Phaedra's 2023 Adventure

[flowerbug]

Thanks @Zeedman and @flowerbug! Would you please help me figure out from the below steps where might be the reason I have failed twice so far?

1. I tried two ways to prepare the seeds, soaked (for about 6 hours) and dry.
2. The soaked ones stayed in the living room (about 20 degrees C) and the dry ones stayed in the boiler room (about 22-24 degrees C)
3. Same compost for sowing, with certain moisture - The dry beans were sown in the wetter soil (you can't squeeze water from the soil).
4. Both batches failed in 3-4 days and turned molded.

View attachment 56138

Thank you again.

old seed is my guess (or improperly stored seeds).

 

[Phaedra]

I just received six small-leaved lindens (Tilia cordata) and started to plant them with mine divided perennials.

About the small-leaf linden - from wiki, sounds very lovely, isn't it?
Honey:
A monofloral honey is produced by bees using the trees and is widely used all over Europe. "Linden honey" is said to be nutritious and to have medicinal qualities.
Leaves:
The young leaves can be eaten as a salad vegetable.
Flower tea:
In the countries of Central, Southern and Western Europe, linden flowers are a traditional herbal remedy made into an herbal tea called lime tea or linden tea.

These perennials were divided in mid-Feb, and the roots are pretty well developed now. I will use them to build some landscapes.

Look how ready the roots are!

Transplanted, watered, and mulched - they are not so visible under the mulch. Anyway, my expectation is a small-leaved linden path with flowering perennials underneath, and there will be lovely colors from late spring to mid-autumn.

Yeah, I also transplanted a few black currants and gooseberry plants propagated from cuttings.

Meanwhile, I dug up another two clumps of ox-eye daisy, divided, soaked in water for some hours, and then repotted.

Around the end of May, I will transplant them to the chicken-run areas with chives that I divided earlier.

 

[Phaedra]

As my next targeted plant for propagation is Lilac, I did some online research. From others' experiences, I realized that rooted suckers would be the best option. Besides the Lilacs I purchased and planted in the past few years, we did have a normal cultivar in one corner.

So, hunting for a sucker is today's top priority!

And I got two - One pretty big (I guess, it's an at-least-3-year-old sucker.)and the other pretty young. I also got a free young conifer but have no idea what it is.

Happy! For the plan to propagate Lilacs, I will try both cuttings and air layering. Air-layering is my next challenge.

 

[flowerbug]

... I also got a free young conifer but have no idea what it is.
View attachment 56171

do you have cedar trees in the area or have you brought in mulch from some other place that has them? looks like a young cedar to me.

 

[ducks4you]

If you have a radiator you could put trays with beans on top of that. I find that a heat mat (which I know are pricey, and I have bought ALL of mine over several years!) will dry out the soil so that you don't get mold.

 

[Phaedra]

The three overwintered chili plants are growing vigorously now. Each of them has 4-5 flowers, so I guess I can harvest chilis much earlier than in the past. Taking chili plants as perennial is pretty worthwhile.

Basils divided from the supermarket potted herb -This is the 3rd harvest, and they look healthy. It seems we will have a less warm spring, and they must stay in the greenhouse longer. Keeping pinching them will be a good method to strengthen the root systems and encourage side shoots for bushier plants when summer comes.

The supermarket potted herbs are often leggy, and the presentation effects are the results of fertilizer and strict growing condition controls. It's surprising to find new nodes growing on their leggy stems after a few weeks. How amazing!

Today's harvest, not bad at all!

I also start harvesting the lettuce. With the bread baked yesterday and our own eggs, I enjoyed a wonderful breakfast.

 

[Phaedra]

@Alasgun They are growing and look like Rhodiola rosea now.

Other herbs that I grew from seeds this year:
Eucalyptus cinerea 'Silver Dollar'

Two varieties of Hyssop - 'Rosa' and 'Blue'

Volunteer spruce - tiny but full of life

First year trial on Ranunculus bulbs - they also sprout and grow well.

 

[Phaedra]

If you have a radiator you could put trays with beans on top of that. I find that a heat mat (which I know are pricey, and I have bought ALL of mine over several years!) will dry out the soil so that you don't get mold.

I will try again to put them on the windowsill, where we have heater below.

I only encountered a similar problem when I tried growing soybeans for the first time. It turned out that I had planted them too deep, making it challenging for the new roots to push the heavy seeds upward.

 

[Phaedra]

do you have cedar trees in the area or have you brought in mulch from some other place that has them? looks like a young cedar to me.

We have a few different conifers in the surrounding, and there are so many volunteer young plants in all corners every year. To be honest, I am a bit worried about those young conifers now.

 

[baymule]

Your basil is so healthy and vibrant. And your chili plants are blooming! You will have peppers soon!