So this year… I decided to try something I’ve never done before 👀 I’ve seen people talk about winter sowing in milk jugs, but I’ve never actually committed to it. Until now. So I grabbed a few jugs, cut them open, filled them with soil… and planted some seeds like little time capsules waiting for spring 🌱 Now they’re sitting outside doing their thing — going through the cold, the sun, the moisture… basically handling life on their own. And honestly? I have no idea what’s going to happen 😂 But that’s kind of the fun of it. Seeing those tiny green sprouts inside already has me thinking this might be one of those “why didn’t I do this sooner?” moments. If this works… this might be a game changer for starting plants without babysitting trays inside. 👉 Anyone else ever try milk jug growing before? 👉 What did you plant in yours?

Alright… quick sweet potato update. And before anyone says anything… Yes. I meant for this to happen 😄 I didn’t put these in jars to “try it out.” I put them in there because I wanted as many slips as possible when planting time hits. And right now? Mission accomplished. We’ve got: * Slips popping out everywhere 🌱 * Roots going absolutely wild in the jars * Leaves stacking on top of each other like they’re racing This isn’t a sweet potato anymore. This is a slip production system. The strategy: Instead of starting a few plants… I figured: Why not turn each potato into a whole line-up? More slips = more plants More plants = more harvest More harvest = more food (and maybe a little bragging 😏) The part I love about this: There’s something really satisfying about seeing it work exactly how you planned. No fancy setup. No complicated system. Just: * Water * Time * Letting the plant do its thing And sweet potatoes? They don’t hold back. Current situation: I’m basically farming plants… before they even hit soil 😂 Soon I’ll be: * Snipping slips * Rooting them * Getting them ready for the garden And when planting time comes… We’re not starting small. Real talk: If you’ve never done this before… This is one of the easiest ways to multiply your garden fast. You start with one potato… And end up with a whole army. And honestly? That was the goal all along

Alright… pepper update. And uh… We had an incident. So everything was going great. Seeds popped.Plants were growing.I was feeling like a responsible plant parent. Then I made one small mistake… I trusted the grow light a little too much. Turns out… Pepper seedlings + too-close grow light = tiny plant barbecue 🔥 Yeah… I crisped a couple of them. Not full destruction… but definitely enough for them to be like: “Hey… what was that???” What happened: - Light was a little too close - Leaves started getting that “crispy edge / faded look” - A few seedlings basically said “we’re out” What I learned (the hard way): - Peppers are tough… but not THAT tough 😂 - Light distance matters - “More light” is NOT always better The good news: Most of them are still doing great 🙌 And honestly? This is part of it. You don’t learn gardening by doing everything right… You learn it by slightly roasting your plants and adjusting 😅 Current setup changes: - Raised the light a bit - Keeping a closer eye on leaf color - Letting them recover instead of panicking Real talk: Nobody posts this part. But this is the part that actually makes you better. So if you’ve ever: - Overwatered - Burned plants - Forgotten something Congrats. You’re officially a gardener. If anyone else has accidentally cooked their seedlings before… Please tell me I’m not alone 😂🔥

Went to check in the garlic bed today. I am one happy girl! This will be my first year with garlic. Fingers crossed 🤞

Today I started my onion seeds, and I wanted to show the Rooted Crew exactly what I did in case anyone else wants to try growing onions from seed this year. First, I mixed up a batch of seed-starting soil using the soil calculator. It’s that simple peat-based seed mix that stays light and drains well. Once the soil was ready, here’s the process I followed. My Onion Seed Starting Method 1️⃣ I filled a 1-gallon nursery pot with the seed starting mix. 2️⃣ I watered the soil first so the mix was evenly moist before planting. 3️⃣ I sprinkled the onion seeds across the surface of the soil. I didn’t try to space them perfectly. Onions actually do well when they start out a little crowded like this. 4️⃣ Then I added a very light dusting of soil over the seeds.Just enough to barely cover them. 5️⃣ I gently watered again to settle everything in. 6️⃣ Finally, I placed the pot in a sunny window so they can start germinating. Now we wait for the little green onion threads to start popping up. 🌱 Why I Started Them in a Bigger Pot A lot of people start onions in trays, but I like using a larger pot sometimes because it lets the seedlings grow together for a while. Later on you can simply separate the seedlings into little bunches and transplant them into the garden. It’s simple and it works. Quick Onion Tip: Long-Day vs Short-Day Onions This part confuses a lot of gardeners, so here’s the quick explanation. Onions form their bulbs based on day length, not just age. Long-day onions • Start forming bulbs when daylight reaches about 14–16 hours• Best for northern areas like Wisconsin, Michigan, Minnesota, etc. Short-day onions • Start forming bulbs when days reach 10–12 hours• Best for southern climates like Texas, Florida, and Georgia. Since we live farther north, long-day onions are the right choice. If you plant the wrong type, the plant might grow leaves but never form a proper bulb. Why Growing Onions From Seed is Worth It Most people buy onion sets, but starting from seed has some advantages: