CJs Daily Bead and More: Monday's Plants

Monday has been my plant day forever. It was assigned to Mondays on one of my first daily planners and has stayed. This is the day I always water all of my plants. Always Monday. Never forgotten (don't believe that one) but still I try to keep it my sacred plant day. If you do that, your plants will not be dying all the time. That is how I keep mine alive.

Today I finally sat down to order my seeds. Seed catalogs start arriving in December, just before Christmas. I love to spend holiday hours going through them and wishing for Spring. Just looking at all that green stuff is enough to raise your spirits. I get a variety of catalogs even though I don't order every year and never order from some of them.

My favorite is Pinetree Garden Seeds. They are small garden friendly with smaller packets and smaller prices than other catalogs. That is what they started out to be, but I notice the prices have climbed in the last few years and are not always the best price. I just like their products. The last few years I buy my seeds at Walmart--some for 10 to 20 cents. I just plant more seeds per row and seldom have problems. I stay with Pinetree for different varieties that I prefer and cannot find in store bought seed packets.

I have a long list of seeds to buy, but I won't get them all at once. I need to get the ones that should be planted early in pots like leeks and lettuces. Leeks needed to be started earlier than this so they are large enough to put in the ground in April or May. I buy a variety that has a shorter to harvest time because the larger ones take over 130 days. Anything over 85 days is pushing it if you have an early fall. They will be okay in the ground for months, but won't grow any bigger. I do love leeks in many of my soups instead of onion. Lancelot is a variety that is ready in 100 days and that is doable here with an Indian Summer (heating back up after a frost).

For Lettuce, I like Pinetree's mix. I gives a lot of different loose leaf varieties and not all Black Seeded Simpson. I like a really red variety, Red Velvet, and a butter head variety that has a short time frame like Tom Thumb. Over 50 days is pushing it for lettuce unless you plants starts in flats early, early. From seed they will probably bolt when the temperature gets into the 80's, even 70's. They like it cold.

That's what I plan to do tonight, place my first order of spring planting and early starting seed like tomatoes, kale, peppers, okra and eggplant (if I grow it.) pinetree@superseeds.com

My Amaryllis is beautiful today. Jenifer gave it to me for Christmas and I didn't get it planted until sometime in January. They always do better for me after Christmas, but never seem to hit Valentine's Day. Here is my February pre-Valentine.