Even my spring garden plans seem to be in stasis as snow is falling here in the Seattle area. Sure it's not much, not much at all, but it's darn cold and anything but spring-like. For some reason, spring seems like a whole season away, rather than a month or so.
Of course, you wouldn't know it looking at my light system, though it's pretty much on auto-pilot except for watering every few days and moving the lights around if necessary. And boy has it been necessary. Here is what my light system looked like a few weeks ago.
And here is what it looked like a few days ago...
Yes, it looks like I could start harvesting lettuce already, and the root systems are actually growing together from one soil block to the next. If it weren't snowing, I'd be planting these out now. They may very well go in the ground this weekend under a hoop cover. Not sure.
Here are the tomatoes that I successfully germinated this year.
As you can see, there is a real difference in the ages of the various seedlings. Though I started germinating seeds in my kitchen weeks ago, I have had several failed attempts and replantings have been necessary. Maybe two of my original 8 actually grew. And yes, I still have a good handfull of cups on top of the fridge trying like mad to germinate. Grrr.
That said, I should give a word of caution for anyone that was frustrated like me with poor germination and replanted new seed into the same cups that failed to germinate. I strongly believe I gave up on a variety and planted another in this next cup, only to have three seedlings germinate eventually. Now I have no idea which is which.
According to my gardening buddy EG, it is simple to separate out seedlings like this when potting up. I however have never had luck doing it with tomatoes. I am not sure if I'll try it or just pick a random seedling to survive. That'll teach me not to remove the top half inch of soil before replanting a different variety.
Lastly, I should mention that my brother may not be getting chickens this year. As he was my chicken buddy and motivation to take the plunge, I am not certain I will either if he does not. Of course I would be very disappointed, but I don't think I could do it without him. Silly, I know. Here's hoping I can convince him to go through with it.
Enjoy your garden!
Hey there ol' buddy....you've got some nice looking tomato seedlings there....
ReplyDeleteWow! Those seedlings are lookin' good! Hopefully the snow that is falling won't stay long and you can start planting your spring garden.
ReplyDeleteYou must be disappointed to not start with chickens this year, but it will be more fun if you and your brother can experience chicken raising together. I don't blame you for waiting. Maybe you can find a local source for fresh eggs in the mean time?
So, so, so, so glad you're still with it and more glad that you've switched to blogger so I can keep up with things better. You're awesome.
ReplyDeleteHope the boys are doing well.
The seedlings are coming along really well. The lettuces definitely could stand being planted out if you can prepare a protected area for them once this latest cold snap moves on.
ReplyDeleteLook at all of that stuff growing and just waiting to get outside :) .
ReplyDeleteLOL, I did the exact same thing as you! I planted multiple seeds in the same cup thinking the others were a dud, then several came up and I'm not sure what's what.