Pooka's sunflowers vs. Commercial ones

Last year we tried saving sunflower seeds. Thinking this would be a good test and we wouldn't be out much. We had planted commercial sunflowers, but the volunteer sunflowers (the ones that grew from seeds left there by previous plantings) seemed to have done better. Being that we didn't want to discriminate, we harvested all the seeds. Some Pooka and I roasted about half of them and saved the other half. 

The Pooka's sunflowers

Pooka's sunflowers as we have come to call them have been given away. They were in the goodie bags for Pooka's party and some were given away at our impromptu seed swap. But the real reason to keep some were to start our own seeds. Maybe one day I can stop buying sunflower seeds.

Well, this year I wanted to see the difference between a Pooka Sunflower vs. the mammoth sunflowers that we had planted last year. Being the scientists we are, the experiment was born to test for differences. First Pooka's sunflowers and the Mammoth sunflowers were planted in the same seed starter (next to one another) and both were given 9 cells with 2-3 seeds per cell.


Mammoth sunflowers vs Pooka's sunflowers

On first glimpse, you can see there is a very large difference in the germination rate between the Mammoth ones vs Pooka's. The Mammoth ones (seen on the left) almost all sprouted and grew quite well. The Pooka sunflowers only about 3 of the cells sprouted. Or so we thought.

Given a few days, a few more sprouted. All have survived their transplants into the pots. They don't stand as high due to the bit of a light issue we have (aka, they are doing alot of reaching towards the sun).

Pooka vs. Mammoth sunflowers

At this stage, the Pooka sunflowers have now reached 4 pot which holds the sunflowers from 6 of the 9 cells as compared to the 8 pots that holds 8 of the 9 cells from the Mammoth sunflowers. The Pooka ones are smaller, and there are fewer in the same spots. The mammoth ones are growing fast and seem to be doing very well. The real test comes when we put them outside and see how they do and how they flower. But for now, I think the Pooka sunflower's are doing okay for a first attempt.

It is done

On Sunday, we finally did it. We got all our seeds that are going to be started inside started. I thought I had it done Saturday, when Pooka and I finished starting all our herbs.

Pooka and I had picked up these peat pots at the grocery store for $1 each. I hate paying full price for things if I can avoid it. The sad thing is, they didn't come with any seed starting pellets or dirt. So we had to make a small trip out to get seed starting dirt. However, I could only find this size bag, which was a bit bigger then we wanted.

Seed starting supplies

Each pot got some dirt, some seeds and a popsicle stick marker. I had some extra colored ones left over from last year, and we had just enough to use all the peat pots for herbs.

The Dill ended up going into the extra tins with the parsley from the Growums. I figured it was already in use, might as well get my money out of it.  With that, I started to water all the peat pots and realized I forgot something to put them on since the pots would leak a bit of water being made of peat and all. So out came some of our cheap plastic serving trays for bread or family gatherings. But I didn't feel like having my serving dishes tied up long term.

Planted seeds, with no way to hold water.

We went out Sunday to get some cheap aluminum roasting pans. These will be put in the garden drawer once we are done and we can save them for next year (with the muffin tins). Although I was silly and got the roasting pans with lids. Oops... At least the lids are still useable for holding the pots as well.

If you can't tell, apparently last weekend my brain took a vacation and left me here. I was not thinking things through very well. Which is why it was no surprise Sunday when I went to put the herbs in their new roasting pans that I realized that I forgot to plant the snapdragons.

Forgotten Snapdragons

Now I was really kicking myself since snapdragons are one of the 3 flowers I will grow, and with the 100 days till bloom, they take awhile. So here it is, Sunday, no more peat pots, plenty of seed starting dirt, and seeds. I could of gone back into town out for containers, but frankly, I was being lazy.


A red cup with a hole

However, this tower of plastic cups was sitting there. They were about the same size as the peat pots, but they wouldn't do much for drainage. Enter a nail that we popped through the bottom. However, I realized that the dirt would fall through the bottom, but we had the coffee filters sitting right there, and a Pooka got to cut them in half. It was the perfect Pooka job. The cut coffee filters are perfect in our cups and let water drain, but don't let the soil out.

Half a coffee filter later

Long story short (too late, I know), it is done. We now had a bunch of cups full of snap dragon seeds. However, it had the same "Water can get everywhere" issue as the peat pots.

Finished Snapdragons

Fortunatly, the roasting pan and lid had a bit of extra space. Now all our seeds we plan on starting (while it is still snowing) are in dirt, many have already sprouted and in some cases have been transplanted. Now to sit back and relax, or not since that pea plant is getting too big to not have a pot. But that was a project for a different day (or at least a different post).

Herbs and snapdragons all ready to go.

 

To Buy or to seed....

I will be honest, I bought the pablano plants and the yellow pepper. I kinda thought this meant they would be the first to produce, but its hasn't been the case.

Pablano Pepper plants taller then Pooka

The store bought plants are growing great guns. I had to support them awhile ago. One of the pablano plants is bigger then Pooka.  But I realized today the store bought plants have yet to show an actual pepper. They have flowered (in some cases, this is the pablano's second set of flowers) but they haven't actually made a pepper.

Today I found green peppers on my tiny green pepper plants. They are good sized peppers that were hidden in the leaves.  Now the green pepper plants are smaller then the rest. We started them from seed, I knew it was just a waiting game. The same with the sweet pepper mix we had bought. Those are in some cases smaller, in other larger then the store bought, but they are doing well. 

Surprise Peppers

Pooka's little seedlings that she has nurtured and sent Green Thumb to play with have peppers.  The plants from seed I actually thought I started late, thus why they were taking so long and were smaller. 

  

Sweet and Green peppers from seed (With cucumbers visiting). 

What does this mean?  That I think from now on, I may stick to seed. It will probably also depend on what kind of yields we get, but for right now, the seeds are winning .