A Cool, Cool, Cool Spring

March is going out like lamb, albeit a grumpy one.  We're still seeing freezing temperatures and precipitation fights between snow, sleet, and rain, but most of the snow is gone at this point.  April can be tricky, so I don't want to get too excited.  The forecasts are all calling for a cooler spring, which means I should do better with early season vegetables.  Maybe.  I hope.

I'm still controlling my urge to start too many seeds, but I did just set up the second shelf unit.  Today I'll be starting petunias and morning glories, and possibly some cool weather vegetables.  One of the tricks I read about that I'm doing this year is soaking my seed starting and potting soil mixes with boiling water.  This is supposed to kill any fungus gnat larvae that might be in the soil, and so far, I'm fungus gnat free.  We'll chalk that up to a win!

 

I did start some more of the Tiny Tim tomato plants to give away, and a few pepper varieties.  I used the seed starting setup under the hydroponic system and it worked fantastically well!  The only seeds that didn't sprout were the habaneros, which is disappointing.  

 

The seeds that did sprout were transplanted, sponge and all, into red Solo cups with potting soil.  They're doing very well, so this is a great method for starting, and I'll probably do another round soon so I have staggered harvests. 

 

 

 

I tried starting some of the leek seeds that were leftover from 2024, and had less than 50% germination, so those need to go.  I really didn't want to grow leeks again this year, but I do love mom's potato leek soup.  I may have half a dozen plants to set out when the time comes.

And the Tiny Tim tomatoes finally did turn red, and were tasty little treats.  

The leaves have all dried up and fallen off, though.  The little peppers turned red, but they're solid, so I don't know what's up with that.  

Yesterday mother and I attended a small garden show in Maine, and one of the nurseries we frequent was a vendor there.  They had this spectacular black pussy willow shrub that was so stunning, we ended up driving to their nursery to purchase one on the spot.  I love it, and now I have one more shrub to add to my backyard collection.

 

 

 

And so begins the plant buying frenzy of 2026!
 

I feel it in my bones

Finally, we're getting temperatures that are more in the normal range for this time of the year!  It's been mostly above freezing for nearly a week, and it's a welcome break from the constant bitter cold we've had since December.  The sun is beginning to feel a bit stronger and the snow has begun a slow melt.  Now I'm really itching to start some seeds. The Ragged Robin and poppy seeds that I collected from my own plants that I sowed a while back are doing great so far. 

 

The Mallow and Vervain seeds that I collected never germinated, which is a disappointment.  The Burnet seed that I purchased also did not germinate indoors, so fingers crossed it will in the outdoor sowing containers.  Of the dozen Scabiosa seeds that were sown indoors, nine germinated, and two don't look so healthy.  I transplanted them all and it definitely looks like I'll lose at least one of the weaker seedlings.  

I've sown the last nine Burnet seeds and a few Valerian seeds in the hopes I'll get at least a few plants that I can collect seeds from this autumn.  Fingers crossed that they, and the winter sown seeds, produce a few good plants.  The winter sown containers are pretty much frozen into the snow right now, but I was able to look down into a few and I'm not seeing any signs yet of germination, which given the volatile weather is probably a good thing. 

 

I have some leek seeds from the flower heads I harvested year before last, and I'm going to try to see if they're still viable.

Meanwhile, over at the hydroponic station, the lettuce stump that started to produce leaves gave up the ghost, but I have two more varieties that I planted in succession that are doing well.  The tiny pepper plant has two oddly shaped peppers on it, despite constantly losing leaves. It's too dry in this house during the winter to really grow peppers, I'm finding.  I will start sowing some pepper varieties for spring planting outdoors soon, though.

 

The tomato plant is cracking me up - it's covered in tiny fruits!  None of them are even as big as a grape, but they are just too adorable.

 

I may start a couple of these tomatoes for planters outdoors when the time comes. Right now, that feels like it's a long way off...