I know Spring is coming. I am planning on it to be here any day now. This is how I have been staying busy through the snow and bitter cold. DH wanted to try Pansies this year so I agreed and ordered the seeds.These were started in November pansies for Spring ( photo / image / picture from carolyn's Garden ) ( photo / image / picture from carolyn's Garden ) ( photo / image / picture from carolyn's Garden ) Pansies ( photo / image / picture from carolyn's Garden ) geraniums and pansies ( photo / image / picture from carolyn's Garden ) Marina Freefall Pansy ( photo / image / picture from carolyn's Garden ) Then in December I started the geranium seeds. About 600 of them. new seed geraniums for spring ( photo / image / picture from carolyn's Garden ) geraniums 2014 ( photo / image / picture from carolyn's Garden ) ( photo / image / picture from carolyn's Garden ) ( photo / image / picture from carolyn's Garden ) Then came some petunias and tomatoes and herbs. greenhouse tomatoes ( photo / image / picture from carolyn's Garden ) Wave petunias ( photo / image / picture from carolyn's Garden ) basil ( photo / image / picture from carolyn's Garden ) rosemary from cuttings ( photo / image / picture from carolyn's Garden ) Rosemary ( photo / image / picture from carolyn's Garden ) ( photo / image / picture from carolyn's Garden ) sage from seed ( photo / image / picture from carolyn's Garden ) Herbs ( photo / image / picture from carolyn's Garden ) Herbs ( photo / image / picture from carolyn's Garden ) Herbs ( photo / image / picture from carolyn's Garden ) Then on to seeding the peppers.... ( photo / image / picture from carolyn's Garden ) ( photo / image / picture from carolyn's Garden ) We planted the tomatoes in the small greenhouse after we laid ground cover... Planted in the ground.... along with everything else that is ready to be out of the seed house. Tomato house doing double duty ( photo / image / picture from carolyn's Garden ) Greenhouse tomato ( photo / image / picture from carolyn's Garden ) Tomato in blossom ( photo / image / picture from carolyn's Garden ) We plant tomatoes in pots to sell with fruit on them. ( photo / image / picture from carolyn's Garden ) I grow about 100 hanging baskets. This year I was getting a little stressed because the petunias were just not growing, so I stopped by a greenhouse that sell cuttings and liners. I picked petunias, verbenia, calabrchia and some foliage for a few for baskets. Those are in bloom now, and my petunias are just now starting to bud up.. ( photo / image / picture from carolyn's Garden ) ( photo / image / picture from carolyn's Garden ) ( photo / image / picture from carolyn's Garden ) Well, This is a lot for now, so I will quit. There is plenty more to get done. Today I started transplanting tomatoes...
Gee and here's me thinking I'd planted quite a bit in the greenhouse!! I would love to have one the size of yours but, in a way, I'm so glad I'm restricted by the size of my own greenhouse. I love the way you have everything set out and am impressed by the amount of plants that have. When you plant your seeds what percentage grow for you?
Everything looks great Carolyn. I had to turn the heat back on in my GH last night. We also have a frost right now. Had to cover plants outside.
Thanks Barb. and I have seen a few bees in there. Little itty bitty ones all the way up to bumble bees in there. Franks I do't know if I would call it really organized, but there is a system to my feeble mind. Eileen...thanks, I keep getting bigger houses as my DH finds them used on Craigslist. My first house was 12x20 and waaaaaaay too small for my growing needs. I think I could get another house or two and still do the work with just Kevins help. On the germination rate? it depends on how fresh the seeds are. If the seeds are from last year usually close to 95-100% germ. rate. older than that it goes down from there. The older the seed the more likely there are a significant # of helmet heads. Chocolate... I do a roadside stand and am open for business almost year round with something. right now I have cabbage, broccoli pansies eggs and honey for sale. I need to have as much to draw attention as I can, but I don't do an attended stand. It is all the honor system. and "Honk if you need help" sign. Donna, we have been heating, too. last night was less than 20. We had to cover the cole crops in the garden, cover all the strawberries in the high tunnels and make a fire in the woodburning furnace and now I see the gas furnace has started up. the wood must be out. So, I empathize with you. It is a lot of work trying to grow, especially in the early Spring. Your stuff is looking great, though.
All of your plants are looking amazing Carolyn! Oh what I would do for a greenhouse like that, or even HALF the size would do me! Green with envy over here!
Netty, Those pictures are actually two different greenhouses. I have one that is 16'x32' and the other is 20'x48'(this one has the benches). The greenhouse with all the small hanging baskets was when I move all my stuff from the "seed house" to the next house. Since it is the smallest it costs the least to heat for the month of March. In April I start moving everything not planted in the ground to the 20x48 ( all the baskets are the ones I moved from the other house and are now in flower). The peppers, tomatoes and flowers are all needing transplanted into flats and I run out of room in that house in a heartbeat. I am ready to start transplanting tomatoes and I don't know where I am going to put them already. The 20x48' greenhouse is getting full already. And I have petunias, impatiens and a few other odds and ends to plant yet...hmmm, I think I need a bigger greenhouse. You might surprise yourself at how much space you can use for a greenhouse. Not only can you get your starts started yourself, you can actually plant in there for an extended growing season. I did containers last year and moved them into the greenhouse in the Fall... You could plant lettuce crops, beets, carrots, etc. for winter picking and eating.
Oh my! if I ever step into your greenhouses I might act like a kid in a candy store. All the plants look so healthy, thanks for sharing the pics Carolyn.
amazing! I don't know if I could keep up with all of that... I'd have to get up very early and stay up very late and never leave the property :-D Everything looks so healthy. Wish I could stop by for some of that produce and the lovely hanging baskets. Forgot to ask... It never occurred to me that you'd have to have the ID tags/labels. How do you get those? Send the info to a company and they print them out?
Cheryl...never leaving is pretty much it. I did run to the pay the electric bill this morning and stopped and dropped a bucketful of money at the grocery store. now I am back home for the day. Those labels are from a couple different companies that supply pre printed ones. If you have small quantities there are label makers specifically for the hort. industry, which are pretty expensive, or you pencil it on a blank tag...which is what I do. Otherwise you order by the 100's from the John Henry co. or Master tag co. I like JH better.
Carolyn; You are awesome!. As I scroll down through your pics I wonder how many people you employ to get all that work done but I'm fairly sure that you do it pretty much by yourself.. I didn't know we still had people around who were willing to work like that.. Hank
