Yesterday's weather was lovely, so I went outside and took a few pictures to start my very own collection of garden photos. They tell me that in this digital age, writers must also be photographers. I have 3 digital cameras (good, better, best) so I have no excuses. I'll learn as I go along. Same with blogging, tweeting and facebooking. They call this the writer's "platform". I may never "tweet", but I'll continue taking baby steps towards said platform. Now I'm ankle-deep in the 21st century.
Today I planted seeds indoors to transplant in mid-May after the last frost. Over the years I've tried a lot of different containers, from mini-greenhouses (they crack after a year or two) to Jiffy pellets (they're too small and expensive). My favorite container is a 10"x4"x2" rectangle with a handle that held the pansies I bought to plant for customers about six years ago. I also use them to carry small tools, twine and other goodies around the garden. For growing seeds, I fill the containers with commercial bagged potting soil and add Soil-Moist to keep the seedlings well hydrated. Then I tape plastic wrap over the containers to keep the moisture in until the seeds sprout. Each container holds five or six seedlings comfortably. I can easily carry the containers to the sink for watering; then outside during the day and back in at night to harden off the seedlings before I plant them into the EarthBoxes for a few weeks, then ultimately into the ground.
This year I'm trying 'Tasty Green Burpless' cucumbers, 'Red Bull' bell peppers, 'Sweet Million' cherry tomatoes, and 'Sweet Hearts' grape tomatoes from seeds sent to me by Sakata Seeds. Last year I grew two wonderful tomatoes: 'Sugary' grape that bore so much fruit I couldn't keep up with it, and made delicious oven-dried tomatoes; and the classic sandwich tomato 'Supersonic', my late Dad's favorite. I don't have seeds for these, so like last year, I'll buy the plants in May to round out the summer veggie garden.
Meanwhile, my very first 'Jersey Knight' asparagus spear is poking its tiny head out of the soil. They say to wait a few years to harvest from new asparagus plants, but I've already decided that this one spear (at least) will be steamed to perfection and relished in tiny bites.
