It's been COLD!! I haven't really been out in the garden because of the weather. I really hate the cold. I can't wait for spring. But I'm always excited about starting seeds during the winter and Feb. seems to be one of my busiest seed starting months.
I bought a seedling heat mat with my Park Seeds gift certificate from my sister-in-law and brother!! At the beginning of January, I started swiss chard and Thai eggplant. They sprouted mid January. The seed mat has been keeping them nice and warm. Towards the end of January, I started my kale and Asian greens (kailan and komatsuna).
My passion flower cutting finally sprouted roots a week or so ago.
Today I'll be starting my hot peppers and flowers (petunias and sweet alyssum).
I had also started bunching onions and red onions in plastic water jug greenhouses in the beginning of January. Here they are now...
I have to say, I'm really liking the milk jug method. It seems to keep the seed starting soil moist and if you bag it with a plastic grocery bag and place it in a sunny spot outdoors, it seems to keep the jugs nice and warm even on cold winter days.
Out in the garden, I noticed even more slug activity.
My collards have been ravaged by these little, slimy buggers so I decided to liquor them up with a beer trap. The boy had bought a nasty blueberry flavored beer that had been sitting around in the fridge for a while now, like months. This was the perfect way to use it.
I don't think I'll be using hay to mulch again. It seems to be the perfect environment for slugs and their babies. Besides the slug-fest, the cold killed my rapini. I'll be planting them again in the fall, though. They were so delicious! So far, the best crops this winter have been my lettuces and carrots.
The reddish carrots are Kyoto Red carrots. I think next month, they'll finally reach their mature length of 12 inches!!
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