If anyone has started annual flowers from seeds, or you would like to attempt this venture, it will soon be time to plan for next year.
Both lobelias and petunias are very slow-growing, and the germination periods can take up to three weeks. The trailing petunia seeds have to be sowed in the early part of December, while the trailing lobelias in January.
To get the seeds in time for sowing, they have to be ordered immediately. If you, by chance, would like to grow the all-season cauliflower, it is a good idea to order those seeds simultaneously to save on postage.
The advantage of using the all-season cauliflower seeds is that they do not mature at the same time. My kale is still producing and is ready for another harvest. I use a dehydrator for the processing and remove the centre stems as they take longer to dry.
My carrots are ready to be harvested and stored in the root cellar, but I will wait until the first frost. I have sand prepared to cover them in my root cellar located in the basement. It was constructed with eight inches of insulated walls. I use a fan to draw the cool air in from the outside.
One of my clematises has started flowering again. It has yellow flowers, and with the leaves, it looks like a lot of tiny lights. I pruned this clematis back in June to one foot because it had gone “woody.” You can see how much it has grown over these four months.
My Dahlias are now putting on a fantastic show. Some of them are five feet tall. Perhaps they are attempting to outgrow me. I do feel a bit selfish having all these colours around me, but again, “who did all the work?” It is a nice feeling to share.
It is now time to get ready for the upstairs “greenhouse.” I use two large containers to store the potting soil to be used when transplanting the young bedding plants from the flats to three by three-inch pots. I will be carrying the soil upstairs from the compost bin before it turns cold. The six grow light fixtures are ready when the time comes.
I was delighted when I received an email from a reader this week offering to help me out regarding lids for canning. I believe we are all here to look out for one another, especially now as we are going through this fourth wave of COVID -19.
“Today was such a lovely sunny day, so after cutting firewood, the lawns needed some attention. Therefore because I enjoy a well-kept property, I found myself with the ear protectors and pulling the starter rope of the lawnmower. Maybe just sit down with a well-deserved cup of coffee would be in order, but what can you tell a stubborn Dane?”
If you have questions or suggestions for topics, please email me at e.jacobsen85@yahoo.com
Note: That ear protector sentence seems out of place or did you mean that after enjoying your property you started mowing again? That breaks the spell of enjoyment.
Maybe just sit down with a well-deserved cup of coffee.