Monday, May 26, 2014

Seedlings



I wish I could say the baby plants in my garden are the seedlings I started this year, grown big and strong. But, I can't.

Because once again, all of my seeds either failed to germinate or died off in their infantile green stages. I've read so much, try different techniques each time I start them, and really want to be successful at this seedling growing thing. But for the 4th year in a row, I've ended up with a bunch of dead plants and had to go to the nursery to buy babies to plant. I'd like to get past this black thumb of mine and be able to actually plant the seeds I've gotten.

It's weird. My mother is really, really good at seed starting. So I ask her for advice, do as she recommends and still nothing! I've seen her start hoards of healthy, well producing plants in less than ideal conditions. Yet, I can't get them to grow in my aptly lit and ideal kitchen.

While I seem to have inherited her love of gardens, green growing things and working in the dirt I sure as hell didn't inherit her skills in it!

4 comments:

  1. Me too. I can't start (or keep) plants in pots - they just never last, no matter how well I think I'm looking after them. The only successes I've ever had, plant-wise, is when I throw the seeds straight into the veg beds and let Mother Nature do her thing. She is the expert, after all ;) People think I'm green-fingered as I grow my own food, but in my eyes I'm cheating as the success is all down to Nature here!

    I hope you find your green fingers soon, lovely. Have a wonderful week.

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  2. So, obviously everyone has to find their best way to do anything, but I've found for myself that my garden grows better if I plant straight into the ground and skip the 'indoor seed starting' stage :) I used to have an awful black thumb, but I can grow anything except tomatoes now. Tomatoes continue to mock me as they die of blight, fruit splitting, or whatever tomatoes die from. Good luck, keep trying!

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  3. I think that's what I'm going to have to do, just toss them in the dirt and hope for the best. :)

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  4. Danni,

    I do the same. Just plant straight into the ground. I start most of my tomatoes indoors in February. But mostly I just plop into the ground. My garden is usually in full swing in July and August into Late October since it is sill hot here then.

    Also I have found that if my seeds sprout and disappear or start to do bad as plants, there is usually a culprit. Rodents, birds or even gophers from down below (we have endless gophers here). That was a relief to realize, it wasn't that my seeds weren't sprouting, it's that they got eaten before I could see them. I found out by seeing all sprouts one evening years ago and the next morning they were all gone.

    I lost almost all of my veggie rows this year to evil birds :-)

    I had to replant 3 and 4 times. Hell I tell ya ;-)

    Much Luck!!


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