Gardening
Starting Plants from Seeds Indoors
Seedlings should be moved to a sunny window or placed under artificial lights as soon as any green appears.
Photo courtesy of MelindaMyers.com
Keep your green thumb in shape this winter while getting a jump on the growing season by starting your favorite or hard-to-find plants indoors. It's fun, simpler than you think, and can help stretch your plant budget.
Start with some clean containers that you purchase, recycle, or make from newspapers. Be sure to add drainage holes to any repurposed yogurt or similar containers you are using for starting seeds to avoid waterlogged soil. Always clean used pots by soaking them in a one-part bleach and nine-part water solution for ten minutes then rinse with clear water. This helps reduce the risk of disease.
Fill the containers with a moist well-drained potting mix or a sterile seed starting mix. Once the containers are filled, check the back of your seed packets for planting directions. Most contain all the information you need for when and how to plant the seeds. Some seed companies now provide this information on their website instead of the seed packets.
Most seeds are planted about twice the seed diameter deep while smaller seeds are often set on the soil surface and gently watered in place. Once again, check the seed packet for the seeds you are growing. Plant two seeds per container just in case one of the seeds fails to sprout.
Once planted, move the containers to a warm location. Many gardeners use heating pads designed for germinating seeds to help speed sprouting. Covering the containers with a sheet of plastic or one of the prefab domes will help conserve moisture so you will need to water less often.
Check the soil moisture daily and water often enough to keep the soil evenly moist but not soggy wet. Remove the plastic and move the containers to a sunny window or better yet, under artificial lights as soon as any green appears.
Regularly rotate plants that are growing in sunny windows to promote more even growth. Adjust artificial lights as plants grow. Most seedlings benefit from keeping the lights four to six inches above the top of the seedlings. Leave the lights on for 14 but no more than 16 hours a day. Using a timer is an easy way to make sure the plants receive the right amount of light each day.
Once the seedlings develop two sets of true leaves (these will look like the leaves of the plants you are growing), it is time to do some thinning. Remove the weakest seedling in each pot so only one strong seedling remains. Trimming the weaker seedlings back to ground level instead of pulling avoids damage to the remaining seedling.
Once seedlings have been thinned and are actively growing, use a fertilizer labeled for this use. Continue to water thoroughly and often enough to keep the planting mix slightly moist but not soggy wet.
Check the weather and seed packet to determine when it is safe to move your plants outdoors. You'll need to prepare them for their new home outdoors with a technique called hardening off. Start by moving the plants to a sheltered and shaded location after the danger of frost has passed. Stop fertilizing, and check soil moisture daily but allow it to dry just slightly before watering thoroughly.
Gradually increase the amount of sunlight the plants receive each day. Cover or move them indoors when frost is in the forecast. Your transplants are ready to move to their permanent location after a week or two.
Start gathering your supplies and seeds now. And before you know it, you will be enjoying the beautiful blooms and tasty vegetables you started from seed yourself.
Melinda Myers has written more than 20 gardening books, including The Midwest Gardener's Handbook, 2nd Edition and Small Space Gardening. She hosts The Great Courses "How to Grow Anything" DVD series and the nationally-syndicated Melinda's Garden Moment TV & radio program. Myers is a columnist and contributing editor for Birds & Blooms magazine. Her web site is www.MelindaMyers.com.
Antiques
Latest Antiques and Collectibles News
14th C. Portolan Map
Photo courtesy of Wayne Tuiskula
It's been close to three months since my last update on antique and collectibles news. As you might expect, a lot has taken place since then. I'll focus on some major estate sale finds today.
In 2023, Jeanette Davies saw two antique teddy bears at a yard sale in South Wales. Teddy bears got their name when Teddy Roosevelt was hunting with (American bear hunter and sportsman) Holt Collier. Collier stunned and cornered a bear and Roosevelt wouldn't shoot it, believing it to be unsportsmanlike. Davies paid £130, or around $155 for both yard sale bears. One turned out to be a World War II era teddy worth between $92 and $142 USD. Davies correctly believed the other bear to be a Steiff bear. Steiff began producing high quality teddy bears three years after the incident with Roosevelt. The 1905 Steiff bear was auctioned with a $5,100 minimum bid.
Across the country, a California man recently found an old tin box of baseball cards that his dad collected. The man identified only as John said his father Ed began collecting cards in the 1920s, according to Newsweek. Ed had shown John some cards occasionally, but John only saw the tin box with all the cards after Ed's passing. The collection includes 20 Babe Ruth cards, a Shoeless Joe Jackson, and many other Hall of Famers. The sale of the cards is expected to bring in the high six figures.
Also in California, a map dealer's keen eye and knowledge may have netted him millions. Alex Clausen was taking a virtual tour of oil heir Gordon Getty's estate sale and became focused on an old map, according to the Los Angeles Times. He spotted a map listed as a portolan chart and as being from 1500 to 1525. Portolan maps were hand drawn maps on animal skin created by navigators. According to the LA Times, they “often feature drawings of compass roses, flags, sea monsters and ships; unlike modern maps, interior details of land are not the key focus.” The $100,000 to $150,000 estimate seemed reasonable for a 16th century map, but some clues led Clausen to believe it could be older. Granada in Southwestern Spain had a different flag than other kingdoms in the Iberian Peninsula, making him think the map was at least from the 15th century before they would have adopted a new flag. After hundreds of hours of research, researchers dated the map to 1360. The chart is the only 14th century portolan known to exist outside of Europe. The map is being sold in a gallery where it is on course to bring $7.5 million.
We are currently cataloging our comic books, sports cards, and collectibles auction. We are still accepting consignments of gold jewelry, sterling silver serving ware, art, coins, and other antiques, and collectibles for our early summer auction. I'll be teaching my antiques and collectibles night class again on March 5th at the Bay Path Evening School in Charlton. I'll also be presenting at Learning in Retirement event in Danielson, Connecticut on May 6th. Please visit our website www.centralmassauctions.com for links to other upcoming events.
Contact us at: Wayne Tuiskula Auctioneer/Appraiser Central Mass Auctions for Antique, Collectibles Auctions and Appraisal Services www.centralmassauctions.com (508-612- 6111).