seeds and self-doubt
I planted the first of my seeds yesterday: Early Girl and Sweet Millions tomatoes and some sort of onions. I'm a full month earlier than last year, which is why I didn't go all out with all four varieties of tomatoes I'm bringing this season. Get em going bit by bit, that's my theory. We're thinking about the first week in May for a last frost date, so the little guys will have two full months of growing ahead of them before they get outside; assuming they germinate in good time, of course. It's still pretty cold down there in the seed-starting dungeon.
I should emphasize that in all of this farming business I don't feel at all confident that I know what I'm doing. In fact, I'm completely making it up as I go along. Oh, I consult printed sources, naturally, but that doesn't seem like much of a substitute for the age-old knowledge of a natural farmer. That, or a degree from an agricultural college. (My alma mater is offering a course, actually, and I would be tempted if I had the time and/or the money for it.) The only thing that keeps me going is the thought that I don't know anything about web programming either, and I made this blog; since it works more than half of the time, my autodidact powers must be doing something right.
Actually, right now what keeps me going is pictures like this one:
lush growth in July
See what we have to look forward to? And most of those are perennials, so I don't even have to do any work to enjoy them.
comments
I would love to hear more about your planting/growing tips. We started some seeds yesterday: peppers, spinach, lettuce, carrots, and zucchini. We don't have room for much, only a couple big planter boxes and hoping to get a couple more. We're hoping that along with being fun and educational for the kids, we might actually get something to eat.
Why not title the post "seeds of doubt" sweetie? Wouldn't that make more literary sense?
See, that's what I'm here for. Helpful criticism without actually lifting a finger.
Well of course that was what I was thinking of, dear! But I don't doubt the seeds: I'm sure they're going to do fine. It's me that's the problem! So I quietly hoped the reference would translate and stuck with alliteration for a quick punch.
@Theresa I don't know about tips... I feel like I need a couple years of success myself before I start making any suggestions to other folks! But: I'm working now on the theory, read somewhere, that seeds don't need any water beyond an initial soaking of the soil before they germinate, so I'm trying to resist continuous watering. Also, most varieties of zucchini take up rather more space that you'd expect, peppers are super hard to get to germinate, and I can grow spinach but don't really like to eat it. That last is probably of limited value for the general public, though!
It's all very exciting, in any case. Keep us updated on how your garden grows!