Seed Sowing (Finally)
by Colleen Vanderlinden • February 5, 2011 • Miscellaneous • 5 Comments
Finally, finally, I have a couple of flats of seeds sown and sitting under the lights in the basement. As happens every year, my mood lifts as soon as I’m able to sow something, and spring feels like less of a dream and more of a reality.
Last weekend, I wintersowed a container of ‘Black Watchman’ hollyhocks (which I absolutely love.) I also sowed ‘American Flag’ leeks, which I’ve grown for the past few years. They grow well for us, and the few we let go to seed each year add so much beauty to the garden. Bees absolutely love the blossoms as well — always a good thing! The first of the leeks sprouted yesterday, and I nearly cheered aloud when I saw it. That may be an indication of how fed up I am with this particular winter.
This morning, I sowed ‘Lavewa’ spinach, a very tasty heirloom I tried last year when i received a packet of them from Botanical Interests. I usually direct sow my spinach, but the past few years, at least, it has seemed that as soon as everything dries out enough to sow them in the garden, the weather heats up and I have bolted spinach before I’ve had much of a chance to enjoy it. And I LOVE spinach. I’m hoping this will buy me more time this spring to harvest plenty of it. As an experiment, we also sowed a few peas to transplant as soon as our soil can be worked. Mostly, this is just for fun, to see if it makes all that much of a difference in when we get our first harvest. I’ll be direct sowing plenty of peas as well, hopefully in late March.
So, there’s my Saturday Seed Sowing story — to see what other gardeners are up to today, check out Dave’s Seed Sowing Saturday post over at Growing the Home Garden. And, tell me about what you’re sowing, too!
I love spinach. I bought some seeds that I want to start, but I am running out of room.
I bought the same leek seeds and can’t wait to try them this year! Do you collect seeds from the leeks when you let them go to seed, is it easy? I sowed celery seeds this week. I can’t wait until they germinate.
There’s just something about sowing the first seeds that really does lift the spirits! I’m with you on the spinach. I need to get some started soon to give them a head start. We’ll be able to plant outdoors very soon here so a few transplants to the garden would be nice!
Thanks for joining in Seed Sowing Saturday!
It’s interesting that you sow your spinach indoors. It sounds like a good idea for those of us in the north. Just curious to know how many weeks you give the seedlings indoors. Do you use biodegradable pots? -David Grist, Gardener’s Supply
Colleen – I know what you mean! Starting a few seeds makes me feel like I can make it to spring even though we still have nearly 3 feet of snow on the ground. I’ve never grown leeks before mainly because I’ve never cooked with them before. Maybe I should try them!