With so much to do to get the garden ready for spring planting I feel as though I'm far behind where I should be. The greenhouse should be full of trays by now. With no heat yet to keep the seeds warm at night it is fruitless to even try. Heat and ventilation have yet to be worked out. That's on "The List" too. It's times like these that I have to sit back and remind myself that everything has it's own time, it's own natural rhythm.
I've already resigned myself to the fact that I'll end up buying tomato plants and other early spring plants like broccoli and cabbage this year. It's ok, even if I DID want to start them from seed this year. Things could be worse. We are having a much better winter than many folks. Especially those North and East of here.
OK, now that I got my "whine" out of the way..... I have just got to share this with anyone who's not clicked that big X at the top of the page yet....
My dad is one of those guys that hardly ever picks up the phone to make a call. He told me years ago that kids should call their parents and not the other way around. Of course whenever he does call, my heart skips a beat or three wondering who's died or injured. He's also not one for using the mail either. He's been telling me that he's got some seed he wants to mail to me. Much of it is seed from strains he's been growing for years. So yesterday when I received a box in the mail and I saw who it was from I knew exactly what was in it. I might have even done a little happy dance.
Seeds, seeds and more seeds. The picture is what the first layer of the box looked like. Dad saves his seeds in old medicine bottles like these, which is half the battle of keeping them in a dark place. There are two or three layers under those bottles. Baggies of all kinds of different varieties of seeds all saved by my Dad!
If I thought I was ready for spring to get here before, now I feel like a kid waiting for Christmas to finally get here. I'm trying to ignore the fact that another cold front will be moving in on us over the weekend with highs in the 20's and possible rain,sleet and snow.
Stay warm folks... this can't last forever!!
We sent for and received a catalog of non-gmo seeds and plants. It is really nice.
ReplyDeleteI just LOVE seed catalogs. I can read them for hours. I actually have a pen and a highlighter that I marks most of them up with. They are well "worn" by the time it comes to order them.
DeleteI did a post with links to several open-pollinated and heirloom catalogs. Maybe I should re-post it? Enjoy!.
What a wonderful way to hear from your dad!
ReplyDeleteMy Mom and I email mostly every day.
Hope you have a better weekend than they are predicting. ♥
My mom lives up in the mountains out of Redding, Ca. They don't have cell service up there AND her bandwidth allowance is even smaller than than ours is. She calls every time they come down the mountain and I just love chatting with her. She doesn't write much. When she does it's always real short and to the point.
DeleteMy dad's a whole other story! He used to have a computer but just lost interest in it I guess. It drives me nuts though because I'd really like for him to be able to come here to the blog and check out what all we're doing around here.
Thanks for the week end wishes. I'm not going to hold my breath though! I don't look good in blue!!! ;-)
What a wonderful gift! Your dad sounds like mine...he passed away about 25 years ago at 53 years of age, I often wonder what he would have thought of all this technology...he hated the phone and would have NEVER felt comfortable with a computer...but he did love a garden. Again: your father has shared a wonderful gift.
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry about you loosing your Dad so soon. I know you must miss him terribly. I bet he would love to see your beautiful gardens. My granddad just loved to garden and I suppose he passed that love on to my Dad. I suppose it's a trait passed on from generation to generation.
DeleteThose seeds mean a lot to me. He might not call and isn't on the computer these days but there is love in that box.
He can't stand to talk on the phone much but I can get him to talk for 10-15 minutes (most of the time) before he sighs and says "Well, my ear's getting tired, I need to get off here"
lol, years ago when i got married my dad saw to it that i had one of my great grannies iron skillets, a brand new pressure cooker, and always gave me tips and lessons on gardening, propagation and grafting of trees. i sure do miss him! but i always took his ways and lessons to heart and put them in practice. i too save seed-all heirloom and store them in labeled medicine vials. in a few weeks i will be getting out my peat pots, peat plugs and trays and my suitcase of seed. i will be clearing off the top of the refrigerator and the dining room buffet where my germinating of seed and seedlings will have their beginnings..when they finally need transplanting into larger cups and pots they will get moved to the deck swings and ladder shelves with a covering of plastic ( my homemade hot house) and then to harden off. then it will finally be time to plant everything in my three garden areas that are made up of recycled tires. we are so fortunate to have dads who love us.
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful man your dad sounds like. I'm learning to save seeds now but every year there is something new to learn. I've been known to call him and pick his brain about some garden problem and he always seems to have an answer. He also loves to tease me about how much later I have to plant here. He lives on the coast in Texas and so he's always way ahead of me (and loves to tell me how he's eating fresh tomatoes while mine are just being set out in the garden)
DeleteIt sounds like you have a pretty good system going with your seed starting. I'm still pretty new at all this but every year things get a little easier as I learn more about it.
i keep promising myself that someday i will have a glass house and a proper garden..but when money and time are of the essence i fall back on the best advice my dad ever gave me which was to "just keep it simple and dont over think things-common sense, prayer, and a little bit of elbow grease will take you a long ways"
DeleteI don't think I'd like a glass house. Too many folks willing to throw rocks these days if you know what I mean. *wink*
DeleteThat is a wonderful bit of advice your dad shared with you.
Nice!
ReplyDeleteThanks DFW!
DeleteHow lucky are you! What a blessing that your dad shared with you! Can't wait to see how the garden goes!
ReplyDeleteI really do feel lucky to have a Dad like mine. And it was really something for him to go through the whole business of going to the post office twice.
DeleteYou can be sure I'll be chattering away this spring and summer about the garden. It's pretty much all-consuming at times and blogging helps me remember just how much I love it. I go back through some of the past posts this time of year to remind myself that spring will be here eventually!
What an awesome gift! I was actually thinking of doing a seed give away in a few weeks in honor of spring time
ReplyDeleteJUGM I seriously walked around all day with a smile on my face and in my heart. I think a seed give away to celebrate spring is a great idea. (If it ever gets here....of course!)
DeleteI LOVE YOUR DAD! Mine died when I was 24, and I was just now writing a post that included him. CAN I PRETEND YOUR DAD IS MINE?
ReplyDeleteYou most certainly may! I've got a hunch he would love to sit and listen to you and I laugh and tell tales. It must be so hard to have lost your Dad that early in your life. I know I'm blessed to still be able to pick up the phone and talk to mine. Some of our best times together were after I'd grown up (some) I never knew he was actually "funny" till I grew up enough to understand what the heck he was laughing at.
Delete(((((Hugs)))))
THAT is my problem. Dad died before I was smart enough to appreciate all he'd been in my life.
Deletejoy I'm sure that he would be so very proud to see the wonderful woman you have grown to be. Smart, funny and wiser than many.
DeleteSci
..."well, my ear's gettin' tired, time to get off here" ( regarding parting lines between you and your father, in your reply to Lynda)...damn near jerked a tear, same thing the ol'man used to say to me...
ReplyDelete...savor the gifts Sister, savor the giver...GodBless
((((( Ken)))))) I try to remember to take the time to call and chat with him. I need to stop letting "life" get in the way of those very very short (lol) phone calls. Especially now, having moved so far away. He won't even contemplate driving this far and he's dang sure not going to get on a plane.
DeleteThank you for reminding me what a gift it truly is to be able to pick up the phone and talk till his " ear gets tired".
That was a choice gift from your dad, Scifi. A real treasure. Any warm weather before Victoria Day (last week of May) here is a trick of mother nature. So, unless you have a cold frame or greenhouse, planting outside before the last week of May is risky. Enjoy those seeds.
ReplyDeleteThank you Sue, it's one of the most "personal" gifts that I can remember. That may not make sense to some but I'm betting you will understand.
DeleteI don't know what I would do if I had to wait till the end of MAY to plant. lol That must hurt a bit, what with so many others actually getting ready to pick some goodies!
What I meant to type there was "with so many others actually getting ready to pick some goodies while you are only just getting ready to plant stuff."
DeleteHehe. I hear you. I didn't really think about the differences in planting seasons around the world until the internet came along. It's been enlightening. :-)
DeleteSCI,
ReplyDeleteNow I love gifts like this!!!! Girl, it looks like you're set with all kinds of seeds for a long while.
I hear you with planting this year. I have broccoli (4) plants picked up from the farmers market last week, and celery (4) grown from the bottom cut offs of existing celery. My green house is standing and partially setup with containers, seeds, and seed soil waiting to be started. This cold has me not so motivated.
We woke this morning with 1 inch (more to come) of snow, terrible ice (coming down hard), thunder, and lightning. Temperatures 7 degrees, and rising slowly. Temperatures to peak today to14 degrees.
Stay warm and safe. Sending hugs to you and Mars.
Sandy
Sandy, I sure hope ya'lll are fairing well with this danged weather. This morning the sun is actually shining. Of course its not supposed to get past 20* today but tomorrow we're due for a warm up and a melting of all this crap.... errr I mean snow. I hope so anyway since I'm scheduled for another back procedure.
DeleteDo ya'll have a decent size farmers market? I've wondered if OKC has a large one and am betting it probably does. I don't know why I'm even wondering, especially since I've never even been to the one in T Town. Our little town has one but they won't be starting again for another few weeks. I've never seen any seedlings there though. It looks like I'm definitely going to have to find seedlings somewhere though.
Hang in there- This too shall pass! (eventually)
Sending warm thoughts to you and yours,
Sci
Wow, nice haul! I'm not ready for yard work just yet :(
ReplyDeleteI'm actually looking forward to some outdoor work. It seems we've been cooped up in this RV forever and a day. That, combined with the feeling I'm running really late on the garden is about to drive me nuts.
DeleteThat was so thoughtful! What a cherished gift...knowing me all the seeds would get used but i would keep the box and the viles for memories sake. I know softy but my dad hasnt really chatted with me for years...i guess we wouldnt know what to say to one another if the chance was presented....sad really his choice years ago.....So happy for you!
ReplyDelete