As the days are getting longer (3 more minutes of sunshine each day during February!), brighter and finally (!) slightly warmer, my gardener’s hands are itching to start planting things (anything really) again.
Therefore, next weekend I will start the outdoor season by sawing tomato, capsicum and chili seeds – derived from last year’s yield – as well as some spinach into little containers and put these behind the glass wall separating kitchen from balcony. This will guarantee them getting maximum sun (the balcony faces south) while being sheltered from the elements (i.e. inside).
My plan is to transplant them some two weeks later and then to slowly start exposing them to the outside world (a few hours at a time only) so they can get used to not being indoors all day long. Also the three beautiful flower crates, in which I grow herbs and which spent the winter in the staircase (not too cold, not too dark), will be allowed outside again from approximately mid-March.
From 17-19 April 2015, the annual Raritätenbörse (Rare Plant Fair) will take place at the Botanical Gardens of the University of Vienna. Needless to say, this very weekend was marked in my beloved Moleskine calendar months ago and it goes without saying that I will most likely spend more than I had originally budgeted (and buy slightly more than I can sanely carry) at the market stall of Arche Noah.
The haul will then be spread over the sunniest spots of our apartment (much to Mr A’s dislike: “I can’t even vacuum any more here”) before it will finally be released into bigger containers and onto the balcony in early May.
I’m so looking forward to summer! I’ve saved WAY TOO MANY seeds in the last years so I really should use these first. I’ve even exchanged seeds with colleagues so I have more varieties. I do have about three different salad seeds, 5 different heirloom tomatoes, many chili seeds that are some kind of mixes and a lot of herbs seeds that I’ve bought and haven’t used up in the last season. I’m planning on starting to plant the seeds sooon (when I find the time) and as soon as the weather gets constantly better the plants are allowed on the balcony (now it looks like a graveyard with a lot of dead plants 🙁 buhuhuu). Your balcony looks lovely and huge! (My boyfriend complains about too many plants in the apartment as well)