Spring is Coming!

Mid February can be a dreary time, but then you get to start seeds. Today was all about seeds. I got all the seeds organized into what needs to be planted/started when. I also made up the seed starting mix from Eliot Coleman's Market Gardener book.  Nothing like working with peat moss and vermiculite and water to feel like spring.

I planted two large flats of onion seeds and a pack of leek seeds. I think alliums are my favorite veggie to grow for transplanting.  I also started some broccoli and cauliflower and a couple of tomato seeds. Last year I spent too much money on two grafted Cherokee Purple tomato plants that were supposed to be blight resistant. The only reason they were better was that they were bigger/older. The grafted tomatoes gave us tomatoes a good couple of weeks before the regular plants but I think it was only because they had a big head start. Once the blight hit they were worse than the regular tomato plants. I planted a few seeds of German Stripe and Pink Bumblebee to grow out into big pots to see if I can get some earlier tomatoes. Years ago I grew Siberian tomatoes and they gave us tomatoes about two weeks sooner but I wasn't thrilled with the taste. My daughter grew the Bumblebee varieties at Rodale last year and they were very tasty. And as a cherry type tomato I am thinking I can get them to fruit earlier. Between lambs coming in a week and a half and seeds being planted spring really is right around the corner! (Even if the ground is still covered in snow.)