Teddy Bear

The Teddy Bear Sunflowers have been blooming in the big plastic pot in the greenhouse for a while, and I thought the next to bloom would be the one outside the shed at the house. But finally the row of Teddy Bears in the greenhouse southeast bed put on a growth spurt. The ones in the big pot are sort of crowded, so this one in the bed is currently the best bloom we have.

This is the Teddy Bear behind the shed in a grow bag, surrounded by dill. This one should burst forth in a few days. Teddy Bears put out multiple blooms. There also is a regular sunflower with just one bloom in an adjacent grow bag, and it seems to be a week or so away.

In other news, the cucumber harvest has begun with three cut so far, the strawberry plants put out a berry on occasion, and I'm doing my best to clone petunias. The three tomato plants outside at the house are doing well, but the four greenhouse plants are very vigorous and I pruned some of them today so they wouldn't grow through the ceiling. But tomatoes from only one plant (outside) have ripened yet. So far, one pepper has developed almost to usable size on our eight plants, and most of the plants look fine and seem to be threatening to put out more fruit. In a few months we might have peppers. But our growing season ends in mid-September, at which time (if healthy) the three tomatoes and two peppers that are outside the house in grow bags (along with two strawberry baskets) will go to the greenhouse and I will turn on the heat. It is going to be crowded in the greenhouse from mid-September to the middle of November. Season extension, donchaknow.

Season extension:

• Tomatoes (four in beds, three in grow bags).
• Peppers (six in beds, two in grow bags).
• Cucumbers (two hanging baskets, one grow bag).
• Strawberries (east planting bed, four hanging baskets, three grow bags).
• Cilantro (west planting bed).
• Sunflowers (southeast planting bed, big plastic pot, and maybe the two grow bags currently behind the shed).
• Petunia plants.
• Geranium plants.

While I am making lists, here are a few more:

Overwinter, greenhouse. I'll probably keep the temperature at about 50 until mid-November, then set it to 10 from then until April. In theory, that is Zone 7b instead of our actual Zone 5a.

• Hardy succulents (Sempervivums, Sedum, Delosperma), need to prepare the southeast planting bed.
• Hardy herbs (Greek Oregano, Italian Oregano, English Thyme, Lemon Thyme, Sage, throw a couple Rosemary in there to see if they survive).
• Allium bulbs.
• Strawberry plants.
• Grow-bag perennials (I have to figure out which ones).
• Chives, the most worry-free plant of all.
• Mums. Maybe. The two from last year have shown no signs of flowering yet and I'm not going to keep them alive if they don't flower. That's a threat; I can use the pots for something else.

Overwinter, house (60-70 degrees) and garage (50-55 degrees).

• Tender Succulents.
• Petunia plants and cuttings, I will have to take the plants out of their baskets/big pots and put them in smaller pots. I can envision ending up with 16 or so 6-inch pots of petunias. What I can't envision is where they will all go. I am moving all of my grow lights from the greenhouse back to the garage.
• Geranium plant. Maybe just one pot, not bother with cuttings. The two hanging baskets have a winter home elsewhere.
• Coleus plants and cuttings.
• Basil, Peppermint (need to cull), Marjoram, main Rosemary plant.
• Plectranthus 'Velveteen Aromatic'™ (currently have 20 potted, NEED to cull).

Seed starting, garage, March-April. I should have enough Epic 6-cells (13) but space allocation will be a challenge.

• Tomatoes (12 to get eight plants).
• Peppers (12 to get eight plants).
• Coleus (6-12). I also plan on getting three new Proven Winners ColorBlaze plants. 2027 will be The Year of the Coleus.
• Coneflowers (6 each, two kinds, destined for outside at the house).
• Coreopsis (6, destined for outside at the house).
• Shasta Daisies (6, destined for outside at the house).
• Marigolds (12).
• Bachelor Buttons (6).
• Sunflowers (6 Jiffy pots).

Things which will get direct seeded May-June.

• Alyssum, greenhouse inside and outside.
• Nasturtiums, greenhouse inside and outside.
• Zinnias, greenhouse outside.
• Onions, greenhouse inside.
• Borage, greenhouse inside.
• Dill, in a grow bag with something.

Things I'm not going to seed start next year because I'm sick of them.

• Broccoli, beets, carrots (they never mature, probably not enough light where I put them).
• Greens (aphids eventually breech the cover cloth).
• Peas, potato, radishes (not enough production for the effort).