I gave up on my thyme and coriander. They never did show any signs of sprouting and developed a glossy sheen on the soil surface. Though I don’t doubt the possibility of slugs, I don’t think they are the culprit. I guess it was just some mold starting to form. I also lost a couple of marigolds, but I have a few more to go around. I rushed my first batch of seedlings out too early and lost them to the elements. Maybe I’m being too conservative with this batch?

I’ve been keeping the flats with humidity domes under lights for 16 hours every day, and try and run fans for at least an hour every day. Everything had been going smoothly until I forgot to check on them last night. One missed day, and I was busted. It does look like one of the chocolate mint vines that was laying across the pea gravel in one of the flats starting forming roots. I grabbed a peat pot, stuffed some seed starting mix in it, and watered it. Maybe I’ll get an extra chocolate mint out of it!

Speaking of the mint, I went ahead and pruned off most of the dead stems and leaves to try and clean things up a bit and allow a little more breathing room for new growth. I’ll probably start putting some of the more established plants out in the mornings and evenings to begin hardening them off. The mints, the peacock orchids, and flowering shamrocks all look pretty vigorous, so they’ll be the first to go out, I may also sneak the medusa pepper out there as well, but I don’t want to lose it to the wild outdoors just yet. There’s only one with a little pepper already on it, so I’ve grown a little attached to it.

I went ahead and planted out the dahlias and 9 of the gladioli. I still have 14 left to go, though! I might stick a few on the corner by the garage and maybe a couple more next to the irises around the back of the garage. Some friends said they’ll take whatever is left over, so I can finally get rid of the over-abundance! I also buried/mounded the pot with the Japanese maple. I didn’t want to plant it out since I’ll likely try my hand at grafting it come fall or winter.

I’ve also been reading up on plant tissue culture. This brings gardening to a much nerdier and scientific level. If I can pull it off, I think it will earn me a little mad scientist cred for my gardening resume. My wife just rolls her eyes at me and asked me not to buy the really expensive books on the subject. That’s how I know I’m doing something right!

And, on a final note, a little over half of the stuff planted in the raised bed is doing well. My neighbor, a gardener of many years, walked over while I was doing a routine chek-up and said he thinks I got it right this year. I don’t think he was just fluffing my feathers, but I also know that he doesn’t have a mean word in his vocabulary. Maybe in a couple of years, I can start playing in his summer garden. I think that once I get the basics figured out and some real experience under my belt, I’ll throw in with him and my other neighbor and bring some new things to their garden. Don’t get me wrong, I love the standard faire of fruits and vegetables, but I also like to mix it up with interesting new plants or varieties. I’m too much of a geek to stand still and be happy with the same lot year after year. If I can get my garage greenhouse idea set up and working like I hope it will, maybe I can get started on some early seeds (or cultured plantlets!) in time to plant out for his garden next year.

One more thing… Since my 4th wedding anniversary is coming up soon (the flower one), my wide, a self-proclaimed “black thumb” suggested that we buy a dwarf almond and some other dwarf fruit tree for the front yard. Too bad it isn’t the dormant season for trees, but I think I’ve gotten a little bit of gardening into her head!