Tuesday, February 21, 2012

gardening in February

It's the middle of February in Iowa (zone 5a). Although it's probably above normal temperature outdoors, the wind is blowing with gusts up to 25 mph. There could be a lot of winter left out there, but I'm in the house.... gardening.
I've been making seed tapes!
I've never been a fan of planting carrot seeds, but I do love me some carrots!  The older I get, the harder it's been to plant them, so I just haven't done it.  But this year, I am trying something different.  I unrolled 4 feet of toilet tissue, folded and creased it in half, and then half again.  I unfolded it and cut down the middle of the four foot length to make 2 sections.  Then I separated the two-ply four foot long sections to have 4 sections that are all creased down the middle.
I made a paste of equal parts flour and water.  I laid a section of tissue out across the table next to a measuring tape, took a plastic toothpick and dabbed it in the flour paste, and put little blobs of the paste onto the tissue every 3 inches.  Then I dabbed the toothpick in my little pile of carrot seeds and put a seed into each blob of paste down the strip.  Then I folded the strip over along the crease to "seal" in the seeds and hung them over a chair to dry. 
Now when it's spring and time to plant carrots, I'll be in the game again!

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