Sowing Seed

[karmicdragonfly]

Grandson of full-time farmers...son of part-time farmers...so I always sow seeds for tender plants inside and then transplant outside. The reason is to extend the growing season.

And I'm a total sucker for any new idea for doing it! Behold the "seed snail"!


Bubble wrap (and I wrapped also in wax paper), rolled like a sushi roll, planted with this year's seeds! This came from a YT -- https://youtu.be/UfDU3wDmrdo

We will see how this plays out. If it doesn't work, I can always buy plants at the big box stores when it gets warmer.

I love basil. So I sowed Sweet Basil, Thai Basil, Sacred Basil. I love tomatoes, so San Marzano Tomatoes, and some cherry tomatoes. I love Shishito Peppers, so I sowed some of those.

***
Today was 67 high (19.4C), so I totally was on the porch reading Beowulf aloud...as one does. 😆

Perspective of where I sit on the porch...the tree to the left is Dec 21. And there is a building just outside the frame on the right that corresponds to June 21. The sun is moving!


Language interest -- some words in Old English for farmer --

• ierþling - farmer - we got "earthling" from this one!
  
• acerman - farmer - acer turned into acre in modern English - "acre-man"

Comments

Thoughts

[ysabetwordsmith]

I'm thinking about trying seed snails. You could get a lot of plants. I suspect the drawback is that each would have a very limited root system.

I already set up some water jug greenhouses.

Re: Thoughts

[karmicdragonfly]

yea, I was thinking about the smaller root system too. Cool on the jugs -- I did that one year also - I never seem to be consistent year to year 🤔

Re: Thoughts

[ysabetwordsmith]

It's good to try different things.

I want to try a seed snail with my Shithouse Marigolds, which I know can withstand harsh conditions because they volunteer in the lawn. I might try a native grass, because if they do sprout but won't separate, I can simply plant them in a trench as a row of grasslets.

Re: Thoughts

[karmicdragonfly]

I use basil interplanted with other plants as a kind of insect repellent, and I hear I can do the same w/ Marigolds, but I haven't tried that yet.

Re: Thoughts

[ysabetwordsmith]

I've had excellent results with marigolds to discourage pests and attract pollinators. My Shithouse Marigolds are a landrace that's several years old now, about knee-high, strongly fragrant, and tough enough to volunteer in the lawn.

You do need fragrant marigolds for it to work.