Don’t expect much from the groundhog next Tuesday. Word has it that he is as confused about the weather as are the rest of us. Here are some items about which we should not be confused:
* Take inventory of seed-starting equipment and supplies, including heating mat or cable, fluorescent lights, seed-starting and growing mixes, clean pots and flats, and plenty of plant labels. For seed starting, I typically use a so-called peat-lite mix consisting of sphagnum peat moss plus vermiculite or perlite. Such mixes are available commercially but you can make your own by combining 4 parts peat moss or coco coir with 1 part vermiculite or perlite or a combination of the two. Never use garden soil in seed starting mixes since soil often hosts fungi which can infect seedlings with a disease, commonly referred to as damping-off. As an extra precaution when starting seeds indoors, I top my seeded pots or flats with a sprinkling of milled sphagnum moss. The sphagnum has fungicidal properties and helps prevent damping-off. Since neither vermiculite nor sphagnum has any nutrient value, seedlings either have to be fed with a general purpose water-soluble fertilizer or have to be transplanted to a growing mix with some nutrients once they have developed a set of true leaves.
* Save some money by re-purposing household items for starting seeds. For example, toilet paper rolls can be turned into individual pots and the mini-crates in which clementines are sold can be seedling flats.
* Start sweet Spanish onions and leeks. Yes, it is a little early but I’ve gotten some huge onions and leeks by starting them this early. The tops will have to be trimmed periodically to keep them from flopping over. The resulting seedlings will be sturdy and easy to transplant to the garden in mid-April. By the way, clementine crates make great containers in which to start onion and leek seeds.
* Start seeds of begonia, pansy, viola, lobelia, and stock now. These plants are either slow growing (begonia and lobelia) or are able to tolerate cool temperatures and early transplanting to the garden in April.
* Start seed of herbs such as thyme, oregano, chives, basil, and parsley. Though it’s a little early to start herbs that will be transplanted to the garden, it is okay to start herbs that will be grown as potted plants. Some will be ready to use in culinary creations by March.
Need a break from starting seeds?
* Apply repellents, hang bags of hair or bars of smelly soap, call in the National Guard; do whatever needed to protect ornamental plants from marauding deer. At this time of year, food sources for deer have become a bit scarce, and they seem to know that the easiest food to find right now is the succulent branches of ornamental shrubbery.
* Save coffee grounds and tea leaves rather than tossing them in the trash. It’s okay to scatter small amounts on the surface of soil in pots of house plants or scratch the stuff into the soil a little. Otherwise toss the grounds and leaves onto the compost pile. Also, there should be no harm to house plants if an occasional cup of leftover tea or coffee is dumped onto the plants, although I like to dilute the liquid with some water. The liquids are slightly acidic, so do not dump them onto plants that prefer an alkaline soil.
* Tune up power equipment. We’re still several months away from the time that mowers and tillers will be used but the folks down at the power equipment shop have more time on their hands for repairing lawn and garden machinery now than they’ll have in spring.
