So I decided I wanted to do a blog about my garden that I'm trying to get started, not only to share with you how to start your very own, but to also document the progress of the flowers for myself. I could use this in future to avoid the same problems that I might face. I will be going through step by step of how I got to week one, if you have any suggestions I'd really appreciate it. If you have any question, I'll try to answer them to the best of my ability.
Step 1: Buying the right supplies
So I started my garden inside (see pictures below), which is a good way to start a flower garden. Especially around the beginning of spring time. I do enjoy having them inside, because I can check on them anytime I feel like it.
Supplies: JIFFY Seed Starter Greenhouse (x50); JIFFY Organic Seed Starter Mix; Flower Seeds of your choosing. Cost: approximately $15, it will cost more depending on how many seeds you buy.
1 bag of the Jiffy starter mix will be enough for approximately 2-3 Jiffy Greenhouses.
Step 2: Research
Before planting your seeds into the Jiffy Seed Starter Greenhouse, you'll need to know exactly how to plant the seeds, which means you'll need to do some research. The people at Lowe's Garden Center have been very helpful to me, so try asking them for some assistance. But some things you'll need to look up for yourself. Example: The African Daisy seeds need to be on top of the soil to germinate.Germination means the time period for the seed to turn into a seedling.Germination depends on the seed you have, for the African Daisies it takes between 7-15 days to germinate. If you look at my images below you will see what a African Daisy looks like just after 7 days.
Step 3: Patience, then Maintenance!
You need to be patient, just because you haven't seen the seeds start growing, doesn't mean they will never grow. I had the same doubts too, for a few days I only had 7 or 10 seed pots actually have seedlings growing in them, the other 40 seed pots had no signs of seed growth. I put various different seeds in my Jiffy Greenhouse, and those different seeds required more time to germinate. Now at day 7, most of the 50 pots have seedlings growing in each pot.
Maintenance, I recommend putting 2-3 seeds in each each pot to ensure you get the most out your seeds. This way, when you have a few empty pots with dead seeds in them, you can transplant your seeding into that pot. You only need one seedling in one pot, so once you don't need to transplant any more seedlings, go ahead and start plucking seedlings out of the pots until only one remains in each pot.
Be sure to always keep the soil damp with water, this may mean watering them a few times a day. If soil is dry, it needs water. Remember not to over water them.
My Flower Garden: Week One
I didn't organize my seedlings properly so I had to make a complicated list of where I planted the seeds and what I planted. It is a good idea to label your seeds so you'll know which is which. And to organize them so it won't be such a hassle once you have to remove them to plant outside or to plant in a pot. I did a better job at organizing my seeds in my 2nd, 3rd, and 4th Greenhouse.
I planted Black Eyed Susan Vines, African Daisies, Marigolds, Shanta Daisies, Chinese Forget-Me-Nots, and Lupines. The images below are in order of this list.
Expect a second blog on week 2 of my flowers on April 8th
I started 3 more Greenhouses on March31st, expect a blog on week one of these three Greenhouses on April 7th
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