Monday, November 30, 2009

Seeds Sprouting



After a few days, the Thyme seeds started to sprout, so they had to be taken out of the greenhouse and put under sunlight to grow. The tiny leaves coming out of the seed are called cotyledons. Soon true leaves will emerge and then the plant will be ready for potting. Once the true leaves appear the plant will no longer have energy stored in the seed as it would all have been consumed by then. Plant food needs to be supplied at this point in the soil to support plant growth. Remember plants need food and light for photosynthesis.

Sunday, November 29, 2009

New Seeds


The picture you see is a small greenhouse that includes three sections of peat pots. The first section has Chives seeds in it, the second has Rosemary seeds, and the third has Thyme seeds. In about ten to twenty days the seeds should germinate and become ready to be moved to a sunny spot for growth. Since there isn't enough sun in the house, usually neon light is needed to accomplish sufficient growth before potting. The final pots should be large enough to enable the plants to flourish and flower. These are useful herbs that one can actually use in the kitchen, so hopefully they will grow as planned. Other herbs that are nice to have include Nasturtiums, oregano, Dills, and Basil. The nice thing about these herbs is that they are perennials, meaning they produce every year without the need to plant new seeds. Another nice thing about them is that they can be grown in pots if they are big enough. The main challenge is finding a sunny enough spot in the house, otherwise even the pots will need to be placed outside.