Heirloom Tomatoes

I decided I wanted to try my hand (or green thumb) at planting tomatoes this season and thought heirloom Brandywine tomatoes would be a great crop to yield so when I walked by a little kit for just that at Whole Foods I dropped it in my cart.  I do feel a bit silly for paying extra for a pail and some potting mix pellets, but it was really the convenience I was paying for and for my first attempt I am ok with that.  The seed packet in the kit actually came with enough seeds for 30 or so plants so I am going to try several (or at least 2) methods of starting the seeds indoors.

For the Kit you add water to the potting mix pellets so that they expand, put them in the pail then plant the seeds.  They suggested planting just 3 seeds, but I am not as confident in my growing abilities as they apparently are so I planted 9 and will use the hardiest sproutlings that theoretically will come up (notice the guarantee on the bottom of the seed packet). I planted on April 7th then exactly seven days later on April 14th . . .

Can you see it? My seeds are sprouting! I was really more proud than I should have been, but the miracle of life, even plant life, is exciting.

By the next day (today) I had three little sprouts.

Then, to hedge my bets I set up  the other sprouting method I am going to try.  I got some helpful tips from Lisa at Amishland Heirloom Seeds.  She said to presprout her seeds she soaks them for two hours then puts them on a damp paper towel and wraps them loosly in an unsealed plastic bag, sort of a mini greenhouse.  Then they should sprout within a few days cutting down the 7 days I waited to see the other seeds come up out of the soil.

Day 1 (4/14/10)