Showing posts with label glass bell. Show all posts
Showing posts with label glass bell. Show all posts

Friday, February 15, 2008

First replanting for the spring


So, I've replanted my first batch of plants for the spring. The nasturtiums were about to jump out of their tp-rolls and demand eligibility to vote, while other seeds hadn't even poked a sprout above the soil. All the plants that had been in the glas bell were moldy and I realised today that I should have lifted it off for a quarter or so every day to allow for some ventilation. Duh! I already knew that! Why didn't that piece of knowledge surface earlier? Well, I'll use it the next time I sow something - which ought to be tomorrow.

I've used terracotta pots for this batch as you can see. I'll running around and water the plants every other second, but I grew tired of finding rotten soil at the bottom of my selfwatering containers. And these pots looks good, which is a big plus when you are gardening indoors. The climbing aid I made for the nasturtiums is my big pride this time - don't you love the charmingly charred look barely noticeable here? I used sticks left from the fireworks at New Year's Eve. With a bit of luck I'll become a trendsetter and Wal-mart will start sell hobby craftsmen precharred sticks by the dozen :-)

Since it's friday I'll end this post with a small film. It has nothing to do with gardening, I just found it fitting since I have recieved compliments on blogging in both english and swedish. Enjoy!

Tuesday, February 05, 2008

Water and drying


Half of my seeds have grown so far. Unfortunately I neglected to ventilate the glass bell, which means mold grows on the pots inside. It's probably not a good thing, but I wont do anything drastic. Last time I paniced, removed the cover completely - and all the seedlings died. After a bit of pondering I think a combination of dehydration and darkness killed the poor little plants. I've put up a table lamp to illuminate my new seedlings, and put the glass bell on matches to let some air in. Let's see if this is enough.

The tiger nuts have recovered in one of the two gardens I planted, and it's time to cut them down. My plan was to dry it and use as bedding in my vermicompost, but how do I do that without a drying tray? Luckely enough I don't need to care for colour of active substances so I can put the cuttings in broad daylight. It hit me that one of those bags you use for your bras when you wash them in a washing machine would do. It may not look romantic, but I'll put it in my study where I won't be much (fact is I'm mostly working in the library...).

The next item on the shopping list is neither drying trays nor seeds. It's carnivorous plants, we are all sick and tired of the 'flies' my garden generates.

***



List of plants that have grown, in chronological order


  • Kyona Mizuna cabbage (under plastic bag) 2008/02/02 after four days
  • Basil 'Genovese' (in glass bell) 2008/02/03 after five days
  • Leaf amaranth 'Calalo Red' (under plastic bag) 2008/02/03 after five days
  • Nasturtium 'Alaska' (under plastic bag) 2008/02/05 after seven days
  • Salvia (in glass bell) 2008/02/05 after seven days

Thursday, January 31, 2008

To whom the bell tolls


Yesterday I sowed the first batch of seeds from my new Impectadelivery. Nine different plants were given two chances (ie. two seedling pots) to grow. Since I like the thought of being frugal I'd collected empty eggshells (a classig according to mr Brown Thumb) and empty toilett paper rolls, and in addition I made some pots out of an old paper bag from IKEA. I choose the bag since it was made of uncoloured and unbleached paper - the only sturdy paper of that kind I could find. In the same time I handled the son, who wanted to help, and the hubby, who Was Kind (tm).

I put the different pots in empty takeaway containers. Well, I covered the bottom with leca to help the pots stand straight. As they were filled with soile I meditated on the question of cover. Last time I used the lids of the boxes (semi transparent), but that time I used empty egg cartons, these pots are a lot taller. I decided on using plastic bags, which is a classic too.

Wait a minute - I do have a large glass bell looking as if it's been made for the purpose of shelter seedlings. Since it's rescued from the chemistry department of Uppsala University I suspect it once covered some experiments, but that's not a hindrance to making it a mini greenhouse. I could see it from where I sat, it was tucked into an 'unika'basket on the top of our bookcases. Since our cases are two and a half meter tall (or eight feet four inches) I figured it wasn't possible for me to retrieve that heavy bundle while tippytoeing on a chair.

I decided on bags. Happy to have made a decision I continued my sowing, and then it occured to me; I do have a mini greenhouse! Why on earth am I tampering around with lunchboxes? Duh!

On the other hand I didn't remember where the greenhouse is, so I decided to sow the last seeds instead. Perhaps I should had given it a second thought, because when I tried to cover the boxes even our biggest plastic bags were too small for them. I quickly made my hubby bring down the glass bell
"Why not put the boxes in the greenhouse?" he asked.
"Becuase I probably put it under the stairs," was my reply.

He went to look at the wall of things that's behind the door to the understairs cupboard. For some reason a lot of irrelevant stuff have collected there, despite the fact that we organized the space minutely only three months ago. Understairs cupboards has to be selective black holes; eating stuff that can be of use, but leaving humans alone - so they wont suspect anything. I swear, if we ever clean this space out we'll find Harry Potter.

I tried to get all three boxes inside the bell, eventhough a quick occular estimation already had told me that only two would fit. For a short moment I considered cutting some corners, and then I did what any normal person would do; I put two in the bell, and taped two plastic bags together as cover for the third one. This is how it looks now:



In the pots I've sown

  • Lemon balm
  • Basil 'Genovese'
  • Stevia
  • Salvia
  • Chives
  • Nasturtium 'Alaska'
  • Kyona Mizuna cabbage
  • Leaf amaranth


My documentation is made on the back of an old envelope, which makes it possible for me to store copies of the catalogue posts for my seedlings. To be able to tell the three boxes appart I've named them Agnes, Cecilia and Katarina. The theme is female saints, in case you wondered.