Here are wildflower perennials that I started in Jan and set out a few weeks ago. They are tiny, but doing as well or better than the ones I haven't set out yet.
Top is Echinacea. Bottom is Coreopsis.
Here are the seeds I planted in six packs today. The tomatoes are for my neighbor and friend.
It rained so I didn't do a lot outdoors today. I did dig up some chunks from an old horseradish clump and re-plant them in the "deer park hell strip" where I've been establishing an herb and wildflower border. I also moved a somewhat tattered Hellebore plant there. The soil was very wet and heavy, so I stopped there.
Somewhere I read that farmers have plowed up horseradish to try to get rid of them, and all of the plowed pieces took hold and grew. So even though my digging sliced of most of the main root, maybe these will be OK. No photos, it was raining.
I had debated throwing these out and starting over, but decided to give them a chance. They were growing nicely but got some whitefly, so I sprayed them with Neem oil. The Neem burned the leaves and tip shoots. They stopped growing.
I usually cut the tip shoot anyway to make them grow low branches. So I cut those out, and am just giving normal seedling care. I usually give a very dilute solution of Miracle Gro but wondered if that wasn't helping, so bought some Schultz liquid. It easier to give as a dilute solution because it's liquid drops in a dropper bottle.
Looking very very closely, I think these are looking like they might be about to grow new shoots at the leaf axils. It might be my imagination, but I think these seedlings look a bit more robust now, too. So I'll just keep taking care of them and see how they do.
The other thing that is encouraging is they have healthy looking roots emerging through the bottom holes. They shouldn't do that if there is a problem with the potting soil. I don't recall if I used an older bacth of soil for these. But I think they are OK.
I have other pepper plants to up-pot soon. These are the pioneers which will tell me if conditions are right.
Today I thinned the tomato seedlings to one plant per cell.
The fourth six pack is basil, which I thinned to a few plants per cell.
I also up-potted the first tabasco and Thai pepper seedlings into larger silicone six packs. I'm not crazy about those, the silicone is too floppy. I bought them because after using and washing them, they can be sterilized in the dishwasher. If the six pack is kept on a tray, it might be OK.
These were from one bulb, overwintered in the kitchen garden with no care other than weeding and a dose of plant food two weeks ago. They are not from Egypt and they don't walk. These are quite strong flavored but I like the idea of harvesting scallions before most things can even be planted. Respected sources report that stronger flavored onions are better health promoters compared to the mild ones.
My great aunt, Emma Herrmann, grew these back in the 1960s. I don't know where she got her start. She gave me some back then, which I grew in my garden. My batch was lost in time. I bought the start for these from Southern Exposure Seed Exchange back 21 years ago. They have been prospering in my kitchen garden ever since then. I'm always trying to give away starts but most people don't want them.
The starts from topsets have barely started to grow. The overwintered bulbs, on the other hand, are ready to eat now.
