Posts tagged ‘Seed GROW Project’

It Was a Success? Seed GROW Project.

I’m happy to report that my TWO Nasturtium Spitfire Seedlings are now two months old. That’s right, out of an entire packet of seeds, I was able to germinate TWO seedlings. I’m rather proud of these two seedlings since I’d be a ‘nasturtium seed starting failure’ without them. After we chatted last month, I planted the remainder of the seeds directly in the garden to see what magic Mother Nature could do. Nothing.

I’m sure most people would disagree with me, but I’m finding Nasturtiums to be the hardest/most frustrating plant to start from seed. EVER. Here are a couple random shots of my two little fighters.

Nasturtium 'Spitfire' after two months (one month outside)

Closer look at my Nasturtium 'Spitfire' seedlings

You can follow my progress using my Seed GROW Project tag for this site.

You can read all the participating blog posts here on the Seed GROW Project site. Like all the other participants, I’ll be posting my progress every first Sunday of the month.

“I’m growing Nasturtium “Spitfire” for the GROW project. Thanks, to Renee’s Garden for the seeds.”

Potting My Nasturtium Seeds for the GROW Project

Spitfire Nasturtiums from Renee's Garden

Can you believe it’s been a month since I started growing my Spitfire Nasturtium seeds for the Seed GROW Project?  You may remember last month I was having a hard time getting my seeds to germinate. I got a couple tips from reading the posts of other participating bloggers and had a little more success.

I was able to get TWO seedlings to grow by scoring the seeds with a knife and soaking over night. I started these on April 4. Only getting two is still a little disappointing.

As I mentioned before, I’m planting these two out by the chicken coop in one of the rooster pots.

My chicken coop/rooster pots

I’m excited to have these TWO beauties grow up my chicken coop. They’ll not only provide stunning color but they’ll also give the chickens some shade.

The chicken coop (see the pot in the background)

Nasturtium, Climbing “Spitfire”: Brilliant, scarlet-orange blossoms shine out among trailing green foliage, attracting hovering hummingbirds. Train up short trellises or tripods for a cascade of bright blossoms.

In case I haven’t mentioned it, my garden is zone 8a/7b. My soil is a sandy loam and I get quite a bit of rain. I’ve planted these first two seedlings in full sun.

If I can get any more of the seeds to germinate I’ll find some other spots in the garden to tuck them in. I did start some more seeds indoors on April 23 but haven’t yet had any pop up. I’ve got my finger’s crossed.

Seed starting container

In case you’re wondering how I started my seeds to get such horrible results, here’s what I do:

1. Clip & soak seeds overnight

2. Plant in sterile seed starting mix

3. Place in plastic covered lettuce container for moisture

4. Kept moist and next to the window for warmth & light

It’s funny that I’m having a harder time growing these than tomato and pepper seeds.  Those seedlings are HUGE.  At least I have TWO Nasturtiums. I’m not a total failure.

You can follow my progress using my Seed GROW Project tag for this site.

You can read all the participating blog posts here on the Seed GROW Project site. Like all the other participants, I’ll be posting my progress every first Sunday of the month.

“I’m growing Nasturtium “Spitfire” for the GROW project. Thanks, to Renee’s Garden for the seeds.”

Seed GROW Project Starts April 4 – My Seeds Have Arrived!

Nasturtium "Spitfire" seeds from Renee's Garden

Starting April 4, over 40 garden bloggers nationwide will post their experiences growing Nasturtium “Spitfire” seeds from Renee’s Garden. I’m posting a little early only because I’m excited I got my media kit and free seeds from Renee’s Garden. What a fun project!

I heard about the Seed GROW Project in early January and jumped at the chance to participate.  The first Sunday of every month we’ll all post a status of our seeds/plants so we can compare how they’re doing in different climates using various techniques.

I’m planning on starting some indoors and some right in the garden. I’m also going to plant in a couple different locations – like next to the chicken coop and in the veggie garden.  Can you imagine the beautiful green foliage & bright red flowers growing up my white chicken coop?

You can read more about the Seed GROW Project and find a list of blogs participating by clicking here.  Starting April 4, the GROW site will also provide links to all participating blog posts  so you can find them all in one location.

I can’t wait to read all the posts!

“I’m growing Nasturtium “Spitfire” for the GROW project. Thanks, to Renee’s Garden for the seeds.”