Seed Starting

DEVELOPMENTS IN OUR GARDENING SAGA

I bought a white plastic shelf system at Lowe's Hardware for under $20 and have my seed starting well underway. I do not have the light system up yet! I looked at shop lights--too big. I have some clip on lights in my classroom somewhere. I am going to try those first before spending anymore money.

I planted Coleus seeds from Wal-Mart weekend before last and it is all up. No pigments yet on the leaves. They are so cute.

I planted herbs: cilantro, chives, Genovese basil, Bush Spicy Globe Basil, Oregano, Mammoth Basil, Broad Leaf Sage, Mediterranean Oregano, and Red Rubin Basil from Lowe's (mostly from '06) last weekend and the Mediterranean oregano is up. It grew three inches overnight. Nothing else is up. The same flat has Parade Onions from Lowe's, last year, in it. I can't wait to try the Red Rubin Basil.

Peppers seeds (Carmen from Park's, Anaheim from Lowe's last year, Bull's Horn and Sweet Banana from Wal-Mart) are in, along with Rosa Bianca Eggplant from Park's, Magic Blotch monkey flowers from Parks, Celebrity Mix petunias from Park's, and Mosaic Hybrid impatiens from Park's.

Soon as the peppers sprout, I will add tomatoes to the same flat. I have lettuce and snap peas outside. The lettuce is in pots and the peas are around the clothes line. Hopefully Ms. Iris will refrain from destroying my peas this time. I suppose I could start some radish too. I have about 100 packs of Sparkler White Tip I bought for a lab. I never did do it and now they are sitting in my classroom.

At the greenhouse at school I started some bell peppers to give away. They didn't grow well in containers last summer. I think the assistant principal will take them.