So, lest you think I overstated my plant-killing skills, I just want to let you know that a scant few weeks after our seeds sprouted, they are all dead. Dead, dead, dead. It’s kind of depressing. When they started showing signs of distress, I tried everything I could think of, but I’m not really good at reading sick plants. Were they getting too much water? Not enough water? Too much sun? Not enough sun? I have no idea. However, our strawberry plants are not only miraculously yet alive, but somehow flourishing. They’re making new leaves and everything! I think we’re going to try again – maybe I just planted too early for our wintry northern climate. Maybe I just need to conduct more research on the plants I’m trying to grow…we’ll see.
In the meantime, I’ve been in sort of a slump over the past few weeks and I pulled out some of my old toys. Back in the day I was quite the avid artist, although I don’t use my skills much for their own sake anymore. (My kids enjoy the pictures I draw for them, though.) The octopus on the front of one of Max’s library books caught my imagination, though, and I wanted to create an image of a happy little octopus with my pastels.
I’m not sure why the paper in the scan looks so dirty. I like my little octopus, though!
Oh no – your poor little seedlings! After reading your previous post about seedlings I had a go at planting out some sweetpeas using egg boxes and they seem to be growing quite well at the moment, though now I’m worried that they too will suffer some mysterious fate as I’m also pretty bad at keeping plants alive.
I love your octopus, he looks well pleased with himself.
Love your octopus!
Yeah I thought it was a bit early…but I don’t know the climate there. I stick to a schedule of planting my seedlings at tax time (April 15thish) and then moving them outside around Memorial Day.
Check with other gardeners there for dates. We are supposed to put in Peas in Feb. (even if you need a shotgun to do it). Whatever you’d have in Corned Beef on St. Patricks day, most of the rest at tax time, then the squash family by May 15th. But that’s all for outdoors – indoors I sprout and Kill every time 😀
I’m sure the same thing would have happened to me. I tried and tried to grow flowers from seeds and only a few sprouted and then they died a couple of months later never getting any bigger. My friend planted her the same time and she got really beautiful flowers. Not fair! I think she cheated.
You are a woman of many talents! That is a very happy octopus. So cute!