Garden Escapades + Upcycling

Need... To....Be... Outside!  Need....More...Sun...

Thankfully, today is supposed to be a beautiful 70 degrees.  My plan is to be outside in the yard as much as possible.  I need vitamin D like you would not believe.  I've been cranky from this long winter and of course, we're supposed to get snow again on Monday. Boo. I'm still glad I don't live up north right now because I would be in jail by now.  I would have assaulted someone out of winter crankiness.  Anyway, today will be a super busy and exciting day.  I have plans to set up my new raised beds and yesterday, I scored some cheap goodies to add to the garden madness!

First though, on the windowsill....

I have onion sets soaking.  I wanted to make sure they were still good.  I was going to put them in this weekend, but with impending snow again, I plan to wait until after Monday. I'm using sets since my yellow onion seeds seem to be duds right now.  I so want to support Southern Exposure but the germination rates for their seeds are always a bit sketchy.

I also have giant sunflowers growing in the smaller yogurt containers...

Out in the garden, I've already planted cilantro seeds in the permanent herb bed, shelling peas, snap peas, and radishes.  My kale, collard, giant mustards and purple broccoli (yes, PURPLE) seedlings are in the greenhouse and hopefully will be ready to be transplanted out in a week or so!! YAY!

I'm most excited right now about the items I scored totally on the cheaps.  I really like to recycle and due to renovations at my current workplace, I bought this...

for $5!!! It's lined with Tyvek already. I'm turning it into a flower bed for the bees this year, but it will be great for additional herbs and additional veggies. 

I also grabbed frames...

for free!  Three large picture frames with Plexi.  I'm using one to heat up my ginger and turmeric rhizomes today.  For next year, I'm thinking of making a cold frame to start seedlings.

Towards the end of the season last year, I started feeding my plants a 50/50 mix of fish emulsion and seaweed emulsion.  Boy did they LOVE it!!  I didn't think I would see a difference but I was wrong.  So today I'm making the seaweed emulsion by soaking nori sheets (unsalted please) in water. I'll use the stick blender to break it all up before I add rain water.  Then you allow it to basically rot but make sure to shake up the solution once a day to get a nice mix.  It will stink.  Like really stink but it's totally worth it!

So much to do today, tomatoes and watermelons seeds need to be started, the yard needs to be cleaned up and I have a new flower bed to be planned!!  So excited!