The life and times of a tomato plant from seed to plant sale. It’s a life always in transition. First from seed to small plant, then gradually growing (hopefully not too fast) from seedling to a bigger pot, then finally to a dixie cup. It is a common journey of small plants on their way to a new home. Today my almost two hundred fifty tomato plants are resting comfortably in my family room (see above). Their lives up till now under lights in the basement. All the plants just sitting around waiting to go outside and to a new home with a happy gardener who will adopt and take care of them. Only three trays of banana peppers are downstairs waiting to join them.
All their friends they grew up with in the basement under the lights, (about twenty-five trays) the plants out in the greenhouse waiting for labels today will also be going to plant sales as well spreading joy and love of nature. A few will stay home in Danny’s yard and gardens though. The weather is nice with no overly cold spell on the horizon that will freeze them. They are all hoping to stay in their little pots until the ground warm up, but it shouldn’t be too bad now.
Today, Friday April 18th, is the day to begin preparing all my plants for their next transition either tomatoes and peppers going outside to begin hardening off or putting labels on all the plants in the greenhouse that will be going to one of four plant sales. Tomorrow is Planet Unity, and I had intended to set up my small portable greenhouse with about fifteen trays of vegetables and flowers. Unfortunately, there is about an 80% chance of rain making that unfeasible. So, I will have a booth inside if there is room for me to set up two eight-foot tables for my plant sales booth. I donate all proceeds to Unity. If I am limited due to space illimitations to one six-foot table, then I question setting up and maybe cancelling. My hope is to go with the two-table route and set up my plants. It’s a last-minute decision… We’ll see and maybe I’ll see you there.
Amazing, it’s like all my children leaving home at once. Oh well, there’s always more seeds to plant, and new plants to start and care for in my gardens. The rest of April and May will be a very busy months with lots to do when I get around to it… Who knows what I’ll bring home from the Master Gardener plant sale next weekend. It’s an exciting time to be a gardener!
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