Weeks and weeks ago i transplanted a 3" tall volunteer sunflower seedling from between stones on the Stone Patio to the Kitchen Garden, about ten feet away. It has since thrived and shot up to over 6'. Four days ago I settled sunflower seeds into vermiculite-filled soy yogurt cups and gave them a good soak. This afternoon, the first flowerhead on the Volunteer is unfolding just as the Yogurt Cup guys are emerging. The YC sunflowers I started especially for my son and his fiance's September wedding...I'll try to communicate ( to the seedlings ) the importance of timing their blooming to the wedding date, and see what happens :>
I also started some Morning Glories a few weeks ago and now have those in the ground and in a big pot...they have really taken off in the last day, with the heat ( and extra water)...Heavenly Blue...wonderfully cool crisp , fraglie flowers. The unexpected pleasure of re-using the yogurt cups over and over ...tomatoes, Cardinal Climbers ( up to 9 feet today, but no blossoms yet ), MGs, Sunflowers... has been fun. They're the perfect size, and with little slits cut into their bottoms, they soak up water from tubs, and drain off nicely.
I've been seeing a few 2" long Praying Mantis' energetically skipping among the tomato plants...hope they're finding lots to eat ! I rescued a 3/4" brown one from the kitchen counter the other day ...not sure how he got there, but I was so happy to get him/her out the door undamaged.
I've put off posting this till the sunflower seedlings were big enought to show...and here they are ! The tall leafy vine in the Silk cup is one of the Morning Glories, still waiting to get planted. As you can see, there are several brands of soy yogurt available... Trader Joe's , Whole Soy, Stonyfield and Silk are represented here. Not seen is the Wildwood brand, which has the advantage of coming in the quart size, unsweetened and unflavored...very nice to have on hand for uses other than the morning's first bite ! Some grocery stores carry a few brands, some carry none...you do have to do your homework to stay staocked up as a vegan !
