Saturday, January 15, 2011

Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day...

In the last three months, I've added a few phrases to my vocabulary...  Wordless Wednesday, Muse Day and now Bloom Day.  Perhaps I chose the wrong month to join this blogging event, but I'll just post what's growing, at least what's green...

Sprouts:  I'm sure a lot of gardeners enjoy growing sprouts throughout the year, but there is just something magical about seeds growing without soil or sun in the coldest month of winter.  They're great on a sandwich or salad, they cost less than purchased at the grocery store, and you know they are fresh and organic.  I buy the seeds from our local natural food store, Mama Jean's. They have several different blends to choose from, my favorite selection is their sandwich mix which includes:  alfalfa , red clover, radish and mung-bean seeds.

The first day you simply soak the dry seeds in water overnight, drain off the liquid the next morning and lay the jar on it's side.  For the next week, soak the soon to be sprouts one hour daily then drain.  They grow well in a mason jar--I use a canning ring to hold a screen in place for easy draining. After the sprouts have finished sprouting, they'll keep for a week in the refrigerator.

Narcissus papyraceus 'Paperwhite Narcissus Bulbs' .. Need I say more, what's more fun than forcing bulbs in the winter?  Especially something that's easy to grow--also no soil required, just water and sunlight!  I've read about using a diluted alcohol solution to stunt the growth and prevent the stems from falling.  I'm going to try that one out, but I would like know the story behind that information...Was it an accidental discovery? Did someone spill their drink in the Narcissus plant? 



Cat grass or oat grass seeds...   This is also easy to grow, the cat's love it and it reminds me of spring!


The links to all the posts of  GBBD can be found at May Dreams Gardens...

LinkWithin

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...