I live in N. California zone 9b. Normally we have short relatively dry Spring. This year has been record braking cold spells and lots of rain. If I didn't know better I would think I have moved back to W. Washington State where I grew up.
I enjoy starting seeds inside to jump start veggie like tomatoes and peppers. This year I'm growing a lot of herbs that are new to me. The rest of the veggie, fruit and herbs I grow I would normally sow in place. The periodic late frost are keeping me from planting the seedlings that normally would have been planted weeks ago. The rain has brought out pests I never have to deal with. I have never had trouble starting peas. This year centipede or millipedes are eating the seed. Slugs?!!! I never have slugs. This has caused me to start almost every inside. Cucumber, squash, cantaloupe, watermelon. Even flowers, and herbs like marigolds, calendula, basil, chamomile, dahlia. To much to list. I always give everything a letter to make it easier to make and keep track of. I used all of the alphabet, then started on double letters. For some reason I switched to numbers at RR , I'm up to 15. It's insanity. I have used soil blocks, peat disks, plastic pots and cups, and cow pots. At this moment I have seeds I planted yesterday to tomatoes that are 18" to 2' high that have been transplanted twice as deep as I could, and lots in-between. Heaven help me when danger of frost has finally passed and I get to plant everything.
I'm also hardening off lots of plants for the second time. Madness.
This year has made me very sympathetic to the people who live in colder wetter climates, and grateful for our normal lovely weather. Happy gardening all.
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Seedlings cover the table, a chair, 3 shelves, and behind the shelf.
“We can complain because rose bushes have thorns, or rejoice because thorn bushes have roses.” — Abraham Lincoln
We're also in 9b and have a similar situation. Every season we get a little more serious about the garden, last year there were so many losses due to slugs, fungus, rodents, etc. So my partner got an early start indoors with 4x more seedlings, and trying to make space for everything. Now I have to race ahead to make places to plant and get the irrigation up for it all. Such is homesteading, and I'll be glad for it if it turns out that we get a lot of favas this season.
You get good luck from rubbing the belly of a tiny ad:
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