Saturday (about 14 days ago).
The day started out as one of those BIG TEASE of SPRING days! The sun was bright and my wireless thermometer was nudging the 50 degree mark. I was out the door early that morning, deciding I did not have time to change out of my pajammas to impress the neighbors. I loaded the bird feeders on the way out. Mug of coffee in hand, I was inspecting here, there, and everywhere looking for evidence of GREEN! ANYTHING? Anything at ALL? Green would be a salve to my being! There were snow piles in my brain and in most of the gardens, though the lawn was mostly bare. A few white piles in the shadows of the picnic table, grill, and shrubs that make up my "yard". I grabbed a rake and halfheartedly raked at some of the snow piles...giving them a gentle nudge to GO AWAY a bit more quickly (with the implied threat that if they didn't go away, I'd be breaking out the weed burner)! The grass was HINTING at being green and as I looked a bit more closely, I noticed that the crocus were just poking out a bit! Ahh.....It really IS coming! Then reality hit....the clouds came in fast and the rather warm air got downright chilly very quickly. Grumbling under my breath....I headed for the back door.
Up to my office to check the weather thingie on my computer desktop and see if those dratted clouds were going away. NO such luck! Back down to the dining room I went and stood staring out the slider at the yard. I guess I was there a bit of a while too long, because my wife finally asked what it was I was doing. "Look'natthetmtplnts" I mumbled. "Excuse me"?, she said. Kinda coming back to consciousness....I said..."looking at the tomato plants"! "SURE you are'', she replied. "IT'S MARCH!" Well, I know THAT... but its TIME....and I was kinda viewing them in the future tense, anyway!
Now, I love seed catalogs....but I am also a New Englander... and that means I won't stand for those high shipping charges. So I make my list of wants....then head down the hill to the local discount store. They have the Burpee display and the price is 40% off the list price. So, I find anything they have that's on my list and buy them. Then I go back up the hill and order whatever I can't get locally.
Well, two weeks have come and gone and the seeds have come and stayed. I have all the seeds I want to pre-start in the house. I have replaced the two 72 cell trays that just didn't have the gumption to last another year. All the water trays, the cells, and other components of the growing system have been sterilized in the big plastic tote I got at the discount store.
Do you want to grow your own? I guarantee that what YOU grow will be a darn sight better than anything you can buy in the grocery. OK...follow along and we'll see how good we can do this year together. I can't wait to hear how you do! I'll be here right along to help if need be. Next time: we'll go through the actual seed planting. If you are new to this but don't know where to start....here's your homework for this week:
Decide how many plants you want to grow. Remember, there is no such thing as TOO MANY plants! I always plant 30 -36 seeds of EACH variety that I want to plant for the year. More on why in a minute.
OK, now think about varieties. There are SO many!. So, if this is new to you, I suggest this: Try one cherry or grape type...one medium 'slicer'...and one 'Beefsteak' type. If you like to make sauce, maybe a plum type also. Take a trip to a store that sells seed. Read the packages and just pick one of each type that appeals to you. Note that there are 2 types of plants-determinate and indeterminate. Only difference is that the inderterminant types just keep on getting longer. This is not an issue. If it is appealing...buy it. Most packets will yield that 30 - 36 seeds.
Once you have decided on your seeds, you will know how many seed starting kits to buy. I always use the 72 cell kits. Each 72 cell kit will accomodate 2 seed packets.
Now here is something important: For filling the trays...DO NOT use DIRT! Or by another name.....POTTING soil! What you want to buy is soiless mix, seed starting mix, or similar. These mixes are all a combination mainly of peat and perlite. There are lots of companies that sell these materials and they are available at most garden centers or the big box stores that have garden departments.
Ok....just to finish up before you head off to the store. Here's why I always do so many: Sometimes ALL the seeds don't sprout or you lose a few on the way. Once we get to the transplant stage....I pick the best ones for myself. Then I sell or give away the rest to friends and neighbors who are more than happy to fork over a buck or so a plant. It never costs me anything to start my plants...and I make a bunch of people happy to boot. OH and here is why I start from seed. I'll bet you a box of donuts...that 2 hours before you looked at a bunch of plants at the Big Box Hyper Garden Center, there is a possibilty that those poor things were wilted and droopy and half DEAD because the employees were too busy taking their coffee break to give them any water. Stressed plants never do as well as ones that are given TLC! Know for sure and start from seed! Note: I want to assure you that if you buy plants from a REAL garden center...that won't be a problem. They NEVER let that happen. So if you want to go that route, please feel free, but choose a reputable garden center. One final thought. There really aren't any hard and fast rules. If you do something and it works....do it again!
