Yellow Popcorn and Barley:

As a second experiment, I had been trying to get Popcorn Kernels to grow. I was trying to germinate them on a damp paper towel. Each kernel soon grew a little white, hairy root, and a thin, green, stem. I moved them to a similar tray which i put on my desk, next to the garlic. This may be tricky because corn does not grow during the winter exept in hydroponics. My desk had become a nursery.

I had also looked out the window to check on my neglected bird feeder. As i should have expected, there was mold and plenty of it, caused my the rain no doubt. what i did not expect to see, however, were tiny blades of grass and little white roots rising out of it. Also caused by the rain. When a dormant seed detects water, it will germinate. I guess the birdseed germinated because of bird shit and rain. I placed all the live chunks of seed in some moist soil and coco fiber in a container on my desk.

I have no idea what this grass is, it could be chia, barley, wheat, corn, rice, or any number of other things in the birdseed. I guess ill call it mystery grass for now.

By the 15th, I am pretty sure it is barley.

Yukon Gold and Russet Burbank Potatoes:

To add to this, I am going to try chitting next year's potatoes. I am using Yukon Gold I bought at a local farm, because I know they are organic. I did this because I doubted the russet potatoes out back would have rotted away from blight, after the recent rain. I was proven wrong when I yanked them up. Five mature potatoes. there was maybe 20 tiny potatoes (less than an inch in length) that I did not pick. I then composted the uprooted plant.

I now had Five Russets, and two Yukon Golds. I took the greenest Russet, and the most inedible Yukon Gold I had, and set them up for chitting (germination) in a pot full of potting soil my bedroom. I wish them both well, and I hope that they become next summer's potato plants.

Strawberries (Wild, and Domesticated):

On the 16th, I finally brought by strawberry plants inside for the winter. This was not completely necessary because strawberries are native and would stay dormant over the winter without my help, but the rabbits, birds, chipmunks, and slugs had made sure I didnt eat a single strawberry myself. I am going to try to grow and propagate the strawberry plants over the winter, in my bedroom, which is free of pests. Hopefully, the strawberry plants will finally be worth it.

Luckily, Strawberries transplant well, which i will take advantage of as shown here.

My strawberries are about a 50/50 mix of wild strawberry plants stolen from a weeding customer's garden, and a Domesticated strawberry plant given to my mom as a gift.

I already have noticed small, hairy green sprouts, which im guessing will become berries.

The Seed Package:

On the 18th, a cardboard box arrived at my front door. It was from my cousin, Nick, who works at O'Donnell's nursery.

Lol this is a paid sponsorship.

The box was filled with seeds:

• Teasel

• Blue Morning Glory

• Bull Thistle

• American and European Larch

• Dawn Redwood

• Pitch Pine

• Peony

• Bald Cypress (Only four seeds exist in the state of Maine)

• Oriental and California Poppy

• White Spruce

• Milkweed

• Spotted Bee Balm

...Many other flowers that I have never heard of.

I extracted the pitch pine seeds from the pine cone. I then put them in a cardboard planter and placed the planter in the fridge (3 months cold stratification) this is supposed to "trick" the seed into "thinking" it is spring, so that when I take it out of the fridge, they will sense it is time to germinate. I will then keep it indoors until spring.

I also planted the bull thistle, poppy, morning glory, and teasel seeds in the same planters, but that will go in my desktop garden.

I will save the rest for spring. I do not want to have too many indoor projects at once.

The Teasel, Morning Glory, and Poppy Seeds are doing well. The seeds can sense moisture and have created roots and short stems after a few days of being moist. This is called Germination.