Greenhouse Gardening

Things start small in the greenhouse. Seeds: that's all it takes. One small packet of seeds produces a flat of 72 seedlings which then have to be potted up. It's all about growing plants, of course, tending and nurturing them until they are big enough to thrive outdoors. For me, there is little else more satisfying than growing flowering plants from seed.

During the new-moon phase of every month from February to July, I plant seeds in flats filled with seed-starting medium. Then, after the seedlings emerge and as the next full moon approaches, they get moved to bigger pots. 

I also start porch planters in the greenhouse using large containers and tiny plants which grow for several months before going to porches.

This year, I bought 300 plugs of lavender commercially started from seed and shipped on 6 small plug trays. This is a first for me and the plan is a field of lavender.

Then they grew and became 300 quart sized pots and this year, as critical mass arrived, rain set in and the greenhouse got overcrowded.

  Fortunately, lavender can grow outside the greenhouse and grazing deer aren't remotely interested. (the reason lavender was chosen.) So the lavender got moved out in favor of zinnias, cosmos, white Italian sunflowers and all the colorful annuals for cutting gardens.

As I watered my indoor plants even during days of downpouring rain outdoors, I noticed deep holes in the soil of some planters and dislodged plants. Thinking of chipmunks, squirrels and rabbits, I let the dogs sniff around, but they weren't interested. Then, I noticed a rusty brown "rock" in one of the lavender starts...with eyes. Hmm. A toad.

Motionless and groggy by day, I am happy to think of him eating insects by night. If only he wouldn't dig up the plants! 

His old friend, the Great Toad lives in the "frog" pond. Can't tell you how many millions of tadpoles there were this year. Many more than there are frogs and toads in the end, so there must be predators lurking somewhere.

Can you tell me-do you know? What eats toads?