Day 19 / Day 7 / Day 4

Day 19

My Morning Glory flowers now need to be supported with some kabob sticks. They are beginning to wrap themselves around the sticks and now reach out towards the light.

I have also given the Mammoth Sunflowers kabob sticks to better support them. Right now, the tops of the Mammoth Sunflowers only have leaves but they appear to be quite heavy. The stem is not strong enough to hold them up all the time. It's almost like some of them take a break and rest and then perk back up again later.

The rest of the flowers seems to be growing just fine - no real change in size, shape, etc. Nothing more really to report.

My next post will contain pictures of what is still growing in the Burpee cells and how they appear to be doing! Until then...

Day 16 / Day 4 / Day 1

Day 16

Picture 1 shows my transplanted Morning Glory flowers. Due to their size (about 7-8 inches), I was forced to move the flowers/vines to a larger, individualized, container - I chose 3-inch round peat pots. Let's hope they take this change well.

Picture 2 shows the 4-day old sunflowers already 4 inches tall. They, too, have been transplanted into 3-inch round peat pots. Since the Mammoth Sunflowers are supposed to reach a height of 4-6 feet, I am hoping that this was a good decision until I am bale to plant them into the ground.

Also transplanted were the Bachelor Buttons and the Hot Biscuits flowers. Since these flowers are about 3 inches in height, I chose the 2-inch round peat pots. Some appearing to be weak, I am hoping that the added space for each plant does them well.

Picture 3 introduces a mini-grow system. This grow system belongs to my daughter, Natasha. Today while shopping for the peat pots, she decided that she would like to grow something - her very own Snapdragons!

So far - so good! Both us will do our best to see how well we can grow everything indoors and I will continue to update this blog throughout the entire process! Fingers crossed, everyone!

Day 15 / Day 3

Day 15

Well, I cannot believe how much I've been running around and how crazy the weather has been. With so much going on, documenting my mini-garden has had to take a back seat!

Picture 1 - Look at how much my plants have grown - it's pretty impressive. Taking the spotlight yet again are the Morning Glory. Now about 6 inches tall, the Morning Glory are definitely starting to become vine-like and full leaves as it continues to grow and grow.

Not far behind are the Bachelor Buttons. At four to five inches tall, and starting to get that delicate look, the Bachelor Buttons are starting to look delicate. I cannot wait to see what color these flowers will end up being - according to various websites these flowers can be blue, white or white/pink.

Day 3

Picture 2 - Three days ago I added another 72-cell Burpee grow system. With a variety of seeds given to me from all over the place, I thought it might be nice to see what would actually grow (some were considered too old). Do you see the large sprouts (labeled Mammoth Sunflowers)? Estimated to get between 4-6 feet high, these flowers will definitely be interesting to watch!

In this grow system, I planted:

Violet Queen Cleome

Perennial Lupine

Rose Mallow

Maximilian Sunflowers

Helen's Sunflower Blend

Gloria Daisy

Tennessee Coneflower

Mammoth Sunflowers

With three rows empty (I was undecided when playing with the second grow system), I am still trying to figure out what else should be planted. Once I choose, I will post it on a new blog!

Day 6

Day 6

It is official - every column (there are 12) has at least one thing growing! It is fabulous.

Picture 1 shows the entree Burpee 72-cell grow system - look how everything has come along! Dead center and on the left are the Morning Glories (now 4 inches) and the Bachelor Buttons (now three inches) clearly happy and growing just fine.

Picture 2 shows just how tall compared to the other plants the Morning Glories and the Bachelor Buttons really are!

My Hot Biscuits are also doing very well. At three inches, these flowers are already grass-like.

The Sweet William and the Baby Doll cells are all now completely occupied and going strong.

Seeds that still have yet to fill each cell are:

Lenaria - 2 out of 6 cells have a sprout

Blue Flax - 3 out of 6 cells have a sprout

Coastal Tidy Tips - 3 out of 6 cells have a sprout

Seeds that still have yet to make an appearance:

Tickseed - stubborn little things!

Day 4

Day 4

Morning Glories (Picture 1) are going crazy. Pretty soon I will be transplanting them into (medium sized) biodegradable pots so they have room to grow. This will prevent the Morning Glories from chocking-out any of the other seedlings. (About 2 inches tall)

Hot Biscuits (Picture 2, Row 1) and the Tidy Tips (Picture 2, Row 2) are also growing at a very fast pace and all so strong. I now have the lid off the container and the light on the entire grow system 24 hours a day. (About 1 inch tall)

Seeds that still have yet to show me any signs of life:

Tickseed

Sweet William

Blue Flax

Is that a sprout?

Lenairia - one itty-bitty spout out of a supposed 100. With the seeds being practically microscopic, I am actually surprised to see anything at all!

Baby Dolls have all sprouted at the same rate - just above the soil.

Day 3

Day 3

January 8, 2009 I received various seeds via mail purchase at a cost of about $30.

Purchased a Burpee 72-cell grow system (Sold year-round at Lowe's Home Improvement and Home Depot) for about $20 and a desk lamp (Wal-Mart) for about $10.

Three days later, January 11, my very fist seeds started to sprout!

Seeds planted in this 72-cell grow system:

Hot Biscuits - Sprouts after three days

Coastal Tidy Tips - Sprouts after three days

Tickseed

Sweet Williams

Blue Flax

Mixed Morning Glory - Sprouts after three days

Bachelor Buttons - Spouts after three days

Lenaria - Flaming Passion

A Mystery Seed Packet

Baby Doll

Ready, Set, Grow!

When I purchased my very first home, the landscaping was pretty much non-existent but I knew it had a lot of potential.

Located on a completely wooded lot, I knew that there were going to be many challenges for me with regard to what can and cannot grow and what should have grown but didn't.

Last year, I planted everything from potted plants at a cost that nearly broke me financially. This year - I am starting everything from seed ...and since I have never landscaped from seed before, I thought that documenting my experience would be fun and just might also help others who want to grow a garden from seed as well!