Replanting
It's been a cool, wet spring. The plants in the floating garden and pots on the deck have had a hard time getting started. Today (before another rain), I did some replanting. I filled in with more carrot and beet seeds. Rather than replacing spinach and lettuce, I used Swiss chard. I also added more onions from sets. My dead cucumbers got replaced with another set (maybe three times is a charm), and some banana peppers in one of the pots for a change. 
Because my garden is so small, I never use up my seeds. I now have quite a collection of old packages. The problem is, I don't know how old they are. Because it takes so long for things to sprout, I hate to waste time on seeds that may no longer be viable. Why didn't I think of this sooner - dating my packages. At least now I know which ones have a better chance of growing into productive plants. -- Margy
Labels:
Gardening
Posts
I am right behind you Margy. I did some replanting yesterday and realized I am in desperate need of organizing my seeds. Some people do a germination test to see if old seed is good...I'm too lazy. I just add extra seed and then thin if needed. I am indeed a lazy gardener.
ReplyDeleteI just love the floating garden. Sure hope you will get some warmer, dryer weather soon. :)
I love your floating garden! I'm sorry some of your plants did not take, but it has been quite cold and rainy. I love the rain here, mind you, we don't get as much as you on the Coast. But we are still getting frost at night, and that has set my plants back a lot!
ReplyDeleteI have seeds that may be outdated as well. I'm like Lorie...I just plant extra thickly. What I want is one of those boxes serious gardeners use...with dates and notes and all. But I can't find anyone to organize it for me, lol!
I to can relate to old seeds. Thats how I have almost 400 tomatoes growing in my gardens. I save the seeds from my heirloom tomatoes ,plant them thinking they my not do and they do. One year I had over 500 plants, I have scaled down a bit.
ReplyDeleteThis yrs garden is doing well with old seed and I do like the rest of the commenters, thin them out.
Love your floating Garden, its beautiful and you don't have far to go wash your hands either : )
Heres a site you might like to read and try some of those old seeds on. Its Winter Sowing which I have done and come up with hundreds of plants in the spring time. Warning WS is additive .
http://www.wintersown.org/
Happy Floating Gardening
tc linda
'and here in the east we had a hot dry spring, adn everything just bolted! including the spinach..so we're replanting too, but for an opposite reason!
ReplyDeleteWhat a good idea...I to have lots of seeds but don't know if they are still viable. I will start dating my packets. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteYour floating garden is a marvel even when it doesn't thrive. Clever on dating. I'll have to go better on starting the seedlings...lost a bunch 2 weeks ago.
ReplyDeleteLove the garden Margy. To keep the slugs at bay we use five gallon pales for tomatoes, lettuce, green onions and peppers and it seems to work well...first year we forgot to put holes or rocks in the bottom and they drowned but the second years was a charm, however things are struggling this year because of the fickle weather. We take what we can get.
ReplyDeleteYou are right about labeling this art work as graffiti however the definition is "drawing or painting on a public space". This was an unauthorized use of space but the owner liked it and left it! Have a great day and thanks for dropping by. Happy gardening!
Smiles
Thanks everyone for stopping by to comment. Glad I'm not the only one with replanting woes.
ReplyDeleteCompostPyle - Thanks for the Winter Sowing link. I'm going to study it and try some next year. I tried some indoors using milk cartons, but maybe outdoors would be better. Mine had a bit problem with mold.
Carolyn -- You are right. My plants in buckets and barrels on the deck don't have slug problems. It is my beds on the float. I think they are just breeding and rebreeding in the confined space. I may have to break down and use a chemical application. My natural solutions haven't been all that effective.
Margy