Wednesday, April 17, 2013

Sowing Seeds


Seeds were started this weekend for the first time on our little homestead. While we have started a few things over the years, the truth is there just isn't room in our little one room schoolhouse to start seeds. So we usually shop the farmer's market for seedlings, maybe find some seedlings for sale from farmers in our area and direct sow what we can. It has worked well for us over the years. But I wanted this year to be different.

A few weeks ago Justin built our first cold frame. We had plans to build one this summer to extend our growing season into the winter, but then Lisa built one to start her seeds and well, you know, I just had to have one now. We immediately got started with the plans, figuring out if we had enough wood around to build one and then finding the time to build it.

While Reece and I were out one day, Justin got to work. When we returned home it was waiting for me in the driveway.


Justin made it from some old barn boards and some windows we removed from the house when we moved in, all those years ago. It will stay on the driveway for now, and then later in the summer we will find a permanent spot for it so we can grow right in the ground into the winter.

The ground was covered with a dusting of snow on Sunday morning, but the sun was shining, finally. The seeds sowed on Saturday were placed inside to start the long journey from seed to plate.

19 comments:

  1. I think it's perfect and the rustic look is beautiful and yet functional. Have fun growing food earlier!

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  2. How exciting! And hurrah and well done, Justin! :)

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  3. yay! we don't have a lot of great space for starting seeds either! we start hardier things but buy our tomato and pepper seedlings... :)

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    1. It is so hard wanting to do it and not having the space. So happy to have this now...fingers crossed things grow now :)

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  4. Super idea Kim- much luck with your seeds :)

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  5. Woo hoo! And I love the cold frame. We left ours behind in CO and we're totally missing it.

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    1. Thanks Lisa. So excited to finally have it.

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  6. what a sweet hubby to build you a cold frame! Love it! Our house is also too small to start seeds, so whatever seeds we can't plant directly into the ground we buy from the farmers market. Good luck!

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  7. oh, I love it!!! I've been wanting a cold frame like yours for years, but every year we get distracted with other projects and before you know it winter has arrived and the cold frame never got built. maybe this will be the year for us, too? fingers crossed!

    have fun with all the seedlings!

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    1. Thanks Amanda.

      Fingers crossed this is the year for you and your cold frame.

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  8. I love that you planted those seeds in egg shells! I so want to do that once we have a place to plant!

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    1. I thought why not, we have so many around lets put them to good use. And Reece really enjoyed it.

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  9. I really really love this. We have been wanting to make one and while I know it isn't in the cards for this year, but I think we will have to make a trip to the restore (a store of salvaged home goods run by Habitat for Humanity) to look for some windows ourselves in the future. And I must say, those seed packets are some of the cutest I've ever seen. :)

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    1. Thanks Sara. Hope you can find some windows :)

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  10. These are so beautiful! Someday when we have more space in our yard, I will remember this.

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