Seedlings and More Planting

The first seedlings of the year have sprouted and many are well on their way to growing the first set of true leaves.  The broccoli and some of the cabbage were the first ones to appear only four days after planting.  They have made the most progress and I thinned them down to only one seedling per pot so they can get a good head start on growing before they go to their permanent place in the garden.  My red cabbage was a complete no show, so in the next round of planting I will probably throw in a few different types of cabbage seeds to take their place.

My peppers had excellent germination rates though they did take about two weeks to make their debut. These were also thinned down to one plant per pot.  They will likely grow more slowly than the broccoli and cabbage and they won't be going outside for at least eight more weeks.  I like my peppers to be nicely established when I transplant them so they transition easily to life in the garden.

The oregano and thyme came up fairly quickly but the cumin is looking like a no show after almost a month.  The celery had poor germination and I only have two healthy looking seedlings from all the seeds I planted.  I may try to replant another round of celery just to round things out, but I think I will have to buy new seed for next year as mine does not seem to be very good any more.

The next round of planting will coincide with the new moon again. It will include my tomatoes, tomatillos, a few basil to replace the cumin, and the replanting of celery and cabbage.  Everything else that will grow in my garden this year will be direct sown outside when the conditions are favorable.  The peas, potatoes, onions and shallots will be some of my earliest crops getting planted outside this spring as the ground begins to warm up.  It won't be long now until things start getting busy in the garden again.