This is What $80 in Seeds Looks Like

Sooooooo……….. I’m ready for my intervention. Approximately $80 worth of seeds (plus duty charged by Canada Post) showed up in the mail over the last few days. That would be in addition to the COUNTLESS seeds I already have. And the ones that are turning into little seedlings under lights. And the seeds I will

Chickens!

I often dream of hens clucking around in a small garden pecking at bugs and laying fresh, organic eggs but alas that is not going to happen living in the cold, white north with no backyard or shelter against raccoons and minus will-it-never-end winters. And seriously, that was an actual question. Will winter never end?

La Plaza Cultural

Once again I am trying to catch up on the garden visits I have made over the last three months. La Plaza Cultural is a community garden in New York City’s Alphabet City neighborhood (9th and Avenue C) that I have visited twice but only from the outside. But what a fantastic outside it is.

Seed-Starting Tags/Chart

As per usual I did not read instructions and jumped headfirst into converting Goldtop’s cute Seed-Starting Chart into little seedling pot tags. Turns out they are great for either purpose. I printed mine on cardstock, cut them out, and attached to tongue depressors. I did not have anything important to write in the notes section

Tomatoes to Grow in Containers (or anywhere else for that matter)

Since I have begun talking about seeds and showing photos of my little seedlings, people have been writing in to ask me what I’m growing. I have been purposefully avoiding saying too much about my choices this year because a large number of the varieties I am growing are new-to-me. I have a tendency to

Blast From the Past

Jennifer Perkins of the famous Naughty Secretary Club just reposted this interview we did… a whole bunch of years ago. I have to admit that when I saw her message in my inbox my first thought was, “Oh [insert expletive here], what did I say to embarrass myself?” Thankfully there is no blackmail material in

Seed-Starting Basics

Seed-starting season is in full swing in these parts. I’ve been getting loads of questions about it via email and figured it was time to put together a seed-starting recap here on the site.

I started my own tomato, pepper, and tomatillo seeds this weekend and put in orders with two seed companies to complete my 2007 Scary Mega Plant List.

Lee Valley Windowsill Seed Starter

Last spring the world aligned in such a way leading to what I can only describe as a collapse in judgement wherein I purchased an actual device to start my seeds in. Firstly, I am a gluttonous gardener and had compiled a frightening collection of seeds to grow, and then Lee Valley had the gall

Seedy Saturday 2007

Another Seedy Saturday has come and gone and as usual I went in with big ideas but didn’t quite make it to all the booths. However, this year I can proudly say that I made a list and mostly stuck to it! What’s more, most of my items were trades — a staggering four packs

It Has Begun… Seeds 2007

Have you started your seeds yet? This has been the most common topic on everyone’s mind lately and the question I have been asked most in the last few weeks. People should know by now that I’m a late start. I rarely get my seeds started on time… you know, for the experimenting and the

Plexiglas Planter

Okay so the succulents are half-dead and it’s actually a corny window display for a glasses store but this shallow Plexiglas planter box found while walking through Portland, Oregon is at heart a good idea. Shallow-rooted succulents like hens and chicks would do well in a container like this — the store owner just didn’t