Error #1
Somehow, I think I may have gotten my dates mixed up and started my tomato and pepper plants way too early. How did this happen? I thought I had everything all planned out... I honestly don't know how I jumped the gun like this.
I started the seeds back in February... Thing is, the pepper plants are starting to flower. Now, I don't know if this is really terrible, or if it's okay. From what I remember I needed to start them 6-8 weeks before last frost... but I can't put them out until at least mid-May (and that's with row covers and such). So... yeah. I'm still 6 weeks out NOW, and I've already got crazy growing plants in my furnace room! Ack! Is all lost? Can I keep the plants going under lights until they can go outside? I'll be quite upset if I lose all these adorable yummy little plants.
Consider this a big ole HEAD SLAP from the East Coast.
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| doh. |
Error #2
This is a biggie. I used Miracle-Gro seed starter.
On the surface this might not seem like that big of a deal... but it turns out Miracle-Gro is owned by Scotts. Scotts is the company that knowingly sold poisoned birdseed to customers for over two years... And is apparently also in bed with Monsanto doing all kinds of nasty stuff that's affecting not only the bird population but bees as well.
We all know the bees need all the help they can get, and there's been a huge decline in the bee population around the world, including colony collapse disorder, or CCD. There are many theories about why this is but one major concern is the use of pesticides and pesticide-laden seeds, many of which can be found in the birdseed and grass seed sold by Scotts and Miracle-Gro.
Long story short... I screwed up. I can't recommend the use of Miracle-Gro and I certainly won't keep using their products going forward.
Onward and upward.
I recommend you stop beating yourself and Monsanto (see below) up.
ReplyDelete1. It has been a late spring and maybe will be a late summer start, so just keep upping the size of containers for those little (now) seedlings and raise the lights (watering maybe daily) as they continue to grow.
2. Scotts actions in the birdseed poisoning was egregious and they have never apologized. The CEO was recently reprimanded for what he said (on another subject), but he has never been reprimanded for what happened now 5 to 7 years ago and for which Scotts had criminal charges levied. I feel your pain, but sometimes it is hard to avoid their products. I certainly wouldn't toss Monsanto into the same fire of damnation (verbally or otherwise) as Scotts. We don't know what their GMO practices are doing to our world, but they aren't breaking laws like Scotts did. Yeah, I'm scared too of what some companies are capable of, but if we lump what we are scared of happening, in with what actually happened, we are in danger of never being able to sort truth from fear.
Scotts sells Roundup - aka Glyphosate - which is manufactured by Monsanto (who douses their Roundup-Ready crops with the stuff). There are a lot of questions about the safety of the herbicide both for humans and other organisms, like bees. It's not just about GMOs.
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