Gloomy Rainy Day. 27 March 24.

 Just gloomy, chilly, and rainy.  Mostly low 50s.  There was lightening and thunder, rare for here.

Topping Pepper Plant Seedlings to Encourage Branching. 27 Mar 24.

 Today I cut off the top tuft of leaves from the pepper plants.

After

Before

The top leaf tuft produces hormones that inhibit branching.  When you remove that tuft, then the lower buds leave dormancy and make branches.   Bushy, well branched plants, make for higher productivity.

Some people call it "pinching".  I use a sharp small scissors which I think is less traumatic to the cut tissues.

Planting Onion Seedlings. 25 Mar 24.

 I planted the rest of the Patterson hybrid onion seedlings.

Also planted the first of the Wethersfield onion seedlings.

The process is the same as before.  Dig a shallow trench.  Lay the seedlings in the trench.  Then move soil inwards to cover roots.

Every scoop of soil seems to bring up earthworms.  This soil is becoming more rich each year,

I think I will run out of space in this bed.  It's difficult to judge how many, when planting seeds.  I also planted some in one of the raised planters.

I wanted to get rid of the last batch of saved coffee grounds.  I don't like leaving stuff sitting around.  I sprinkled them generously between rows.  I saw possible evidence of slugs, so I scattered slug bait.  With the rains, I opened the coffee filters to cover the slug bait, then covered with leaves.

I just want to slow down the slug bait washing away.  I expect those filters to decompose in a few months.  I covered them with tree leaves that I still have in a pile.  Then replaced the anti-bird fencing tunnels.

This is all sitting-down work.  The height of the raised bed is a good match to the height of the gardener's stool.  The 2x4 flat laid side tops of the bed are good fir support, too.

Portulaca Seeds Spouting. 27 Mar 24.

 Some of the Portulaca (Rose Moss) seeds are sprouting.  Like others, on a warming mat.

They are difficult to see.  

These are from the packet that did not go through the washer & dryer.  I threw those away.

I didn't try very hard with these.  The seeds are so tiny - like dust.  I sprinkled them then soritzed with water.

This is about a week for these, I think.

Pre-Sprouting Four O'Clock Seeds - It Works! 27 Mar 24

 Here are the left-over Four O'Clock seeds that I soaked, then wrapped in a moist paper towel, wrapped in a plastic bag, for a few days.  They were under an LED lamp during the day, and on a warming mat.

I planted the sprouted ones in 4 inch pots.  So far, it's six out of ten seeds.

Some of the roots were an inch long and clinging to wet paper towel.  I just make it more wet and tear the paper towel to separate seeds.  If some paper towel sticks to the seeds, I plant that too.

I think those were incubating about three days.  Imagibe that.