Winter Garden

     I start germinating seeds in the winter a bit on the early side, either to make-believe what is happening outside is not real or possibly to pretend that spring really will come. An exception to getting an early jump at germination is the banana seeds. I only received them in late January. Ordered late. They take from one to six months to germinate at a temperature of 80ºF. I will now have to germinate many other seeds at a somewhat higher temperature than recommended as I only have one thermostatically controlled, bottom heated section. Some seeds are germinating in the house at their preferred lower house temperature. Daytime house temperatures are set at 70ºF with a nighttime setback of ten degrees. Many seeds like that range to germinate. In the house, window light for those that like it. In the garden room, fluorescent light. The garden room is in the basement where the temperature is on the order of 50ºF now. I have to have a fan blowing air over the seedlings to keep their temperature down. Otherwise the heat from even fluorescent lamps closely spaced to the seedlings makes them too warm for vigorous growth. The timed lights are on from 11 in the morning until  1 o'clock the following morning. Before the fluorescent lights go on in the morning, the seedlings get some daylight from windows on three sides of the germinating bench. That should be enough to light their way to growth.

    I wonder what rhododendron flowers look like. It has been a long time since I have seen any nearby. The deer have denuded my plants once again. The leaves will grow back next summer, but the flower buds are gone for this season. Not much grows outdoors around here at this time of year except for the varmints. Deer included. The birds at the feeder are most welcome, however. We have Cardinals, Chickadees, Blue Jays and Juncos mostly. A little bit of colorful life to help take the icy edge off winter.

    Week after week we have had nighttime temperatures in the minus double digits, ºF. Even colder for ºC. I have had enough of the snow as well.

    Frost trees are growing on the porch windows, however.

    Most of the berries on the Euonymus Alatus

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