Yesterday I made my first expensi.... errrr... extensive visit to the garden center. It's that time of year to start thinking, planning, and even planting for Garden '09.
For X-mas, I got several pouches of seeds for root and leaf veggies (Thanks, Mother Mason). Little finger carrots, rutabagas, salad mix lettuce, and white Lisbon onions are all new additions to the garden line-up. They also are all cool season growers. It's recommended they be planted in early spring as soon as the soil can be worked. Well, since we grow everything in pots, that's pretty much whenever we choose.
So yesterday I went to Merrifield Garden Center and bought the infrastructure to begin sowing the seeds. I bought a couple long rectangular planter for the carrots, onions, and rutabagas. This is to simulate rows. I also bought three bags of potting mix, 7 small cups to start seeds, a tray to catch water from the cups, and a pouch of acorn squash seeds. Emily and I love acorn squash and since I never saw acorn squash plants last year, I figure I need to grow them from seed. I also bought some fertilizer for the lawn. But I could create a whole new blog just on taking care of lawns.
Remember, if you plan on growing things in pots, YOU MUST USE POTTING MIX. Garden soil will not work as well.
Of course this morning we woke up to a light blanket of snow on the ground. So I'll have to hold off planting the root veggies outside for another weekend. Not that they couldn't handle the weather. I just don't want to be outside in the snow dealing with potting mix and wet ground.
It also appears I won't have to worry about planting chives again. The '08 plant is thriving right now. The sun is shifting back north and providing sun for a couple hours in the backyard. By moving the chive plant into that sun area has given it new life to photosynthesize. I also fed it a couple weeks ago. So now it has the nutrients to get going. Chive mashed potatoes will soon be making their appearance back on the dinner table!!!
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