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"Possibility and promise greet me each day as I walk out into my garden. My vigor is renewed when I breathe in the earthiness and feel the dirt between my fingers. My garden is a peaceful spot to refresh my soul." Meems






Welcome to my Central Florida Garden Blog where we garden combining Florida natives, Florida-Friendly plants, and tropicals.

Wednesday, March 19, 2008

A Sprout, Is A Sprout, Is A Sprout...

At least that's what I thought ... until now. Now that I have my very own sprouts that is.

I mean, come on, haven't you thought it too? I have to admit that all the posts displaying photo after photo of how this or that has sprouted and all that can be seen is dirt in pot after pot or row after row of tiny greenery unfurling-- it all looks the same right? A resounding NO!

NO, these are MY sprouts and I am quite proud of them so I find myself wanting to shout to passersby (if there were any passersby) "MY seeds are sprouting!"


On March 13 I sowed zucchini (above) seeds. Today, on March 19 I went to my garden early morning to water and lo and behold this is what I saw. 6 days... are you kidding me? My exuberance for all this seed sowing is growing by the day. I was elated at the sight.

At first I thought, uh-oh my new sprouts have come out with brown tips. sigh. Then I noticed it was the hull of the seed still stuck on the tender leaves. Is that cute or what?

Now I know I have a long way to go but I can tell this vegetable gardening is going to be more fun than I might ever have guessed!

18 comments:

  1. Congrats on your new sprouts! I'm glad you are getting excited about veggie gardening. I have not tried that myself but only because lack of space. I know what you mean about wanting to shout about your seeds sprouting. It's nice to have a blog so you can shout online and people will understand how excited you are.

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  2. Those are some of the nicest sprouts I've seen in quite a while.

    Those first two leaves are called the cotyledons, or seed leaves. The new little plant is getting energy from the seed leaves until the first set of true leaves form. That seed coat will fall off on its own.

    I've got some tomato sprouts inside! And I sowed the seeds on Saturday.

    Carol, May Dreams Gardens

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  3. Yeah, what pretty little sprouts! I just ran down to the basement to peek at my seedlings. One is coming up but I don't remember if I planted the Zinnias or the white baptisia in that pot. Hopefully by tomorrow or the day after I can tell.

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  4. They really are very cute...and your excitement is very natural...after over thirty years of seed sowing I am still amazed at the miracle that occurs when seeds are planted!

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  5. Aw, aren't they sweet! Better collect all your favorite zucchini recipes Meems, looks like you're gonna need 'em!

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  6. WTG! You should be quite proud of yourownself for facing your fears and adding another accomplishment to your list!

    I remember reading about small towns where people only locked their cars when the zucchinis were harvested. They had to or they'd come back to a carful of zucchini. LOL!

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  7. Vanilla: Thanks.True about blogs. We can shout about whatever we want.

    Carol: Why, thank you, I'm glad you like them too. :-)

    Very interesting - cotyledons... I'll keep checking for the true leaves. Congrats on your tomato sprouts- amazing in just 4 days!

    Melanie: I really admire you folks who plant inside first and then transplant. Now that's dedication. Glad yours are sprouting in your basement.

    Leslie: It is a miracle and very fascinating. You are a veteran!

    Garden Girl: Well I'll take that as a vote of confidence. LOL Zucchini bread anyone?

    Sophie: That's funny - I can only hope I have a great harvest. I confess I chose zucchini and squash 1) because I like to eat it but 2)I heard it was fairly easy to grow.

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  8. Hooray for spring and hooray for your sweet sprouts. I too am amazed at the way the seed hull hangs on to the end. I just planted some onions outside that were started from seeds a couple of months ago inside and the little black seed hulls were still attached after all that time!

    Frances at Faire Garden

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  9. Hi,
    What sweet sprouts! I love your garden shots- the plants look very similar to what we get in the Caribbean.
    I managed to get some roucou or annatto to sprout and then promptly killed them all with over attention.
    I'll be back to visit. Great blog

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  10. Great pictures. I'm down in Port Charlotte and I think you might be a little late in planing some of your crops. Mostly veggies are started in mid-fall and grown thru May.

    Check with your county's Cooperative Extension Service for proper planting dates and lots more FREE info on veggie gardening.

    My sugar snaps, beans and carrots are about done for - getting too hot. I'm on my second set of tomatoes - I only plant heirloom determinates. Trying to keep my swiss chard and romaine going for at least another 6 weeks. Peppers should be okay thru the summer cause they like the heat. Same for zucchini.

    I can only plant in containers - requirement of my 55+ community - so I use Earth boxes. Bellen

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  11. Bellen says:
    The web site for Cooperative Extension in Florida is:
    http://solutionsforyourlife.ufl.edu/map/

    Besides gardening there is info on food, clothing, health, housing, citrus, etc. They usually have demo gardens, classes, etc. Some offer a monthly gardening newsletter at very nominal cost (St. Augustine area charged $2 per year). The Master Gardener program is thru this office also.

    It is tax payer funded and most of the info is FREE. Take advantage.

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  12. Congrats on the sprouts...I confess, I was at Whole Foods and the woman in front of me was buying sunflower seed sprouts...So when I read your post title...that is what popped into my head!

    I love the little seed hats they are wearing.


    Gail

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  13. Those seeds are ready for Sunday with their Easter Bonnets. See there girl you can grow things by seed. They are just lovely little seedlings.

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  14. Some plant, some water, and God gives the increase. Those "hulls" and the lifeforce within them...such great metaphors just tempting me to type!!! Kudos, Meems, on your new hobby. Looks like you've got the knack for it. Wish I liked zucchini! :o)

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  15. My Chutney Garden: I do hope I don't suffer from the same malady- with my over attention- I am enamored by these adorable little shoots of green. Thanks for visiting Hoe & Shovel.

    Bellen: My dad lives in Port Charlotte and we compare veggie notes. He plants in the ground and also uses earth boxes. Actually your climes are much warmer than ours earlier and later so I think I'll be okay but I am sure to fine out soon. Really appreciate the links too. Thanks for stopping by Hoe & Shovel and for the help!

    Gail: Thanks. Ahhhh, salad. I like sprouts to eat too.

    Lisa: Do you think I should take them to church with me to show them off in their bonnets? Maybe not, it might cause too much envy. LOL

    MLM: I know what you mean so many lessons in this type of gardening. I know you don't like zucchini but you like some other things I'll be sharing with you- well hopefully.
    Thanks for visiting.

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  16. I was going to say what Carol said--you got monocot and dicot. Mono is one seed leaf like corn and dicot is two seed leaveas. I think it's amazing that all that energy was stored inside the embryonic seed. Nature is amazing. You are doing a wonderful job. I love our pics above too!! Everything is lush and beautiful.

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  17. thank you so much for all your comments.I had a leisurly walk through your garden, it is just a beauty. You are a very talented gardener. You are right, we have similar plants and I think similar climats to, sometimes very dry. This summer o7/o8 was very wet, nearly every day rain. The plants flourished. We have also similar interests, hobbies, so I am not sure about the roller blading, I have never tried it.

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  18. Wow! That is a great picture. You obviously are a very high skilled gardener! I just started my own gardening blog. Check it out and link to me http://Tomatoesandweeds.blogspot.com

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Have a blessed day,
Meems


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