26 Feb 2005 Geraniums, Coreopsis, Blackeyed Susan, Blanket Flower

26 Feb 2005
Spring coming...

P1 was cleaning out the fruit cellar yesterday and found the geraniums I put in there to winter over. Geraniums calling to mind the fall day when I pulled them all up and put them in a bag in the basement to keep them from freezing. They were still alive and even way down there, they knew it was spring. They were growing new white leaves. The leaves were white and small, living off the stored life in the stems. They had no sunlight. They will green up on the porch, until it is warm enough to put them out. The house sparrows in the eves are brooding. Soon we will hear the racket from the young ones.
Even though it is cold out, the year is moving on.
I started parsley in an empty pot. Parsley takes a long time, and doesn't mind the cold.
I will bring in the dirt I put in the garage to have some for planting and start some perennials in flats. Blanket flower and Black Eyed Susan and Coreopsis.
Yeah Spring!

15Feb 2005

15 Feb 2005

SEED INVENTORY FOR SPRING 2005
The commercial seeds I have in the refrigerator are;
Beets Chioggia 2001, I don't know how well beet seeds keep
Spinach Bloonsdale longstanding -2000 test on porch, old beets and spinach.
Rhubarb Chard
Sunflowers from Amanda and Charlie's wedding- 3 Packs- Hlianthus Annus
BEANS AND SQUASH
Rattlesnake pole beans, Purple Peacock pole beans, Kentucky Blue pole beans
Royal Burgandy bush beans
Zuchinni; Black Beauty, Greyzinni
Buttercup winter squash
Pumpkins; Calabaza, Small Sugar
Cukecumbers; Tasty Green oriental-Hybrid- grow in a pot, Marketmore-heirloom
PEPPERS
Ancho101-chili, Kaliedoscope mix- Pinetree, Red Cherry Sweet, Fooled you, Italian roaster
I saved; Apple Pepper,
Lettuce
Four Seasons- versital really does four seasons, Cimmaron- long lasting GH, doesn't eat it, PInetree mix, Red vog Vogue, Freckles, Deer's tounge
GREENS
Cornsalad Large Dutch, Tah Tsai Rgokusai, Red Orach, New Zeland Spinach
TOMATO
Pruden's Purple, Kellog's Breakfast
RADISH
Pinetree mix, Red Beret
The sorrel seeds ought to find another home, as I have too many sorrel plants in my rain garden. Chives are good. Basil and Mugwort; can be started sometime. Parsley.
TO START OUTSIDE
Nemphia (Baby Blue Eyes), Borage, Powder Puff Aster, Native Aster- blue, Calendula- Cheddar Dwarf, Allism-purple.
FLOWERS
Zinnia- Lilliput and Daffodil, Sweet Pea- Old Sice (didn't get many blooms), Thunderbergia- Blackeyed Susan Climbing (Saved some seeds too. I loved these in pots. Plant them directly, like Morning Glories), Lavender- (Good for the church), Climbing Nasturtum, Pansy- Luna and saved purple Johnny Jump up, Nigella.
SAVED SEED
Fever Few, Calendula- compact and leggy, Yellow Snap Dragon, Blue (Bottle) Gentian, Zibrina and Purple Mallow, Morning Glory- Grandpa Otts, Cosmos, Apple Geranium, Nigella, 4 O'clocks, Sweet William- White and pink , Wild Lobilia, Flax, Arugala, Agave (from Paul's house, it's hard case is just cracking open in Feb. you can tell it knows how to survive in the desert.)
Now that I know what I have, I can think about what I need and order. Catalog orders need to bedone soon. I want to start some peppers and other early starters too. You don't have to start them all at once. I finally learned that after all these years gardening.