Winter Sowing Will Have To Wait

Yeah, another shameless plug for winter sowing.
:)
I can't help it - so many people are just salivating over seed catalogs and waiting impatiently for spring.
Why? Start 'em now people. Yeah, in the dead of winter! Go play in dirt in Jan, Feb, March...you get the idea. Get some milk jugs (or whatever containers on hand that will work) and go for it.

I gave my own advice last year and learned to start mine a little later here in zone 5.

I don't have a choice about it this year, though. Temps yesterday were -13. Yes, you read right: 13 below zero. Ugh! And the forecast is calling for record temps of a possible 60 in the coming week. Unreal. So, I'll hold off until the temps even out a little. Well, maybe, just maybe, I'll throw some lupine seeds out there - they can take it!

I found some seed on clearance at Kinney's yesterday (along with some Charlie for a Christmas gift!). My youngest son is on this 'hot' food kick. He puts hot sauce on just about everything that's going to touch his lips. Oh, to be that young again! Flammable hot wings are history for this aged digestive tract. ~sigh~ Anyhoo, I found a clearance pack of jalapeno peppers and snatched them up. Maybe this will be the key to getting him interested in gardening? ~wink, wink~ And they had a packet of Armenian cukes that I've been wanting to try. Well, I do have trellis room and who can resist 3 foot cucumbers? Yes, I know they aren't really cukes, but I haven't run accross one person yet that didn't sing their praises!

And just as a mention: Jung seeds (catalog page 5) is offering 'Margaret's Peppers'. Caption - This superb pepper was presented to us by Margaret Gubin, a long-time Jung customer from Cambria, Wisconsin, who urged us to produce it for our customers. The original seed was hand-carried from Hungary to the U.S. by a family member and seed stock was carefully maintained by Margaret for over 50 years. Margaret lost her valiant fight against cancer in 2005, but her legacy continues with this first production of her pepper. In her memory, we are donating 25 cents of every packet sold toward cancer research.

If you already order from them, why not add a packet to that order?

After-Christmas Sales Rock

Oh, man! Talk about a deal. Almost as good as the sale I got way back when.

4 Poinsettias (pots of 3 - red, white, salmon) = .50 cents each.
My grandmother had one she kept coming back for years and years, so for 2 bucks, what the hay, I'll give it a shot! Besides, the large pots themselves were worth the 50 cents. And the hubs makes cardboard boxes, so shouldn't be hard to get some for their 'dark' phase. lol.

5 Cyclamens = .50 cents each. And with pretty, hot pink and gold, woven pot covers! Yeah, another you have to diddle with to come back, but I'm game for the try. My problem is going to be letting them go dormant, I can see it now.

4 Christmas Cactus = .25 cents each. Can you believe I've never had one? Yes, I am hanging my head in shame. What kind of a gardener am I, anyway? Gave one to the oldest daughter to try.

$5.50 for $215.00 worth of plants! Yeah, us geeks actually figured out what they would have been at normal price. Ha! I'm ecstatic!

So, then we hit Kmart's 50% off sale. And . . . I am almost done with my parents for next Christmas! Unreal! I've never been this far ahead. Ever. I've found things here and there sometimes at after Christmas sales, but this was a wicked hit when they still had good stuff left. And I only spent 40 bucks. 40 bucks! I'll still have to get them a few more things, like some Charlie for my step-mom, but dang!

Ran into AC Moore's quick to see if I could find some Christmas stamps for the seedcards next year, and lo and behold - a whole stamp set, ink and all, for 4 bucks! And the hubs actually found it! Good thing he did because some guy came up behind him about twenty seconds later and took ever single one that was still on the shelf!
Oh, and cute little ornament kits for the kids to make as a gift for step-mom for .40 cents. The youngest and I try to find something cool and 'crafty' to do for her every year, so this was perfect.

What a great weekend.
:)

Well, Shut My Mouth!

Yes, literally . . . I need to shut my mouth.
Ever notice how clamping your jaw really hard really hurts?
The forced nod and smile, not so much, but dang, jaw-cramp sucks.

You see, my niece just bought a house. An old house. With land. Lots. And old flowerbeds. With perennials. With fab trees. With space for a veg garden. With a cute ancient barn. With a mature berry patch. With a huge apple tree. With an honest-to-God-how-could-she-have-lucked-out-so-perfectly white picket fence.

Can you see where this is headed?

Of course you can, if you're a gardener. And it isn't a good place. Cause . . . well . . . it's not my place, now, is it? It's K's.

She. Doesn't. Garden.
And isn't interested in starting.
Plans on ripping stuff out.

UGH! ~sigh~

Shut. My. Mouth.

Pffffft! Non-Gardeners Just Don't Understand!

Christmas was cool.
All the children showed up for Christmas Eve din-din. OK, so it was under the threat of penalty of death, but that's besides the point. After Church service with the grandparents, I stuffed their faces and plied them with wine, then watched as they all sprawled across the couch groaning with swollen bellies. It doesn't matter that they couldn't move for 3 hours cause I was happy, and when the Mom is happy, all is well, you know!

But, come Christmas morning there was much head-shaking and eye-rolling in my direction.
What?! So I got some bulbs to force as a gift. So? So - All unwrapping (at least mine) must cease and dirt be immediately strewn across the kitchen counters. Yes, now.
Right. Freaking. Now.
I do not care what is in the next box with the perfect red paper and glorious white bow. These bulbs must meet soil and water post-haste!

Oh, and this afternoon, since it's above freezing and not snowing, you can all help me finish shoveling compost onto the new flowerbed. Yes, on Christmas day.
:)

20 Grains At A Time

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