Wednesday, February 6, 2013

Seeds and Bulbs

The weather forecast promises warming at the end of the week and the next week. So I decided to go to the Garden Center and buy the vegetable and flower seeds for my garden.
I grow a lot of different flowers, but I purchased more perennials: 2 varieties of carnations (Dianthus), sweet peas (Lathyrus odomtus), flowers for rock garden, monarda (Monarda), blue bells (Campanula), columbina mix (Aquilegia), veronica blue.


As I got a gift, ‘The Vertical gardening’ book, I’ve bought also some nasturtium (Tropaeolum) seed. 


Last fall I told myself: I would not buy gladioli and dahlias, because it's hard to keep them in winter. But again, I could not pass by the bulbs. Here are the white gladioli (Gladiolus), red crocosmia (Crocosmia) and different dahlias!



I grow a small amount of vegetables and have the greenhouse for the vegetables that need extra warmth. I choose vegetables that can grow up during our short summer.
First I picked the seeds of tomatoes, zucchini (yellow), beans (yellow) and cucumbers.


 If the summer is cool and often rains, the insects fly rarely and pollinate poorly.  So I’ve chosen varieties of pollinated cucumbers and of a hybrid F1, that doesn’t need  to be pollinated. 


Tomatoes are grown only in the greenhouse, because at the end of summer might be cold at night. I picked  seeds of small tomatoes. What else is important: these tomatoes are not high and are suitable for a small greenhouse.



I usually have some beds with carrot, beet and lettuce. I love to cook traditional Russian soup ( borscht ) with some beets, carrots and potatoes. So I’ve bought 3 packs of beet seed, round and long ones and also herb seeds: basil, dill, parsley, celery. But I will sow them all 

a little, near my kitchen.



Now I need to plan where I'll plant and sow all my purchases!
But there is still time, spring will come at the end of March here.


What are you, my friends-loggers, going to sow and to plant in your gardens?

48 comments:

  1. Hi Nadezda!
    Hope you're well! I'm fighting with my high blood pressure - and the medicine ... grrrr
    So wunderful seeds!I have at the moment no idea what to plant. Today we've snow showers and there will come more. No early spring!
    But in USA, they will have early spring!
    You know Punxsutawney Phil? He didn't see his shadow ;-)

    Meggie
    from Colors in my life

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Meggie, dear! I wish you were a winner in this fighting.
      I think our spring will be late, but it will. Thank you!

      Delete
  2. Wow! You have such an awesome selection! Your veg choices are cool and the flowers will be stunning. Can't wait to see your garden in the summer! Loving the idea of those pickling gherkin cucumbers : )

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, I love pickling cucumbers and make some jars with them. My new seedlings depend of the weather of course. Thank you, Anna!

      Delete
  3. Oh wow Nadeza! I am loving so many of your flowers you are going to plant.I do not have much room for vegetables here and they are grown in containers now which is easier on me to care for. I have not even started deciding what flowers seeds to start yet. I need to get to work. LOL! Have a lovely week.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Lona, I grow some bulbs in containers too, as gladioli, canna, calla. It's easy to dig them in fall and store in winter. I hope to see your flower choice. Thank you!

      Delete
  4. I wish your bulbs and seeds will grow well, Nadezda! You've bought a lot of them. I haven't grown gladiolus or dahlias. It seems so complicated to dig them up for winter...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Satu, I love Finnish seeds, as you see!I buy them (we have Prizma here) every year and am very pleased. They are suitable for similar climate, especially beet, carrot, dill,basil, zucchini. Thank you!

      Delete
  5. You certainly do have your work cut out for you!! In a normal year our spring starts just into April... lately it's been all over the place. I get bus tours and they always want to know when certain things will be in bloom... that's next to impossible to say with how the weather has been of late... happy gardening! Larry

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Larry, you're right! Nobody knows exactly when spring comes. It comes here at the end of March or beginning of April, when snow starts to melt and the ground is warm enough to sow something. First flowers as crocus, primrose and muscari we see at the end of April. Thank you!

      Delete
  6. Welcome Nadezda!
    I see that you bought a lot, wonderful seeds for your garden.
    I also made ​​shopping on Saturday.
    On Friday I have to sow the seedlings tomatoes.
    It's high time.
    I send greetings.
    Lucia

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Lucia, I see you've bought some seeds as I did! What variety of tomatoes do you prefer? Sure, you have your seedlings in a warm place, not outside. Thank you!

      Delete
  7. This looks all so pretty and delicious!!!
    A lot of happy gardening!
    Bye,
    Marian

    ReplyDelete
  8. The most exciting time of the year - buying the seeds. It is the fun time before all the work must begin. You have chosen a fantastic selection of seeds. I have never grown beets before, is it very difficult?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Rosermary, there is no difficulties in beet growing. Only it needs soil +6C (at night). Here it's about the first days of June. So I sow beet seeds in a container in a warm place or in my greenhouse before the soil becomes warmer and then plant them in a bed. Now is nice time, you're right, you buy seed and dream of new flowers or harvest. Thank you!

      Delete
  9. You have quite a lot of seeds to plant! You must have lots of room in your greenhouse to start them. I only have a small grow light in the basement and it is only big enough to start a few seeds indoors. We don't plant outside until the first of May, although peas and cold weather crops can go in earlier. Good luck with all your seeds!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I do the same, Laurrie! I always wait for warm soil, and I plant zucchini, cucumbers, some annual flowers in my greenhouse, in containers, that I put on the shelves there. Later I plant all seedlings outside. Thank you!

      Delete
  10. I hope all your plantings flourish Nadezda, they all look wonderful. Bet you are looking forward to some warm weather. Not too long to go now.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh, yes, warm weather, no snow, sunny days, green grass... I do hope, thank you,Karen!

      Delete
  11. Hallo Nadezda!Lovely collections of bulbs and seeds!My favoutite flowers are sweet peas!!I love them so much!I wish your bulbs and seeds will grow well!Have a lovely week!
    Dimi..

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. This year I want to plant perennial sweet pea (china). It's hard and slowly growing, but very nice. Thank you, Dimi!

      Delete
  12. Wonderful choices Nadezda! Borscht is a favorite of mine and I love beets and carrots! We have so many organic growers of both of these that I don't grow them so that I can use more of my small space for ornamental plants. I always grow a few tomatoes, peas, sweet peas, a few herbs, sometimes zucchi.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Outlaw, you understand me:loving borscht! The beets I grow are very red-red and soup is beautiful! What zucchini do you love the most? This year I decided to plant yellow ones. They are compact, do not grow in all sides. Thank you!

      Delete
  13. You bought a lovely seed collection. I always buy too many seeds, more than I can grow in my garden, still have a lot of half seedpackets of last year, but cannot resist buying more new seeds in the gardencentre. In our country I grow the tomatoes in the greenhouse too, the summer is not long enough to get them nice red outside. We also like eating beetroots and I see you sow the same cultivar like I do: Egyptian flatballs.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Janneke,I understand you perfectly! I have some half-packs of dill, radish, etc, and I try to sow them later in mid-summer, as these veges can grow before fall. The beet seeds 'Egyptian' I like the most--they are fast growing and matured in August. Thank you!

      Delete
  14. Sounds like a great selection ... monardas, campanulas, sweet peas - all favorites of mine. Though I rarely grow sweet peas. I also love borscht, especially with a dollop of sour cream on top!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Jason, you're a gourmand!;)) I love perennial sweet pea, 'china'. It grows as the annuals but stay in ground during winter time. And smell a little. Thank you!

      Delete
  15. I love all the seeds you bought! I'm so glad you're giving monarda another try. Give it full sun in your climate. :o) I'm starting my pepper seeds this weekend. I"m growing Sweet Chocolate bell peppers. My other seeds are for annual flowers and other vegetables that I will sow directly outside. I'm not sure how long it will take to grow the peppers so I want to sow them early.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Tammy, I can imagine the lovely taste of these Sweet Chocolate bell peppers. You're right, the peppers need a long period of growing before they will blossom. I tried 2 or 3 times to grow them but was not successful. Do you remember my experience with monarda? Yes, I will put the pot with monarda on the full sun, without cold wind. Thank you!

      Delete
  16. Great seeds Nadezda! Best of luck with the beets. I love borscht, hot or cold. Hot with sour cream on top, cold with some chopped hard boiled egg.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh, Astrid, I've been surprised: you know hot and cold borscht! Now I guess someone of your family lived in Russia, is it true? Or, may be there is a Russian restaurant near your home.I lost in conjecture!
      Thank you!

      Delete
  17. You have a nice selection of seeds. Looks like you are going to have an exciting time ahead in your garden. Happy gardening.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm going to sow, plant, grow, fight against weeds, etc. ---this is exciting time in my northern garden. Thank you!

      Delete
  18. Warzyw w ogródku mało sieję, mało miejsca na nie. Będa jednak pomidory, groszek i rzodkiewka. Nasion kwiatków jeszcze nie mam, ale kupię. Ty już masz chyba wszystkie. Pozdrawiam serdecznie.
    Овощи в саду посеять мало, не хватает места для них. Они, однако, помидоры, горох и редис. Семена не имеют цветов еще нет, но хотим купить. Вы, наверное, уже все. С уважением.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I love tomatoes, pea and radish too. Bur radish grows badly,because of a long light day in summer. I wish you had many flowers this summer, Giga!
      Uwielbiam pomidory, groszek i rzodkiewki też. Rzodkiewka Bur rośnie źle, bo z długiej dzień światła w lecie. Życzę miał wiele kwiatów latem, Giga!

      Delete
  19. Hi Nadezda, Your garden is off to a nice start with your purchases. I haven't bought any seeds just yet, but want to buy some poppies, new sunflower varieties, love-in-the mist and some vegetable seeds. Have a great weekend!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. What is this flower 'love-in-the mist'? I love poppies, but don't grow them, no free place yet.
      Thank you, Jennifer!

      Delete
  20. It looks exciting with all these bags seed. Wish you a good weekend :) Hanne Bente

    ReplyDelete
  21. Goodness me, you are going to be busy!

    I keep dahlia corms in a little dryish compost in the garage. They always overwinter well.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Frico, you do all right storing the dahlias. I never can't store them in dry cool place, I guess there is colder than mines need. Thank you!

      Delete
  22. Hi Nadezda! Good luck with all your seeds and bulbs, that's a fine collection! Sorry for being so late commenting on your blog, but I have been working so much the last week trying to get finished my latest project - and now it is finished :-)

    I like borscht too, I have eaten it several times but never made it myself, I bet it taste even better with your own vegetables!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It's surprise or me, you love 'борщ', I cook it quite often. Congratulation on your project!
      Thank you, Helene!

      Delete
  23. It's always so exciting to have packets of seeds. Unfortunately I am not a very talented gardener and usually mine don't look like that. I am sure yours will be wonderful and I look forward to seeing how your garden will develop as the year goes on.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Jenny, I'm glad you're all right! I usually have some half-packs of seeds from last year,and is fun to look at them in winter, when snow is around. Thank you!

      Delete
  24. The reward of growing a garden is wonderful isn't it, all those delicious colors and good things to eat. I'm still in the planning stages and I think I am late getting started.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Barb, I think you aren't late, there is a time until spring comes. Thank you!

      Delete

Thank you for stopping by Nadezda's Northern Garden blog!
I'm glad to read your friendly comments very much.
Feel free to comment on the posts or photos
I warmly welcome the new followers on my blog.