish! Mmmm...)

As you can see there is no tomaotes. I understand almost every good gardener loves growing tomato. But hubby and I are not tomato fans. We've discussed growing them to make our own salsa, and spaghetti sauce but... not this year.

Until I can get my seeds started I've got plenty to do. Garden Clean-Up and Additions. Oooh what fun.

Harris Seeds urges me back to the Garden!

After what could arguably be the most difficult year of my life I think I may be ready to rejoin the "rest of the world". My daughter's Epilepsy diagnosis nearly a year ago sent me into a bit of a tailspin. It seemed like living in the Twilight Zone. While she doesn't have good seizure control yet we are working towards the goal.

I was just beginning to think that maybe it's time to reconnect with those forgotten hobbies when I got a gift in the mail...My Harris Seeds Catalog. I thumbed through the pages and began thinking, "This year's garden will be better!" (Well, after the horrible results last year it couldn't be much worse!) Then just this morning Harris Seeds sent me a second gift...An e-mail invitation to a Seed Starting Seminar!

After watching this seminar I was impressed! While I knew (or thought I knew) most of the steps in seed starting this seminar answered all the "Why?" 's. I found it to be a wonderful, comprehensive, easy to understand, and thoroughly enjoyable seminar! So if you have some time (it is quite legnthy--in a good way) I highly recommend a visit to Harris Seeds if not for the seminar then for their seeds!

A Watched Pot Never...Sprouts!

Of course, I'm talking about tiny little pots that are littering every sunny surface available! It seems there are two kinds of seeds: the "OOOHH, They're UP already!!!!" and the "AARGH! What's taking them so long?"

Now, I suppose you really fancy-dancy gardeners will consult the seed packet to see how many more days you will have to wait before seeing a tiny seedling. But you know darn well, that I'm not doing that! No, I'm not no fancy-dancy garden gal! No, instead I want to check the seeds twice daily until I see signs of life. I like lifting the lid and seeing the tiniest of stems so new it's still white! I take all this peeking time to introduce myself to the plants. Yes, I do introduce myself! (I already told you that I'm not fancy-dancy!)

I say, "Hello there, babies! How are my little sweet things? Did you
know that you're going to grow to be big, healthy, and full of blooms?
Yes, you are! You're a real beauty I can tell."

Okay, the baby talk may not be necessary but the carbon dioxide can't do them any harm, can it? So I talk...and sometimes...just sometimes...once in a while...sing a little. So what? It's not crazy to sing to plants! IT'S NOT!!! People have been doing it for centuries.

So here's my question...Is it crazy to sing Rocky Top? After all it is a song about not being able to grow corn because well...the dirt is too rocky by far.

Wish that I was on ol' Rocky

Top Down in the Tennessee hills

Aint' no smoggy smoke on Rocky Top

Ain't no telephone bills

Once I had a girl on Rocky Top Half bear, other half cat

Wild as a mink, but sweet as soda pop I still dream about that.

Rocky Top you'll always be Home sweet home to me

Good ol' Rocky Top

Rocky Top Tennessee, Rocky Top Tennessee

Once two strangers climbed ol' Rocky Top

Lookin' for a moonshine still

Strangers ain't come down from Rocky Top

Reckon they never will

Rocky Top you'll always be Home sweet home to me

Good ol' Rocky Top

Rocky Top Tennessee, Rocky Top Tennessee

Corn won't grow at all on Rocky Top

Dirt's too rocky by far

That's why all the folks on Rocky Top

Get their corn from a jar
Rocky Top you'll always be Home sweet home to me

Good ol' Rocky Top

Rocky Top Tennessee, Rocky Top Tennessee

I've had years of cramped-up city life

Trapped like a duck in a pen

All I know is it's a pity life

Can't be simple again

Rocky Top you'll always be Home sweet home to me

Good ol' Rocky TopRocky Top Tennessee, Rocky Top Tennessee

IT'S ALIVE!!! IT'S ALIVE!!!

Okay, so maybe I am being a bit dramatic but this the first time I've seen any sign of "garden" in well over 3 months! And it's ALIVE! Could this day get any better? But wait there's more? I don't believe it... Yes it's true signs of life in the greenhouse too!

PS~ My mom is mad at me because she lives in the woods and her gardens look like this:

HeeeHeee! Oh, I mean, jeez that's too bad, Mom! LOL!

I think I've been disinherited!

Dirt + Water + Seeds = 3 Smiley Faces

There is magic in the ...DIRT? Yeah! The Jiffy Peat Pellets may be an excellent way to start seeds but if your looking to get your kids hooked on gardening then "inflatable dirt" may be the best money ever spent! It was an awesome science experiment and a weird wonder of the world all at the same time. We got our hands a little dirty. Everyone had a part to play. The youngest (AKA: Wild Child) was in charge of placing the dry pellets into the tray. The middle child (AKA: Bear) added the water. And the oldest (AKA: Garden Girl) planted the seeds. You gotta love teamwork. BTW, if your wondering what I did...jeez...I dunno! What fun we had.

We got a good start today but we need more pellets. If it stops snowing I might run out tomorrow and get some. If I have time and energy. Why would I be running low on time and energy? Well...because today, before we could plant seeds, we needed to make a trip to Urgent Care. Given recent events you might be thinking that Garden Girl had given us another scare but you'd be wrong. No this time it was Bear and after a chest x-ray and some swabbing the doc determined that he has the flu. That's just what I needed! Upon coming home I took the temps of the girls and yes they have it too. Given Garden Girl's condition we need to keep her from having even a slightly above normal temperature as this can trigger another seizure. Like I wasn't worried before! Motrin, Tylenol, Thermometers, and Caffeine are my friends! And as long as I'm talking about friends:

To all of you who have been so wonderful and supportive,

Who have sent your best wishes and your prayers,

Who have given us your friendship during troubled times,

Thank You!

A Seedy Gift & Successful Seed Starting Tips

Don't you love it when hubby shows up with a gift? Especially one that proves how well he knows you? Hubby did just that when he brought home a greenhouse last night. Since Robin posted about Winter Sowing late in January I've been frantically looking for a shelf system to meet my needs. It's been a difficult search as most of February our garden centers were still in the midst of "seasonal" stocking. At last, they've brought out the real goodies... the garden gear! Yippee!

I think hubby was fearful that I was going to try and "repurpose" his workshop shelves...I had threatened to steal his workshop lights. So tada! Greenhouse gift! And just in the nick of time too... It's finally time to start my peppers! As I've admitted I have had difficulty with seeds before. Matter of fact, my three year old was "helping" to assemble the greenhouse last night and asked, "What's this for?" Daddy answered, "For Mommy's seeds." To which she said, "Mommy's seeds don't grow!"

Seed starting can be overwhelming. And the information available tends to focus on how to start the seeds which is a pretty straight~forward task. To help improve my seedy chances this year I've ignored all that info and bought the peat pellets. I've heard good things about the pellets and am ready to give them a try. Through my research I've found these really simple starter's guide to:

Seed Survival~The Basics
Provide your seeds with the following for happy seedlings.

• Light! You have two options natural or fluorescent. For natural light place your seedlings near a sunny, southern window. Rotate your seedlings often so they don't bend over as they search for the sun. For fluorescent the key is to use a cool white bulb and to hang the fixture directly over the seeds.
• Warmth! Most seeds like a warm environment. Seeds will germinate and grow best in a 70-75 degrees Fahrenheit (21-24 degrees Celsius). After they've become little seedlings though they tend to enjoy temps between 60-70f (15-21c).
• Mositure & Humidity! Keep the germinating medium moist but never soggy. To keep moisture levels high slide your seed flats into clear plastic bags. Or cover your shelving system with clear plastic. Remove the cover as soon as seeds sprout. Check medium everyday for drying out. (TIP: Dryer medium will be lighter in color.)
• Water! As your seedlings grow they have to establish they're "feet" in the soil. Just like babies they can fall over easily. So as your tempted to grab your watering can...STOP! When you add water to the top of your planting medium your seeds/seedlings have no way of anchoring themselves into the soil and so they will "float" on the water and fall over! :( So ALWAYS water from the bottom until seedlings are quite large.
• Fertilize! I've made the mistake before of fertilizing too early so when is the best time to add those extra vitamins? After the first True leaves appear. The first leaves are food storage cells...it's those second leaves that really spell success! This is a good time to begin fertilizing with liquid soluable plant food as you bottom water your seedlings. When seedlings are very small use 1/4 of the amount of plant food directed on package. Increase to 1/2 the normal stregnth as seedlings begin to mature.

With simple steps like these I hope even seed challenged people (like myself) will find it easier to get healthy plants from those amazing little seeds.

Gardening: Time to Move the Garden Inside

Yet another Lake Effect Event has covered my gardens with another foot of snow. Yes, I said ANOTHER foot! I remember the good old days when we got just a couple inches a day. Now we can go for weeks without a trace and then overnight...feet! So spring seems an eternity away.

I've begun searching the web for new gardening ideas. My friends Apple and Country girl at http://appledoesntfallfar3.blogspot.com/ encouraged me to begin blogging. So if I'm terribly boring you can blame them...LOL. I'm using their blog as a launching spot into the blogging world. Which is how I came by a seed starting idea that has me itching to try seeds again. I haven't been very successful with seeds in the past. Hence the over abundance of perrenials in my garden. As I think about starting seeds I'm always concerned about the amount of space this requires inside my log cabin home. With the tribe of animals and people in my home it's only a matter of time before there is an accident resulting in a muddy seedy mess. So this idea (found here ) is not only space saving but also somewhat accident proof and budget friendly. As I wander through her site I am amazed by how creative her gardening ideas are. I think I'm going to like reading through more of these great gardening blogs!