All My Friends are Flowers

garden inspiration and design

The Thaw

by 1 Comment

A wooden table in a greenhouse, featuring a variety of colorful ceramic tiles displayed on its surface, along with gardening tools and a metal bucket.
A greenhouse interior featuring a tall dracaena plant, a rustic pot with dried soil, a green watering can, and a metal cabinet.
A wooden shelf inside a greenhouse displaying various items, including a star-shaped decoration, a ceramic pot with a lid, a glass vase, a potted plant, and a sign that says 'It's A Wonderful Life'.
An overhead view of a fan mounted in a greenhouse, next to a metallic watering can and a small clay pot on a wooden shelf.
A dried flower arrangement next to an ornate metal planter on a wooden shelf in a greenhouse.

*This post contains affiliate links. This means I may earn a small commission if you purchase through these links, at no extra cost to you.

There was the familiar crunch of January frost under my boots as I ran to the greenhouse this morning. We were in the lower 20’s last night and one of my little girls had left my greenhouse door cracked open. They spent yesterday afternoon running back and forth between the frosty trampoline and my 80 degree greenhouse.

Thankfully, my draceana survived the draft. Looking around the greenhouse today filled me with the sense of excitement and anticipation I’ve been waiting for. Finally, I’m excited about starting my seeds. There’s that familiar itch to dig my hands into a fresh bucket of potting soil. I’m looking forward to pricking out tiny lobelia seeds, separating them carefully in my little soil blocks. I’m ready to begin misting trays of soil, patiently waiting for little green sprouts.

The past couple of years I’ve been struggling through some health challenges. Some days it was everything I could do just to get out of bed and make lunches for my girls. Every extra ounce of effort and excitement was reserved for them, for helping them feel the normalcy I definitely did not feel.

I still started seeds though. I potted and planted and moved things to the greenhouse and watered and heated and transplanted again. I was waiting, just waiting to feel it. To feel the excitement, the readiness, and the sheer joy that I’ve enjoyed every year of my life since I was 15 and fell in love with the garden.

It didn’t come. I spent three springs going through the motions. Wanting, wishing I could care and love the way I had.

Today though, I felt it. Taking a deep, frosty breath in my greenhouse this morning it was there, the anticipation. Almost foreign feeling at first, until it wrapped around my like an embrace from an old friend. I love the garden, and my heavy heart has finally lightened to the point where I could feel it again. So I’ll be planting this year. Joy and peace for the first time in a long time.

Winter Crops for Zone 7

by Leave a Comment

I might be a little late on this one. But I’m hoping a few days of warm temps are enough to get these little guys started. I’m attempting my first round of cover crops. Up until this year I didn’t want to bother. I figured cover cropping was really only for larger farms, not little backyard vegetable gardens like mine. I’ve chosen Austrian snow peas, and here’s why:

  1. Soil Improvement: Austrian snow peas are legumes, which means they fix nitrogen in the soil. This can enhance soil fertility, making it richer and more productive for subsequent crops.
  2. Weed Suppression: Their dense growth habit can effectively crowd out weeds, reducing competition for nutrients and water. This can help you minimize the need for herbicides and manual weeding.
  3. Erosion Control: The root system of snow peas helps bind the soil, reducing erosion, especially on sloped areas.

Here’s a few other cover crops well suited for colder climates.

  • Winter Rye: This hardy grass is great for preventing soil erosion, suppressing weeds, and adding organic matter when tilled into the soil.
  • Hairy Vetch: A legume that fixes nitrogen, hairy vetch grows well in cooler temperatures. It provides excellent ground cover and improves soil fertility.
  • Crimson Clover: This legume not only enriches the soil with nitrogen but also attracts beneficial insects when it flowers in the spring.
  • Oats: Fast-growing and winter-hardy, oats provide excellent biomass and are effective at suppressing weeds. They can also winterkill in harsher climates, making them easy to incorporate into the soil in the spring.

How to Transplant Seedlings?

by Leave a Comment

Watch for a seedling’s true leaves, they’ll look different from the first sprouts. More like what you’d expect mature leaves to look like. You can see my true leaves here have a definite lettuce look. Once these leaves develop it’s time to give seedlings more space by transplanting.   
  
First, soak your seedling containers. Happy, we’ll watered plants will transplant better.   
  
Next, gently separate plants. Don’t weed them out of the container. Instead, gently tease the roots apart.   
  
Move the seedlings to larger pots or seeding trays. Make sure the holes are deep enough to accommodate the roots and a bit of stem. I like to use a chop stick to gently poke the roots in.   
  
Make sure to pat down the soil around the stem to remove big air pockets and help support the stem.   
  
Keep an eye on soil moisture while they transition. The seedlings will flourish with their newfound space!   

Rooting Geranium Cuttings in Water

by Leave a Comment

For the past three years I’ve tried overwintering my own geraniums. This year they spent the winter in our basement guest bedroom. Honestly, this wasn’t their best year. I decided to give some water cuttings a try and they’ve rooted so quickly! I’ll be potting these up here this week and starting another batch. I usually root my cuttings in whatever jar I’ve got lying around. Recently I purchased this propagator and I love that it looks decorative on my counter top!

Free Printable Seed Starting Journal 2023

by Leave a Comment

For the past few years I’ve kept a seed starting journal, mostly just quickly thrown together spreadsheets and calendar pages. This year I created something with more intention, designed to gather useful information to help my garden improve every year. No more guessing which cucumber variety I loved!

The Journal Kit Includes

2023 Cover Page, Vegetable Seed Journal Page, Flower Seed Journal Page, Calendar Pages for Feb, March, April & May, Additional Blank Calendar Page (if you’d like to keep tracking), and a Garden Notes Page

Print off as many of each as you need!

Make sure to follow me on Instagram to see how I’ll be using mine this season.

Download the printable HERE and enjoy!

Easy Seed Organization

by Leave a Comment

I’ve been on the hunt for the perfect container for organizing my seeds and I’ve finally found it! This box HERE is actually a photo organizer, but it’s the perfect size for seed packets. I love that it’s water + pest proof with space in each container for plenty of packets.

I used my embossing label maker to label each container. It makes these cute, vintage looking black and white labels. I’ve used it in my closets, for my Christmas decor, and for my spice jars in my kitchen.

These are the categories I used to label my seeds:

Annuals

Perennials

Herbs

Peppers

Tomatoes

Onions

Squash

Mellons

Pumpkins

Beans

Cucumbers

Carrots

Beets & Radishes

Onions

Corn

Lettuce

Easy Onion Seed Starting

by Leave a Comment

Start onion seeds today without fancy growing equipment. Onions need to be started 10-12 weeks before the last frost date. So for me here in Utah that means end of January.

I love using clear clam shell containers for seed starting because the lid works as a perfect humidity dome. You can also use lettuce or bakery boxes. Just make sure your container has drainage and you’re good to go.

Fill with moist seed starting mix, evenly distribute seeds, and cover with 1/4” seed starting mix.

Add a light layer of vermiculite for extra moisture retention and mist the layer of vermiculite with a spray bottle.

Label the seeds and remove the lid once the seedlings start to emerge.

Simple as that!

Welcome to All My Friends are Flowers

I’m Writing About……

Alpine Loop Backyard greenhouse denim whale DIY Play Food fall landscape design Fall Landscape Inspiration fall printable fall quote fall song lyrics fall word art foliage herbs free landscape design full landscape design greenhouse greenhouse overwintering growing paperwhites harbor freight greenhouse harbor freight greenhouse modifications Harbor freight greenhouse upgrades harbor friengt 10x12 greenhouse heating a greenhouse in winter herbs for flower beds hobby greenhouse Image Transfer to Fabric landscape design portfolio ornamental grass landscape design overwintering geraniums paperwhites perennials printable seed packet pruning perennials in spring vs fall Residential Evergreen Trees Sewing Food shade garden shade perennials shop spring pruning stunting paperwhite growth succulent propagation Uintah National Forest watering greenhouse in winter winter greenhouse winter greenhouse care winter growing winter watering