Babies Waiting for Spring

Seedlings have been growing in the potting shed for the last month and I don't know if it is just me transferring my feelings, but they seem to be impatiently waiting for spring.  The tomatoes, eggplant, and pepper have to wait until mid April for their garden debut. 

I fell for a new tomato hybrid this year.  I usually stick with heirloom varieties such as Cherokee Purple, Amish Paste, San Marzano, Brandywine, and Yellow Pear.  This year my tomato goal is to harvest enough paste tomatoes to make sauce to can.  When I saw Burpee's new Super Sauce Tomato, I couldn't resist trying.  I've never paid $6.50 for 25 seeds before, so these tomatoes better be amazing!  
 

Also growing in the potting shed are some broccoli seedlings.  I will be hardening them off this week!

I can't wait for a growing garden and yummy harvests.  I was a bit (ok, a lot) neglectful of my winter garden, so not much survived to provide fresh produce in the early spring.  However, the bees seem to appreciate my neglect.  I planted pac choi in the fall and never got around to harvesting it.  It is now flowering and the bees are flocking to it.

I'm glad someone can benefit from my gardening neglect!

Project: Bee Mason Home

Mason bees are solitary bees that do not sting and make wonderful pollinators.  They like to nest in narrow holes or hollow twigs.  You can buy bee mason homes to give them a place to lay their eggs and then pollinate your garden.  However, I thought it would cheap and easy to make my own bee mason home. 

Bamboo makes the perfect hollow tube to make a bee mason house.  Bamboo is an invasive species here in South Carolina, so it is not hard to find.  The ideal hole size for mason bees is 5/16".  I got a variety of bamboo sizes, so hopefully enough of them will be the right size.

For the structure of the bee mason house I used an old bird feeder.  I've seen where people have used flower pots, wide pipes, or built a structure.  The only important thing about the structure is that it has a back to prevent wind from blowing through the holes.

I took out the plastic on one side of the bird feeder and then began cutting the bamboo to fit, which was about three inches.

Then I stacked the bamboo in the birdhouse, using the smaller pieces to fill in the gaps.

Now its time to hang it up and wait to see if the mason bees approve of my home building.  I read that the best location for bee mason houses is facing the morning sun. 

The bee mason house is up and ready for some spring tenants that will hopefully decide to make my garden their new home.