Let's Grow Vegetables from Seed

MAHA may be a great idea, but what you do at your house is more important for your health than what's happening at the White House. Growing your own vegetables provides food that's fresher and tastes better than store-bought and helps you get some fresh air, sunshine and exercise. If you grow enough, you can even can your own sauces and soups that don't have any franken-food ingredients.

My first time growing celery from seed.

Here in central Indiana, it's time to plant celery from seed since the average last frost date is 10 weeks away. In a few weeks, it'll be time to plant tomatoes. There are a couple of ways to figure out when to start various seeds where you live:

You can find out when it's time to plant things by 1) looking up your average last frost date, 2) getting a seed packet and looking at the instructions for starting the seeds indoors, and 3) counting backwards on a calendar by the number of weeks indicated.

You could also ask Grok (X's AI feature). I asked it, "when to plant celery seeds 46201" and it gave me not only the time to plant, but other tips on growing celery.

Make sure you have a sunny place to plant the seedlings once they're ready to go in the ground or in a pot. If you'll be planting in pots, get seeds that are labeled for growing in pots. You'll also need some seed starting mix (it's similar to soil) and a seed tray or some plastic or styrofoam cups with holes poked in the bottom for drainage, and a tray or dish to put them on to catch the water.

Moisten the seed starting mix in the bag if it's dry--it's hard to moisten it once it's in a seed tray. Fill the seed trays and gently press the starting mix down to remove any air pockets. Find the recommended planting depth on the seed packet and plant a few seeds in each cell. Put the seed tray within a few inches of a bright light. This one is $15; I've never needed a more expensive grow light. I use a timer to automatically turn my lights on and off. Keep the seeds moist but not soggy--a liquid measuring cup is perfect for watering them. If your seed starting mix has fertilizer, you won't need to add more.

Comments

Lowcarb team member said…

I hope everything grows well from the seeds.
It is always nice to grow your own vegetables if you can.

All the best Jan

February 10, 2025

COVID Vax Mandate for Legal Immigrants Ends

From Townhall.com : During the Biden administration the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services, the office that processes applications for legal immigration, implemented a COVID-19 vaccine mandate for individuals seeking to obtain a green card and eventually, American citizenship. They did not implement the same vaccine requirement for millions of illegal immigrants crossing into the U.S. from Mexico. Today and under new leadership from President Donald Trump, that requirement came to an end. "Effective January 22, 2025, USCIS waives any and all requirements that applicants for adjustment of status to that of a lawful permanent resident present documentation on their Form I-693, Report of Immigration Medical Examination and Vaccination Record, that they received the COVID-19 vaccination. USCIS will not issue any Request for Evidence (RFE) or Notice of Intent to Deny (NOID) related to proving a COVID-19 vaccination. USCIS will not deny any adjustment of status applicat...

Winning! Read some good news!

The good news keeps on coming. After four years of the country being in the biggest mess that most of us have lived through, it feels like spring is here early. The cold wind is refreshing, the snow is sparkling, and the days are getting longer. Photo from Pixabay . If you're getting this post by email, click here to see embedded videos from X. Trump bans the chemical and surgical mutilation of children in the name of "gender affirming care." This is just an executive order, which the next president could overturn; we need Congress to pass a law. The CIA admits COVID was mostly likely a lab leak after all. "The CIA analysis supporting lab origin of COVID was completed and published internally during the Biden administration. It was withheld from the public by the Biden Administration in violation of the COVID-19 Origin Act of 2023, which mandated release," said Richard H. Ebright on X. The CIA now says lab leak is the most likely explanation for COVID-19. R...

Soldiers who refused COVID shot reinstated

"TRUMP REINSTATES SERVICE MEMBERS EXPELLED OVER VACCINE MANDATES Trump signed an order reinstating military members dismissed for refusing COVID-19 vaccines, with full back pay. He also directed the military to end 'radical political theories and social experiments' within its ranks." The Associated Press said in 2023, "More than 8,400 troops were forced out of the military for refusing to obey a lawful order when they declined to get the vaccine. But yesterday, Trump said, "This week I will reinstate any service members who were unjustly expelled from our military for objecting to the COVID vaccine mandate with full back pay. @feds4freedomusa military fired for refusing Covid vaccine will be reinstated with full back pay! Thank you for your relentless work! pic.twitter.com/9PqnERhEnr — Callieopoly (@callieopoly) January 20, 2025 More executive orders from yesterday: "TRUMP ENDS GOVERNMENT CENSORSHIP The order directs agencies to cease any actions t...

My New Favorite Sweetener

If you're looking for a low-carb sweetener with no aftertaste, no franken-ingredients, and that doesn't upset your stomach, try monk fruit (also known as luo han guo). This is what Quest bars were sweetened with when they first came out. Monk fruit is Dr. Davis approved. You can buy monk fruit in powdered or liquid form; both are super-concentrated. They might seem expensive, but you use the powder by the spoonful (even in baking recipes) and the liquid by the drop. The baking recipes I've made with the powder have turned out well. Available from Amazon . Beware monk fruit sweeteners with erythritol. The package of powdered monk fruit sweetener I bought says, "Use 1/8 teaspoon to create the same sweet taste as 1 teaspoon of sugar." But it's so sweet that I use 1/10 the amount. To replace a cup of sugar, I would use 5 teaspoons of monk fruit sweetener. Tip: hand-stir this in before using the beaters. It's such a fine powder that it flies up and out of the ...

Pain, Pain, Go Away!

Search This Blog