This week has been a fairly wild one for plant growth. The seedlings can’t seem to decide if spring is right around the corner or not – Tomatoes, Billy Balls, and Cress say yes. The peppers and ginkgo say no.
If you’re interested in posting your own garden updates in the Six on Saturday style, check out where it all started! And make sure to drop me a link to your post below.
1
The tomato seedlings are finally starting to show! That’s not quite the right way to say it… In reality, they shot up about 2 inches and hit the ceiling of the seed-starting kit in a quick 2 days. I put the recommended 3 seeds in each of the little peat disks (so a mere 12 of each tomato type), and every single one sprouted. I’ve already started the first round of thinning out the seedlings by pinching out the smallest of each trio. Now down to 8 of each type. After the next pinching and after they get a bit bigger, I’ll start working to move them outside. My hope is to give away 2 of each tomato, and put 2 of each in the final pot. I’ll decide whether to narrow down the seedlings further later on.
2
The paperwhites are getting taller. I was afraid I’d put the bulbs outside when it was too early. I debated a bit whether to grow them in water or in dirt, but I felt the balcony needed more flowers in its life. The ceramic pig pot where they’re growing used to hold some forget-me-nots and chrysanthemums, so it’s only right that I continue on with more flowers. By the time these are done blooming, it’ll be time to put some other large plant in there (maybe a sunflower, now that the seedling has woken up).
3
The single sunflower seedling woke up with a mild vengeance, then decided to chill out. It turned from a greenish bud barely peeking out of the starter peat into the thick 1-inch seedling in just about 24 hours. Then it stopped, as far as I can tell. I hope that whatever is making it shy decides to go away.
4
I’ve decided that my ginkgo will be the marker for when spring really, officially starts. Last year that had been mid to late march (the little leaf nodes had turned green on the 12th, then picked up the growth over the next two weeks. By april, it was a happy little tree again). I can’t wait for it to start opening back up. The future growth buds are sitting there on the branches, totally relaxed – while I worry that maybe, this winter, my Ginkgo had a hard time and maybe I didn’t notice it get sick. But I’ll keep crossing my fingers and waiting for it to wake up.
5
Hummingbirds are a constant staple on the balcony. This one is named Hummin’eezer Scrooge-bird, because he’s so stingy with the food. He’ll even chase off other birds through a sort of dive-bombing lateral sprint. I think he tolerates me because I make the food – though he’ll sit at the balcony window and scream if I don’t bring back the full bottle soon enough.
6
I know that I bring these up pretty much every week now, but I can’t help following the progress of these little Billy Balls on a daily basis. These are the longest I’ve ever kept some of these seedlings going, now that I’ve solved my problems with the temperature. The water’s been touch and go; some days are 70F and the tiny cups dry up quickly. Some days are 55F and cloudy, and the cups can only drink a tiny bit before they become waterlogged. The planter is having a better time of it, and the seedlings are all larger. Maybe the cup seedlings need a bit more room right now? If you have advice on growing Billy Buttons, please drop some hints! I’ve been trying to get these to work for 2 years now, and have mostly had a rough time of it.
Thanks for stopping by! I hope you had a pleasant time checking out the plants. If you’re in the mood for more nature, please stay in touch!
Mindful Foliage 