Seeds day 7

Here is my seed update:
Everything has sprouted except the cilantro and the green peppers

Spring Cleaning

This weekend I decided to begin the arduous task of preparing my yard for spring. That may sound kind of silly... but for me that entails things like weedwacking the patio, blowing the leaves from the lower forty into the leaf beds, getting my overflowing urn ready to turn on, etc.

I started my Saturday morning at my beloved Grower's Outlet. I initially had the idea that I would replace 10 or so dead Pittosporums (Japanese Mock Orange). The Grower's Outlet only had the variegated version, or the compact version. I decided to buy two of the compact varietal and see what happened. I also, of course, managed to buy a few other plants: a new painted fern (only to get home and realize mine was still alive and coming back), a tobacco plant (no joke... and it has beautiful flowers!), a new Encore Azalea, and a few others.

After the Grower's Outlet I swung by a family nursery that was on the way home. I heard that they sold lime trees, so I stopped by to see. They do, and a whole bunch of other fun, random plants. I think Navel Orange trees are the most fragrant plants I have ever come across. I have decided that a lime tree, and an avocado tree will be my next big yard splurges... more about that later.

After leaving the nursery empty handed, I dropped by Lowes to look for a new electric weedwacker. My mother had found the highest rated one on Consumer Reports for me, and so I was on a mission to find it. No luck at Lowes... so I snagged some garden magazines, some ground cover plants to use around my bird house, and a new 100 ft extension cord. I loaded up the car, and headed to Total Power, a local lawn mower store. Total Power was a huge success. I walked in, asked the owner if they had a Stihl FSE 60 in stock, handed him my credit card and was on my way! He told me that the reason I couldn't find Stihl products at Lowes or Home Depot was because they were a family owned company, and they only liked to do business with other locally owned stores. He also offered to teach me how to rethread my weedwacker when I ran out of thread. Pretty awesome store.

By the time I got home it was 11:30. I had spent the whole morning out shopping! It was time to get to work. Before:

The birdhouse

The lower 40

The patio

The loot

And after 4 hours of weedwacking, mowing and blowing... the after:



It felt so good to work in the yard for a whole day! No baby fescue yet, but my seeds are coming along very well!



Seed progress, day 5

Almost all of my seeds have sprouted, and it is only day 5! I wish my fescue grew as quickly... Not a single seed has sprouted outside.

Day 3 Progress

It is day 3 for my seeds... And there is already a lot of growth! Lettuce, okra, carrots, peas and bell peppers are making an appearance!

Over Seeding?

I am so over trying to have a lush grass filled yard. As a child, I never quite understood why my parents were so angry when I left the slip n slide out and let the grass die. Now I totally get it. I feel like grass is one of the hardest things to grow.

My backyard is mostly weeds... But originally was planted as Fescue. Last Sunday I decided to invest $22 in the top half of my yard and reseed my Fescue.... We will see how it goes!

Starting From Seeds

I am trying a new twist this year; starting my garden from seeds. To do this, I bought a Burpee seed starter. Basically, it is a little plastic greenhouse:) it has 36 "pots" that sit on top of a cloth that soaks up water from a basin. The whole thing cost $10, and claims to "self water" for 10 days.

To get the soil ( a coconut husk mixture) to expand, all you do is add warm water. Then I planted two seeds in each pot. They even provide a grid to keep track of what is planted where.

Two days later, I already have some babies!! I planted two varieties of okra, three varieties of tomato, cucumber, romaine lettuce, cilantro, basil, bell pepper and a few others.

Spring Beverage Fun

The weather has been teasing me, or so it feels... 70 degree days in February leave me day dreaming of gardening and hosting cookouts in the backyard. In anticipation for warmer weather, my friend and I have done some experimenting with new cocktails, all made with the new Crystal Light Mocktails. These were our favorites:
- apple vodka and appletini
- margarita and Jose Cuervo with Dekyuper triple sec and kosher salt
- mojito with Parrot Bay key lime, or with coconut rum


The drinks are not as heavy as a typical mixed drink, and the mixes are pretty good by themselves. They are perfect for a party!