Six on Saturday – 19MAR2022 – Three Thrilling Things

I have three thrilling things to report for today’s Six on Saturday (and be sure to visit The Propagator to see Sixes from all over the place!) :

1. Warmer temperatures = melting snow = emerging spring bulbs
2. Germination has been super speedy for some seeds I planted just last weekend
3. The bees are back!

First up – the first honeybees of the year! Our neighbour keeps a dozen or so hives and it looks like yesterday’s sunshine and warm temperatures brought them outside. I’m happy the snowdrops were open to greet them!

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Daffs, Alliums, tulips, Ipheion and these Leucojum have all made an appearance in the past few days. Many weeks until blooming though…

While the regular thyme appears to be just a tumbleweed of dry leaves and twigs, several clumps of variegated lemon thyme has emerged from their snow blankets looking fresh and rejuvenated.

I’m going to head indoors now because I’m thrilled and surprised that all the seeds I started last Sunday have already germinated! Four tomato varieties and Big Blue Salvia – Salvia farinacea x S. longispicata. The Salvia came from seeds I collected last fall on a plant I purchased – it came in a gallon pot so I thought I should start them early. The tomatoes are from two different seed suppliers, Thyme Again (local here in Prince Edward County) and Greta’s Family Gardens near Montreal. I’m trying something new this year to keep track of the seedlings – coding them and putting the code on my home made markers. The Salvia emerged on Thursday, the tomatoes yesterday.

BBS = Big Blue Salvia

some BBS seeds wound up in a Tomato C pot..

Also started indoors last Sunday were my dahlias. I only have a few; they were stored in paper bags in my cool basement all winter. They emerged intact, albeit quite shriveled, but hard as carrots. I’ve been instructed to mist them daily and hope for eyes to appear…

Finally…spring means long lists of spring garden chores. Notice that ‘chore’ is not a four letter word; the extra letter, for me, makes it a positive noun! One of first things to be done in the coming weeks is preparing this, and a few other, raised beds for cool season greens. Lettuce, spinach and chard will be started under big plastic water bottle cloches…pictures to come! Have a great week everyone!!