Anyway, the warmth and sunshine put me in the mood for spring planting, so I...................
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1. Used my hot glue gun (sans glue stick) to melt drainage holes in the bottoms of plastic shoe boxes. 2. Made onion seed mats from paper napkins cut to fit inside the shoe boxes.
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3. Glued 120 red onion seeds on one mat, and 100 seeds on the second mat. 4. Planted the first mat in some good potting mix, covered it with a clear plastic shower cap, and set the second mat aside to plant later. The shoe box lid works well as a tray under the container.
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4. I had extra potting mix left in the bucket, so I made up a few soil blocks. I'll let them dry out, then re-hydrate them when I'm ready to plant seeds in them. The plastic shoe box, with drainage holes in the bottom, holds 21 of these round plugs. The container is small enough to set in a sink of tepid water to re-hydrate them. I used my homemade soil block maker, directions can be found HERE.
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5. The next chore was to go out to the garden shed and find the old seed box, then get the dust cleaned off of it.
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6. The final chore for the day was to get the seed box organized and ready for all the new seeds I ordered, as well as those I already had on hand. Besides using tabbed dividers, I also cut the flaps off of envelopes so I can easily slip the seed packages in them. That way I can pull out the entire envelope and (hopefully) not end up sticking packets back where they don't belong. I used the red plastic boxes for the larger seeds.
Now I'm six steps closer to spring!
I'm six steps closer to coveting your seed box! You are so organized.
ReplyDeleteHaha, 1st! I do love my seed box. I always had problems with some small plastic seed packets slipping under the dividers and ending up where they didn't belong, so the large, flapless envelopes I added should solve that problem.
DeleteCool, Granny. I like the shoebox & shower cap idea very much. Much less expensive than buying seed flats, I think. How come I'm not sharp like you are? Now you make me want to hurry with seed planting.
ReplyDeleteMrs. R., I need to go stay at a hotel. I'm down to only two of those disposable shower caps! I've never checked to see if they can be purchased, I've only seen the heavy plastic ones.
DeleteSo organized! I got my Fedco seeds this week so I went through and put them in my boxes and took out the onion seeds. It is almost time for me to plant them. Just a week and a half left.
ReplyDeleteDaphne, I haven't received mine yet. I did get in a bit of a hurry with the onion planting, but I'll probably be planting another five shoe boxes of 3 different varieties once the Fedco order arrives. This will be my first year of starting my Walla Walla onions, as I usually buy the plants at such a reasonable price. Since I already had the red onion seeds, and I wanted to try growing a decent storage onion (looked everywhere for those plants last year and they were not available), I decided I might just as well grow them all myself. I had planned on getting them all started on Feb 1, but you are the onion growing guru, so if the seed order comes in sooner I'll aim for Jan 25.
DeleteFeb 1st works too. I've planted as late as Feb 15th I think (when the onion seeds were late) and it worked out fine. I just tend to do the end of January because by that time I'm antsy to start something. I'm usually ready for spring to come.
DeleteI need to get Mike a seed box like this. He has little packets, tiny ziplocs and bottles of seeds all over the place. Though, he doesn't ever seem to have to search for what he wants, he just goes right to it. Still, I think he's getting a box!
ReplyDeleteTeresa, I have a larger metal box that I was going to switch to this year, but changed my mind. This oversized shoe box is cardboard and easy to pack around and store, and it's worked very well for me in past years. If it ain't broke, don't fix it!
DeleteP.S......Actually, it's not a shoe box, it's a photo storage box.
DeleteYou are so organized:-) Just amazing to see a real pro at work! Happy planting..if you are getting warm weather it should be coming our way soon:-)
ReplyDeleteRobbie, I'm afraid our warm weather is just a fluke. It's been about 15 degrees above our normal temperatures all week, but we still have about two months before I'll be able to start most of my plants indoors.
DeleteOh my goodness, you really have been energetic! At this time of year most gardeners get "twitchy", don't they - wanting to get on and sow / plant something - anything, in fact! I've sowed some Basil and some Sweet Peas indoors, but that's it so far. Actually, no it's not, I sowed some Broad Beans in pots in the garage as well....
ReplyDeleteOh, yes, Mark. I always get antsy by January, even though my "real" gardening season won't begin until March! I always have to push it a bit. One never knows when we might get early spring weather, and all I've wasted is a bit of time and a few seeds.
DeleteWow you sure are organized. My seeds are in a shoe box...somewhere I cannot remember at the moment..LOL
ReplyDeleteHoly cow are you organized! Love the seed mat idea.
ReplyDelete