My fingers are getting greener!!

Look at my tomatoes!! Yeah! Aren't they looking healthy and happy? LOL I am so pleased! I spent a good part of the morning repotting, planting and generally pottering!! I had such a good time! Hehehe!

What amazes me is these tomatoes are the same ones that were attacked by something looking like thrip - I chopped them right back to get rid of any diseased leaves and even started new seeds off "just incase" ... but they are actually looking pretty dang good!

The black pots on the right are my lil baby aubergines - doing real well, and on the left are the 2nd batch of lettuces that have just come out of the propagator into pots. They look all sickly and week from the stress of moving, but within a few days they will be healthy again!! I planted the third batch of lettuce seeds today - all the spicy variety this time ... and it is just so exciting knowing that I am growing my own food!

This is a pic fresh from today of my first batch of lettuces (the ones that I have been taste testing and the ones I posted a pic of yesterday from a few days ago!) I am SO pleased with how well they are doing, and the fact that I have my third batch on the go now is like yeah baby!!

I can't believe that *I* am getting so excited and so caught up in gardening! I am actually even thinking about starting to watch Gardener's World ... but don't quote me on that eh ... hmmm I could even sky plus it so that I never have to miss it either! Damn, did I say that? Holy crapoly what is happening to me! LOL

So anyway, moving on and keeping on track ... it's actually been an exciting day in Dee's plant world as my chervill seeds have started to pop and all 4 of my basil trays have popped up too!! I'm still waiting on the cucumbers ... but the packet does say up to 14 days to germinate and we DID have that snow and cold spell recently ... but still, they are in a propagator in the conservatory so they should be okay!

I SO SO gotta get me some square pots too ... look at the pic of the lettuces above all procariously balanced on a plate - it's not good!! Square pots would be better space wise, and also a little birdie told me that it's actually better for the roots in a square pot too. So yeah ... when I can eventually afford it, I want to replace ALL of my pots for square ones. That'll be a while then!! Hahaha

Chatting with a friend today about the bluebells everywhere too. Apparently there are a few different types and my garden is covered in them! I've been asked to take some photos to try to identify whether they are native, hybrid or a nasty "take over the world" type of variety! LOL

Watch this space for some err bluebell pics tomorrow I guess!

My fingers are getting greener! Seedlings update!

This is what I got up to on Sunday afternoon! I'd been in the workshop all day from early till late, and when I got home I decided to relax by pottering with my plants! I love that word ... pottering ... it's a way of describing how you are doing something, yet hardly anything at the same time!

Anyway, my baby lettuce seedlings were ready to re-pot into their first pots, so I split a black sack as a waterproof table cover in the conservatory and got busy! The pic to the left shows them just before they went into their pots.

CHECK OUT MY PINK SPRAY BOTTLE!! This was a pressie from a very good friend that obviously knows me very well. Apparently it was spotted on the shelf in B&Q and I was told that it was so me (as in pink!) and that it just couldn't be walked past!! I love pressies but this is such a GREAT one!! LOL When I water the brand new seedlings with a jug of water, it compacts all of the soil down (ie not good!) and the spray mist (pump action yeah baby!) is so gentle! They did look a little sorry for themselves after being re-potted but I can happily report that they have perked up now!!

Aaaaanyway, I also planted more tomato seeds, ummm 6 cucumber plants and I have started on this years herbs from seed - I've got basil and chervill on the go at the moment! I really want to do everything from seed this year!! Ohh, and as I had a spare propagator, I planted another whole tray of lettuces! I didn't take a pic of those as ummm well it's just soil in trays! Hahaha!

Happy little seedlings!!

I repotted my seedlings into their first pots! Last year I grew my tomatoes and herbs from baby plants and this year I was determined to try growing from seed so it's a complete learning curve for me but I am thoroughly enjoying it!

The pic shows my tomatoes (orange pots) and aubergines (black pots) I need to get some little plant label thingies, but meanwhile they are just colour coded! LOL

I was a bit disappointed by the roots on them all though. I can only put it down to the compost I used in the propagator. I had been so excited when I got the seeds and I used compost that I had left from last year. I've learned a LOT about gardening recently from a few friends of mine that are very into it - one of my friends is lucky enough to have her own allotment so she's a great source of advice!

I was recommended the compost shown in the photo by another friend of mine, and as soon as I opened the bag I just KNEW it was gonna be good stuff! It has extra perlite and already has food in it for 4-6 weeks which is brilliant. So yes, my baby cherry tomato plants and baby aubergine plants are officially on their way!!

OMG Look!!!!

Ohhh this plant mama is soooo happy!!! On top of my haircut earlier and my self confidence boost that I posted about below ... I've just checked on my seedlings and yeah baby we are growing!!!!

Look at my cherry tomato plants! They are doing really well if you compare them to the photo I posted before when they had just popped up! They are probably okay in the propagator for another week or so, but I'm going to get them into pots this weekend. I still think we're due another frost so they will live in the conservatory after that until they are nicely rooted into their new pots

THEN .... I looked at the aubergine seedlings! I had all but given up on them until a few days ago because they were planted 3 weeks ago and the packet says germination in 10-14 days. The tomatoes had all popped up and were growing away happily (planted at the same time with the same germination guidelines!) I was ready to dump out the soil, call it a failure and get some salad leaves planted in the propagator instead!! I thought I'd leave it a few more days "just to see" and I'm glad I did!

Five out of six ... and the fifth one (bottom left) definitely wasn't there this morning!) These are mini aubergines that will produce (fingers crossed!!) golf ball sized aubergines that are perfect to stirfry and add to - well pretty much anything!

I am growing totally organically too. I haven't looked much into feeds for my plants yet ... last year I grew my tomatoes and all of my herbs from existing baby plants and didn't add ANY feed to anything! It all grew okay! I hadn't wanted to spend out on gardening until I knew it was something I was really interested in.

Now though I'm totally hooked!! I loved cooking with things I had grown and the taste was SO much nicer too! I want to do most of it from seed this year and really really go for it! I need more propagators and I need a polytunnel!

LOL the littlest things with me sometimes!!