Garden Debate: Seeds or Seedlings

Planning a garden can be a challenge.  What variety to pick?  If you plant eggplant, will your husband eat them?  When do I need to have these in the ground by?

Lets rewind and tackle the first of many big questions: Do you start your plants from seeds or do you purchase your seedlings from the store?

Why start your plants from seed in your own home?  The reasons are different for each gardener.

Tomato Seedling reaching for the light

From Seed 

Pros- More seed and variety options, You know exactly what the plant has been treated with, the joy of watching the seedlings grow and prosper.

Cons- Time, lots of time planting the seeds, transplanting seedlings, watering, 

Purchase Seedlings

Pros- Ready when you are.  Varieties (Hopefully) already selected for your climate. 

Cons- May already be exposed to blight, Mildew, other diseases.  Heirlooms may be limited

The husband and I have opted to start our seeds in our home this year.  Little lessions from 2013 will be employed to make this the most productive year to date on Holly Court!  Last year I attempted to start everything from seed in our home.  

Seedlings

Jalapeno Peppers

Ready to Harvest

 Ill prepared, I ran into road block after road block.  The cat laid on all my little precious baby starts, smothering all the cucumbers and carrots and squash.  We had our wedding & honeymoon extravaganza and while we were off enjoying the beach in Hawaii, our little starts took a nose dive to the grave.  That is also how we ended up with 9 jalapenos plants, one bell pepper plant and none of the other 4 varieties of peppers I had in my goal garden. Same with the 5 Cherry tomato plant and no heirlooms. You would think I would have the whole "plants need water to live" thing down by now... working in Ag and being a farmers daughter and all.   And finally, we were too cheap/busy to purchase a lamp so the seedlings that survived were spindly little guys.  I seriously didn't think they were going to make it.  BUT this year will be different!!!

My garden pinterest board is brimming with ideas, My sights are set high and I am so excited to see where 2014 will take my garden! 

 Next up: Seedling Starter Stand and Light

.::2013::. Garden in Review

It is that time of the year in Wasington wine country. Harvest is coming to an end.  There is a chill to the air.  The first frost has made the vineyards and orchards start to drop their leaves. And that same first frost has made it quite apparent that it is time to take down the garden and make plans for next year

 It is a time to review the past year.  What was a success?  What has the opportunity to improve?  Each year around this time I clean up the garden, remove the annuals, and review the bounty 2013 has given us.

Cherry Tomatoes soon to be pico de gallo

Year 1 in the Holly House. We got married. We honeymooned in Maui. I started a new job.

The garden is definitely in need of some TLC.

Spicy garden haul

This year was the first I started all our plants from seeds.  I had high hopes with many starts going...then we were gone for 2 weeks of wedding/honeymoon madness and the poor little plants did not take well to being cared for by my mother-in-law.  We ended up having roma and cherry tomatoes, along with  many (ok 12...seriously we had them coming out of our ears) jalapeño peppers.

We had one lonely bell pepper plant that Louie ripped out. Bummer.

Garlic pickled jalapeno rings

With the huge amount of jalapeños, we decided to pickle some.

Best. Decision. Ever.

I got to break out the mandalin we got as a wedding gift, and after 6 weeks of waiting we have been loving our little pickled rings.  Nachos are on a whole new level in this household!

I am designing some improvements, are you?

What is your favorite garden veggie?

Mark my words, by 2014 I will have grown my own cucumbers and not have to buy from the store to make pickles!