Throwback Thursday - Our Seedling Growing Experiment

Is it just me that does not use all  their produce in time that it starts to sprout?  This happens frequently with onions and potatoes in our house.  I have good intentions to use it, but for one reason or another  it does not always happen.  Every couple of months or so, I end up with sprouting produce.   A couple of years ago we did a little growing experiment, which was a success.  Last night Kara and I tried it again with a little bit of a spin on it.  With gardening season right around the corner, I knew it would make a great Throwback Thursday post.  

There is a way to start your spring seedlings in the winter.  While I know it is already April, where I live it actually just stopped snowing  just a couple of weeks ago.  There is even a few small snow piles left on the ground, where there used to be snow mountains of extra snow plowed from parking lots.  Plastic milk jugs make great containers for your starting your seeds, and now is the time to prepare them so that they are ready to be put in your garden by the end of May .  Cut around the middle of the milk  jug, but leave a little bit attached in the back by the handle. 

While I was cutting the containers, Kara was filling them with potting soil in the bottom half of the jug.

While we will be planting our seed packets in the next few days, last night we planted a few other things as an experiment.  We are curious to see what happens when we plant the garlic and onions.  I know you can plant potatoes that have sprouted and have them regrow, so maybe the garlic and onions will continue to grow too.   The other containers with the circle in the middle are the new Miracle Grow seed pods.  Target had them on sale last week, so we thought we would give it a try.  We are going to try two types of tomatoes, cucumbers, red peppers, and spinach.  

Once everything is planted, put the milk jugs back together and seal with duct tape or a twist tie (like we did the first time). Sit the jugs in a sunny place where they will get several hours of sun.  Our back deck is perfect place for the planters.  You can put them outside now, even if it is not that warm yet.  The containers work like a terrarium, which will use condensation and rain to water the plants.  The plastic helps keep the plants nice and warm.   Now we wait and check the progress  in a few weeks.