How do you feel about gambling? It’s a risky gamble to plant expensive seeds if the spring is too wet and the seeds rot in the cold ground. On the other hand, if the soil is in a container that will warm quicker and has excellent drainage, it might be much less of a gamble to sow the first crop of peas well before the last frost date.
I always plant my first crops of lettuce and peas by the end of February and even if it’s only one, I plant a potato on St. Patrick’s Day. I am not superstitious, but I always feel like a Master Gardener when I plant a red potato on St. Patty’s Day.
I am working on learning the skill set of forcing bulbs. I lost my entire first attempt at forcing hyacinths. I threw them into the barn fridge and forgot to remove them from the plastic bags: they got mushy. I planted them anyway hoping that they still had enough strength left to spout, but all they did was push foam out the tops of the bulbs. It was the strangest site!
I hate losing but I always learn so much from my failures. I must admit that I wish I never had any faults to show you, but humility is good for the soul. I will try more soon as I think I might have cooked them in my greenhouse window and the foam was from too intense heat and sunshine.
My paperwhites did much better. I tried setting some in soil, and I have them in my plant window where I can look up and smile at them: a touch of spring on a dreary winter day. All I have to do is to remember to buy some bulbs from Buchheit next fall and find the right storage location to prep them for forcing.
I hope you will remember how easy it is to plant fall bulbs for summer flowering bulbs.
Happy Gardening! Anne May
