Seedlings

Weeks ago, when I started my seeds, I wrote about my fears of failure. Sadly, those fears have been realized. Almost every single seedling is dead. What remains are a few sugar snap peas, some spinach that’s looking kind of not so good, and a few very stunted looking kale seedlings. Let’s also not forget the curious case of the chive seeds that migrated from the pot in which I planted them clear over to the other side of my yard where they took root amongst the grass, giving me crazy smells every time I mow the lawn.

Rain

Having gone into this gardening season mentally prepared for at least some failure, I’m not quite as devastated as I could be. There are things that I could have done better, however, for the most part, these deaths were cause by some terrific rains that swept through the North American midwest a few weeks ago. We were fortunate to not have sustained any flooding damage, many in the surrounding areas lost everything. We did enjoy making lemonade from the lemons by boating in the retention pond in the park behind our home.

Guestpost Raiye Gardening Failure 1 Guestpost Raiye Gardening Failure 2

Buying plants

I fear it might be too late to start some of the seedlings over again, particularly for tomatoes and peppers. I’m not giving up, though. I will need to revert, at least for some things, to buying plants. All is not lost on my quest for more wholesome, organic and non-GMO, though. I have found a source in my home town who will be selling organic, locally grown seedlings tomorrow. I’ve perused their offerings in the past and know I’ll find some amazing heirloom varieties that will be delicious.

photo(1)This is a post by Guest Blogger Raiye Rosado Cichon. Although she is a moderately experienced gardener, she is also mother to five and an IT business development professional – time is limited. She’ll be documenting her progress and sharing time-saving tips. Check out her blog; Raiyesnewnormal

 

 

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I recently saw a TED talk given by Britta Riley which was so inspiring that I want to share her ideas with you.

Grow your own

Britta Riley lived in a tiny apartment in New York and she wanted to grow food. Without a garden let alone a balcony it seemed like a mission impossible. However, that didn’t stop her and she and some friends came up with a concept to create a hydrophonic system using recycled water bottles and regular plumbing supplies to grow herbs and small vegetables. Their mission is to make growing your own available to every city dwellers. It didn’t stop there because the most amazing thing about this project is that it’s open source. People can get the construction concept for free. They started to build the system and share the changes that they made to suit their preferences and needs and very rapidly a community had started.

Window farm 1

Photo by kind permission of windowfarms.com

Window Farm Community

Now over 40,000 members from across the world  share window farm food successes and failures, discussing new growing techniques, different vegetable varieties, when and what to grow and more. This easy concept has given grow your own another meaning by not only creating a fantastic new growing option but also creating a community in the process.

Window Farms 2

Photo by kind permission of windowfarms.com

More information

If you want more information about window farming then go to; www.windowfarms.com. If you want to watch the TED talk I was referring to then you can watch it here;

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Wordless Wednesday; Wild Garlic

May 15, 2013
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Keep it clean! Germinating seeds and nurturing seedlings…

May 14, 2013

“The right materials and attention to hygiene are the keys to successful sowing”. Wash Before starting, seed trays and containers should have been washed using clean water and a drop of washing up liquid …and rinsed carefully, because fragments of old compost clinging to the inside of a pot can harbour disease. It goes without [...]

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A Visit to the Royal Greenhouses

May 13, 2013

Royal Greenhouses Last week I took the train from the Ardennes to Brussels. One reason was to get my passport renewed but my main aim was to visit the Royal Greenhouses of Laeken. For three weeks only each year the gates of the royal chateau Laeken open to the public so that we may all [...]

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Word up! G for Green Manure

May 10, 2013

Green Manure To improve the fertility of the soil by ploughing in cover crops while green. Picture by kind permission of Victoriana Nursery Gardens

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The Right to Grow Your Own

May 9, 2013

Grow your own Can you imagine not growing your own? Not experimenting with different varieties of vegetables and fruit that suit your climate/soil/preference? Can you imagine all those amazing heirloom varieties disappearing and being replaced by GMO seeds that you need to spray with harmful chemicals for the plants to survive? EU It all sounds far fetched [...]

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Wordless Wednesday; Oriental Lilly

May 8, 2013
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Need a hedge? Hawthorn or Blackthorn? I say BOTH!

May 7, 2013

Ne’er cast a clout till may be out! This old English proverb is simply advising us not to switch to our summer wardrobe too early in the year – and to wait until the Hawthorn (May tree) is flowering. Advice worth heeding for gardeners too I believe, when deciding when to plant out tender plants [...]

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Today in the Polytunnel

May 6, 2013

Polytunnel It is still a bit bare in the polytunnel with seedlings still being small but even seedlings are beautiful when you look up close. Drop of water on a Corn Seedling Little hairs on an antirrhinum seedling The only flower in the tunnel at the moment, a strawberry flower The rapid growing cherry tomato Even [...]

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Going Nuts at the Villas! …Cobnuts, to be precise.

May 4, 2013

Sowandso is part of a group called You Can Grow That!. Every 4th of the month we publish posts about our favourite plants, our love for growing vegetables and our enthusiasm for gardening. Want to know more about our group then go to www.youcangrowthat.com Cobnut I have grown a nut tree once before but by luck [...]

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Word up! F for Fan-trained

May 3, 2013

Fan-trained A method of training plants against a wall or on wires to achieve a fan like effect. There are a wide range of fruits that can be fan-trained, including almonds, apples, cherries, figs, peaches, apricots and plums.

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Wordless Wednesday; Raindrops on a Tulip

May 1, 2013
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Me, my spade and I

April 30, 2013

Out of the city Usually I do not write about gardening tools or promote them but after digging out the umpteenth bed with one spade I felt that it was time that I honour that spade. When I first started gardening with a strawberry plant in our 2×2 square metre garden I did that for [...]

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