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Showing posts with label #seeds. Show all posts
Showing posts with label #seeds. Show all posts

Tuesday, January 6, 2015

Winter Seeds

Tulips
Let's start with Tulips for Tuesday!
Let’s start with some beautiful Tulips for Tuesday. Don't these store-bought beauties make up for any lack of flowers outdoors? Word of winter advice - keep spring close by as we move onward and upward. It's time to find the best of the garden and design chores during our slumber party winter months.
 
Yes, tis the season to gather the seeds. Collect your previous plant notes and start planning for what was lacking in last year's garden; begin your plant and seed catalog search. Sort through the seed drawer and dispense of past dated packets. It’s never too soon to place orders for grape vines, fruit trees and those specialty type plants that often get snatched up over a year in advance. Most of our orders have already been placed. 

And while you are sorting through what seeds to propagate, are there any new winter hobbies while you wait for the spring to break? We’re going to give cheese making a go. The kit is bought but one fears it could be a passing fancy. Though we hear soft cheeses can be quite easy, let's see when we give this untried hobby a spin.

So best to look winter straight in the eye. It's knowing the Tulips above are soon to be popping from the ground rather than from a store’s shelves. As Ellen G. White states it best, “Talk unbelief, and you will have unbelief; but talk faith, and you will have faith. According to the seed sown will be the harvest.” Winter seeds make for the perfect spring .Until the ice breaks, enjoy the slumber party offered to us during the winter months.
Ice breaks
Enjoy the winter slumber party until the ice breaks!
© All Images – Property of Bilowz Associates Inc.

If you like this blog, check in for your daily share's worth of garden inspiration, landscape architecture and design tips; always original, not cookie cutter and copied. Just like our design work, we strive for unique! We invite you to contact Bilowz Associates, Inc., or to browse our portfolios. Like our Facebook follow on Twitter or subscribe to the blog to receive posts daily via email or a feed. You can follow with visuals on Pinterest and find us on LinkedIn and Houzz, too.  And you can also find us back on our Google+ Business Page. (Landscape architects/Landscape Design/serving Massachusetts and New England.)

Tuesday, January 21, 2014

Tuesday’s Seed Tips

 
Depending where you wake up this morning, you may be experiencing an ‘Artic blast’. And another brewing snowstorm; oh, yeah, isn’t that what January is all about? It’s back. Enough about the weather; let’s regroup and focus. It’s time to shell out Tuesday’s seed tips because we need to include some pleasant garden thoughts. We could talk design but seeds and such are where it’s at when it comes to what’s active with January's #GardenChat.

Last week’s post on seeds, sets, and liners didn’t cover this diverse and timely subject. Let’s talk necessary tools for propagating your seeds. But hold on. This vast and subjective topic requires a few decisions on your part and a bit of your own research. This is one of those in tandem, multi-tasks where you employ your favorite search engine while you mull around an available propagating space.

First, think what works best for all members of the household. Watching a bunch of seeds mature may not be everyone’s cup of tea. Once the consensus rules and logical growing space is decided, next in line is measuring your designated area. Whether you are thinking sunny window or some available basement space, whichever route you choose, remember dimensions, dimensions, dimensions. There’s nothing worse than putting the table before the seeds and finding out that what you ordered doesn’t work. This happens far too many times so employ a little common sense. Get your measurements first.

Now that you have your dimensions, the rest is all personal choice. It's time to snap on the research cap and mull around the countless available options that fit your designated growing area. One other thought to consider - if you go the basement route, (i.e., lack of natural solar energy) you’ll need lighting, which equals juice, i.e., cords and plugs.  Consider how much you want to undertake, look at or invest, including your time, when you are putting your propagation plan together. Once you have a propagation plan mapped out, you are better equipped to place your upcoming seed orders, leading us to the “WHY”. Why go through this hassle of propagating your own seeds that seem light months ahead of your spring garden?

It’s a great winter hobby but it also gives you the freedom to grow anything you want including the unusual varieties you can’t find anywhere else when spring rolls around. Unfortunately, this guilty party does it every year. We never plan for an indoor propagating area. We end up getting what’s available in the nurseries, leaving us with limited choices or asking a few farmer friends. 

So on that last seed note, let’s wrap up these tips with the #DailyQuote. Clive James holds today's honor with this common sense poke. “Common sense and a sense of humor are the same things, moving at different speeds. A sense of humor is just common sense, dancing.” In other words, if you don’t use common sense and a sense of humor with your garden growing techniques, you may as well be dancing in the produce aisles when summer comes around.  Speaking of supermarkets, expect them to be filled today with the threat of another January blizzard. Stay safe and think seeds, gardens, and plan now for what you want to propagate.  

© Image by Ann Bilowz 

If you like this blog, hope you check in for your daily share's worth of inspiration, design, and garden tips; always original, not cookie cutter and copied. Just like our design work, we strive for unique! Like our Facebook follow on Twitter or subscribe to the blog to receive posts daily via email or a feed. Either way, we hope you follow the postings somewhere in cyberspace and share it with your gardening friends. Contact me direct at Annie You can follow with visuals on Pinterest and find us on LinkedIn and Houzz, too. Don’t forget Google+ where you can find us under Ann Bilowz and Bilowz Associates Inc.

Thursday, January 16, 2014

Throwaway Thursday

 
Do you hold onto things a bit past expiration date, including your seeds? Before you peruse the glossy seed catalogs or online specials for your spring seed order, it’s time to review those hidden stashes and evaluate your sealed but outdated packets.

Check the expiration date. If it isn’t there, that’s a sure thing for the ‘throwaway’ category. Need a general rule of thumb? The older the seeds, the less yield these seeds produce. If you want the highest yield, don’t take any chances. Yes, you guessed it – 'Throwaway Thursday' but don’t throw away everything. If you aren’t a commercial grower or limited for space, it’s an individual gardener call. But don’t keep seeds way past prime. That’s a garden failure waiting to happen. We need victory gardens to build our garden self-esteem.

Speaking of one more throwaway, are you feeding your winter compost bin? This recent January thaw is perfect weather to loosen up the frozen pile. This allows more room for the remaining winter waste. Coffee grinds, eggs shells, veggie bits can turn to black gold eventually. It’s one small way of turning your throwaways into recycled goods. One more big plus - come spring you create great organic matter for your soil. 

Okay, just one last tip on Throwaway Thursday; back to your seed orders. Don’t place it too early. February/March (depending on seed type) can be perfect months to place your order. Always buy from a reputable seed supplier but make sure you inquire - are you getting this season’s (2013) seed crop?

Before signing off, it’s a short excerpt from the book, ‘Focus’ by Daniel Goleman. “The common cold of leadership is poor listening.” A lot of tweets have surfaced lately that relate to listening. On this throwaway Thursday, don't toss good listening skills out the door. Turn off the unnecessary and make a point to listen. Let us know what's on your mind. Stay tuned for more seed talk bound to sprout in the coming weeks. 

P.S. If anyone is experiencing any issues with getting to our blog from our website button ‘Blog’, please use a different browser. (Google’s Blogger and Internet Explorer compatibility and support issues.)

©Image by Ann Bilowz 

If you like this blog, hope you check in for your daily share's worth of inspiration, design, and garden tips; always original, not cookie cutter and copied. Just like our design work, we strive for unique! Like our Facebook follow on Twitter or subscribe to the blog to receive posts daily via email or a feed. Either way, we hope you follow the postings somewhere in cyberspace and share it with your gardening friends. Contact me direct at Annie You can follow with visuals on Pinterest and find us on LinkedIn and Houzz, too. Don’t forget Google+ where you can find us under Ann Bilowz and Bilowz Associates Inc.

© 2009

© 2009 Ann St. Jean-Bilowz/Bilowz Associates Inc. (including all photographs, unless otherwise noted in Annie's Gardening Corner are the property of Bilowz Associates Inc. and shall not be reproduced in any manner nor are they to be assigned to any third party without the expressed written permission and consent of Bilowz Associates Inc.)