Recap on Febuary

I thought I would share this video of our snow falling with tiny hail balls, They were 1/2 the size of styrofoam balls you would find in a bean bag chair.  . I know Angela saw it on face book but not many of you are on it too. I love to see what it is like in your part of the wold as well. We are expecting more snow Monday. This last storm was called thunder snow. As there was lightning and thunder along with hail and sleet. Mother nature sure has many surprises for us. I have to get more propane ordered, as we ran out yesterday. We do not have a gauge to tell us we are low.  So we are always surprised. We use the propane for a fireplace. It helps us in times of extrema cold. We mostly use electric space heaters the majority of the time.

I have been thinking of adding on a green house to the south side of the house. This is just a dream, but you never know. I have solar panels I would put up on the roof or wall. And I saw a number of videos on what is called a rocket stove.  I would love to heat the floor with that. And have that room flow heat into the house in winter. Oh, but it is just a dream.

My seedlings are not all sprouting as well as in the past.The all glass fish tank I had used in the past had better results. But the box lined in trash bags took longer for them to sprout. And many have not sprouted at all.


 I also did an experiment. To regrow lettuce from a store bought product. For a post I saw on facebook. I cut off the tops of a red leaf bunch of lettuces, and some green onion.I added enough water to cover the core. about an inch or so. And in s day or so you could see darker green develop in the center. .

 With in a week this much has regrown. So It works.
I think what I love the most about this is it puts spring time in my kitchen window. With snow all over the ground on the out side . So I look at it and smile.
 

Spring fever

Yep, I have a good case of spring fever. Last night I started 18 tomato seeds. All heirloom. (Gold medal, .brandy wine, and flame hillbilly.) Today I am planting a hybrid. Beef master.. Just in case the others fail due to what ever mother nature throws at us. I am not one for gmo food. But this is one of the earliest  hybrids. And are the results of cross pollination. To improve on the health or size of the plant. It to me is not like a test tube modification.  Or chemically engineered product.

Definitions
 Heirloom tomatoes are old varieties grown from seed saved from season to season. Heirlooms are a category unto themselves. They tend to be less disease resistant and "wilder" in appearance. Fans insist that their flavor and uniqueness make up for any disadvantages.
Hybrid tomatoes are developed to give growers the best characteristics of all varieties. Fruit size, crop yield and disease resistance are all traits of hybrids.

 I use a small pinch of stuffing like you would use in a pillow or toy. I place it in the bottom of a shot glass size cup. This works well for wicking water  up to the soil, with out soaking the soil. After the plant gets a good start, I transplant it in a 12 oz cup, or a self watering soda bottle. I have had very good results this way.I reuse these cups to replant. So they are not wasted.
 

I use a box covered with trash bags to make like a green house or terrarium affect. In a few days the seed should sprout.

I took a walk around my yard today and found signs of early or false spring. We have had some warm days. Not normal for this time of year. So I took a few photos.

This is a self watering drum I cut in half to make 2 planters. I have asparagus planted in this one. And should be able to cut off and eat some of it this year. I planted it from seed a few years ago.The sticks you see in it are last years plants. They look like wood sticks. I should have added more dirt..

This photo shows a juice bottle in the corner to add water to the bottom.
 It also allows me to see the water level. So I can add more if needed.
 

 The photo below is elephant ear garlic starting to grow already.

I have Iris starting to green up too.  And daffodil are up 2 inches. 

So it looks like an early spring is on its way.

 If you want more information on how I did the containers please click on this link
 http://itsgreenday.blogspot.com/
 It will take you to my old garden blog. I have not up dated it since 2009/10. I gave up on gardening after the summer of 09. Too much rain. And last year drought. This year I am planning to be ready for what ever mother nature throws at us. By using more self watering containers. And or umbrellas. HEHEHE.

Note:
 Hybrid plants, such as ‘Big Boy’, ‘Beefmaster’ and ‘Early Girl’ tomatoes will produce viable seed. Plants grown from that seed, however, will not be just like the hybrid parents; instead, they will be a completely new combination of the good and bad traits of the plants that were initially crossed. It’s impossible to predict just how the seedling plant will perform or what qualities the fruit will have.

Have a wonderful day and remember to laugh and play.