For all of the gardening and seed-starting lovers out there, here is a juicy bit of my winter progress on my #seedlings I started earlier this month in January.
Above is a cluster of #daisies. Like many of my seedlings, they have responded very well by keeping them hydrated with the extra humidity provided by a plastic dome. They've been growing for almost a month now very close to the light-bulbs.
Recently, I transplanted many of my sprouted seedlings into separate growing containers. They are all looking very healthy with no signs of stress two days later.
In the back is a Roma #tomato.
On the left is a Planters Jumbo #melon.
Middle is Rapunzel Cherry #tomato.
On the right is #turnips, starting to develop their first true leaves.
In the lower left, under the dome is a Beefsteak Delicious #tomato, which had one leaf that I accidentally pulled off during transplanting. It had to be moved though, because the root was tunneling deep under the propagation tray.
In the lower right is a Banana #pepper.
Two sugar #pumpkin plants are growing at a vigorous pace. One is developing a small bud. I started adding sprinkles of organic fertilizer on the soil surface. Roots are spreading out under the pot. I am trying to get these to develop as thick of a root mass as possible before I consider transplanting them into larger pots. The soil has lots of pumice and coir to concentrate a ton of aeration and moisture around the root zone, to assist in building lots of dividing healthy roots.
Under the plastic bag, I have sewn some Anaheim #pepper seeds, and one of them has started to sprout. Peppers take a long time to germinate, even when kept warm, around 3 weeks.
Copenhagen #cabbage has a beautiful purple leaf forming. The stem is magenta pink. I am not sure why cabbage and turnips form such a long stem since the leaves form around the crown which needs to be close to the soil surface. Should I mound up more soil around the stem just under the leaves, or just leave (pun!) them alone?
Front and center is a fruiting shrub I grew from a seed last year, and behind it is the cutting I removed from it, and it has rooted on its own and now growing. This is a #goji-berry. #goji can be grown from seed inexpensively, as I have done, by purchasing them from the grocery store from the dried fruit aisle. The new leaves are somewhat limp, and extend into long delicate branch stems, but they actually get stronger if you provide them extra humidity in winter (I use a clear plastic cup), and by pruning the stem to a lower set of leaves. New stems and leaves will form along the lower part of the branch, strengthening the plant closer to the roots.
Hopefully I'll get some fruit in a few years. I may consider moving this plant outside in the summer for the first time.
#anise is another slow one to germinate. It can take 3 weeks. Seeds for anise can be tricky to acquire, but you can find them for sale at SeedsNow.com. Seeds can be ground up and used to add as a licorice flavor to baked cookies and cakes. When grown into a plant, the leaves and flowers also have this sweet licorice flavor. It has a lighter, fresher flavor than black licorice (which I dislike), and it freshens breath like fresh mint. Anise does not like soggy soil and it will rot and mold easily, but it does benefit from a very warm and humid environment. Water the soil once, and then use plastic dome to keep the air moisturized, and do not water again unless the soil and air becomes dry.
Seeds from the dry goods section at the grocery store are not very viable for growing. Make sure you purchase good, fresh seeds to get a good germination rate. Anise likes to root deeply, so if you grow it in a small cup, plant the seeds in a cluster, so the stems can help support each other to stand up stronger.
Above, is my #turmeric plants which I grew from rhizomes I purchased at the Asian grocery market produce. This month it hasn't grown very much, and the leaves are showing signs of drying up on the edges. I believe it is going into a dormancy, now that it knows it is winter. The evening chills from the nearby window is probably causing this. So today I opened the blinds and let the green leaves benefit from the extra warm sunlight. That should help it to regain some of the energy it has lost.
This what my grow room setup looks like. Very small, and yet I have dozens of plants already started, with more on the way.
Leave me a comment below and share you own photos and experiences if you like.
This week I am celebrating my 2000 SP account growth since I started. Thank you all so much for supporting me with your organic upvotes over these many months since I first started here. I will continue to share my love of many things as long as I am able.
