An Update on the Seed Experiment

Last May, in one of my more fiscally responsible moments, I decided to plant a lot of seeds in the garden in the hopes that everything would grow lush, fill in the bare spots, and leave no room for weeds. A girl can only hope, right?

Some seeds grew, others did not. So I thought I'd give you an update on the seed progress and let you know what worked and what didn't.

When I checked the seed progress in June, it looked as though nothing was happening. But as we headed into July, I could see that seedlings were finally maturing.

The zinnias are now starting to bloom, as are the cosmos and bachelor's buttons.

Some of the herbs grew fine in the ground. The dill and parsley did just fine.

The basil grew, but only in the pots. It didn't seem to grow from seed in the ground. Also, none of the chive seeds grew, so I had to break down and buy some plants from the garden center.

The sweet peas are growing, but I don't know if they will ever produce blossoms.

The biggest surprise of the season? The morning glories. They are growing like crazy!

Somewhere in that tangle of vines is my mailbox! They should begin blooming next month. I think I planted a multicolor variety at here.

The morning glories at the front porch are amazing! Not only did they climb and cover the trellis, but they are also climbing the porch railings and columns, just as I hoped. This is the Heavenly Blue variety.

They must be happy in this location, where they get sun in the morning and shade in the afternoon.

The seeds that didn't do so well:

*Marigolds: a few grew, but none of them seem to be maturing very quickly. I may get a handful that bloom, but that's it. Next year, I'll have to either start them indoors or buy from the garden center.

*Nasturtiums: the plants grew, but not very large. I doubt there will be any blooms, either.

*Hollyhocks: a few of the seeds produced plants, but they are small. Perhaps they will come back next year.

*Delphiniums, Daisies, Asters, Poppies: Didn't grow at all.

*Anything I planted in partial sun did not do well.

As for the weeds? Well, they continue to grow just fine. I have learned to control them with one simple method...I pull them. ALL THE TIME. I probably go out two or three times a week, just to pull weeds. If I don't do it, then the thistle will take over and the nasty little wild vines will get a choke hold on my flowers and kill them. As for weeds in the yard and lawn, I use a digger tool and pop them out frequently. Thus far, I'm keeping on top of it. It's a lot of work, but it looks a lot better than it did last year.

Will I plant seeds again next year? Maybe. I'll be a lot more selective of the varieties, though, and will only plant where there is full sun.