Speaking of Earth Day - Sundays are for Gardening. And Carving.

A friend of mine gave me an amazing tip for starting plants in my garden.  I've never started plants from seeds, but she said it was a hell of a lot cheaper, and really simple. I started saving the cardboard tubes that we're all familiar with. Don't you feel good when you recycle?

I filled them with dirt, dropped some seeds in them, and kept them hydrated. 

Whoa - three weeks later, I had about a dozen zucchini plants.

In fact, I had so many, I took some to the Carving Class and shared them with everyone. We all agreed - we need to do this every year, with each of us starting a different plant.

The little plants were really healthy,  

and went into the ground easily. 

But it was still a little chilly at night when I planted them, so I covered them with yet another recycled container - one of those large clear tubs you get when you buy an industrial supply of spinach. 

(Or - as Stella says - green treats.) 

Here's that same plant, six weeks later. 

And another. 

 

All told, I have about a half dozen around the yard. Yes, I love zucchini!

That got me thinking - what else could I start from seeds?  I love this yucca plant, the pink shoots and flowers attract hummingbirds all Summer long, but the local nursery charges way too much for them. 

You guessed it - I saved up some more rolls 

and found a pod of seeds laying near the plant. The plant drops these pods at the end of the summer. I never knew what was inside until I noticed Stella gnawing on one. She had little black seeds all over her tongue, and you know what your mom says - if you're going to eat that, you're going to have plants growing in your stomach!!! (Where do mothers get those lines?)

I grabbed some of my favorite planting mix 

but you-know-who was all about playing, rather than helping. 

Fold the bottom up, 

put a little dirt in it and drop in some seeds.

Keep your fingers crossed. 

Of course, just after I planted all these seeds, I read an article about pre-soaking the seeds before planting them - that it gives them a boost in the sprouting stage. 

Next time!

These will be out in the sun until they're ready to go in the ground. 

Here's a recipe for a great organic weed killer - don't you feel guilty spraying highly toxic stuff on weeds? I know I do! I'm planning on making a batch of this ASAP. 

Yup, that's it - pretty much what I fill my Sundays with - gardening, working around the house, and catching up on my R & R. This lettuce looks great, doesn't it?

Speaking of R & R, someone asked me the other day what I do for relaxation. Ummm.... I had to think about that one.  Yesterday I had the day off, and this is what I played with - a simple carving based on a tee-shirt I just bought. 

It was an interesting design, so I thought I'd try my hand at it.

Happy Earth Day!