Almost(?) Spring, or does 2020 just not want to leave…

I know it’s February, but it’s been really cold this year. All 1 and 1/2 months of it. I think 2020 just doesn’t want to let go and that’s why we keep having winter storms. Well, I’m “rooting” for 2021. To back that up I started my indoor seeds today.

I’ve definitely over-started on my seeds. You can expect that there will be a lot of “extras” come this spring. If this year gets better, some will go to the office. Otherwise I’ll be setting up a table in the front of the house like last spring.

New Seed Station

I’ve added a 3 foot wide wire shelf that my husband gave me to the seed station. Yippee! More plants! I just ordered some lights for it.

New wire rack added to the seed station.

The new rack is 3 feet wide and a little narrower than the 4 foot rack. The old rack can fit 4 72 cell seed trays per shelf. The new 3 foot rack can hold 3 36 cell seed trays per shelf. No complaints! That’s a lot of plants.

What’s Started

I started 4 new 72 cell trays today. This year I broke it down into 12 columns of 6 rows each. Each column has the same plant. Makes it much easier to record. And with my 6 new window box planters, it’ll be nice to have the same plants. 

These are the first seed trays of 2021.

I get my seeds from TomatoFest; Seeds ‘n Such; Jung Seeds; Ferry-Morse; Swallowtail Garden Seeds; Park Seed; Outsidepride; JL Hudson Seeds; Harris Seeds;  Lowe’s, Home Depot; and some other places and seed swaps. 

Tray 2021-01

These are all tomatoes. The majority of the seeds came from TomatoFest – they sell organic heirloom seeds. Lots of interesting histories and origin stories. Here’s the list for this tray. I recommend going to TomatoFest and looking up the different varieties. Some good tomatoes going on.
  1. Aker’s West Virginia Tomatoes
  2. Holland Tomatoes
  3. 1884 Tomatoes
  4. Rawlings Tomatoes
  5. Optimus Tomatoes
  6. Arkansas Traveler Tomatoes
  7. Cindy’s West Virginia Tomatoes
  8. Clint Eastwood Rowdy Red Tomatoes
  9. Hogs Heart Tomatoes
  10. Marizol Red Tomatoes
  11. Mrs. Maxwell’s Big Italian Tomatoes
  12. San Marzano Redorta Tomatoes

Tray 2021-02

This tray has half tomatoes, and the rest are broccoli and eggplants.

Something I learned, and should have known… maybe I did know and just don’t remember… anyways, what I found was some of the germination dates for vegetables are very long.

  • Tomatoes generally germinate between 7 – 10 days
  • Eggplants generally germinate between 15 – 30 days
  • Peppers generally germinate between 15 – 30 days. It can take longer for hotter peppers. They also may need a heat map, or it may take longer. So a seed mat is on order. 
Here’s the list for this tray.
  1. Blondkopfchen Tomatoes (planted these especially for Rhonda & Marcellus) – TomatoFest
  2. Long Tom Tomatoes – TomatoFest
  3. Blue Ridge Mountain Tomatoes – TomatoFest
  4. Bison Tomatoes – TomatoFest
  5. Hybrid Big Beef Tomatoes – Seeds ‘n Such
  6. Giant Oxheart Tomatoes – Jung Seeds
  7. Waltham Broccoli – Ferry-Morse
  8. Waltham Broccoli – Ferry-Morse
  9. Eggplant Black Beauty – Park Seed
  10. Eggplant Rosa Blanca – Park Seed
  11. Eggplant White Star – Park Seed
  12. Margaret’s Peppers – Jung Seeds

Tray 2020-01

This tray is full of peppers. This is the first time I’ve tried this many seeds. Usually I only try a 36 cell tray. I’m taking a chance and seeing what grows. Here’s the list for this tray.
  1. Burning Bush Hybrid Pepper – Jung Seeds
  2. Bull Noes Pepper – Monticello
  3. Pardon Pepper – JL Hudson (this grew well last year)
  4. California Wonder Pepper – Ferry-Morse
  5. Pasilla Bajio Pepper – Seeds ‘n Such
  6. Purple Beauty Pepper – Seeds ‘n Such
  7. Anaheim Pepper – JL Hudson
  8. Serrano Chili Pepper – Seeds ‘n Such
  9. Early Jalapeno Pepper – Park Seed
  10. Anaheim Pepper – Park Seed
  11. Cascabella Pepper – Ferry-Morse
  12. Margaret’s Pepper – Jung Seeds

Tray 2021-03

The last tray is all flowers. I have a lot more to go, but this is a start. Plus I’m down to about my last 100 peat pots. I have an order in for another 1,000. That should last for a little while. Here’s the list for this tray.
  1. Calibrachoa, kabloom Light Pink – Swallowtail Garden Seeds
  2.  Calibrachoa, Crave Strawberry Star – Outsidepride
  3. Calibrachoa, Kabloom Denim – Outsidepride
  4. Calibrachoa, Kabloom Light Pink Blast – Harris Seeds
  5. Nemesia, Strumosa Blue Gem – Outsidepride
  6. Nemesia, Strumosa Orange Prince – Outsidepride
  7. Bacopa, Blutopia Blue – Outsidepride
  8. Bacopa, Snowtopia White – Outsidepride
  9. Bacopa, Utopia Fuseables – Outsidepride
  10. Angelonia, Serena Rose – Outsidepride
  11. Angelonia, Serena Blue – Outsidepride
  12. Nemesia, Poetry Mix – Park Seed