Seed Starting

I love when spring is actually, really, and truly here in Michigan. I am not 100 percent certain we won't have more snow, but the weather has been gorgeous lately and low and behold, one lone daffodil last Tuesday turned into several by the end of the week.

I started seeds in earnest this past week. I use germinating mix I get from the Garden Supply Company as well as some seed starting kits that have been in use now for over 20 years. They still work great. Starting seed requires moisture and these kits work fine for giving seeds the moisture they need to get going.




The tomato varieties I am growing this year are Cream Sausage, Dafel, Dandy, Flamme, Golden Delight, Gold Medal, Golden Treasure, Great White, Juliet, Purple Smudge, Roma VF, Speckled Roman, Kellogg’s Breakfast, Striped German and White Beauty.

I grow a lot of peppers as well. This year’s varieties include Anaheim, Ancho, Bianca, California Wonder, Cubanelle, Fish, Golden Calwonder and Orange Belle.



I am also growing cauliflower, cabbage and broccoli. Basil varieties include Cinnamon, Lemon, Genovese, Sweet Mammoth and Serrata. I grew the Serrata last year and it did super for me. I am still eating pesto I froze last fall using the Serrata basil. I had enough to share with my sister which is pretty amazing. I usually hog all the basil I grow for myself.



Other herbs I am growing this year include Black Cumin, Epazote, Fennel and Hyssop. I am looking forward to cooking with them. There is nothing like fresh herbs to cook with, although I do dry them for the winter time. Or make pesto with the basil and freeze it.

Over the next 4 weeks or so I will struggle to keep my seeds under good growing conditions. This means watering them when they need it as it can get pretty hot under the grow lights. It means some fertilizer and transplanting them to bigger pots when they out grow the seed starting kits. They tend to take over my house as I struggle to find enough places to keep them where they are safe from the cat. I will eventually set up the little greenhouse I have on the deck where they will spend some time hardening off. I used to take them out and bring them in, in and out, in and out, but it has gotten difficult to harden them off this way due to a pesky cat. Now if they can bear to be outside in the greenhouse they simply go outside as soon as I can get them there.



I have been spending some time doing cleanup in the garden as well. We hit 80 degrees here in mid-Michigan last week, quite unusual. But we could get a snowstorm any day. That is Michigan (and perhaps global warming) for you. I was happy to notice the garlic had poked out of the ground. So the squirrels didn’t get all of it last fall. I think they thought they were good, tasty bulbs. Surprise! I am excited to try these varieties I planted last October: Broadleaf Czech, Lorz Italian and German extra hardy.



It is tomato dreaming time of year for me. I will probably get my first tomato from the Farmer’s Market which opens Memorial weekend. I won’t have any myself until August. But until then, I can dream.