The second Siberian Tomato seed that I planted was showing itself by this morning. I do not see any signs of germination yet from the Oregon Spring Tomatoes. Today was a rather rainy day here so the seedlings were moved to a protected area out of the rain. The containers that did not show any signs of germination yet that did have lids were covered. None of the containers have drainage holes so protecting them from too much rain is a priority.
Since it was raining today and the garden world outside was out of the question I did go ahead and plant a few more seedlings that will either be placed in the garden next year or used in the greenhouse for blooms this winter. The seeds were planted in small Rubbermaid containers with lids. The containers were see through. First I planted seeds of Digitalis Creme Cafe which requires darkness to germinate. To accommodate this requirement I placed the entire container into a black plastic bag where it will remain until germination begins.
Other seeds I planted today include Tacca Chantrieri (black), Peppermint Eucalyptus, Lemon Eucalyptus, Carnation Grenadin Black King, Aquilegia Black, Deep Marine Heliotrope, Miniature Rose Angel Wings, Delphinium ARGS SP and Delphinium Blue Butterfly.
Today the first Siberian Tomato seedling poked its tiny head through. I prepared another shoe box this afternoon that I planted Meconopsis grandis seeds in.
Today I decided to try an experiment with cool weather vegetables. First I dug out some small peat pots left over from this spring and planted two seeds per pot of a Siberian Tomato and a Oregon Springs Tomato. I then placed these pots in a ziplock baggie that will remain in my bathroom window until I see sprouts. My next project required two old cardboard shoe boxes and two plastic trash bags. I wrapped each shoe box in a plastic bag and then filled them with potting soil. In one box I planted a Gourmet Blend Radish and in the other I planted an Heirloom Cutting Mix Blend Lettuce. I set these on my deck. I plan to cover them in the event of rain.
Filed under Container Gardening, In The Greenhouse, Vegetable Gardening, Year-Round Gardening by on Sep 8th, 2003. Comment. 
With the new Millenium fast approaching, and another Christmas almost over, I can’t decide rather I should worry about all the Y2K rumors or laugh them off. It often makes me wonder if the entire world is worried about the year 2000. I worked in retail sales at the beginning of this year and it was funny to see how people were scurrying around to purchase tons of water, canned goods, and camping supplies, just in case the world as we know it suddenly comes to an end, but I doubt if this will happen.
Anyway, as you may have guessed, with my greenhouse, I’m ready and prepared for any diaster……well, that is, as long as it doesn’t destroy my greenhouse! With a wood burner inside, I’m sure to be toasty warm, just in case we have a power failure, and then there’s the situation with food. So many fresh vegetables will grow in a cold frame, and although I’m certainly not a vegetiarian, I can survive on vegetables. As for the rest of my food supply, I have tomatoes growing in my greenhouse, along with various herbs and other edible plants. In your Y2K diaster supplies, you should add a couple nice thick rolls of plastic and some wood or PVC to make a “instant” greenhouse, just in case! A very small house could be heated with kerosene……or wood, or even a BBQ grill should it become necessary, and who can refuse fresh vegetables? Another idea is to house chickens or rabbits inside of your small cold frame. Not only do they fertilize everything, but they produce heat, and although it may not be enough for your tropical plants, it would certainly keep some things alive, and give you meat to eat.
I will be spending this weekend germinating more exotic and tropical seeds, expecting the new year to proceed just like all previous new years. One joy that I did get this week was the emerging seedling of a Canary Vine. I had started the seeds weeks ago, and had almost thought nothing was going to happen, when suprise, here it poked its head up. It always amazes me the way seeds germinate….one day it seems like nothing is happening and the next day you have a small seedling. Other plants on my germination list this week included Passifloria Incarata, Passifloria Caerulea, Clitoria Ternatea (“Butterfly Pea”), Gloriosa Rothschildiana (“Glory Lily”), Cananga Odorata (“Ylang Ylang”), Clianthus, Acacia Nilotica (“Gum Arabic”), and Pimenta Dioca (“Allspice”). As you can tell, I have been quite busy, and I might just say, I have learned a lot this week about these various seeds and germinating them.
Pimenta Dioca seeds should be planted 3/8” deep in a mixture of a sandy, loam type of soil. These seeds require bright light, and must be keep warm and damp. They also require high humidity, and must not be kept too wet.
Cananga Odorata seeds need bright light and constant warmth. There germination is very slow and may take up to five months. Plant them 1/2” deep and keep the soil slightly moist.
Gloriosa Rothschildiana tubers have always mystified me because I could never get one to grow, so I decided to attemp to grow this plant from seed. These seeds must be planted 1/2” deep in a well draining soil mixture. The seeds need bright light and must be kept warm and damp.
Clitoria Ternatea is another plant that I have desperately wanted to grow, but either couldn’t get the seeds to germinte or lost them once they did germinate, but now that I know a bit more about how to germinate the plant, maybe I wll have better luck this time around. These seeds need to be covered very lightly with a sandy/loam mixture and require constant warmth and high humidity. They also need bright light and must be kept damp.
Finally, I finished up with Acacia Nilotica. These seeds required a lot of work, but I know it will pay off. The seeds must be pre-soaked in boiling water, and I chose to change the water several times so the contianer was filled with fresh hot water, for twenty-four hours. Once this step is completed, the seeds must be planted at 3/4” deep in a potting mixture. Then, they must be kept warm, damp and in bright light.
Should worse come to worse this year, and the Y2K situation destroy life as we know it, I will just put all my tropical plants around my wood burner and carry on. Until next week, happy gardening, and have a safe and happy holiday season!
Filed under Gardening News, Gardening News, In The Greenhouse, Seed Starting by on Dec 24th, 1999. Comment.
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