Spring planting done.....well seeds started!

Last year I planted seeds for the first time and the garden turned out great. We started them because Maks was so into seeds.  Well this year not much has changed but we did do a few things different this time around!!

Last year I knew I planted the seeds too late but it still worked out.  We just didn't plan on doing it until Maks became so interested in growing things. So this year I made a mental note to get them started sooner.  Last year they were started on March 24th and this year on February 23rd. So hopefully that will give them a head start!

Also, last year we lost a few of our Black Krim plants.  After calling the Extension Office we figured out they are very sensitive to dirt temp and soil dampness. So I purchased a heat map (click the word "heat" to see the link to the exact model I purchased). 

Here are the packages of seeds we used! The Petunia's will be a shot in the dark! The package says 'packaged for 2006' so we will see if they still grown!!  I am excited to see the poppies too! They look so pretty! The neighbor behind us has some red ones that she has probably had for many years and I just love them every year when I see them, figured I would try my hand.  I bought those seeds last year and they are past their date too so I guess I will see how lucky I am!!  The foxglove was one that Maks had to have one day when we were in Lowes!

All of my tomatoes were ordered from Gurneys.  This is the site I have had great luck with in the past so I just stuck with them this year.  I do have other seeds from them (different tomato varieties and some peppers) to plant but I found many of my trays to be broken so I need to get to the store before I can do anything with them.

I plan to use the Aggrand on them but I haven't fertilized them yet. I will do that as soon as the initial watering has dried. While inside I will mix it at about 1/4 strength...maybe less depending on what I use.  I hope to keep you updated.

Here is a picture of the stuff so far. In between the first two is Kale's fly eating plant...that's really the extent of his gardening interests at this point!  In between the 2nd and 3rd are the shoots of Aloe that Nicole gave us last summer.  We have perked them up and separated them...they were just getting a little extra light today. 

1st successful batch of salsa...ever!

Well the garden is not quite producing enough to can yet but I have bought some things at the farmer's market  so today I canned my first jar of salsa (literally one jar).  I have never successfully done this so it was quite an experience.  In order to help myself keep track of the website I am going to share it here I really liked the recipe I found/used.

 Here are the chopped veges before I put them in the processor.  Yellow and red bell peppers, green sweet banana peppers, celery, yellow and purple onions, cilantro (fresh), minced/roasted garlic and probably something else that I am forgetting!

 After the food processor! Cut them small but did it on pulse mode so I didn't end up with juice!

Put everything in the pan to simmer. Added the tomatoes (sorry no photos my hands were too messy to touch my phone)!  Added a big of tomato paste to thicken, vinegar and seasoning (used Ball salsa seasoning because that is good for Kale). Simmered for a bit and then put it in the jar!

  Almost made the perfect amount for my jar. Maybe an extra tomato or two and it would have been at the right place.  It is currently cooling in the fridge! I tried it before I put it in the jar and loved it but salsa is defiantly best cooled!

After successfully completing this I am very excited for the garden to start producing so I can get some canning done!