Update from the Container Garden

I know, I know.....I promised to finish the garden update, but in the interest of not creating the longest blog post ever, I decided to split it into three sections: flower garden, container garden, and vegetable garden.

SO.....without further ado, here is the latest on the container garden....

I can't remember if I've gotten to show this guy off before now. This was Jacob's (my husband) St. Patty's day pick: a shamrock. I wasn't sure how long it would last, but it seems to be thriving.

Since it was so warm for so long (most of March was in the 80's here), I took the ranunculus (the one in front) out of the greenhouse. There are a few more hanging out on my newly painted plant shelf. Behind that is something called an orchid lily, which I am really excited to see bloom. My voice teacher and his wife gave me this from a division of theirs. Apparently, it blooms in an arch like an orchid, only the flowers are lilies! How cool is that?!

Ok, let's talk about the one on the top of the shelf....I knew that nasturtium were effective as natural "bug traps", but I was really unprepared for just how effective they really are....see how the leaves are mostly chewed off? None of the other plants have been touched....not even the tulip in the same pot!

This one's a baby. I decided it would probably be ok to go ahead and transplant some of the dill seedlings that were in the greenhouse. I may have to bring it inside later this week though...they were talking about frost on the news today.

I was starting to get a little worried about this rosemary plant. I had overwintered it and it was looking pretty anemic for a while, but it seems to be greening up nicely with some sunshine and warmer temperatures.

And lastly, the strawberry plant is starting to make berries!

Update: seed starting and ranunculus

It's a gorgeous day here for some gardening. It seems spring has officially begun, whether the calendar says so or not. I even spotted a few yellow butterflies flitting around the backyard.

After one more trip to Home Depot for more Jiffy Pots (we don't use enough tp to ONLY use the tube cups...I'll have to start saving them earlier next year!), I have got seeds started for each variety that needed an indoor start. My poor little green house is stuffed to capacity!!

Also, exciting news.....I have one teeny tiny ranunculus sprout!

I'm very excited. I bought a few tubers a while back knowing that they aren't really hardy in zone 6B, but hoping I could get them to grow in a greenhouse. I've had to clear out a few of the pots of ranunculus and relocate them to my windowsill while the food seeds are going, but I think I'll be able to put them back in there in a few weeks!

I also spotted a couple pea sprouts as I was walking around the garden.

And this friendly little bit of sunshine.

I'll take another picture when it opens up all the way.

Re-emerging Rhubarb and (Some) Started Seeds

Last year I decided to try to grow rhubarb. My single plant did pretty well, but I thought it was kaput when it died all the way to the ground.....to the point I couldn't tell where it had been at all! Needless to say, I was pleased to find some tiny rhubarb leaves with red stalks yesterday!

Now I just need some strawberries!

Okay...this is really trivial, but I'm going to tell you about it anyway because I'm excited about it....I bought a hose winder! No more messy, tangled hose for me...

I did manage to get some of my seeds started yesterday. I used my saved toilet paper tube cups along with some purchased Jiffy Pots. I purchased some disposable aluminum baking pans that were significantly less expensive than the "official" seed starting trays and labeled them according to what was going in them (one type of plant per tray, just to avoid confusion) and planted my seeds (container tomatoes, basil, bell peppers and jalapenos)! I still have two more trays of seeds to start, but I'll have to get more Jiffy Pots first. I'll keep you posted on how this turns out.

Have you started any seeds yet?

Toilet Paper tubes as Jiffy Pots

So I saw this picture on pinterest the other day showing  toilet paper tubes as seed starting cups. I thought that was a pretty genius idea, so I'm trying it for myself. I'll probably have to still buy some Jiffy Pots, but if I can save myself a few bucks by saving toilet paper/paper towel tubes, why not?

The little cups were really easy to make. Just cut a toilet paper tube in half, cut four slits an inch or so up the sides and fold them in! Here is a picture for those of you who are so inclined:

What other things do you do to save money in your garden?