I planted some outdoor seeds today
First planted a flat of Wolfsbane (they used the poisonous roots ground onto meat to kill wolves.)
AKA Monkshood (If monks hoods come in purple.) Aconitum napellus
Mixed 6 parts Sphagnum moss, 3 parts Lobster compost, 1 part potting soil, 4oz rock dust to make about 4 gallons.
2 seeds per each of 18 2" squares. Put the flat outside in front yard near Buddha and the bat house under trees. Put snow on top of the seedling tray.
Also planted two short rows of seeds directly in the ground alongside downed logs.
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Planted five Paw Paw seeds in five1/2 gallon pots and placed under the trees near the Wolfsbane.
Waded into the brook up to my calves in snowmelt water, in my boxer shorts and shirtsleeves, to scoop up sand.
Soil was 4 parts Sphagnum moss, 3 parts Lobster compost, 2 parts coarse sand, 1 part putting soil, with 8 oz Basalt dust, and mycorrhizae dusted 2" planting holes.
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Transplanted three Blessed Thistle (Cnicus benedictus) from seeking tray to 1/2 gallon pots.
I used the same soil mix as the Wolfsbane. These will grow in the basement garden room for now.
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Planted 5 Aloe Vera seeds in a single 4" pot for indoor growing.
4" pots dry out quickly. With aloe that's a good thing.
Went down to the brook in another spot to scoop up gravel. Dressed more reasonably in long pants, a hoodie and a fedora to catch the misty rain.
Assembled the pot in layers of coarse gravel, 50/50 sand/gravel and potting soil, aloe seeds, 1/8" sand, 1/4" pea gravel and smaller.
This is my first time planting any of these seeds. The Aloe Vera is mostly for cute baby Aloe plants. It could be 5 years or more to maturity.
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Small stones bottom layer for drainage.
Sand and gravel to mix with the potting soil for layer to grow roots.
Aloe Vera x vera (Aloe Barbadensis) seeds.
I imagine these fuzzy leaf shapes tumbling in the wind, catching in pebbles and buried by sand.
1/8" sand layer
Gravel layer. They say gravel in this layer protects and stabilizes baby aloe leaf.
Aloe germination requires very similar conditions to propagating softwood cuttings (so the websites say.)