Vegetable seeds for my tiny veggie plot. Ordered from T&T of Winnipeg
1).Straight eight cucumbers – Tried and true
2) Raven Hybrid Zucchini – last year I planted zucchini among the annuals and it did not like it. A poor show of leaves and no fruit. This year it will have a proper spot.
3) Squash, acorn table king
4) Northern extra sweet corn
5) Kale – easiest stuff to grow and so tender, unlike that in the grocery stores.
No pumpkin this year. I still have a freezer full of it.
Non seeds
1) A super duper sprayer to defeat the caterpillars on the high bush cranberry
2) Safer’s BTK insecticide – the caterpillars are going down!
3) Safer’s slug and snail stuff – expensive but the hostas expect it.
Monday 28 January 2008
Sunday 27 January 2008
Seed order
January 28, 2008
Finally my first seed order is ready to go. I buy from T&T seeds in Winnipeg. They have a small but very reliable catalogue.
Here is the list:
Bulbs: Ten Orienpet lily bulbs of mixed colour. These lilies were so spectacular last summer that I cannot resist ordering them again even though I do not know if the ones under the snow have survived the winter. These lilies are a cross between oriental and trumpet lilies with wonderful fragrance and substance. I plan to put them in big containers by the fence on the patio. I will probably not start them inside but put them directly in the containers and surround with annuals such as the white wave petunias, the pink raspberry dianthus and some blue pansies. In September, when they finish blooming, I will transplant them into the garden.
Annual Seeds to start inside:
1. Canary Bird vine, the fastest annual vine. It will cover the shed in leaves in a few weeks and in August send out starry yellow flowers.
2. Mammoth sweet peas. I buy the mixed colours and plant in the back lane for cutting.
3. Easy wave petunias to put around the above lilies. These are the most expensive seeds at $10.95 for 20 seeds or 53 cents a seed. Still they are cheaper than buying the plants in the nursery. I love white petunias. They glow in the dark.
4. Lobelia Crystal palace – tried and true dark blue.
5. Glorious Gleam nasturtiums. T&T is not offering my usual variety, Jewel, so I am trying this one. I hate changes!
6. Lemon gem marigolds Tiny scented marigolds to fill the spaces around the perennials in my very dry front garden.
8. Silver Cup lavatera. In spite of the name, these flowers are pink. And fabulous. Can’t have too many. The white are nice but not as floriferous.
9. Impatiens Elfin, a mix of colours. For the shade garden. Among the ferns, primula and columbine.
10. Godetia, wonderful pink long blooming lovelies.
11. Germaniums – white and pink. This will be the first year I have grown geraniums inside from seed. If they work I will put them in pots on the patio.
12. Dianthus – always nice in pots.
13. Jubilee Gem bachelor buttons - the bluest of the blue. Gives the blue hit needed until the delphiniums wake up.
14, Nicotania, a new offering by T&T seeds. I trust this company enough to go along with something new. This is the five-foot tall old-fashioned variety which is grown for the scent rather than the blooms. I have a blank space behind the old peony and there the plants will go.
15. Hibiscus Luna – another experiment for the masochistic gardener but I can’t resist.
Note – T&T offers no tall cosmos in this catalogue. And no schizanthus. Schizanthus is so trickly to grow inside that perhaps it is not popular. I will order these on line from Stokes along with the tiny petunias and tiny pansies. They bloom before the begonias and so carry the bloom into mid summer. However, if it is a hot summer, they peter out and have to be pulled but the begonias can take over the window boxes on their own and round out the season. At least that’s the plan. But as ever in gardening, we will see…..
-------------------------------------
Finally my first seed order is ready to go. I buy from T&T seeds in Winnipeg. They have a small but very reliable catalogue.
Here is the list:
Bulbs: Ten Orienpet lily bulbs of mixed colour. These lilies were so spectacular last summer that I cannot resist ordering them again even though I do not know if the ones under the snow have survived the winter. These lilies are a cross between oriental and trumpet lilies with wonderful fragrance and substance. I plan to put them in big containers by the fence on the patio. I will probably not start them inside but put them directly in the containers and surround with annuals such as the white wave petunias, the pink raspberry dianthus and some blue pansies. In September, when they finish blooming, I will transplant them into the garden.
Annual Seeds to start inside:
1. Canary Bird vine, the fastest annual vine. It will cover the shed in leaves in a few weeks and in August send out starry yellow flowers.
2. Mammoth sweet peas. I buy the mixed colours and plant in the back lane for cutting.
3. Easy wave petunias to put around the above lilies. These are the most expensive seeds at $10.95 for 20 seeds or 53 cents a seed. Still they are cheaper than buying the plants in the nursery. I love white petunias. They glow in the dark.
4. Lobelia Crystal palace – tried and true dark blue.
5. Glorious Gleam nasturtiums. T&T is not offering my usual variety, Jewel, so I am trying this one. I hate changes!
6. Lemon gem marigolds Tiny scented marigolds to fill the spaces around the perennials in my very dry front garden.
8. Silver Cup lavatera. In spite of the name, these flowers are pink. And fabulous. Can’t have too many. The white are nice but not as floriferous.
9. Impatiens Elfin, a mix of colours. For the shade garden. Among the ferns, primula and columbine.
10. Godetia, wonderful pink long blooming lovelies.
11. Germaniums – white and pink. This will be the first year I have grown geraniums inside from seed. If they work I will put them in pots on the patio.
12. Dianthus – always nice in pots.
13. Jubilee Gem bachelor buttons - the bluest of the blue. Gives the blue hit needed until the delphiniums wake up.
14, Nicotania, a new offering by T&T seeds. I trust this company enough to go along with something new. This is the five-foot tall old-fashioned variety which is grown for the scent rather than the blooms. I have a blank space behind the old peony and there the plants will go.
15. Hibiscus Luna – another experiment for the masochistic gardener but I can’t resist.
Note – T&T offers no tall cosmos in this catalogue. And no schizanthus. Schizanthus is so trickly to grow inside that perhaps it is not popular. I will order these on line from Stokes along with the tiny petunias and tiny pansies. They bloom before the begonias and so carry the bloom into mid summer. However, if it is a hot summer, they peter out and have to be pulled but the begonias can take over the window boxes on their own and round out the season. At least that’s the plan. But as ever in gardening, we will see…..
-------------------------------------
Indoor bulbs
January 27, 2008. Two blue hyacinths are in bloom in the kitchen with three more in the porch working on it. The blue (Delph Blue) variety has the strongest scent. This is unlike most plants where white blooms have the strongest scent. The very dark pink hyacinth was a short bloomer. I prefer the blue. There are people who dislike the smell of hyacinth. They do take over a room and when you come in from outside, the scent greets you.
The tulips planted in December are still in the cold room. I see one bulb tip is covered with rot. The others seem OK. The roots are not showing yet at the bottom of the pot. I still have tulip bulbs in the fridge to be planted in mid February, an experiment to get spring flowers that can go outside during the day.
It has been a good year for indoor bulbs so far. The three amaryllis were wonderful, the white the most beautiful. They were all regular size (ie too tall) and long lasting. Last year I bought the dwarf amaryllis and although they did not threaten to topple, they were short blooming. I planted one amaryllis late and slowly, slowly it grows. Then it will make a sprint and it will appear to lengthen before one's eyes.
What I have learned about growing bulbs indoors.
1) When you bring them out of the cold room, they like a cool place to start to grow. This fall I set the temperature in the porch too high (19 C) and the bulbs dried out fast. Now at 15 C they are slow but happy.
2) Bulbs need lots of water. if they do not get enough the flower may be malformed. You have to check them every day once they are out of cold storage.
3) Crocus - a few in a pot - are lovely and make great gifts. I like crocus better in a pot than I do outside in the spring where they are very short lived. They bloom early, before you are sitting out in the garden., and so get overlooked.
4) Hyacinth like small pots. Cosy pots. They just make too much leaf in large pots. Best would be just a bit larger than 4 inch and smaller than 6 – if possible. I believe they are loners and prefer to be single.
5) Very large pots of tulips may look good in the stores but this arrangement has been created after the plants are up. Planting large pots of tulips means that they flop around and do not flower at the same time. 6 inch pots are the best with three bulbs to a pot.
6)King Alfred daffodils are really a tall plant with a small flower, to my surprise. I thought they would be larger. I have not yet found the best daffodil for forcing.
7) Putting bulbs under grow lights seems to have little effect
The tulips planted in December are still in the cold room. I see one bulb tip is covered with rot. The others seem OK. The roots are not showing yet at the bottom of the pot. I still have tulip bulbs in the fridge to be planted in mid February, an experiment to get spring flowers that can go outside during the day.
It has been a good year for indoor bulbs so far. The three amaryllis were wonderful, the white the most beautiful. They were all regular size (ie too tall) and long lasting. Last year I bought the dwarf amaryllis and although they did not threaten to topple, they were short blooming. I planted one amaryllis late and slowly, slowly it grows. Then it will make a sprint and it will appear to lengthen before one's eyes.
What I have learned about growing bulbs indoors.
1) When you bring them out of the cold room, they like a cool place to start to grow. This fall I set the temperature in the porch too high (19 C) and the bulbs dried out fast. Now at 15 C they are slow but happy.
2) Bulbs need lots of water. if they do not get enough the flower may be malformed. You have to check them every day once they are out of cold storage.
3) Crocus - a few in a pot - are lovely and make great gifts. I like crocus better in a pot than I do outside in the spring where they are very short lived. They bloom early, before you are sitting out in the garden., and so get overlooked.
4) Hyacinth like small pots. Cosy pots. They just make too much leaf in large pots. Best would be just a bit larger than 4 inch and smaller than 6 – if possible. I believe they are loners and prefer to be single.
5) Very large pots of tulips may look good in the stores but this arrangement has been created after the plants are up. Planting large pots of tulips means that they flop around and do not flower at the same time. 6 inch pots are the best with three bulbs to a pot.
6)King Alfred daffodils are really a tall plant with a small flower, to my surprise. I thought they would be larger. I have not yet found the best daffodil for forcing.
7) Putting bulbs under grow lights seems to have little effect
Thursday 24 January 2008
Welcome to Garden Thunder Bay
Right now we are ordering seeds, making plans and setting up lights to grow plants. If you want information and advice about how to garden in Thunder Bay, seek no further.
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