Garden 2009

Very exciting times, these.  On the interior seedling front, I have gotten about 20 Pig Pen tomato seedlings to sprout – and about 4 are already showing their true first leaves (the distinct three-pointed leaves).  Of the ones that my cat has not grazed on, I have several that already look very hardy and stout.  Pig Pen tomatoes are an indeterminate heirloom variety that my friend’s in-laws found one summer growing in their pig pen.  They recalled that they gave their pigs a few bushels of tomatoes they could not eat, and voila!  The pigs ate them, and fertilized them … you can connect the dots.  Anyway, they are meaty, hearty, large, tasty tomatoes. And right now they are starting their season on my kitchen table.

I used a coat hanger wire and saran wrap to build a pseudo greenhouse which helped incubate the seeds.  After they sprouted, I watered them with worm tea from my worm farm and turned their tray daily to avoid permanent lean towards the window.

Unfortunately, I have had very bad luck with my hot peppers.  I used yard compost for the tomatoes and jiffy mix for the peppers.  Both were seeds I dried from my fall harvest.

Out in the yard, I already planted two rows of lettuce, a row of cabbage, and two of bok choy.  I also put in a row of sugar peas.