New England MARCH 2015

Woo-hoo, CC!

I hear there may be a Clipper coming our way. I'm glad I bought more pellets and I'm damned tired of my coat.

I was going to post today how depressed I was that it was snow showering and cold all day, but I was too depressed to post it. I'm not sure what a clipper is tho.

But, glad I got my trays seeded the other day. A pack of kale and one of broccoli has sprouted so I put those under the fluorescent. Here's hoping!

Hey, I have SAD so I know about weather making one depressed.  It hits me like a sledge hammer now and then.  Yesterday I had an earache and the weather was bits of snow and rain all day long. Nothing stuck, thank goodness, with temps low 30sF.  I was in my jammies all day long.  Also had a sleepless nite the nite before.  I have insomnia quite a bit, too, in my older age.
Today the sun is shining and in the 40s so better day.
None of my tomatoes (4 days in) nor kalettes (3 days in soil) have started to germinate yet.
I'm trying Gary Pilarchik's method.  Under lights 24/7 for now and keeping them moist.  I want to see if I get better germinatation and less legginess like him.

I'm the same way, QB. It's like being solar-powered. When I wake up at 3:30 a.m. and can't get back to sleep, sometimes I see an email from my sister. Sleep issues seem genetic. 

I'm seeing growth in my neglected flower garden! Whatever starts to poke up in spring is poking up. I don't even know what it is. This summer I'm going to tackle that area, get the blackberry bramble out of there, and plant some bee balm, calendula, and whatever else I can find, pollinator friendly.

The gardening workshop leader said to bleach your trays before re-using them in the spring. I didn't do that (I hate bleach) but I'm wondering if fungus is going to attack, being on the heat mat with the clear plastic dome in a wet environment.

It's time to assemble the shelf unit I bought last year (looks something like this: http://www.target.com/p/4-shelf-greenhouse/-/A-10630759? ref=tgt_adv_XSG10001&AFID=google_pla_df&LNM=10630759&CPNG=Patio+Garden&kpid=10630759&LID=33pgs&ci_src=17588969&ci_sku=10630759&kpid=10630759&gclid=CKu4rZD70sQCFUk8gQodjEEAjQ ) and put it out on the deck. The sun is very hot.

NHG and QB,  Reading about your SAD and insomnia made me realize that my insomnia has improved since I started SFG March 2013.  I know that is no consolation for you, because you have been gardening all along.  But for me, it is something that has helped.  I just asked my husband if he noticed a change and he verified it.  I'm still a night person, but I can now fall asleep better.

Winter depression has improved with the drought.  Sounds terrible, but January used to be a foggy month, followed by rains in Feb and winds in March.  Without rain, we don't have the fog.  There used to be some horrible pile ups on the Valley freeways. Again, you guys have the snow, and snow, and snow, and I don't know how you deal with it.

Actually, I think a winter place in Florida would go a long way...

NHGardener wrote:
The gardening workshop leader said to bleach your trays before re-using them in the spring. I didn't do that (I hate bleach) but I'm wondering if fungus is going to attack, being on the heat mat with the clear plastic dome in a wet environment.

I hate bleach and won't use it.  I rinse out my cells in a sun warmed bucket of water, if we're lucky, and that's it.  I suppose you could use hydrogen peroxide in place of bleach if you wanted to kill anything.  Rinse well.

I'm solar-powered, too, and did the snowbird thing between here & FL, for 6 yrs.  Made all the diff in the world.  That was before the full time job here, and the cat, and the garden and.....and.....

CC

It's also possible to run sturdy plastic pots and trays through the dishwasher.  You probably want to rinse off any dirt first.

NHGardener wrote:...The gardening workshop leader said to bleach your trays before re-using them in the spring. I didn't do that (I hate bleach) but I'm wondering if fungus is going to attack, being on the heat mat with the clear plastic dome in a wet environment...

I see that advice frequently, but I don't bother. I knock the MM off the pots and then let them dry thoroughly before stacking in storage. Some of my starting pots are 7 years old, and it hasn't been a problem.

I, too, am leery of using bleach so my used pots are washed well in buckets of water and scrubbed with a brush each fall.  I hope its enough, tho I bought some hydrogen peroxide this year but haven't yet used it.
A sunny day today so I feel better.  I even see a few bits of green propping up in a couple of my tomato cells under the 24/7 lights.  That's amazing at only 4 days I think.  My book tells me to expect germ in 6-8 days at 80F degrees and its only in the 60s in my furnace room, tho I have a heat mat under the double trays which is probably giving just a bit more of a heating boost than none at all.
Once again I've been making more detailed gardening plans so that I'll be ready when the sowing is needed and my variety choices are also ready.
I forgot to start my mini-broccoli since my plan was to buy all my brocc plants (forgot about the minis), but I can start them in the garden in summer for a fall crop I'm thinking.
I'm so happy that winter is finally going out the seasonal door.  Now if only my snowpack would melt in both gardens.  I'd love to start my lettuces/greens mix and radishes in the covered greenhouse bed (which is just a bed with a frame and a plastic covering that fits neatly over it to keep the air warmer inside).  Since it wasn't covered all winter, the soil is still covered in snowpack.  Too bad its up on the hilltop.  

Hey, I think having a winter place to hide for Jan. and Feb. and even March each year in Florida would be ideal for me.  I love Maine all the rest of the year.

Maybe we should all rent a place in Florida for the winter?   
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Everyone bring 5 garden books and we'll pass them around.

Got news for you - even down here in GA, we get SAD.  Both my neighbor & I have it.  I keep a sunlight lamp on whenever I'm on the computer.  And I notice a HUGE difference between winter & spring/summer.

But FL will help with warmth!  That's good too!