I've taken one more step towards getting my garden in this year, albeit a small one - I planted tomato and lettuce seeds today.
I only had one good eggshell from breakfast the other day, so planted one Burpee's Big Boy Hybrid yesterday from seeds that I had on hand, then bought more dirt and some lettuce seeds when I was out yesterday. I grabbed some pots this afternoon that I had saved and planted four Simpson Elite lettuce seeds in the larger pot, then two more Big Boy tomato seeds in each of three slightly smaller pots.
I prefer to start seeds in something a lot smaller (like eggshells) and then pot up, but I didn't have anything smaller on hand, so I went with what I had. I still only filled the pot partially with dirt so that I can add more as the seedlings grow taller and get more leggy. Adding the dirt higher up the stalk helps them develop more roots there, which makes them more sturdy. This slideshow shows how I've started tomato plants from seeds using eggshells in years past, and I've always had great success with it. I explain more about starting small and potting up, adding more dirt as you go, in "How to Start Tomato Plants From Seed". Click to check out the size of one of the tomatoes from that harvest!
If the seeds germinate, I won't pot up the tomatoes since there's enough room in these containers to allow them to grow tall and sturdy as I add more soil, so they'll go right into the ground when the time is right. I'm going to leave the lettuce in the pot and not put it in the ground at all. If all four lettuce seeds germinate and become too much for that size pot, I'll thin and plant more in another pot, and keep the harvest going through the summer.
I'm getting a late start this year, but at least I AM starting!
~ Marie Anne
I only had one good eggshell from breakfast the other day, so planted one Burpee's Big Boy Hybrid yesterday from seeds that I had on hand, then bought more dirt and some lettuce seeds when I was out yesterday. I grabbed some pots this afternoon that I had saved and planted four Simpson Elite lettuce seeds in the larger pot, then two more Big Boy tomato seeds in each of three slightly smaller pots.
I prefer to start seeds in something a lot smaller (like eggshells) and then pot up, but I didn't have anything smaller on hand, so I went with what I had. I still only filled the pot partially with dirt so that I can add more as the seedlings grow taller and get more leggy. Adding the dirt higher up the stalk helps them develop more roots there, which makes them more sturdy. This slideshow shows how I've started tomato plants from seeds using eggshells in years past, and I've always had great success with it. I explain more about starting small and potting up, adding more dirt as you go, in "How to Start Tomato Plants From Seed". Click to check out the size of one of the tomatoes from that harvest!
If the seeds germinate, I won't pot up the tomatoes since there's enough room in these containers to allow them to grow tall and sturdy as I add more soil, so they'll go right into the ground when the time is right. I'm going to leave the lettuce in the pot and not put it in the ground at all. If all four lettuce seeds germinate and become too much for that size pot, I'll thin and plant more in another pot, and keep the harvest going through the summer.
I'm getting a late start this year, but at least I AM starting!
~ Marie Anne
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