The ground between my house and my garden is finally bare of snow. So I walked that way, bringing the full compost container along with me. Things are messy in the garden. I walked back along the garlic bed…and saw green spikes.
I have never grown garlic before (except inadvertently, in the tub under the cookbooks with the onions). But it’s alive! I planted two varieties, Georgian Crystal and Lorz Italian, and I, um, think I planted them in alphabetical order, so the Georgian Crystal would be the bright green ones on the left. One’s hardneck and one’s softneck, so I’ll know for sure later in the season. I didn’t even see the much muddier-colored ones at first. I’m charmed that they’re so different, so early.
When I went inside, I found more green sprouts awaiting me: nine types of tomatoes, and–finally–three out of four Buran peppers! The tomatoes that sprouted were Roma, Cosmonaut Volkov, Tiger-Like, Italian Market Wonder, Zapotec, Black from Tula, Costoluto Genovese, and Persimmon. I expect more tomorrow. I also expect to have to bring some tiny scissors to the window and weed out some feverfew so that the rest can live. That’s fine. We went out to get pea stakes and twine today, and if I can’t use them this weekend for the snow showers we’re threatened with Friday, that’s fine too. I have life.
Seeded 
7 comments
Comments feed for this article
March 26, 2008 at 8:55 pm
badhuman
Congrats on your seedlings so far the sorrel, mustard and broccoli have sprouted but I’m still waiting on the beans, peppers, tomatos and strawberries.
March 27, 2008 at 2:55 pm
Breanne
I love when the first plants pop up through the ground and you find them unexpectedly. My tomatoes are just sprouted – but are all one kind. Where do you get all the different seed types, and how do you choose which ones to grow? Do you buy a bunch of packages and then save them for several years, or is there a better way to get seeds besides buying or ordering a whole pack?
Good luck with tomorrow’s sprouts!!
March 27, 2008 at 6:04 pm
Jenny
Thanks, badhuman.
Breanne, I got some of my tomato seeds by saving seed from old packets or from plants I bought (or in one case, my neighbors bought), some by trading, and some by writing in for Wintersown.org’s tomato seeds offer. I highly recommend trading. What kind are yours?
March 27, 2008 at 7:59 pm
Breanne
mine are just regular tiny tim tomatoes – I’ve grown them before – not from seed, and they seem to do well here – I think next year I may try some more exotic varieties…
March 28, 2008 at 8:38 am
Jenny
I’ve heard those are very nice, but never tried them. I’d be happy to trade you some seeds in the fall, assuming it ever gets warm enough to plant tomatoes outside, which I’m doubting today…
March 28, 2008 at 7:32 pm
jenstclair
Yay for garlic! š
I was a little worried about mine, because last year they were about four inches tall over the winter. This year, they really didn’t start coming up until January/early February. Now they are about four inches tall in some spots. I think they like the new “kitchen garden” bed.
March 30, 2008 at 6:37 pm
Jenny
Next year I’ll have to try to remember to get back there in January and February when there isn’t much snow and see when they actually come up. Yay for your kitchen garden bed!