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...