Two days of sunshine in a row and a forecast that is somewhat reasonable! How long have we been waiting for that? Yes, there are wind advisories, rain and thunderstorms coming again, but night time temperatures will only go down to the mid-20’s for the next 10 days. My little greenhouse can handle that, so while it is calm the plants that are ready are going from basement to greenhouse. Hurrah! At last!
Taking advantage of Monday’s sunshine, the greenhouse was cleaned and tidied, the new heater moved in, and the digital thermometer that records the high and low temps inside and outside was returned. We’d had the heater and thermometer in the garage during that really frigid period when I worried all my canning would freeze. I can’t tell you how lovely it was to work in short sleeves in the sun-filled greenhouse. One day of real sunshine just revved my engine!
There were a couple of empty metal planters just begging for duty, so I seeded some lettuce and arugula just for fun, and a smaller one of nasturtiums. They can go outdoors to “decorate” the front of the Lady Cottage eventually. My old muscles are weak from a winter sitting indoors, and pulling carts of plants up the slope, through the rain-soaked sod was demanding, so a break in the Cottage rocking chair with a cup of tea was welcome mid-afternoon. I really should put a heater in the Cottage and spend some time there in winter, maybe even set up my easel there. It is such a pleasant place, and filled with things I love. But I digress…..
The lucky participants on moving day were violas, snapdragons, gaillardia, rudbeckia, and hollyhocks…480 plants. One can barely see the green in the photo, but trust me, they have big root systems and with a couple of days of real sunshine they will explode with growth. These plants can tolerate low temperatures, having spent their infancy in the cool basement and if even colder weather comes after this 10 day spell, they will be grow accustomed to it and be fine. Soon the onions, feverfew and scallions will join them. The brassicas that were seeded in 4-packs on the 10th will go to the greenhouse as soon as they germinate.
Now there’s room in the basement for 15 new flats of transplants. That’s good because all of the peppers, Genovese basil, Patterson onions and golden feverfew are desperate for potting, and there are still more snapdragons, feverfew and blue salvia to pot. There needs to be room for additional seeding flats because it’s nearly time to do all the tomatoes, zinnias and OH! So much more! Can you see that I’m grinning ear to ear?!?! Everything, including me, is really on the MOVE!
herbalblessingsblog 
Yay! At last, spring is coming, even in Maine, where we are still buried with snow. That cottage sounds lovely.
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There are several posts that show it, but I should have added a link. Maybe I’ll go back and do that now that it’s raining again!
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Oh my…the one flat ( half flat lol) of bibb lettuce in my hoop looks pretty pityful next to your table full of wonderful work in progress. Small steps are better than none I guess.
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Small steps can still lead great distances!
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Don’t get discouraged with comparisons! We are newbie gardeners starting small in the hope of not wasting seeds/resources from newbie failures (which we had an abundance of last year). Although it also means what worked didn’t bring us great abundance, those small successes help bolster our courage to push forward to trying a little bit more this year.
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Hooray, yes, spring is really in the air here too! So exciting, isn’t it? The lovely scents, the fresh air, the warm sunshine. I saw my first robin yesterday and a few days earlier a family of wild Canada geese returned to graze on the old dried grass in our yard. Sure signs of spring! Your baby plants are amazing, mine are waiting still to germinate, not enough room indoors for too many at a time, but you are right, things are suddently on the move and it feels wonderful!
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Ahhh….sunshine & warmth! It’s amazing what joy we get out of simple things of moving dirt around and poking seeds in the soil! I’m hoping to graduate my seedlings from the laundry room to the garage soon, then the ones from the garage to the green house. It would be too quick to put the ones from the laundry room to the green house right away, too much of a shock! My Honeywort is sure taking it’s time to poke out of the dirt! My Strawflowers, Godetias, & I’m thinking even my Queen Anne’s lace has joined the party! Fingers crossed that I will have things to plant in May!! Congrats on the movement forward!
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