A mixture of flowers and some lettuce was planted today.
A Google search produced the following schedule for sowing of seeds for the Veggie Garden. From my experiences over the years, I think some of these dates are a bit earlier, in particular, the warm weather plants, such as tomatoes and peppers.
Now, if I want to grow some tomatoes and peppers in a bucket, I think those dates will work fine. I will probably try a couple of plants to see how things would go, as I grew tomato plants in Florida in buckets with decent success.
Below are images of seedlings I started already, the latest ones being broccoli, cabbage and a cross section of flowers. I am also in the process of transplanting onions into larger cups, first using yogurt cups and now the red plastic dixie cups.
Now, if I want to grow some tomatoes and peppers in a bucket, I think those dates will work fine. I will probably try a couple of plants to see how things would go, as I grew tomato plants in Florida in buckets with decent success.
Below are images of seedlings I started already, the latest ones being broccoli, cabbage and a cross section of flowers. I am also in the process of transplanting onions into larger cups, first using yogurt cups and now the red plastic dixie cups.
Feb 10, 2026 • Seed planting begins
I am probably rushing things a bit, but I thought it would be a good idea to get flowers started up in the grow room, as they usually take much longer to grow and be ready for outdoor planting. So, I bought 4 more grow lights (4 feet long), for a total of 8 lights. I was able to pick up Burpee seeds at Ocean State Job Lot (yes, Delaware now has Ocean State-a takeover from Job Lots).
I have had good success with Burpee seeds over the years, so it was an easy choice to make, plus the seeds were 50% of their posted price, about $.50 cheaper than at Walmart.
I am still rearranging the seedlings under the lights depending on how much they are growing and how much room they take up. The Campari tomatoes, which were started in December are quite high, resulting in difficulty with raising the grow lights high enough. I did move all the lights out of the second bedroom and now the “sunroom-dining room” has become the grow room. I have three stands for lights and also a desk for doing craft work, along with a sitting area for Nancy to do her peddling.
My onions and lettuce are doing quite well, but I am seeing some tiny bugs flying around. From what I learned from You Tube, the grow soil needs to be sterilized with boiling water. I did that with the new flower seeds.
The broccoli, collard and cabbage seeds have come up after 4 days. Holmes Seeds and Hoss Seeds are very dependable and do quite well in coming up. The Burpee spinach seeds failed the first round and have not come up yet on the second round. I may have to try planting them in Jiffy starting soil.
At the end of the this month, I will do a second seeding of cool crop plants as a good backup and just in case the ones I started now don’t do well. I hope to start tomato plants in the middle of March.
I have had good success with Burpee seeds over the years, so it was an easy choice to make, plus the seeds were 50% of their posted price, about $.50 cheaper than at Walmart.
I am still rearranging the seedlings under the lights depending on how much they are growing and how much room they take up. The Campari tomatoes, which were started in December are quite high, resulting in difficulty with raising the grow lights high enough. I did move all the lights out of the second bedroom and now the “sunroom-dining room” has become the grow room. I have three stands for lights and also a desk for doing craft work, along with a sitting area for Nancy to do her peddling.
My onions and lettuce are doing quite well, but I am seeing some tiny bugs flying around. From what I learned from You Tube, the grow soil needs to be sterilized with boiling water. I did that with the new flower seeds.
The broccoli, collard and cabbage seeds have come up after 4 days. Holmes Seeds and Hoss Seeds are very dependable and do quite well in coming up. The Burpee spinach seeds failed the first round and have not come up yet on the second round. I may have to try planting them in Jiffy starting soil.
At the end of the this month, I will do a second seeding of cool crop plants as a good backup and just in case the ones I started now don’t do well. I hope to start tomato plants in the middle of March.
Feb 8, 2026 • 12º and dropping
It is amazing how we are stuck in an arctic freeze, with cold temperatures and high winds making it difficult to even take Maggie out for her bathroom breaks. Tonight it is supposed to get down to around 4º, so we are fortunate to have a good heating system (knock on wood) that keeps us nice and toasty.
I have two bird feeders in the backyard and lots of birds are taking advantage of the sunflower seeds I have provided for them. They all look pretty healthy, well rounded, and don’t seem to mind the cold.
My new snowblower arrived on Friday, Feb. 6, and I am wondering if we will get any snow in the future. Up north, Massachusetts was hit was snow, enabling my grandson to earn some good money shoveling. I think this is the first time he has earned money from someone other than his family.
I remember going out and delivering my newspapers (The Herald News) in a huge snowstorm up in Clifton, NJ. My father worked right by where the paper was printed and he picked up my stack. After I finished my deliveries, I then went out and shoveled the sidewalks and driveways of my newspaper customers. One was an elderly lady, who was so very grateful for my services. She paid me $10, double what I usually got.
Now I am hoping my veggie garden looks similar to the “German” garden above as spring will be arriving soon.
Feb 6, 2026 • Bring on some warm weather
I have to be honest here, this winter weather here in Delaware has been a challenge. Maybe it is age related? Maybe I spent too many winters down in Florida. This will be the third weekend of cold/frigid weather, a highly unusual condition for Delaware. I have had to cut back my walking quite a bit, as the wind is an additional hazard to the cold temperatures.
We had an early January warmup, but that was quickly replaced by an 8 inch snow, followed by a freezing rain that has cemented in the snow for almost 3 weeks now.
We are not much better off than states north of us, except we have not gone below zero, which, I suppose, is a good thing. However, there have only been a couple of days where the temperatures have gone beyond the 32º mark. This weekend, it is projected to be extremely cold, with night time temperatures dropping close to zero,
Meanwhile, my indoor garden seems to be doing quite nicely, with my tomato plant having flowers. I vibrate the flowers, as I am not certain if these plants self pollinate or not. I will find out in another week or so.
We had an early January warmup, but that was quickly replaced by an 8 inch snow, followed by a freezing rain that has cemented in the snow for almost 3 weeks now.
We are not much better off than states north of us, except we have not gone below zero, which, I suppose, is a good thing. However, there have only been a couple of days where the temperatures have gone beyond the 32º mark. This weekend, it is projected to be extremely cold, with night time temperatures dropping close to zero,
Meanwhile, my indoor garden seems to be doing quite nicely, with my tomato plant having flowers. I vibrate the flowers, as I am not certain if these plants self pollinate or not. I will find out in another week or so.
My dream garden. Boy do I wish my garden looked this good.
