Not like the others...

Tomato starts are coming up nicely...

 My Black Krim Tomato seeds  are from Pinetree Garden Seeds and had a 100% germination rate, but as you can see one of these starts.... is not like the others!

The stalk on this start is thicker and taller than the others. The leaf shape is rounded out compared to the tomato start pictured below.

I love surprises....

I can't wait to see if this one is a Stud or a Dud!

*Update* A big "Thank You" to reader Lara at  Woods Forest Home who let me know that this is a Potato Leaf variety. The first I had heard of such a thing. Where have I been this whole time? I found this Post on Potato Leaf Tomatoes written in layman's terms over at This garden is illegal hop on over and check it out if you are like me, and did not know about Potato Leaf Tomatoes.

Little Sprouts

Running out of room inside the house with the seed trays placed precariously everywhere...We decided to rig up a makeshift hothouse inside the greenhouse with plastic to help keep the starts protected from the cold and any surprise frosts that may occur. 

The heater is placed below the shelving and left on through the night, on the lowest setting. This has kept the starts snug as little bugs.

Tomato and pepper sprouts were outgrowing the seed starting trays and have been transplanted into small pots,

 and placed back inside the hothouse.

Also started are trays of Thunbergia, Petunia, Broccoli, Cauliflower,

Cabbage, Spinach, Onion, Leek and Marigolds.

When to start seeds indoors?

Recently, I found the Johnny's Seed calculator that has a more extensive vegetable and flower seed starting list than what I had been using. 

You just enter your last Spring frost date and the calculator does all the work for you... 

What a time saver!

Check out the link at Johnnys Seed Planting Calculator to customize and adjust the calculator to your own growing zone. 

Trying to keep myself a little more organized this year, I have created a printable chart that includes the vegetables that will be grown in my garden this year. 

Following the planting guidelines from the Johnny's chart I will adjust the exact planting dates according to the Farmers Almanac and personal preference.

Below is an example chart from Johnny's using my average last frost free date of May 15th.

Enter spring frost-free date (include year):				mm/dd/yyyy
Crop	Number of weeks to start seeds before setting-out date	When To start inside			Setting-out date
		From	To	Safe time to set out plants (relative to frost-free date)	From	To
Artichoke	8	20-Mar		on frost-free date	15-May
Basil	6	10-Apr		1 week after	22-May
Beets*	4 to 6	20-Mar	3-Apr	2 weeks before	1-May
Broccoli	4 to 6	20-Mar	3-Apr	2 weeks before	1-May
Cabbage	4 to 6	6-Mar	17-Apr	4 weeks before	17-Apr	15-May
Cauliflower	4 to 6	20-Mar	17-Apr	2 weeks before	1-May	15-May
Celery & celeriac	10 to 12	27-Feb	13-Mar	1 week after	22-May
Collards	4 to 6	6-Mar	20-Mar	4 weeks before	17-Apr
Corn salad/mache	4 to 6	20-Feb	27-Mar	3 to 6 weeks before	3-Apr	24-Apr
Corn*	2 to 4	17-Apr	15-May	0 to 2 weeks after	15-May	29-May
Cucumber	3 to 4	24-Apr	8-May	1 to 2 weeks after	22-May	29-May
Eggplant	8 to 10	20-Mar	10-Apr	2 to 3 weeks after	29-May	5-Jun
Kale	4 to 6	6-Mar	20-Mar	4 weeks before	17-Apr
Kohlrabi*	4 to 6	6-Mar	20-Mar	4 weeks before	17-Apr
Leeks	8 to 10	20-Feb	6-Mar	2 weeks before	1-May
Lettuce	4 to 5	13-Mar	27-Mar	3 to 4 weeks before	17-Apr	24-Apr
Melons	3 to 4	1-May	8-May	2 weeks after	29-May
Mustard*	4 to 6	6-Mar	20-Mar	4 weeks before	17-Apr
Okra*	4 to 6	17-Apr	15-May	2 to 4 weeks after	29-May	12-Jun
Onions	8 to 10	6-Feb	20-Feb	4 weeks before	17-Apr
Parsley	9 to 10	13-Feb	27-Feb	2 to 3 weeks before	24-Apr	1-May
Peas*	3 to 4	20-Feb	13-Mar	6 to 8 weeks before	20-Mar	3-Apr
Peppers	8	3-Apr		2 weeks after	29-May
Pumpkins	3 to 4	1-May	8-May	2 weeks after	29-May
Spinach	4 to 6	20-Feb	27-Mar	3 to 6 weeks before	3-Apr	24-Apr
Squash	3 to 4	1-May	8-May	2 weeks after	29-May
Swiss chard	4 to 6	20-Mar	3-Apr	2 weeks before	1-May
Tomatoes	6 to 8	27-Mar	17-Apr	1 to 2 weeks after	22-May	29-May
Watermelon	3 to 4	1-May	8-May	2 weeks after	29-May

In the greenhouse this week

Cabbage, Broccoli, Onion & Lettuce starts are about ready to be planted in the garden.

They sure are enjoying their time in the greenhouse.

I also picked up this cute little Tiny Tim Tomato plant at our local grocery store....

It had me at hello...with that cute label and blossoms! 

Lucky for me Tiny Tim is an heirloom.  

Planting Peas

I meant to get the Peas planted yesterday... 

I finally got the chance this evening, to get them in the ground. I soak my peas at least 24 hrs. before planting and also add "Natures Aid" Organic Granular Soil Inoculant at planting time. 

I planted a row of Cascadia, a compact heirloom & Alaska, an open pollinated heirloom. I  plant the seeds heavy handed using Crockett's method from Crockett's Victory Garden Book

Image Source  Crockett's Victory Garden

Happy Plants = Happy Me!

Even though the greenhouse isn't 100% ready... We wasted no time at all,  filling it up!

All the trays were taking over our tiny house, it feels good to get the house back in order and get the starts set out in the greenhouse. 

I'm happy.....plants are happy!

Little Toms

The Tomato starts we planted on March 1st. in soil blocks, will be potted up in the near future.

What a difference a week makes

With all the rain this past week, most of the snow is finally melting off the garden. It sure is good to see dirt again!

Winters in North Idaho can get pretty long!!

The garden is still soggy during the day and night temps are still dropping below freezing. 

For now, seedlings are still inside under grow lights.

On a happy note... My  Meyer Lemon tree is bouncing back from the brink of death...

It was looking rather sad and loosing all of it's leaves...I couldn't get the Winter care just right and couldn't tell if I was over watering, or under watering.. I finally decided to re-pot, and that has seemed to do the trick. 

The leaves are growing back and blossom buds are forming like gang busters. 

I think I finally have a good watering and feeding schedule figured out.

Peppers and Toms are looking good. I have been keeping a cool draft on them to prevent them from growing to fast and getting spindly while they are growing  in the house. We heat with wood, and the house is nice and toasty.

Rutgers Tomato seed is 2 years old and had a 100 % germination rate

Sicilian Saucer Tomato seed is brand new, took about  4 days longer to germinate, and has had a germination rate of about 80%

Enjoying the first SPRING rays!

Today we were graced with the Sun's beautiful company...It's been awhile since it has stopped in and stayed for a spell. Daisy found a sun kissed spot in the freshly melted driveway.

Chickens took advantage and enjoyed  fresh dust baths under the cedar trees.

I thought something had attacked the chickens, until I realized they were not dead....just really enjoying a roll  around the dirt. 

I didn't know chickens could smile...but check out the chick above.....This is one content chicken!

Even the seedlings came out to enjoy the sun today!

Let the gardening begin

I couldn't stand it any more... I just had to dig out the cold frames and to see what was actually going on inside the boxes.

At first glance, nothing really exciting! 

I was surprised to actually see anything growing in them at all. Lack of planning on my part...

This box contained carrots that we never got around to picking... and with no extra care on my part, they were left to defend for themselves against the brutal, frigid temps that we experienced later this season.!

After clearing the old tops away...I noticed that many of the carrots had turned to mush.... there are a few diehards in the bunch, that are determined to survive no matter what! 

The Kale, Broccoli, Lettuce and Spinach happened to be left over seedling starts from last season that had been left to die, unloved, and long forgotten about!

The dirt in the frames was pretty frozen. If I plan to overwinter anything this year, I will need to take measures to amend the soil and mulch heavily with straw.

I am just excited to get the boxes opened up and to get gardening!

The good... the bad... and the ugly!

The Good... Lettuce seedlings are doing quite well and have been transferred from starting trays  into individual cups.

The Bad... We are running out of room under the grow lights in the house..

 The cold frames are snowed under and greenhouse is not finished yet.

However, the Lettuce had the chance to enjoy natural daylight... and spent the day outside in the cold.

and now The Ugly... 

This is a case where the ugly is a good thing....Compost! 

We keep the "Chum Bucket" with a lid on it, out on the porch and just empty when it is full. 

Well, it's kinda hard to empty it, when it was frozen solid...Today warmed up enough to finally empty it into the compost pile.

where it will wait to be turned under later this Spring.

Let the planting begin...

It was high time to clean the seed trays and get the planting under 

way for 2014. 

Playing in the potting soil and making blocks for the Ailsa Craig 

onion seeds. 

Loving the opportunity to get my hands dirty :-)

I found the secret to making perfect soil blocks is using a pretty wet mix. Pressing against a solid surface while

releasing from the mold. This makes a perfect block every time!

After seeds are planted in the blocks... I add a little vermiculite for a 

light cover and keep those tiny seeds in place.

with a variety of seeds...

A mixed tray of  lettuce and spinach was started as well.

What have you got started for your gardens this year