Emergence Part II

We have some new arrivals!

Here is a juniper seedling:

And here are some of his siblings eager to get into soil:

And Wild Plum!

Some more Almond seedlings.

And here is the honeyberry, starting to leaf out. Notice the berries! 
Soon I will transplant into a larger pot..

And finally a Mulberry tree seedling liking its' bigger pot..

There's word of snow and cold this weekend. I guess spring isn't here yet.. Stay warm!

Crowdfunding campaign!

I just finished the campaign to help fund Blue Beetle Studio:

Blue Beetle Studio Crowdfunding on Indiegogo

And here is the video:

Thank you for your support!

Emergence Part I

Things are picking up steam as more seeds begin to emerge.

Here are some Serviceberry seedlings sending out their taproot:

These went right into soil and within a couple of days I got this:

Today I took the hazelnuts and almonds out of the fridge for germination and noticed this one is a bit eager to see the light of day!

I also brought the Wild Plum seeds into the warmth and noticed they too had an eager one amongst them!(notice the notch on the side where I had originally scarified it so water could penetrate)

 And here is an Arizona Cypress tree seedling:

Trees take a long time when starting from seed. I will be purchasing nursery trees as well.
But seeds have some advantages too, including less stress and good taproot formation when planted in its' location early.
They also allow for selection, as certain genetic traits will lend themselves better to your local habitat then others. The best of the lot can then be propagated through cuttings so you have many of the best genetics.
Selection can begin early, like with these Mulberry seedlings:

I will likely plant the more rigorous growers and cull some of the smallest ones. 
But there are other things to consider such as the taste of the fruit, which of course you won't know until they've grown up.

The Mulberry tree is great for wildlife habitat and the birds will love the berries regardless.
With goji berries for example, there may be a couple bushes that taste better then the others.. and it might not be the fastest growers that taste the best.

With nursery plants(and some research) you can be assured of getting the best tasting fruits and berries because the genetics don't change.
But seeds are inexpensive and can lead to wonderful surprises, so I enjoy them too. 

This blog will serve as log for insect events(ie what, when, effect,), planting times, weather events, etc.

Speaking of insects I saw my first spider for the season! This one was indoors under a potted plant. Anyone know the species?

And I'll finish this entry with a recent sunset. Despite their frequency I don't think I will ever tire of them!

Update amid the snowstorm..

We just had a 6 inch snow event! This storm also brought some cooler temperatures.
But the sun is out today!
Here are the solar panels that bring you this blog and future videos:

 And here is the battery bank(just replaced!):

In other news, the honeyberry continues to put out flowers for more berries! I'm happy that I will get to try them out early.

Here is some new growth I'm getting on the indoor Jasmine plant:

 My friend Peter gave me the following plant, known as the "live forever plant" (Sedum purpureum). He said it rooted easily. He wasn't kidding! 

After putting a few leaves he gave me in moist soil, I soon had this:

Roots have formed not only in the soil but above as well(pot was covered with plastic for a 5-6 days).