Tomatoes, Onions, and Marigolds, oh my!

And they’re up! The seeds that we planted at our hen gardening party are finally putting up their little cotyledon leaves (first leaves from a seed). The onions are easy to spot, but the marigolds and tomatoes look exactly the same at this stage (it’s a good thing we marked them well!) This is the point at which we can take off the clear plastic tops of the seedling trays and lower the lights to just above the level of the seedlings (about 3” above the top of the seedlings). This will give them some air flow and will also give them the most light possible from my little shop light set up. The aluminum foil behind the shelves also helps increase the ambient light level for these future garden stars. At this point, I’ll also start petting my plants daily when I check them for moisture. No, I’m not some crazed gardener, petting the seedlings will help them develop strong stalks so that when they make it out into the garden they can withstand the wind and rain. Petting, believe it or not, will help to prevent leggy seedlings. This is also the point at which I’ll start watering with some dilute fish emulsion fertilizer. I like fish emulsion because I can buy it in concentrate and mix my own. I don’t like it because it smells, well, fishy. But it’s organic and gentle enough for my tender little seedlings. Perhaps next year I’ll be ambitious enough to make some compost tea.

Now I’m just waiting for the peppers and the eggplants to come up. I’m not worried because these typically take 2-4 weeks to germinate. Grow little seeds, grow!