A Gardener's February in Maine

While January seemed to take a year to get through, February is zipping past fast. A little too fast…as the season for seed starting is finally here and I probably should start washing all those seedling containers I promised myself I would wash last spring.

In my early years of gardening, I’d be chomping at the bit to get growing and probably started a little earlier then I should…usually resulting in 4-foot-tall tomato seedlings. But I just couldn’t wait a day longer to get growing. While thankful I’ve mellowed out since then, I’m starting to think perhaps that I’ve grown a bit too mellow because I’m enjoying these slow, quiet days of winter so much that I still haven’t set up my seed starting area. It’s on the docket for today as tis time to get sowing onions, leeks and violas!

Woke up this morning to another 8” of super fluffy snow. As you can see above, the garden is snug and slumbering under all that beautiful white mulch. This week, I’ll also be broadcasting sowing (ie. walking about sprinkling seeds across the snow-covered garden beds) some Hungarian poppies, Larkspur, Milkweed, Foxglove and Nigella. I’ll also start these same blooms in milk jug winter sowings as it’s always fun to see which method grows best this spring.

For the past few years, May and June have provided some of our hottest days of the season with temps hitting 90ºF. Mind you, in May, we’d swing from below-freezing at the start of the week to 90ºF by the end. It’s made growing spring-season crops reliably a bit more challenging, so still pondering my plan for this spring.

I do have to give most of the credit of my mellow winter-loving attitude to all the houseplants in my studio. They transform my space into a vibrant jungle and give me some green happiness to tend to when the gardens have grown quiet. Excitedly, they are all looking like they’re starting to awaken from their winter dormancy as signs of new leaf growth are popping up on all the plants.

While what I’m about to type will sound tedious to many, if you are looking for a good, relaxing, kind of meditation-like activity to get your through to spring, may I suggest using a damp towel and gently wiping off each leaf on your houseplants. Not only will this be a bit zen for you, it’ll help your plant pal soak in all those sunny rays more efficiently.

This guy above is on my most wanted list. He and his gang are mealworm thieves who thug their way past the birds and gobble themselves silly. In the battle of the wills, he is currently winning for no matter how many times I disturb him, he’s back within minutes. I’ve tried sprinkling red pepper flakes among the mealworms. The pepper flakes do not harm the birds, but have been said to deter fuzzy critters like these guys and chipmunks. As you can see, it’s working.

Cheers to a good week ahead!