Indoor Garden

I am getting all my spring plants ready to go back outside:

Now, it just has to warm up!!!

Indoor Garden Clean Up

I was all ready to do my sowing when I realized, I had a giant mess in my indoor garden that I needed to clean up before I could get started. Here is what it looked like before:

After some purging and pruning, this is what I came up with:

Now, I have some more room in which to work! Not a lot..but some:-)

New Indoor Garden

 It's time for me to start my indoor garden again. If I start it now, we will have lettuce and herbs for the winter:-) The light table took quite a hit this year so, we needed to rebuild it. I didn't take before pictures but here are some afters:

And this table is all ready for the summer plants to come in when they are ready. I have 4 ferns, 5 impatiens and one marigold to bring in. My seedlings will be big enough to come out by then:-)

Gardening Progress Report

Ok, a month ago, I started a list of gardening projects I needed to get done before spring hits. Here is my progress on that list:

Force spring bulbs: Not done.
Test seeds: Done
Repot houseplants: Done
Repot seedlings: Done
Start watering German Ivy: Done

Ok, in all honesty it took me a month and not a week to get this list done but, so far so good right? I decided not to force bulbs this year. Not a big deal because I have enough going on in the indoor garden.

The next thing I need to do is keep planting and repotting my seedlings and clean up my outdoor tools for the coming season. It's getting closer everybody!! I can feel it!!

Gardening Thursday

We had such great weather this weekend however is too early in the season to do anything outside. It did inspire me to get my spring plants ready.

I didn't get as much done this weekend on my indoor garden as I wanted to. I was able to repot my five pots of impatiens. That is what you see here under the grow light. Once they have re-established in the new soil, I will prune off the leggy looking portion so the healthy new growth will come through.

I also repotted 2 ferns (not pictured here). Next week, I have got to get my seedlings transplanted into bigger pots and start some new ones. A gardeners work is never done:-)

Gardening Thursday

It has been a really long time since I showed you my indoor garden so, take a look:

It looks a lot better than last time , doesn't it:-)

Here's the Romaine Lettuce:

And the Basil and Parsley:

And this is the harvest!!

Salad for dinner tonight!! And the herbs will last for weeks in a paper towel and ziplock bag!! I think I am getting the hang of this indoor stuff. But don't worry, I am still planning my outdoor garden so, stay tuned for that:-)

Gardening Thursday

Update: I have decided that this is my Glamorous post of the month:-) Don't know what I am talking about? Check out the party going on here:

I haven't written about my indoor garden in a while. That's because I have neglected my little project and everyone down there is mad at me. This weekend, I hoped to remedy my oversight. I transplanted them and here is what they look like now:

The basil is really mad at me:

The lettuce looks a little bit better:

The Meusclin will survive:

But the parsley and I are not even on speaking terms:

Wish me luck on our road to recovery:-)

Plant Update

Here are my seedlings:

Pretty soon, it will be time to separate them into their own pots. They may be ready as early as next week.

I also wanted to show you my holiday plants. I started forcing my amaryllis a couple weeks ago and here is what it looks like now:

Although now, it is starting to slump. I fear that I might lose her so, I put her under the big light downstairs.

And, here is my Christmas cactus (sorry about the quality of the picture...my camera is really going):

Last year it didn't bloom so hopefully it will this year since I pruned it.

As a final note, I am going to buy poinsettias again this year. I tried to keep them 2 years in a row and I just end up killing them every time:-( It is my biggest nemesis but I will figure it out!!

Friday's Foto Fun with Sprouts

It's time for Carrie's Friday Foto Fun:-)

Yesterday, I posted about my Indoor Garden but I actually started the garden on Sunday. And today, I have my first sprouts:-)

I told you that the lettuce sprouts quickly:-)

Indoor Gardening

I am ready to get my indoor garden going:-) I am so excited to start!! Let me show you what I did:-)

I keep my seeds in my grandma's old recipe box. I staple each seed packet to an index card and file them alphabetically. That way, they are easier to find.



The index card includes information that I would like to track. Obviously, the name of the seed goes on top. Next, I record the date that I started the seeds or the "Sown" date. Then, I write down when they "Sprouted". Once they are big enough, I notate when they are trans- "Planted" into a bigger container. And finally, I celebrate the "Harvest" date.

I start the seeds using:

I put the mix inside small plastic pots that I have santized (1 part bleach to 9 parts water). Then, I label each pot with a popicle stick so, I can remember what is what. The pots go inside a tray and then I water them. That way, any drainage, goes right into the tray.

Next, I place the tray under my grow light. This is a two-shelf unit that my husband built for me in our basement a couple years ago. The pots go on the bottom shelf and the light hangs from chains on the top shelf. The chains are adjustable so when your plants grow, you can raise the light. Lastly, the "walls" of the shelving unit is curtained in relective paper to keep the light and the heat in.

This is what it look like when the curtains are closed:

So, there you have it. By next week, I should have some pictures of sprouting plants! Wish me luck:-)

Indoor Gardening

We tackled our basement this weekend to go along with 5-Minutes for Mom Tackle It Tuesday . We cleaned out all of our storage shelves because my husband bought me a grow light for my birthday (back in May). So, we finally got around to setting it up and here it is:

I can't wait to get started. The shelving unit with the reflective paper is for seedlings and I have used this for 2 years to feed my outdoor garden. The success of this set up lead to the grow light. Now, I can plant seedlings year round and bring plants to maturity under the new light. I am so excited!!! I haven't decided what I am going to plant yet but, I will be sure to blog about it when I do:-)