Today I filled jugs with:
Tomatoes - Alright, I don't usually put my more temperature sensitive plants out until March or April, but I am getting desperate to get another Pink Sunshine tomato plant to save seeds from. I sent a bunch of seeds out last year in a swap and several people said they'd plant them and save seeds - but it seems none of them got seeds for Pink Sunshine in their random lots. I put 50 seeds in. Yes, over-kill, but I don't think you understand how amazing the Pink Sunshine tomatoes are and how badly I want them again.
Rose of Sharon - This one is a flowering shrub, hardy to Zone 5 (we are in Zone 4). I am hoping that if I give it a nice location just to the South of a row of trees, it will have a wind break and be a little sheltered and maybe survive here. The seeds are supposed to be from a lavender colored Rose of Sharon bush. I bought the seeds on Listia for 26,118 credits. I planted ten seeds in this jug.
Siberian Iris - I'm not sure if these actually grow from seed or not, but I figured it was worth a shot. Another seed variety I bought on Listia (everything is free there, you can get credits for doing surveys). I paid 25,145 credits for these seeds. Anyway, they're supposed to be dark purple and they came from a gardener in Wisconsin. I planted 25 seeds.
Wild Blackberry - I got these seeds over a year ago in a seed swap. I'm pretty sure I planted these before and they didn't come up. Here's to another try. It's supposed to be a wild cultivar with thorns. I planted 25 seeds. If these come up, I'm tempted to put them in the gaps in the woodline to discourage unwanted visitors. It seems like a wild variety with thorns would be a good option to set off a bit from the yard to allow it to sprawl and go wild over time off into the woods (not toward the yard).
Mammoth Long Island Dill - This is one of the 10-cent packets Tony picked up after work yesterday. Menards was having a big sale on them and then had the 11% sale on top of that. So he paid 10-cents a packet, but after the rebate, it'll come to 9-cents a packet. That's practically free food! I've never had luck growing dill before, but I'm giving it a heartfelt shot. Since I do plan to can and pickle a lot of our produce to eat over winter, it seems natural to grow dill. I planted 25 seeds in this jug.
NorthBlue Blueberry - I bought these seeds on eBay from a seller overseas. Yes, I know the odds of it being what it says it is supposed to be is probably slim. I planted these last year and nothing came up, but last year was a really weird year where a lot of my winter sown jugs failed (still wondering why). I figured I'd try again. Worst case scenario, nothing comes up, or it's the wrong seed. Best case scenario, we have tons of blueberries in a few years. I forgot to count the seeds as I put them in this jug.
Highbush Blueberry - I bought these seeds from SeedsNow last year. I planted some last year and it was one of my dud jugs (nothing came up). That's odd because everything else I've ever bought from this company has come up with no problems. I'm trying them again this year and hoping for better results. I planted 24 seeds in this jug.
Marigolds - I bought some marigold seeds on Listia for 1,184 credits. Another listing I bought (the Siberian irises above) came with a bonus pinch of marigolds too. I know marigolds are fantastic pollinator attracters, as well as companion plants for numerous edible plants. They're great for keeping bad insects at bay, and hey, they're cheerful and bright colored. No loss growing marigolds. I didn't count the seeds, but I planted at least three good pinches of seed. I used up all of the seeds from both of the listings in the one jug.
Baron Solemacher, Regina, Alexandria, White Soul, Yellow Wonder, Big Juicy, and Attila strawberries are all tucked in for the winter!
Genovese Basil was planted in the Black Cherry bottle, Rosemary was planted in the Strawberry bottle, and Broad Leaf Thyme was planted in the Ocean Blue bottle. Once the seeds were in, I put plastic wrap over the tops of the bottles and put them back in the window. They already have condensation (a good sign). I've never gotten Rosemary to grow from seed, despite trying every year. I always end up buying it from the greenhouse as a seedling. Here's to better luck this year!
The rabbits were supposed to be due today, but they're offering no signs of delivering. I didn't witness any breeding, and it's possible they didn't take. I'll check again tomorrow. This would have been a first litter for Kaelyn and Penelope is a proven breeder and awesome momma.
Weather forecast is calling for -19 tonight plus windchill advisories, but a high of 39 on Wednesday. Wow! So we're making some changes here on Wednesday. Rascal (who is still living in the basement) will be moved outside (permanently). I do plan on another round of breeding, regardless of if Penelope and/or Kaelyn have babies.