Seed Starting

Tomatoes!  Planted yesterday – very, very, VERY late in the season, especially considering how warm it was in February and March. 

I didn’t bother firing up the whole seed-starting rig, which is under a ton of clutter at the moment anyway.  This is the countertop grow-op, just a bulb at the right height over the downstairs kitchen counter, which happens to be clean and clear because of all of Ted’s Pesach organization down there.

I had altogether too many varieties of tomato seed waiting to start, and I only wanted to do one tray (36 plants, under ideal conditions)… so I forced myself to start 4 each of 9 varieties.  I let YM pick a couple of his favourites (based on the names only), and chose a few of my favourites as well (based on either past experience or Googling to see how well-behaved each variety is, in terms of fruit size, plant growth habit, days to maturity and flavour). 

All these seeds were free, either saved myself or gleaned from various seed swap tables I’ve volunteered to run in the last few years – running the tables means I sometimes get first pick!  Most are old seed, however, so I planted generously – in most cases, at least 4 seeds per hole, and usually far more.

1. Break-o-Day (Red, Early)
2. Brown cherry
3. Children’s Garden peach (seeds saved myself)
4. Early tiny cherry (seeds saved myself from a variety I’ve grown every year)
5. Morden Yellow (Canadian short season)
6. Purple Prudens (researched and it sounds interesting)
7. Silvery fir – sounds like nice fruits on a beautiful silvery plant
8. Paul Robeson – dark tomato, I think named after a black Canadian musician, but I could be wrong
9. Gartenperle – nice baskety-style plant with many tiny fruits

So that’s the selection.  If they sprout and if they grow, I’ll plant a bunch around here, give some away to friends and my mother.  I’ll probably also buy some plants at farmers’ markets because they are SO beautiful and smell so good (the plants!).

  

I feel weird starting seeds so late, but I really didn’t get a chance before Pesach.  It took VERY great effort to force myself, every single day of chol hamoed to not touch the box of seeds, just waiting, waiting to be free…

What projects are you tackling now that Yom Tov is over??? I have one more that I’m posting next…