Phaedra's 2023 Adventure

[Phaedra]

Sowing Friday, I enjoyed my coffee and decided what I would like to sow.

The lotus pond is still frozen, but the window view remains lovely. It's difficult for me to stay in most of the coffee shops, as I build so many cormers at home that are much better than them.

My sowing was in fact interrupted by some project works, but as some preparations were done on Thursday evening, I still could finish most of the planned ones.

Five varieties of sweet peas, one field peas, two wonderful varieties of onion, lemon bee balm, plum tomato and salad cucumber.

If everything works smoothly, more than one hundred onions and 50 field pea plants will grow from this tray.

More sowing will be continued tomorrow morning.

And my lovely hens~ chit-chatting?

 

[digitS']

It's difficult for me to stay in most of the coffee shops

It looks very pleasant at home, Phaedra.

We watched "Antman and the Wasp," today. I don't really know why .

Anyway, people are sitting in the window of a San Francisco coffee shop and a GIANT Antman slides by on the street while stopping a truck and tearing up pavement in the process. No one looks out the window and notices; they are too busy with their devices.

Your "psycho∙logical" funny in that thread the other day reminded me of a joke about seeing someone in Starbucks just sitting, drinking a cup of coffee - no phone or laptop. Just sitting there drinking coffee like some kind of psychopath!

Steve

 

[flowerbug]

...
Your "psycho∙logical" funny in that thread the other day reminded me of a joke about seeing someone in Starbucks just sitting, drinking a cup of coffee - no phone or laptop. Just sitting there drinking coffee like some kind of psychopath!

Steve

it's downright anti-social!

 

[ducks4you]

There is cetainly a market Here for this stuff. If it isn't plants (unless it is seeds) "Etsy" has developed quite a online reputation for quality merchandise that you buy straight from the seller, so the stuff doesn't come from China and slave work.
Yesterday I heard one of the hosts on Sirius (radio) Classical talk about how he needed to hustle Saturday morning to get to his local Farmer's Market before they run out of sourdough bread loaves.
You can become quite popular!

 

[Phaedra]

I finished what I didn't sow on Friday. So, I'm actually on schedule.

I love my mini-germination domes - they added some fun elements.

After the germination, I will prick them out when they are in the right sizes. For example, those tiny seedlings are snapdragons sown on January 27th. Now, they are ready to move in module trays. And then the dome will be available for the sowing on coming Friday.

Fennel for tea garden

Hyssop - I choose two varieties, pink and blue.

Another tiny seed - amaranth
The burgundy red can create some nice contrast in the summertime.

Both the first and the second batches of Lisianthus keep sprouting. The seedlings are still very small as snapdragons, so I will prick them out a bit later. My microgreens are quite successful this winter, too.

After a bitter winter, I lost quite some 2022-propagated young plants, especially roses. I underestimated the damage that could result from a long-lasting frost. Although I removed them from the greenhouse to the unheated room, it was too late.

Well, we all learn lessons from time to time.

However, other much more resilient plants like black currants, raspberries, honeysuckles, and elderberries are safe and sound. No matter the roots or the shoots, they are ready to start their new journey here once spring arrives.

All black currant cuttings from our neighbor in Köln survive. The roots have silently but well developed during the past few months. From this year, we will harvest a lot of black currant for sure.

A new Honeysuckle from a tine cutting

Autumn raspberry growing from a basal shoot with certain roots - to be honest, as long as you want, most of the berries can have endless daughter plants via propagation.

 

[Branching Out]

Great looking transplants from cuttings Phaedra. Now I am wishing that I had taken some raspberry cuttings last fall. We had a friend give us a bunch of red currant cuttings; I will try to pot them up in individual containers this week. Thanks for the inspiration!

 

[AMKuska]

May I ask for some tips on propogating? I tried my hand at it with blueberry cuttings my neighbor gave me, but they all died. I am sure it is my fault. I just don't know what I did wrong.

 

[Phaedra]

May I ask for some tips on propogating? I tried my hand at it with blueberry cuttings my neighbor gave me, but they all died. I am sure it is my fault. I just don't know what I did wrong.

I am pretty new to propagation, but I'd love to share some factors that will affect the overall results. You can find many experienced growers who shared their tips under these topics online:

If we are talking about propagation via cuttings --
1. Type of cuttings - softwood / semi-hardwood / hardwood cuttings; you will need to know the suitable timing to make the cuttings, the advantages and disadvantages of using them.
2. Nature of the plants you want to propagate from cuttings - some plants are easier, and some are more challenging. Starting from the easier ones or a combination of easier and more challenging ones is helpful in building experiences and confidence.
3. Quality of cuttings - the fresher, the better.
4. Tools to prepare your cuttings
5. Environment to accommodate your cuttings
6. Is cutting the best way to propagate? From what I learned in 2022, basal shoots or runners with certain root systems are both effective ways to clone good-performance plants.

That's what I have in mind at this moment, and I'd love to be more helpful, if you have any questions.

 

[Phaedra]

Before the weather becomes bad again tomorrow, I did some hard work today and cleaned quite some shrubs, roses, and removed some wild Bramble stems.

I also started the pre-sprout for one tray of the home-saved Dahlia tubers. So far, the storage quality is acceptable. Let's see how long it will take for them to wake up.

I also updated my growing log and had a much better idea about how many seedlings I have at this moment, when and how many more I want to grow for the succession purpose.

So far, I'm confident to have at least 15 Lisianthus from seeds, and I ordered another variety, which has 25 seeds per portion. Don't know why, but we have terribly limited choices of Lisianthus in Germany. I must take very good care of whatever Lisianthus I grow this year and save the seeds (for selling, haha).

Besides, I will find a place to grow some foxgloves, which are originally not in my 2023 plan.

 

[Phaedra]

Besides the written notes (more for learning), I also made an excel file for tracking.

I already sowed 26 veggies / 15 flowers / 10 herbs - and the number of seedlings should be more than 300. I will finish updating the excel this weekend.

Tomorrow is again the sowing Friday!