Cayenne you say HOT?

Ok, ok! I know that was a silly play on words (and slightly on a southern accent).

I decided to try and grow something I've not grown before: Cayenne peppers! I'm not really a spice lover but I do love growing new things. I enjoy the idea of growing my own peppers, dehydrating them and making my own DIY cayenne pepper flakes.

Besides, my roommate, best friend and photographer-extraordinaire, Chris, LOVES spicy food and she has dibbs on those peppers so she can try and make her own hot sauce.

I ordered Joe's Long Cayenne from Seed Savers Exchange and planted them when I planted my onions and lettuces. They grow long and thin about the width of a pencil.

I'll put these in a bucket in my hoop house this summer. They'll love the heat along with my tomatoes. Maybe there will be enough for some flakes as well as some hot sauce.

Have you ever grown Cayenne Peppers? Did you eat them fresh or use them another way?

Starting seeds indoors

Gardening has begun! I started my first seeds indoors for this year's garden. I started them March 9th (yes, this post is late).

I cleared a space on an unused surface, filled my seed trays with a starting mix and poured boiling water over the trays to wet the soil thoroughly. I then let it sit to cool down and drain off any excess water.

I specifically wanted to try growing onions from seed this year. I've read that growing onions from seeds instead of sets will produce bigger bulbs. It's an experiment so I'll let you know how it turns out. I chose Yellow of Parma onions from Seed Savers Exchange.

I find seeds fascinating! They all look so different. Who would've known that onion seeds look like little pieces of coal?

I also planted two different varieties of lettuce: Little Gem and Lollo De Vino. I'll plant some more a few weeks out to stagger a harvest. I'm not sure I can eat 20 heads of lettuce in a week.

I planted a couple other things but I'll save that for the next post.

After carefully adding a few seeds to each space, I covered them with a light layer of the starter mix and wet them down with a spray bottle of water.  I placed the clear dome cover over each tray and placed the one with onions on a heating mat since onions love heat.

The seeds should sprout soon. The humid, warm climate in a covered seed tray is very conducive to germination. I'll let you know how they do.

Have any of you ever started seeds in doors? What has been your experience?

I have been persuaded...

I have been persuaded to begin blogging again. I must confess, I'm not good at it. Being consistent at posting proves to be difficult for me. But I will try again. I intend to use this blog to help me keep track of my gardening adventures this summer (and maybe beyond).

The posts I've written previously were from a different time in my life and I'm no longer on the path of a half marathon. I discovered gardening the summer of 2012. A friend from work started gardening and shared her stories and it sparked an interest in me. I started out with 2 4x4 foot raised beds.

Last summer, I grew it by adding 2 4x10 foot raised beds and a 7x12 foot hoop house (for all those heat loving plants). I plan to expand one last time this summer. The plan is to add 2 additional 4x10 foot raised beds.

I'm really excited for Spring and the gardening to come. Join me if you can.