Brassicasaurus

Though I do not believe that a plant will spring up where no seed has been, I have great faith in a seed. Convince me that you have a seed there, and I am prepared to expect wonders.

-- Henry David Thoreau

Getting a little behind on the crop updates here due to the fact that I've got a new work project going that's taking up quite a bit of my time. One of those good-thing, bad-thing scenarios, I suppose. The seedlings don't seem to be suffering for lack of attention though. As you can see, the Brassicae are coming along nicely. This and the next photo are of the Belstar Broccoli, which have grown faster and appear healthier than the Packman. There was a minor mishap along the way, however. A couple of weeks ago the nights were staying above freezing, so I had moved the onions, cabbage, broccoli, and parsley out into the cold frame on the south side of the house. Despite warm water in jugs and a cloth covering, one of the nights got a little too chilly for the young plants and some of them suffered some frost damage. Most have recovered, but it slowed down growth a bit. The onions, persevered just fine, but I brought them in as well when the temps dipped again (the cruelest month and all that). Due to the minor loss, I seeded another tray, so in the worst case I'll have a nice second crop.

I also planted a variety tray of hot and bell peppers, including Orion and Sunray Bell, Serrano del Sol, Padrone, El Jefe Jalapeno (namesake), and Habanero--about nine of each. I planted two seeds per cell and the germination was excellent. The next photo shows the peppers, most of which are a little over an inch high at this point. I truly hope that it will actually warm up at some point here in Minnesota now that we've entered April. I need the grow light space for the tomatoes, which should probably be seeded this weekend.

Oh, I also received my Desiree and Purple Viking seed potatoes from Seed Savers Exchange yesterday. The box plainly said, "Perishable. Do not heat or freeze!" Or something to that effect. So the delivery was left on the front porch by the driver and sat there for a few hours at temperatures hovering around freezing. Not a big deal I guess. They seem fine. This literacy problem we have in this country on the other hand... Well, that's a new topic. Maybe I can address that when I tell you the story of the customer who showed up at the nursery and requested carrot seedlings.