Pepper Progress

This morning I poured myself a cup of coffee and wandered down to my seed station to check on my little seed babies. And guess what? The peppers have sprouted…well, most of them anyway.

The roasting and bell peppers have not yet sprouted–they have the longest days to germination–but the majority of the hot and spicy peppers have definitely started to take off.

The cabbage is also doing well. All egg wells have sprouted and I have already started to clip some of the less resilient seedlings so that more energy can go to the strongest. I always feel a little bad when I do this, but any nutrient that is in the little guy will go to the big guy so I consider it a noble sacrifice.

I started some leaf lettuce yesterday in an old strawberry container. These are perfect for starting seeds as well…especially leafy greens.

And now for a note on the last frost date. For our area, the Farmer’s Almanac predicts it will be sometime between April 20 and April 30. I like to wait an additional week beyond the recommendation, and also just watch the weather before I transplant into the garden beds.

So to determine when to start your seeds, take a look at the back of the seed packet to see how long they take to germinate and count backwards from the last frost (predicted) date. That is why I have a rolling schedule for starting seeds.

Funny sidenote: One site I looked at said that April 19 would be the last frost date this year. I had to laugh at their confidence in that date. I am more comfortable with a date range and with my own senses because I just don’t think there are many absolutes in gardening…especially when it comes to the weather!

A Pepper Haiku
Peppers sweet and hot
How I long to cook with you!
Hurry up and grow