It’s about that time, my friends. For Floridians (or maybe just overeager ones like yours truly), late January is when a lot of us start sewing seeds indoors. It goes a little something like this: sow, sow, sow, pot up, pot up, pot up, harden off, harden off, harden off, plant in the garden, and pray we don’t get a freakish March frost.
Last year, I went a bit bonkers with purchasing heirloom seeds from Tomatofest. I’m a sucker for the pretty colors and vivid descriptions. And i may be a smidgeon indecisive. For my small garden, I purchased around 15 varieties of determinate and indeterminate tomatoes from tiny to mammoth, Thailand to Arkansas, yellow to black, and tart to sweet. Now I feel compelled to use them all before they expire. I act like it’s a sacrifice, but I’m a square foot gardener who loves a challenge. Spacing? What’s that?
In my favorite seed starting tray and using my favorite seed starting mix, I sowed Chadwick Cherry, Thai Pink Egg, Black Zebra, Arkansas Traveler, Healani, Martino’s Roma, Yellow Ripple Currant, and Hawaiian Currant tomatoes.
Based on my last post entitled “My Tomato Cheers and Jeers of 2013,” I’m betting that the Thai Pink Egg and Healani tomatoes will do well. And if 2012-13 is any indication, I’ll inevitably fail with the Black Zebras and won’t get a single one. Lousy, stinking, son of a…. I digress.
It’s a new beginning! This is every gardener’s most hopeful, positive Pollyanna-ish moment of the year. I’m feeling good. We’ve got a ton of good compost, lots of Azomite, and we’ve starting using bone meal (which, by the way, is fantastic for lots and lots of big, beautiful blooms). Here’s to a prolific tomato 2014!
Until next time, my fellow gardeners,
Jenna
Look at those beautiful tomato babies!
They are pretty cute, right? 🙂
Good luck with your toms! I’ve been using oyster shells (leftover from my Chinese orchid growing days) for calcium. Hasn’t seemed to hurt them but I don’t really know if it’s working. Still weeks away from sowing any seeds but I’m keeping my eye on the calendar and hoping they’ll come out with a report that tomatoes grow best when spaced 4″ apart.
Haha, when it comes out, you’ll have to let me know! I think, though, gardeners do what works best for them. Sometimes the best techniques seem to be the ones that defy the guide books. 😊🌱
Yow those are a lot of baby tomato plants! So what is your favorite seed starting mix? My little guys seem content in their Happy Frog potting soil blend but I have heard from many people it’s not really the right thing to use.
Well my very favorite mix was from this place called The Lucky Market Garden. I won it as a door prize along with a ton of lettuce seedlings about a year ago. Now, honestly, I use miracle grow. It works very well. It’s nice and light. You can get it organic as well.
You’ve got me so psyched! Go bone meal! Go tomatoes! Go Jenna!
Haha! Thanks for the confidence booster. You’re like a gardening cheerleader. 😊
I used to garden and I loved it! Your enthusiasm brings back happy memories! I’ll gladly be a gardening cheerleader!
Perfect! That means I don’t have to hold try-outs! 🌱😉
Oh, thank God for that!