Dirty hands...

It's been raining like cats and dogs this past weekend, but, I needed to get dirty - garden wise that is! So, I worked with my seedlings.

I thinned and transplanted some of the lettuce and sage to other peat pots and I seeded a couple of more things to get a head start. Most of what I seeded were herbs - lavendar (yet again I try), rosemary, and dill. I also seeded some Bloomsdale spinach and just for fun, some Envy and Violet Queen zinnia's.

I also received my onions and shallots this weekend from the Maine Potato Lady. The sad part is, the garden is no where near ready to put them in.

My seed organization tray. I told you I wasn't very methodical! But, I look at it this way, I know where everything is!

This year I bought seeds from Johnny's, Seeds of Change, and Baker Creek. I also picked up some Ferry Morse organic at the local homestore, too. I have to be honest, I haven't looked into whether or not the Ferry Morse organic seed has any doings with Monsanto. I feel a bit guilty about not doing so before I bought them.
I've told myself I need to be a better seed consumer. I'm slowly educating myself and scaring myself a bit along the way too. This just gives me an incentive to save my own seeds and to research more heirloom seeds and seed exchanges that are available.


When I started my lettuce table experiment I wasn't sure what I was going to put all the pots in if I used pots or whether I wanted to make soil blocks myself and put them in old trays.
As you can see, I went with peat pots with a good starting mix and then found an old plastic shallow bin in the garage to put them all in. It fit perfectly on the old mail table and under the lights. Sometimes things do fall into place - even if they aren't quite planned thoroughly. Okay, I just got lucky...
Lettuce and sage transplants. They always look a little rough right after you do it, but, they were quite perky this morning.

Here are some leeks I started on 2-21 . I was a bit disappointed with the germination rate, but, something is better than nothing. I'll transplant these to the new raised beds. Sometimes it's all an experiment!

This is Flashy Troutback lettuce that was seeded on 2-21 also. I'm leaving them all in the peat pots to see if I can grow it to maturity under the lights inside. Yes, they are crowded, but, that's part of my experiment too. I want to see if I can push the pot limit and still get mature, tender lettuce.

I've actually taken the time to record some of the seed starting data so when next year rolls around I'll have a reference. If there is one thing I've learned - don't trust my memory! Even more so - don't trust my husband's memory!!

It's been a bit dreary this weekend and I wish I could have been outside playing in the dirt, but, at least I got to play in some type of dirt. We're going to finish this weekend by going to a great coffee house in Brunswick to hear some friends of ours kick off the "Wearing of the Green" week with some traditional Irish music. This coffee house is great as they let you BYOB with a corking fee, so I see a Guinness or two in my future.

Dirt on my hands, traditional music, and cold Guinness. Not a bad weekend at all!