Inside my greenhouse, the seeds I started for the next gardening season are growing fast.
Once seedlings start to develop, it’s important to keep up with maintenance care - thin out seedlings that are weak, prick out those that are growing too big for their seed starting trays, and transplant them into larger pots and flats.
Here are some photos and tips, enjoy.
These seedlings in my greenhouse are in different stages of growth. They were planted from seed over the last few weeks. As they germinate and begin to mature, it’s important to check their development, so they continue to thrive.
Regardless of how perfect seeds may appear, germination is never guaranteed, so multiple seeds are always planted in each seed starting tray cell. This provides a better chance at least one in each cell will take root.
When the seedlings are a couple inches tall and have reached their “true leaf” stage, which is when each seedling has sprouted a second set of leaves, it’s time for a process called selective thinning. Selective thinning prevents overcrowding, so seedlings don’t have competition for soil nutrients or room to grow.
When thinning, Ryan carefully inspects the seedlings and determines the strongest ones. He looks for fleshy leaves, upright stems, and center positioning in the space. The smaller, weaker, more spindly looking seedlings are removed, leaving only the stronger ones to mature. Ryan starts with some asters. Using large tweezers, he removes those seedlings less likely to thrive.
Once selective thinning is complete, there should only be one or two seedlings in each cell of the seed starting tray or container. They will continue to grow until moved to larger trays or pots.
Seed starting trays come in a variety of sizes and can be reused from year to year. I have trays and pots stored nicely where they can be accessed easily for transplanting.
These flats have individual pots that can accommodate growing seedlings. Experiment with pots to see which ones work best for what plants. And always choose containers or trays that have proper drainage holes at the bottom.
The pots are filled with an appropriate potting mix. I like to use Miracle-Gro Potting Mix with moisture control. A good quality organic mix designed for seedlings will be fast draining, and light. It will usually contain sphagnum moss and perlite or vermiculite. These mixes are formulated to encourage strong, healthy growth in new plants.
The soil mix is leveled and put aside for transplanting.
Working in a production line process and filling a lot of trays first is an efficient way to work – there are many seeds to transplant here in my greenhouse.
This is a great multipurpose tool for seed starting – it’s from Johnny’s Selected Seeds. It’s called a widger. It has a convex stainless steel blade that delicately separates seedlings.
When it is time to move a seedling, carefully loosen the soil around the seedling with the widger. The widger also helps to avoid damage to the plant’s leaves, or roots.
Using fingers or the end of a thick marker pen, make a hole in the center of each larger, pot or tray cell. The soil mix is very soft.
The hole just needs to be big enough for the seedling root ball.
My gardening helper, Matt, replants the seedling into its new pot.
The seedling is planted as deep as it was in its previous tray cell.
And then the surrounding soil is tamped down lightly to ensure good contact and to remove any air pockets. Avoid handling the seedling by its tender stems, which can bruise easily.
The purpose of transplanting is to provide enough room – overcrowding can stress the sprouts.
These seedlings now have more space for root development and look more organized.
Once seedlings are transferred and fed, they’re given a good drink of water and returned to the greenhouse to continue growing. The trays are placed on a heat mat specifically designed for seedlings. It warms the area and helps to improve root growth.
There’s always a lot of work to do in my greenhouse. It’s so nice to be able to grow vegetables and flowers from seed during these winter months. It won’t be long before they are all ready to be moved outdoors and planted in the gardens.
My farm is covered with patches of snow and ice, but inside my home I have beautiful, healthy, lush container plants - specifically, bright orange and yellow flowering Clivia miniata.
Over the years I have amassed quite a collection of potted specimens and I enjoy displaying them inside my Winter House when they are in bloom. My head gardener, Ryan McCallister, recently selected a lovely group of Clivia to decorate my enclosed porch. The colorful flowers are eye-catching and so cheerful, especially during these cold, gray, dreary days of winter.
Here are some photos, enjoy.
Whenever my potted plants are flowering, I enjoy displaying them in my home where I, and my guests, can enjoy them.
Right now, the Clivia plants are in bloom. Here is one just opening in my hoop house.
Here are some in yellow. Clivia also comes in bright red, pink and white.
Before transporting them to my Winter House, Ryan sprays the leaves with Leaf Shine, a spray used to clean and restore the natural luster of plant leaves.
Then the plants are placed inside my Polaris vehicle and delivered quickly to my Winter House, so they are not affected by the very cold winter temperatures.
And look who is right at the door ready to inspect what comes inside – it’s my newest feline, Dahlia, a gorgeous young calico Persian. She is so curious and friendly.
And she enjoys checking everything out. Watch pets around the Clivia as the plants contain small amounts of lycorine, making them poisonous.Thankfully, my cats just enjoy smelling them.
And here comes my silver shaded Persian, Magnolia, who is also very inquisitive and social.
I have always loved Clivia. Clivia miniata, which is also known as bush lily, has a very faint, barely noticeable fragrance, but its flowers are so gorgeous.
Clivia has fleshy, fibrous, shallow roots that grow horizontally just under the soil surface. Clivia plants are also semi-epiphytic, meaning in their natural environment they live above ground with their roots partially in leaf litter.
The leaves of the Clivia plant emerge from the stem in a rosette pattern.
The leaves are also dark green and arranged in two opposing rows as they mature.
Each individual leaf is long, arching, and strap-like. At full length, each leaf is about 18 inches.
The colorful flowers grow on tall stiff stems rising above the foliage.
This time of year the plant produces clusters of showy trumpet-shaped flowers.
And then they open with such profusion. Look at all the gorgeous blooms in every pot.
This handsome evergreen perennial is slow-growing and thrives best in bright, indirect sunlight – a warm, sunny, south-facing window is great.
Clivia prefers somewhat moist soil and does best when it is slightly dry between deep watering.
It should should be fed a slow release fertilizer such as Miracle-Gro Osmocote or a liquid fertilizer at half-strength twice a month.
If cared for properly, Clivias can bloom well into April or even May. And do you know… the genus Clivia, was named after the Duchess of Northumberland, Lady Charlotte Clive, who first cultivated the plant in England. The Latin specific epithet miniata means “cinnabar”, the color of red lead, referring to its flowers.
If you’re looking for a beautiful low-maintenance and relatively small indoor plant with long-lasting bold-colored blooms, consider Clivia.
Any spring bulb can be tricked into early bloom - some are just easier than others.
This year, I decided to force as many spring blooming bulbs as I could. Forcing is essentially the process of simulating the conditions of winter and spring in order to fool the bulbs, speed up their development, and have them bloom before their time. While we're going through a week of snow and freezing rain here at the farm, my head gardener is inside forcing muscari, scilla, blue squill, and crocus - all from Colorblends Flowerbulbs - a third generation wholesale flower merchant in nearby Bridgeport, Connecticut.
Enjoy these photos.
There’s always excitement when the first bulbs of spring emerge. Here at my farm, I plant thousands of spring-blooming bulbs every year. These are some of last year’s crocus.
There are many types of crocus. Crocus is among the first flowers to appear in spring, usually in shades of purple, yellow, and white. There are about 90 different species of crocus that originate from Southern Europe, Central Asia, China, the Middle East, and Africa.
Croci can be found in alpine meadows, rocky mountainsides, scrublands, and woodlands.
Muscari is a genus of perennial bulbous plants native to Eurasia that produce spikes of dense, most commonly blue, urn-shaped flowers that look like bunches of grapes in spring.
Muscari bloom in mid-spring. Deer and rodents rarely bother them, and the bulbs multiply readily, returning to bloom again year after year.
But blooms can be enjoyed sooner through a process of forcing. Bulbs can be tricked into developing sooner given the right conditions.
Clay pots with good drainage are the best for forcing spring blooming bulbs. Make sure there is at least two inches between the bulbs and the bottom of the pot for proper root development.
I always place a shard over the hole of the pot to help with drainage and to prevent soil from falling through.
Ryan also adds a light layer of gravel to the bottom of the pots for better drainage.
Then, Ryan fills all the pots with a good, well-draining potting mix.
I like to use Miracle-Gro Potting Mix with moisture control.
Fill the pot three-quarters of the way. Depending on the size of the bulbs, one can fill a bit less.
The bulbs should be placed deep enough so they can be fully covered. Ryan gently pushes each bulb down into the soil, so it is well-anchored. And remember, pointed end faced up and root end facing down.
Use enough bulbs to fill the container. They can be crowded together or spaced out.
For these muscari bulbs, Ryan uses a long rectangular shaped planter. When planting bulbs, be sure any bulbs used are heavy and free from mold, mildew, discoloration, or a peeling outer shell.
And for these, Ryan put 150 muscari bulbs in a giant round planter. The display will be colorful and dense.
Here is my greenhouse cat, Blackie, watching from nearby.
Ryan fills the pots with more potting soil mix to cover the bulbs.
Ryan also adds Osmocote fertilizer, which can be sprinkled on top or mixed into the soil. The slow-release prills filled with nutrients feed the plants for up to six months. Remember, if you eat, so should your plants.
All the planted pots are brought out to the greenhouse for a good drink.
And then placed on a windowsill or on shelves in my hoop house where they will get light, humidity, and water to help them grow. I’ll have pots of gorgeous blooms in several weeks.
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