Crocuses Are Up

Crocus.

I removed the mulch from around my bulbs. I'm not sure if it was the right thing to do. I'm a little worried that my plants are too tender and that removing the mulch will make them vulnerable. But the straw was a bright gold color that didn't seem to fit in and I thought the soil looked prettier. I did say a little prayer for my garden on the walk back to my house: "God, please don't freeze my little bulbs." Not that I suspect my bulbs are at the top of God's priority list, but it never hurts.

We just got our greenhouse assignments. I've never gardened in a greenhouse before. But Augsburg has added a greenhouse to our community garden and offered gardeners plots for the first time this spring. I'm really excited to give it a try.

Inside greenhouse, looking west.

My plot. It's about 3'x4'.

Meanwhile, inside, my artichokes are growing while I wait for my seeds to germinate.

Artichoke.

Peppers. Which seem to take forever to germinate. But it's only been seven days for the Thai Dragon peppers and three days for the other seeds.

March Sprinkles

I enjoy the crows in my garden. They talk constantly and are beautiful in flight.

6pm on a grey March day.

Garlics.

Kale. Is it still alive or just frozen in time?

Addendum 3/29/10: it was just frozen. Once it warmed up, the leaves wilted and turned to mush.

March may not be the most beautiful month in MN.

My eternally happy dianthus.

Sepia-Toned World

The weather report says that we had a high of 50F today. But it is grey and misty out. As I was driving to work today, I was thinking that the world looked like a sepia-toned print with all of the shades of white, brown and grey. But the mist is steady and soaking and I'm hoping that my bulbs are enjoying every minute of it.

Onions In

Today, I planted the onion seeds that I ordered from Jung's. I was a little suprised at how long it took for my order to come (I ordered last Thursday and the seeds came in the mail this Friday).
Candy Hybrid
Yellow Sweet Spanish Hybrid
Mars Hybrid

Artichoke & Onion

Artichoke

Onions. Dan tells me their mother was a yellow onion.

Baby Artichokes

My garden store is only open from 10-5 this time of year and I work during those hours. So I ordered onion seeds online from Jung Seed Co. Hopefully they come soon. My onion seeds from last year's garden haven't sprouted yet but my artichokes are growing nicely. I did have a little scare when I neglected to water them. But they survived. I like plants that can survive a little neglect. They're going to be survivors. Wimpy plants don't do so well around me.

Artichoke Seedling

Onions Already

I was looking at my planting calendar today and I realized that onion seeds are (past) due for planting already. So I looked in my seed box, which I thought was fully stocked, only to find I didn't have any packets of onion seed.

I found a baggie of what I think are onion seeds from my garden last fall. I only had one onion that formed a seed head. Unfortunately, I didn't pay any attention to whether it was a white, yellow, or purple onion.

So, I planted those seeds today. I don't know if they're fertile or how long it will take them to germinate. I plan to go to the nursery tomorrow and buy some (labeled) onion seeds. Of course, I'll be the most fond of the onion seedlings that grow from last year's seeds. But don't tell the other onions.

I also turned on my grow lights today and set the timer. I waited until today because my artichokes just started to develop secondary leaves so I suppose they'll be wanting a little light now. After doing a little reading, it looks like most plants like 14-16 hours of light. So I set the timer for 7am-9pm. It's kind of pleasant to have the extra light shining over my shoulder while I work at my computer.