How to Make Seed Balls

While visiting the Epcot Flower and Garden Festival the other day, yes again, I attended a workshop where I learned how to make seed balls. I had never heard of a seed ball before but I think it is a potentially great idea. This is how they are made:

1. Mix equal parts compost and clay together in a large bowl.
2. Stir seeds into the mixture.
3. Using a spray bottle, slowly moisten the mixture with water until you are able to roll small amounts into little balls. The balls should hold together easily but not be too gummy or sticky.You may you latex gloves for this part if you would like.
4. Allow the balls to dry.

That's it. Easy. To be truthful these balls look a little like the stuff that appears at the backend of the digestive process, but they are  perfect little seed germination bombs. The clay holds the seeds together and prevents birds from eating them or the wind blowing them away. When it rains the compost provides an initial boost to the seeds. Supposedly you can just drop them on the ground. How neat is that? It would probably be best to choose native wildflower seeds and avoid invasive species. Epcot gave us an heirloon wildflower mix with seeds suited for all areas of the country. They didn't say exactly what was in the mix. I imagine things like tickseed, gallardia, and coneflower would work nicely.

Unbelievably it is still cold!

According to the calendar it is March 23rd and we are into the spring season. At this moment it is 57 degrees here. This is how I remember spring in Ohio, cool and rainy, but wait isn't this central Florida? This continuing cold weather has really slowed down my garden. My tomatoes are doing their best with the cold and the wind. I will not show you the sad pictures of my yard yet, but the roses love the cold. Here are some pretty little roses to hold me over until things pick up a bit in the garden.

A Neptune hybrid tea rose that smells wonderful. I wish I had a smell-o blog.







A Burgundy Iceberg floribunda.

Souvenir De La Malmaison-1843 old garden bourbon rose from France.

This Cold is Getting Old!

Well, yes it is still cold here in central Florida. Yesterday was kinda nice, but today there is more cold and rain. I have such an urge to get out and garden. My poor plants look so bad. I harvested the last of my carrots so that I could have their pot ready for the tomatoes.

I also went to Disney World for my birthday last weekend. EPCOT's Flower and Garden Festival was scheduled to start the next weekend, but they already had many of the garden displays out. I regard Disney as an aspirational source of gardening ideas. Here are some photos I took of the new garden displays. I notice a new emphasis on edible gardening.

Still Cold-Brrrrrrrr!

Well, it is still cold in my yard. The high temperature has hovered in the 50s for several weeks now. My little tomato seedlings haven't grown at all in the last two weeks. When will it end? I did see one gulf fritillary butterfly checking out the few flowers I have on my lantana. Poor little fellow. My camellia is still blooming. That makes me feel a little better.

Behold the February Tomato! This guy is a survivor from my fall planting. It is allegedly a Kellogg's Breakfast variety. I am not 100% sure what it is because one of the seeds from the packet turned out pink tomatoes instead of orange. This plant from the same seed packet seems to produce the right orange colored tomatoes but it does not taste like the descriptions of KB. Oh well, it is certainly cold tolerant!

Waiting for Spring

This winter has been an unusually cold and wet one here in central Florida. An extended period of cold weather early this year has caused a lot of damage in my yard. There are signs of new growth now on many of the plants so I hope the worst is over. At least the lettuce and carrots seem to shake off the cold.

Incredibly I still have some tomatoes left from my fall planting. I don't know how they made it through all this cold. This photo is of the hybrid called Beefmaster. I also have a Cherokee Purple with flowers on it and two Red Zebras.  I am not going to pull them out yet.

Spring Tomato Season 2010-Part 1

I have managed to accquire a number of heirloom tomato seeds. I purchased some from seed sellers online and some were given to me by very generous gardeners. I started seeds from several varieties in early January. Unfortunately the weather is still pretty cold and wet so I have been moving the seedlings a lot. When it is nice and sunny they go out in the yard. When it is under 50 degrees or rainy I bring them inside.

My little baby tomatoes are: Cuostrolee, Giant Belgium, Cherokee Purple, Hillbilly, Sunsugar, Matt’s wild cherry, Black cherry, Amish Salad, San Marzano, Garden peach, Paul Robeson, Red zebra, Black zebra, Black from Tula. I have some others that have not germinated yet. I probably am not going to have room for all of these.


Stupice: Has potato leaf foliage. Isn't she cute?