The World Comes Alive

After a long, dormant winter, it's so nice to see green again.  I really believe that those of us in the northern climates appreciate the cycling of seasons more than anyone.  When it's twenty below zero outside, all you can think about is warmth.  So, when that first 50 degree day hits.... we become fools.  We're outside in t-shirts and shorts. Let's just say that we appreciate the warmth.

The zinnia were very easy to start and grew quickly.  The impatiens were not as easy to start from seed.  They are one of my favorite flowers, so I'd really like to try starting them another way next year.  I'll have to research a little better for next year.

I also decided to take advantage of the greenhouse and I planted two hanging baskets so they will have time to fill out and look great.  I also plan on trying to start more of these kinds of plants from seed next year.  For this year, I'm just getting an idea of how warm the greenhouse gets and what I can get away with keeping in it.  It took me two weeks just organizing and figuring out how the shelves fit best.  I'm a slow learner!

Here Comes the Sun!

Things in Wisconsin have been heating up, but we know that spring always has a little more cold and blustery weather in store for us.  It sure didn't stop me from enjoying the last week or two of glorious temperatures.  The container of mustard, spinach and bok choy also enjoyed the warm temperatures, and I was rewarded by them growing much larger in just a short amount of time.

 

I also got some work done outside, though fighting through the nettles is getting quite old and summer has hardly even started!  I get terrible reactions to nettles, so I avoid contact whenever possible.  The issue is when the nettle roots are under the soil, and I don't even see them until it's too late and I have a welt on my hand that starts blistering within a couple of hours.  I'm not sure if I mentioned that I HATE nettles.  This raised bed had a TON of nettles in it, and I worked for an hour to get it cleared enough to plant some carrots that I had left over from last year.

 

Let's get it started....

I worked on getting things organized over the last few weeks, and it's looking great in the greenhouse.  I'm still working on my layout.... I'll set things up one way and then decide I want to try something else completely different.  So, I'm still working on my organizational skills.

 

 The one constant is the temperature difference.  I don't have any kind of heater in the greenhouse yet (that will come next year) but it's been warm enough for the seeds to get started and for the seedlings to keep from freezing.

Other than a few things coming up in my self watering planter that has spinach, bok choy, and mustard in it things are pretty quiet.  Hopefully they will emerge in the next couple of weeks!

Working in the Greenhouse

HAPPY FIRST DAY OF SPRING!

Little by little, I'm getting things organized this spring.  I'm about a week or two behind schedule getting my things started, but I don't think I'm as far behind as I was last year.  At various times this past week, I had a chance to spend little bits of time out in the greenhouse.
One of the first things that I put out there was a dual thermometer.  I have one sensor outside of the greenhouse and the other inside.  The temperature difference today was pretty amazing.  It was almost TOO HOT in the greenhouse, if there is such a thing.  I don't yet have a heater in there, so the fact that I was sweating made me realize how badly I need to get some black spray paint and get some heat sinks set up.  My plan is to paint some buckets of water black to "save" heat at night.  This picture was from a little earlier in the day; later it climbed to 79 degrees!

14 degree difference in temperature!

I did a lot of organizing today.  I got out some trays and brought them up to the house so I could work on starting some things when watching over my sick kid.  I started 12 each of True Lavender and Lavender Lady.  I also started a flat that had impatiens.  Those are in my dining room (and I fear that Tim won't be overly impressed when he gets home) because without a heater in the greenhouse, it's still too cold.

In the greenhouse, I started a container of Olympia Hybrid spinach and some Bok Choy.  I'm curious if the cold weather plants will be fine in the greenhouse with just the daytime heat.

Chicken guardian for the greenhouse

Organizing

Dual outlet timer

Light stands are ready for action!

More organizing and prepping hanging baskets