Snowdrops
I noticed these snowdrops blooming a few weeks ago before the two nor’easters hit. I meant to get a photo one day, they next they were buried under two feet of snow. I’ve been patiently waiting for them to be uncovered.
Snowdrops are wonderful, not just because they are beautiful little flowers, but because they bloom so early in the year. They are the first things to appear and show signs of life in my northern garden. I definitely have plans to get more varieties of these beauties to add for late winter interest.
What’s the first thing to bloom in your garden?
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Always Looking
I’m always looking for long lasting garden tools, especially when it comes to seed starting. The black plastic trays are ridiculously flimsy and won’t last long at all. They’re so flimsy, they don’t really work with soil blocks. I started using Perma-Nest trays about 8 years ago and really like them a lot. But they are plastic and won’t last forever, I’m guessing 10-15 years will be the max for them. Which is still great considering they’re not much more expensive than the black plastic ones that only last a season. Most recently, I decided to try half sheet pans with lids.
They sheet pans themselves are made of metal, so they should last for many, many years. Even though the lids are plastic, the don’t get as much wear and tear and should last quite awhile as well. They’re less expensive than a tray with a dome, even initially.
One issue I discovered (and thought about previously, but figured I could find a work-around) was the height of the lid. With soil blocks, there’s minimal head room. That’s not a huge deal, as I always remove the lids as soon as seeds start to germinate. The sheets fit the same exact number of soil blocks that a perma-nest tray does (40 of the 2″ soil blocks). There is no way that a plant tag will fit in the blocks, so I taped them on the lid to let me know which varieties were in each row.
Just so the lid wouldn’t get turned around, I added arrows on the lid and on the tray. When I remove the lid, I’ll transfer the labels to the corresponding row of seedlings. That should avoid confusion and only adds a bit more work to the seed starting process. I’ll keep you posted on this product to let you know. I already use chaffing dishes and sheet pans for holding larger pots and have found them to be quite reliable. Their strength is a major benefit over the plastic alternatives. I’ll keep looking for ways to decrease products that don’t last in order to produce less waste in my gardening.
Have you discovered any great products for gardening that aren’t really intended for gardening?
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Finishing up the Sugaring Season
It’s finally getting reliably warm here in Maine, it looks like spring is actually on the way. With the nights not dipping below freezing consistently, the maple sap is slowing and some of the trees have already stopped.
That means I can finally finish up the sugaring, scrub up all the pots and collections jars, and hang up my sugaring apron for the year. Our total syrup for the year was a little over 3 gallons. Not bad considering I only put in a few taps. It was LONG season, I tapped the trees on Valentine’s day. We’ve already been enjoying the syrup on pancakes and in our tea.
What’s your favorite way to enjoy real maple syrup?
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Getting into Full Swing
Seed starting is starting to get into full swing. This past weekend, all the peppers were started. I started almost an entire flat, 31 cells in all, featuring 12 varieties.
I like to grow a wide variety of peppers. This year I’m adding peppers to make canned green chiles and to dry for making mole. I’m always excited about trying new varieties, this year is no exception!
What kinds of peppers are you planning on growing this year?
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Soaking it Up
A few years ago we got a new little tri-color cat, we named her Littles. She’s a quirky cat, tiny, but what she lacks in size she makes up for in personality and fiestiness. One of her loves: the grow lights. When I start seed flats in the spring she’s a constant fixture one top of the flats under the lights. In fact, I had to buy stronger domes for my seed flats because she was smashing the seedlings.
She’s doubly warm, because these flats are on top of a heating mat. It’s like her own personal tanning bed. She’ll even wedge herself between the light and the flat if I have them super close.
Thankfully, as soon as I take the the covers off she quits laying on them, otherwise she’s smash the seedlings. It makes me chuckle every time I seed her on the lights.
What funny things are you pets doing this week?
