Garden diary, photos of seedlings and more

two new site sections

Documenting the garden all year round, the new garden diary. Photos, experiences and observations pertaining to the garden as an ecosystem throughout the seasons, the influence of weather, soil, sun, interactions of pollinators, birds and other animals, the work that needs to be done and whatever does not fit into the other categories. I hope to complete a full year circle with this diary, starting now, during the winter rest…

January 24, 2016: half of yesterday’s snow is already gone. Temps rose from -8 °C to + 8 °C over the weekend. The birds took advantage, searching for worms in the moist grass. According to my father, even bumblebees could be seen flying around.

Upon request, providing now photos and documentation of seedlings and young plants, as an aid for recognizing and distinguishing self-sown plants from other plants and weeds. Along with this, I also provide information and experiences pertaining to the germination of seeds and seed dormancy. Making the start are young rue plants, sown in 2015 and a mandrake germling, which popped today:

These rue plants were sown in 2015 and hardly developed in my unheated greenhouse. I took them indoors before the frost, first having them by the window in the basement and now on the window bench in my room. At last they are growing. Warmth and enough sun light are the essential thing with rue plants.

Living proof: sometimes seeds need to fall dry before they will germinate. I had not watered this tray for a while and let it nearly dry out. Then started watering again. That’s apparently what was required to break the slumber (dormancy) of this little Mandragora officinarum seed, which germinated yesterday. It was sown in the summer of 2015 and spent several months in the soil, where exposed to warmth and cold.