Thurs. Feb. 24, 2022: First Growth

image courtesy of Jag2020 via pixabay.com

Thursday, February 24, 2022

4^th Quarter Waning Moon in Sagittarius

Celtic Tree Month of Ash

Cloudy and cold

We’ve had wacky weather, in the mid-fifties one day, snow the next. It’s been mild the past few days, but tomorrow, a foot of snow is predicted.

Tiny shoots have come up in the two marine heliotrope pots, and one tiny echinacea shoot has come up. Earlier than expected, and so exciting! I moved the pots out onto the front porch in the sun during the mild days, and will take them in today as the temperature drops. The shoots are too tiny to show up well in my low-grade camera in my phone, but once they’re big enough to look good in a picture, I’ll post one.

I meant to plant cat grass earlier this week, but I didn’t, so tomorrow I will plant cat grass and the nasturtiums.

Yesterday it was in the mid-fifties, and the weather veered every few minutes from rain to sun and back again. By evening, it dropped to the mid-thirties, and when I woke up this morning, it was only 16.

Snow’s supposed to start tonight and go all day tomorrow. I have the pre-storm headache, so I think it might start earlier. Or maybe I just hope it will, to ease the pressure in my head.

What do we focus on for the tree month of Ash? Ash magic is connected to dreams, prophecy, the sea, healing, and prosperity, so any of those aspects of your life that need work are a good focus for the month.

I hope this weekend’s snowstorm is it for this area. I shouldn’t complain; supposedly November and December were unseasonably mild, so we really only had rough weather last month and this month. But, for the shortest month, February seems long. And dreary. I mean, I live in New England because I like seasons, so here we are with seasons.

And I like sitting inside and watching the snow from the tall windows.

Hopefully, next week, it will be milder and more plants will be up!

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Thurs. Feb. 17, 2022: First Planting

photo by Devon Ellington

Thursday, February 17, 2022

Third Quarter Moon Waning in Virgo

Celtic Tree Month of Rowan

Cloudy/rainy/mild

There’s actual plant stuff to talk about this week.

Friday was mild enough to be out on the front porch. I cut back some of the plants that did not overwinter well. One of the geraniums will probably come back. Our oldest philodendron, the one that looked like something out of Little Shop of Horrors on the Cape, didn’t make it. It was never happy here, and just gave up. The chrysanthemum which used to be in the barrel on the front lawn, and was in a pot on the back balcony, blooming so well in autumn, has new shoots. That will be fine. I don’t think the Impatiens survived, but I’ll give it a few more weeks.

The rest of the seeds arrived Friday, although I didn’t get down to the mailbox to get them until Saturday. I was excited that they arrived, and then realized I’d forgotten to order one of the ones I wanted to try this year. Maybe I’ll still order it; maybe I’ll wait until next year.

Pulled two of the seed packets from the new box which also need to be planted sooner rather than later.

Sunday, I planted two pots of Marine Heliotrope, a pot of Echinacea, and a pot of Rocky Mountain Columbine. All of them could take up to a month to sprout, so I have to be patient, although I’m fussing over the pots every day. And started the journal tracking sheets, so I can see what works and what doesn’t here, and adjust as needed.

Last night, the murder of crows tried to chase away a hawk. He came to perch on our back balcony for a bit. Beautiful, gray-headed, sharp-eyed, amazing wingspan. Much as I love my murder of crows, this gorgeous bird fascinated me. He took a break, rested up, and then took off. That wingspan! Absolutely stunning.

It’s supposed to be very mild for the next few days (maybe the ice around the tires will melt), and then another storm on Sunday.

I need to get some more pots. At the end of February, I have a bunch more seeds to start. I’m excited about the nasturtiums, the four o-clocks, and the black-eyed Susan vine.

Have you started any of your plants yet?

Thurs. Feb. 10, 2022: First Seed Packets

photo by Devon Ellington

Thursday, February 3, 2022

Second Quarter Waxing Moon in Gemini

No Retrogrades

Celtic Tree Month of Rowan

Snowy and cold

Yesterday, it was in the forties and slushy, on top of all the layers of ice. It was supposed to be the same today, but it snowed overnight. So that changes the schedule. Well, when we moved here, we were warned that we couldn’t expect to go anywhere from November 1 to the end of March!

The first of the seeds arrived, as you can see from the photo above.

I need to get the heliotrope into pots on the next planting day, which is Saturday. It’s supposed to be started 10-12 weeks before the last frost. And it can take up to a month to sprout.

I chose these particular cherry tomatoes because they can be grown in containers and/or hanging baskets, and I thought that would be fun. I’m not planting them until the end of the month.

The cucumbers are minis, just right to grow in pots on the deck and porch. They can’t be started until after the frosts are finished; I’m thinking the end of March.

I’m still waiting for my other seeds, and will see when/how to schedule planting them. I have a feeling I’ll need a few more pots.

I’m debating whether or not to order a night-blooming jasmine from Territorial Seed to put on the front, screened-in porch. I bet it will smell gorgeous at night.

The only vegetables I’m planning to grow from seed this year are the tomatoes and cucumbers listed above. I will buy some lettuce plants, rather than growing them from seed. I need to learn how the vegetables do in this location.

I have ordered seeds for flowers, and I will buy pots of herbs, so there will be variety. But the growing conditions are very different here than they were on Cape Cod, and I need to learn. It will be trial, and, no doubt, plenty of error!

I’m excited for the farmers’ markets to start up again. There’s one in walking distance.

Hope you’re having a good February. I usually get a bad case of the blues, the “Februaries” I call them, but I’m hoping the planting will assuage some of that.

See you next week!

Thurs. Feb. 3, 2022: Seeds Ordered

image courtesy of Jonathan Kemper via Unsplash.com

Thursday, February 3, 2022

First Quarter Moon Waxing in Pisces

Mercury goes Direct today

Chinese Lunar New Year of the Water Tiger has begun (as of Tuesday)

Celtic Tree Month of Rowan

Rainy and mild

It’s raining this morning, and this evening, another snowstorm comes in. I don’t know how much snow we’re supposed to get; the predictions are all over the place. So I’ll try to dig out the car in the rain, before it all freezes down again.

This week, I ordered my seeds. Yes, it’s probably a little late, but at least they’re ordered.

I did a spread sheet with information from the four different seed catalogs I got, comparing the seeds I liked best, and prices. I decided that, this year, I’m ordering from Botanical Interests (even though their seeds disappointed me a couple of years back) and Kitchen Garden Seeds.

I only ordered two vegetables this year: mini cucumbers and a cherry tomato that can be grown from a hanging basket. I want to see how they do, and then maybe add more vegetables next year.

I will buy herbs in small pots at the garden center. I ordered an echinacea mix; if it grows well, then I’ll have that, and lemon balm, and cat grass. We’ll also buy some lettuce, because we love salads with lettuce we’ve just picked.

Most of what I ordered this year are flowers: black-eyed Susan vine (which supposedly grows well here); Four O’clocks; Hollyhocks; Nasturtiums.

I’d hoped to get a globe thistle and grey poppy, but they were sold out, across the board.

So we’ll see. Hopefully, the seeds will arrive soon, and I can start the planting.

I did not do a ceremonial first planting for Imbolc yesterday; I might do one today, with some clementine seeds and some pumpkin seeds, which are part of my saved seeds project.

I have to learn how to garden here; what works, and what doesn’t. It will be trial and error.

I miss my lilacs. I might buy a lilac slip and try growing one in a pot again, like I did on Cape.

What seeds are you planting this season?