some failures

I started it all too soon, this year. I should have remembered, january is time for planning, for hoping. Not for planting yet. Dig some weeds out, turn the soil over, let it sit and ready itself on those warm spring-like days. But I did very little of that. I've only weeded clear two spots out in the garden, and they're not where the earliest crops will go (lettuce, broccoli, peas). I've turned nothing over yet, nor added any compost.... and I have all these desperate seedlings in my windowsills, where there's not quite enough daylight yet. The few lamps are overcrowded. I lost my Tithonia and Nasturtiums to the cold- they were out in the coldframe and I forgot to bring them in the same night it snowed.

So I've started over, with the Nasturtiums at least. Four new seedlings in that tray already. I've been busy the past few days potting up some stuff- all my Tomatoes are now in cardpots in the mudroom windows, where the best light is. All the Simpson Lettuce are in cardpots too, happy in the coldframe, and a dozen of the best Broccoli seedlings. I also potted up some Peppers into my smallest pots- because for once I ran out of cardboard tubes to use. I hadn't hoarded enough of those over the winter. They look so teensy in there, but needed to get moved.

Because I realized something about using seed-starter mix. It is so sterilized, there are very few nutrients in there for the plants. You either have to give them liquid food (which I don't have) or transplant them into a regular potting soil very soon after they come up. The little plants look too fragile to move yet, but they also don't seem to be growing as quickly as they should. I keep forgetting to transplant them, because I'm in the habit from past years of leaving them in their seedling trays until they're nice and sturdy. It's been enough of a bother that I wonder if I'll use the stuff next year. Yes, I got almost a hundred percent germination- now I have more tomatoes and peppers than I'll be able to use, because I'm used to only a half or two-thirds coming up- but now I'm troubled to get the seedlings into proper pots quickly enough...

Oh, and I started over with Peas too, just yesterday:

I've set up the plastic box thing from last year, over a bed of bricks (to keep the young plants away from drafts at the bottom, at least for starters) so on sunny days these myriad seedlings can go outside and get enough light. I just have to be careful to remember to bring them in at night, until it's warmer.