The snow has almost disappeared, the flooded ground is beginning to dry, and the temperature hasn't dropped below freezing in about a week.
My hands are ready to get dirty.
I'm ready to garden.
This year, I wanted to try something different, something to make me feel more connected to what I'm doing with my little green friends. This year I'm gardening by the moon.
Moon gardening is an old traditional way to time your gardening tasks by the phases of the moon combined with the astrological sign the moon is travelling through. I don't know whether it works or not as I'm just beginning, but here are my little seedlings just one week after planting:
This is also the first year I've tried seeding into soil-filled eggshells.
I've never had good luck with peat pots (they dry out so fast!), and I prefer a neat little seedling I can put directly into the dirt over transplanting out of reused food and other containers. If you have access to eggs that comes in a plastic container, you have a mini-greenhouse with your little pots.
To make eggshell pots, crack each egg carefully towards the small end of the egg. Pull the top off, use the egg, and put the top in your compost bin (or wherever you usually put your eggshells). Rinse the larger part of the shell in warm water, and poke 2-3 holes in the bottom with a pushpin. Once you have a dozen, fill with your soil blend and add seeds. Use a spray bottle to water, close the top, put in a sunny location, and wait for your little sprouts to show themselves.
Make sure to keep the soil moist, but not too wet. Find the balance.
(If you eat local eggs, or only have eggs available in paper-based containers, you can put the eggshells in a tray, and fill the tray with sand or small pebbles to keep the shells straight. Cover with plastic or a sheet of glass until you see sprouts.)
So far, I've planted sunflowers, tomatoes, spinach, lettuce, oregano, thyme, and basil.
What are you planting?
XoXo,
Lisa
