Friday, February 13, 2009

A Sprout Has Emerged!


Happy Friday the 13th, All! Turns out to not be such a day of doom, despite what I originally thought. I woke up with little hope of any sproutage from my incubating snap pea seeds, but lo and behold, a little guy is out...can you see it?

So.... I happily said some encouraging words to the rest and folded them back up into their damp cocoon to do some more growin'. I've begun using my little spray bottle for dampening the paper towel since this is the easiest for me. I soaked it since I will be gone for the weekend. Can't have these little guys drying out on me now that I've got the ball rolling.

Monday shall be an exciting day for my seeds, when I unveil them to see if they are ready for some dirt. 


  

Thursday, February 12, 2009

Snap Pea's Not Yet Snapping

Alright folks, I am modifying my approach to sprouting my seeds based on some common sense and a few tips from Doug. I originally had my seeds on a saucer with a damp cloth and a plastic wrap cover so I could eagerly watch them (not) sprout. They have softened, but no pokie roots are visible after 2 days in the incubator.

Here's the new plan, ladies and gents. I remoistened the paper towl so it's wet, but not dripping and folded the seeds into it instead of just laying them on top. I also poked a few holes in the plastic wrap to give some air flow to the peas.

My only curiosity is wether I should give them more direct sunlight than they get through my window. Any votes?

Will this work? Will my seeds finally sprout? Tune in tomorrow, same time, same place, same channel to see how it all unfolds.

Around the World

This was a little project I began, inspired by the dreaded facebook. I plan to add more since I have been to lots more places than this map presently shows. However, I have already labeled all the countries I have been to, so I guess the framework is established.


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    Monday, February 9, 2009

    Giving Winter Snap Peas a Try


    Today is a monumental day. I am beginning the blog that has been in the back of my mind for some time now. I have no idea how this is going to go, but I am just jumping in with my arms over my head.

    We've had some 50 degree days in Iowa City lately. It's just a teaser...March, in my opinion, is the worst month of the year. It's bleak and colorless and soggy. I've decided that the best way to prep my black thumbs for spring was to practice now with indoor pots and seeds. My new friend Dawn (the Kitty Cat Bandit) has inspired me to grow snap peas, which allegedly do well in winter (indoors, of course). I have gotten my new green pot, some Miracle-Gro soil and some organic Snap pea seeds. They basically look like dehydrated peas.

    I am going to try to make them sprout before I snuggle them into some soil. I've read that sprouting them first can increase your germination rate by 70%. Dump em in the soil and you're going to see only 15% of them make it. So what did I do?

    Easy. I got a saucer, lined it with a wet paper towel, laid the seeds on the towel and tightly cover it with clear plastic wrap. I want to watch the progress. I hear they sprout within a day or two. Wish me luck with these little fellas. I love to crunch into fresh, home-grown pea pods.




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