dianaschnuth

The tomatoes and eggplants are going gangbusters, the sage and thyme and foxgloves and lemon balm are peeking up, and today was the basil’s turn.

Technically, today I started four varieties of basil, plus stevia, cinquefoil, and cosmos. Tomorrow (after a 24-hour soak), I’ll start the white coneflowers.

I put the new seeds under a humidity dome. I wish I’d gotten a shorter one, since I’d like to have my light closer to the seeds so they don’t get leggy, but I guess I’d have had to put the light that high to reach both trays, anyway.

So far, only the paprika peppers have failed to germinate, and I haven’t given up on them just yet. Gardening season is getting off to a great start!

Spent some time today planning out when to start my veggies, herbs, and flowers. Started two varieties of eggplant, five of tomatoes, plus some foxgloves.

It’s summery in the sunroom this afternoon, so I’m taking a break from laundry and housework to enjoy the sunshine for a bit.

Yesterday, I got outside to do some of the spring cleanup: raking out a few flowerbeds, cutting back and pulling up dead and dormant plants, that sort of thing. I like getting out there up close and personal with my plants before they fill out — gives me a better idea of what survived the winter, what didn’t, what got eaten by critters, what I should move to where, et cetera.

Several of the earliest bulbs are peeking up some greenery. I don’t see any crocuses yet, but some of the early daffodils are a few inches tall, hyacinth foliage is barely emerging, and there are tiny buds of peonies and alliums poking out of the soil.

I noticed that my beloved tree peony may be ailing; it’s losing its bark near the base of the trunk. Once it goes, I think I’ll be replacing it with another. I love seeing those huge mid-May blooms every time I come home from work.

I still don’t consider myself a gardener (not like some of the garden bloggers I follow), but I’m coming to realize that I really, REALLY enjoy puttering with plants.