Other Years

2022
May 25: Ben planted a pack of seeds in the garden.
June 9: Good sprouting ratio.
August 21: A mass of leaves and flowers!
 
2021
May 19: I planted 8 seeds in the garden.
December 31: I don't remember any sprouts. The summer was extremely dry.
 
2020
24: I put 16 Alaska seeds in water to soak overnight.
25: I planted those seeds in the raised bed.
June 2: Sprouts, I think. I don't remember what nasturtium sprouts look like.
June 10: Good enough germination in their spot.
July 13: A few flowers now.
August 19: Severely damaged in the last 3 days by flea beetles.
 
2018
December 31: A few Alaskas in the raised bed did not do particularly well.
 
2016
April 5: I put my 25 remaining Alaska seeds into water.
8: 2 sprouting seeds. I put them in soil in newspaper cones inside large styrofoam cups.
10: One cup has a sprout coming through.
11: A third seed germainated.
12: The third seed is now in a cup.
24: I bought a second package of seeds and I have about 10 seedlings now. It appears that all the seeds that germinate develop into seedlings.
May 25: I set out 9 plants.
 
2014
April 8: I planted 18 Alaska seeds in 6 peat pots.
9: I put 20 Cobra seeds in moist paper towel to germinate.
18: No Alaska sprouts yet. Four of the Cobra seeds have begun to germinate so I put them in soil in foam cups. I put the rest of them, still in paper towel, in the warming box to see what happens.
19: The seeds in the warming box are going mouldy.
June 19: Never a sprout.
 
2013
March 27: I planted some seeds of the Cobra variety in a hanging basket.
May 2: I planted 12 Alaska seeds in 6 peat pots.
9: There are 2 Cobra sprouts.
12: And now also 2 Alaskas.
26: The Cobra sprouts have been damaged by winds. I planted the 3 Alaska sprouts.
September 23: They grew very well for a time then one day many leaves mysteriously died away. They have mostly recovered now. The leaves were a great addition to a recent potato salad.
 
2012
March 27: I planted 6 seeds of the Cobra variety in a hanging basket.
September 17: They were a disappointment. Germination of the Cobras was very poor, although I tried 3 batches in 3 different ways. Furthermore, the Alaska plants that I set out in the raised bed scarcely grew.
 
2011
April 3: I put 21 Alaska seeds in water to soak.
4: I planted them in 10 peat pots.
13: First sprout today.
June 5: I planted my 3 seedlings, still in their peat pots.
27: They did not grow at first, but now they are producing new large leaves.
July 6: First flower.
 
2010
May 4: I started 6 cups, with 1 seed per cup. I lines the cups with paper towel first.
16: Sprouts in all 6 cups.
June 16: I set out my 6 plants in the red tulip bed, after clearing away the tulips and mulching with cardboard and plant material.
July 2: All but 2 died. Those 2 look like they are going to do well enough though. Puzzling.
10: First flower.
 
2009
May 3: I put 8 seeds in water to soak.
July 4: Coming along fine.
August 3: Doing fine.
18: Suddenly tall with many flowers.
September 29: Two plants have spread widely and are covered with blossoms. Two other were smothered by the petunias and have not done much since the petunias caught up.
 
2008
April 19: I put about 60 seeds in moist cloth to begin germination.
April 22: Yesterday and today I put 59 seeds in soil. I saw that some of today’s seeds had begun to germinate whilst in the moist cloth.
25: 4 sprouts.
28: About 20 sprouts. A disappointing germination rate, about 33%.
May 10: Although a few more sprouts appeared, the rate is still not good. I soaked another package of Alaska seeds and put them in styrofoam cups to sprout, one seed per cup. I also transferred some seedlings from their large shared flats into cups. Nasturtiums do not transplant well, I have read. Their roots were long and I'm sure many broke during the process.
June 24: None of the new seeds germinated! Of the plants downtown, some are doing well and some are doing poorly.
October 8: The plants in my garden died mysteriously about a month ago, but the ones downtown are still flowering.
 

Alaska Nasturtiums, 2007

2007
May 1: I have planted about 40 Alaska plants in styrofoam cups. They are intended to go in the front planters at my club.
7: I sowed about 12 seeds of the tall climbing variety in the south semicircle.
28: I set out 35 in the front planters at the club downtown.
31: Some sprouts today in the semicircular bed.
June 24: The tall climbers are doing fine. They have not spread far but their leaves are large. There are 5 Alaska's near the sweet peas, and they are smaller but doing fine.
 
2006
January 3: Seeds of Alaska Mixed arrived today from Stokes.
March 25: I bought a package of McKenzie brand Tall Climbing Mix seeds from Walmart, $1.69.
April 17: I started 8 large cells of Alaska and 4 of Tall Climbers.
22: There were no sprouts in the morning, but some broke through in the afternoon.
~26: I started many seeds of all varieties in perlite in large styrofoam cups.
May 1: I transferred the tall climbing sprouts and half of the Jewel sprouts into small styrofoam cups.
22: I set out 3 Tall Climbers in the south semicircle.
30: I planted almost all of my plants at my club.
31: I planted my last 2 Jewels among the yellow tulips.
June 3: I put 9 Alaska seeds in water to soak.
August 1: The ones that were set out early are doing well. Late additions are not.
 

Jewel Nasturtiums, 2005

2005
April 6: I bought a package of McKenzie seeds of the Jewel Mixed variety for $3.
24: Started.
29: Sprouts this afternoon.
May 26: I set out about 14 plants in 2 beds.
June 2:  I set out 3 extras along the west side of the house, where the soil is poor.
22:  First flower, along the west side of the house.
24:  Flowers in all locations.
October 4:  They spread widely and have flowered prolifically!
October 11:  I looked before fairly unsuccessfully for seeds on the vine, but they were all undeveloped. I found them today on the ground. They evidently fall off when they have matured.
None other years.
 
Glorious Gleam Nasturtiums
2020
24: I put 16 seeds in water to soak overnight.
25: I planted those seeds along the fence. This a semi-climber variety and I hope the plants will climb the fence.
June 2: Sprouts, I think. I don't remember what nasturtium sprouts look like.
June 10: I put 20 more seeds in water as there are too many gaps in the garden row.
July 1: I have been planting those seeds outside around the new pond as they germinate but 14 were still left. I discovered that nasturtium seeds only germinate in the dark, so that's one reason for my poor success rate. They were receiving daylight for 12 days. Today I planted those 14 outside and will see what happens. I also inspected their row along the fence and saw that all but one seed sprouted. That's a very high success rate for outside seeds.
17: A few flowers.
August 19: Severely damaged or almost totally destroyed in the last 3 days by flea beetles.