Tag Archive | seedlings

Life Springs Forth

Apr9

I left off blogging last summer when I got the call that my dad was dying. Now the long Maine winter is over, spring has officially arrived and the garden calls me back. St. Francis is peeking out from under the snow and the solar lights that stayed out all winter get enough light to shine at night again.

I’m growing tomato seedlings to sell this spring. Grandma Mary’s paste tomato is a reliable and meaty favorite. It cooks down to a rich sauce and make an outstanding dried tomato. Cosmonaut Volkov tomato is hands down my favorite red eating tomato. It ripens in mid to late August and keeps pumping out juicy good sized fruit until frost.

Alyssum seedling are happy and thriving. They are a lovely frothy white flower I use to accent in potted flower containers. In the garden they make a sweet border.

In the cellar window, the onions and seed lettuce are doing well. The onions are second year seed and germinated much better than I had expected. I’m growing open pollinated Ailsa Craig and Borretana Cipolini and a hybrid variety called Talon. We are still eating our fresh stored Talon onions.

I’m growing out a lettuce seed crop this year. This red leaf lettuce is from my saved seed. The 25 most vigorous seedling will be selected and grown for seed. I worked on Will Bonsall’s seed farm in Industry for a couple of seasons and learned how to grow out plants specifically for seed saving. The lettuce plants are started early to give them enough time to fully mature and develop fully ripened seeds.

Here is the view of the snow covered garden in September before the frost. Soothe my soul with color and abundance.

With gratitude, with love and joy.

Cannabis in May

May20

It is a joyful and triumphant act to be able to legally grow our medical cannabis.  I don’t know what’s going to happen with the reactionary crazy folks in charge now.  We will continue to get up and stand up for our rights.  I am just too old to go back to crawling in the woods for guerrilla growing. 

They were started from seed. I snipped off the tops and the side branches are looking good. The strains are claimed to be Orange Crush, Chronic and and Master Kush.  Hard to know what seeds actually are when you work with male and female flowers.

I have great respect and admiration for my husband. Harry is a true warrior in the cause of cannabis liberation. He spoke out and was derided and ridiculed.  He stood up for cannabis and spent his time in jail.  But he didn’t stop and kept calling us together to free the weed.

Hey baby, There ain’t no easy way out. Gonna stand my ground and I won’t back down.

End of the month garden view: April

Apr30

What a difference a month makes!  It’s been a long snowy season and I welcome spring.  It’s a time of discovery–greeting old friends in the garden and making room for new beginnings. There is a lot going on.  The Hill is greening up. Harry is pruning the Nanking cherry bush. Strawberries look promising. The nettle patch can’t be stopped and the garlic is coming up gangbusters.  Tax day peas have germinated.  Every day we can is spent outside, clearing, digging and in love with the land. 


Every sunny day there are new “daffy-dills” sporting their colors. 


The daffodils are a delight. They remind me of my mom. She would tell me I was born on a beautiful spring day when the daffodils were blooming.


Spring dug transplants and cuttings.  There is so much abundance and life around me.  Here are roses, Shasta daisies, comfrey, sedum, wild strawberries and rhubarb!


The south side hoop tunnels is now filled with petunias, alyssum, crazy daisies and pansies.  


The onions are looking great!  I’m growing Talon, Borretanna Cippolini and Ailsa Craig onions and Bleu Solaize leeks–all Fedco seed.  We will plant them as soon we get the plowing done.


Have I mentioned pansies? They will all be in the ground or in buckets soon!  I’m very impressed with the beautiful lavender flecked color in the Sorbet variety 


Saint Francis keeping watch in the flower garden. This statue is on loan for the summer. It belonged to my mother in law Mary O’Connor. She was my flower growing mentor.  Mary gave me a package of cosmos seed and said “Even you should be able to grow these, dear.” Thank you Mary.  I miss you and our garden talks.

I really have fun with this End of the Month Garden View project.  Check out other end of the month views at The Patient Gardener.