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igenlodeIt is now April, so I have sowed my free packet of Mr Fothergill's Flowers for Birds in the other half of my trough -- the seeds that were sown back in February are now thriving (and there is of course a crop of self-sown 'cornfield flowers' in the other half!). They are definitely a different mix from the 'cornfield' crop, as there are a number of leaves I don't recognise... so I shall doubtless end up introducing new varieties of annuals into my little closed ecosystem as and when they set seed ;-)
The 'Flowers for Birds' box appears to consist very largely of buckwheat husks (included for 'ease of sowing' when scattering seed) so I'm not sure quite how many seeds actually came out when I shook it, or if the real seed has simply all sifted down inside the bottom of the box :-(
The listed varieties are
I know the Cosmos, Tagetes is marigolds again, Linum is flax, and there is apparently a dwarf sunflower in there (eek!). Amaranths I've heard of, and Carthamus is apparently the safflower, also known for its seed, which I gather is the common feature of all these varieties. Unfortunately I no longer get any birds since the neighbouring tree was cut down, so they are unlikely to turn up and feed -- the only thing I'm likely to attract is squirrels!
Centaurea is apparently the cornflower, and Panicum miliaceum is millet. So definitely lots of grains/seeds in that lot.
I have taken pity on the not-a-strawberry plant, which had roots matting underneath its pot, and put it into a deeper container. It is definitely starting to flower, as is one of my other unknown self-sown plants that I had categorised as possibly-a-hollyhock, though I don't think it is. At any rate it is putting out a tuft of buds.
The grape hyacinth is in full bloom, and I also have my first annual... a tiny chickweed flower that had crept in around the base of the buddleia.
I have planted another square of towel-tomatoes and some of the dark-leaved chilli seed indoors. I really ought to harden my heart and weed (or at least separate) out the things which are *not* chillies from the Demon Red pot -- the actual chilli seedlings are still tiny, with unopened leaves and barely any root to speak of (as I discovered when uprooting one of them by watering on it!), but I now know from last year that this is apparently normal. Last year's vigorous crop were still at this ongoing puny stage in mid-May after being sown in April, so these ones have had a reasonable head start. Either they are very slow-growing, or they just don't grow at all until temperatures reach the optimum level (quite possibly the latter); either way I need to be patient.
They would probably be better off without the competition from far more fast-growing and vigorous species, though...
I have some small flat-growing seedlings in the mini-greenhouse which *may* be germinating basil, but I am not convinced!
The 'Flowers for Birds' box appears to consist very largely of buckwheat husks (included for 'ease of sowing' when scattering seed) so I'm not sure quite how many seeds actually came out when I shook it, or if the real seed has simply all sifted down inside the bottom of the box :-(
The listed varieties are
- Amaranthus caudatus
- Carthamus tinctorius
- Centaurea cyanus
- Cosmos bipinnatus
- Linum rubrum
- Panicum miliaceum
- Tagetes erecta
- Helianthus annuus dwarf
I know the Cosmos, Tagetes is marigolds again, Linum is flax, and there is apparently a dwarf sunflower in there (eek!). Amaranths I've heard of, and Carthamus is apparently the safflower, also known for its seed, which I gather is the common feature of all these varieties. Unfortunately I no longer get any birds since the neighbouring tree was cut down, so they are unlikely to turn up and feed -- the only thing I'm likely to attract is squirrels!
Centaurea is apparently the cornflower, and Panicum miliaceum is millet. So definitely lots of grains/seeds in that lot.
I have taken pity on the not-a-strawberry plant, which had roots matting underneath its pot, and put it into a deeper container. It is definitely starting to flower, as is one of my other unknown self-sown plants that I had categorised as possibly-a-hollyhock, though I don't think it is. At any rate it is putting out a tuft of buds.
The grape hyacinth is in full bloom, and I also have my first annual... a tiny chickweed flower that had crept in around the base of the buddleia.
I have planted another square of towel-tomatoes and some of the dark-leaved chilli seed indoors. I really ought to harden my heart and weed (or at least separate) out the things which are *not* chillies from the Demon Red pot -- the actual chilli seedlings are still tiny, with unopened leaves and barely any root to speak of (as I discovered when uprooting one of them by watering on it!), but I now know from last year that this is apparently normal. Last year's vigorous crop were still at this ongoing puny stage in mid-May after being sown in April, so these ones have had a reasonable head start. Either they are very slow-growing, or they just don't grow at all until temperatures reach the optimum level (quite possibly the latter); either way I need to be patient.
They would probably be better off without the competition from far more fast-growing and vigorous species, though...
I have some small flat-growing seedlings in the mini-greenhouse which *may* be germinating basil, but I am not convinced!