today was a perfect day to do some more gardening. i planted some seeds in 2 antique seedling trays i got last year. they weigh a ton. the seeds were tomatillo, pomadoro -- and some carrot seeds in another trough. i also threw some wildflower, nicotiana and oriental poppy seeds along a border, though who knows if they will take as there is only around 2 inches of depth for them to grow in... i used some of those expandable bricks in the seedling trays -- where you plop the bricks into a tray and add warm water. this time they didn't expand (probably because they are a bit aged), and resembled brownies...so i put them on top and underneath regular potting soil. i grew carrots years ago and they were great. it's important to have the soil finely filtered so to speak, otherwise when your carrot hits a rock in the soil it grows around it, hence the funny shaped carrots you sometimes see. i ended up with some short fat round ones but they tasted good and actually looked quite fun. be careful when you prick out your carrot seedlings -- if you break the shoots they release a scent that attracts fruit flies and these can ruin your vegetable crop. i got that handy tip from a vegetable gardener extraordinaire -- i was super careful (used tweezers!!!) about pricking out my seedlings and happily every one of them survived. i am keeping my fingers crossed this time. later on i will plant out some poblano peppers etc. the ones above i can shelter until the first frost (i understand it's around 15 april in dc) and then throw outside permanently. i also picked up some of the most beautiful tulips. they didn't have a specific name i'm afraid, but they look like paper and they have the most wonderful shredded edges to their petals. in addition i couldn't resist picking up some white lilac. garden shops are lethal places for me...