Celebrate the culture of agriculture & share skills (Growing! Cooking! Eating!)

The seedlings are growing

I've been tending to the tomatoes, peppers and broccoli seedlings in our bedroom the past month. Yes, perhaps I was a bit eager with starting them, but I don't mind watching them grow. A little taste of spring perhaps. Spring just can't get here fast enough. Anyway, the tomatoes are really starting to get bigger so I needed to upgrade them a bit from their original peat pellets into larger pots. (Makes me think of that book A Fish Out Of Water). Anyway, I did that this evening outside in shed. So here they are.

My plan is to have 8 tomato plants this season. The seeds I used were from several seasons back so I basically tripled up on each variety of them to be sure that I'd get some successful germination of each.

This weekend I will transfer the peppers to larger pots as well. (I just ran out or I would have done that tonight).

Additionally I ordered Bluecrop highbush blueberry bush and that came in the mail a few weeks back. I put that in the ground a couple weeks ago.

I'm really hoping that I have success with it. I have planted a raspberry bush a few years back and it's being growing like a weed, but yet to give me any fruit. I'm hoping that the blueberry bush will give me some successes as well. I know that I'll have to wait a few years but I don't mind. I enjoy the process.

However, the other day, my 7 year old son was out playing with his friends in the backyard. I guess they didn't see my new planting. (My bad for not putting something around it). Needless to say, it has suffered it's first setback:

I don't know what to say...I hope that it doesn't stress it out too much. I'm hoping I can salvage the broken branch. I put it in a glass of water. Who knows...maybe it will take root. I've had successes like that before.

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Comment by Lynn S on April 3, 2011 at 4:45pm: Hi Janine. Your broken branch would probably fare better if it were treated as a softwood cutting. Trim the area where it was broken and track up that branch to just below the first node/notch where it was destined to branch out had it not broken. Put it in a good potting medium and keep it moist. Some people use rooting hormone solutions. I have success without using it. Here's hoping your branch was destined for its own independence!

I am like you, wanting Spring to arrive before its time......It's all part of that growing-fever some of us die hards get!

Comment by Janine Roe on April 3, 2011 at 7:49pm: Thanks Lynn! I will try your suggestion. What do you mean by "track up the branch"? The branch I have in the water is still hanging in there. It's buds are opening up, but I'm not seeing any roots shooting out.

Comment by Lauren Klouda on April 4, 2011 at 12:31am: Your seedlings look great!!! I only have a few poking their heads up but I can't plant until at least May 15... boo!

I am dying for GREEN! :)