2022 Is Here! Looking Forward and Garden Plans

Our cold snap wasn’t quite as cold as promised but still kept us below freezing for the better part of a week, with ultimate lows around 15 degrees. I am glad I took the steps to ensure the greenhouse heating system was working and that the Tonsai starts are safe. The greenhouse got as low as 37 degrees but held steady. The six inches of snow on top likely helped!

Here is what the greenhouse roof and the pots outside looked like after the snow with their snowy blanket.

I planted native plant seeds yesterday as my new New Year’s tradition–eight different kinds in nine pots.

I packed snow on top of them to be sure they were watered/insulated. I also mixed a bunch of seeds to load into seed bombs later on and ordered some clay to use for seed bombs later this month.

Today, I worked on the seed starting station and got the lights and heat mat working and ready for seedlings. I planted some violas, dahlias, and forget-me-nots. The violas need to go into the refrigerator for a few weeks before coming back onto the seed mat, or possibly the greenhouse. They grow better cool.

Lastly, I moved some of the fern sporelings from their original container to terrariums.

I only moved eight of the fernlets into these shiny new homes–and there are likely 50 or 60 more that need to be moved! I predict a big fern giveaway for the neighborhood this spring if I can get them to a reasonable size where they will make resilient houseplants.

My garden plans for 2022 include the removal or relocation of many non-native plants and adding native replacements. I plan to move all the shrub roses from the too-shady orchard garden and plunk them into the memory garden where they can get full sun. Those poor plants give me a few beautiful flowers every year but not very many and the plants themselves are forever looking for light.

Other plans include growing veggie starts for friends and neighbors from organic seeds and also some flowering plants and herbs. And, of course, a big focus on propagating and giving away native perennials, shrubs, and trees.