And So It Begins

1ST PLANTING 2009

I got the tomato, pepper & eggplant seeds sown yesterday. I've seen a lot of photos of lovely seedlings posted in various blogs the past week or so but here I wait until April 1 to open the porch and set up the nursery.

I used to start the season earlier but the tomatoes would grow into trees until our nighttime temps finally got over 50º/10º and the fruit would set. It just made for a lot of extra pruning.

With a heat mat and florescent lights the seeds take off quickly and are ready to move outside by the end of May. The cherry tomatoes that grow in pots on the stone patio on the south side of the house usually have ripe fruit by the end of July.

Tomato: Brandywine, Black Krim, Costoluto Fiorentino & Carmello (slicing), Bella Rosa & Lyn's Mahogany Garnet (two new determinate varieties), San Marzano 3 & Golden Mama (paste), Sugar Sweetie, Mirabelle, Black Pearl, Super Snow White, Italian Ice, Green Grape,
Sundrop & Isis Candy (cherry)
Eggplant: Nadia, Biatrice, Rosa Bianca, Purple Rain
Sweet Pepper: California Wonder, Islander
Cardoon: Pieno Inerme

The first rows of mesclun and radish have been sown in the orto but I'm holding off on the fava & rapa for another week since they took so long to germinate last year. Flats of escarole (Mentoponto, Cornetto di Bordeaux, Sugarloaf & Broadleaf Batavian), onion (Rossa Lunga di Firenze & Italian Torpedo), Baby Lincoln leeks and pots of podding radish have been sown outdoors on the patio along with a variety of perennials.