Grow Lights for Seedlings

Some folks have fancy grow-light systems for their seedlings. I usually just use the window, but it means the seedlings get quite leggy. This year, I'm trying a grow-light. I didn't have a stand for it, so I stacked some classics on each side. I'll add more classics to raise the lights as the plants grow. Some plants have their first true leaves, so I will re-pot them into a garden mix this week. They were started in sterile soil, and once the plants start to grow, they need nutrients from different soil, and a little bit of weak fertilizer.

It's a Tie

Sweet 100 cherry tomatoes, sungold cherry tomatoes and spaghetti squash all broke through the soil today. These seeds were planted Sunday.

First Sprouters

I expected the cucumber to be up after 4 days...but not the tomatoes. Eager seedlings are popping up quickly this year. Notice that I'm using toilet paper tubes for seed-starting this year. It's an experiment.

Seedling Update

Three seeds didn't sprout - a tomato, a zinnia and the Gerber daisy. The mortgage lifter tomatoes were first to sprout - after just three days. The packet of seeds is at least 13 years old. I had doubts they were still viable. Sweet 100 is a cherry tomato. Zinnias, other tomato varieties, lobelia, cosmos, basil and cilantro will be ready for outdoor-planting about the 3rd week of May. I'll start the second round of seeds this weekend: cucumbers, squash, pumpkins and more zinnias and cosmos.

Seedlings in Every Pot

Tomato and basil seedlings have popped up in every pot. For those growing black pearl cherry tomato hybrids: be patient. The seeds took more than 2 weeks to come alive. These plants will get long and leggy over the next few weeks. That's O-K, and I'll show you why later. I plan on getting these into garden beds the 2nd or 3rd week of May - if temperatures cooperate.