A Little Late to the Party...

...but better late than never! The last two veggies that I was waiting on to sprout have finally decided to make a fashionably-late appearance. I think that the temperature of our basement had a lot to do with their slower germination rate.

Ladies and Gentlemen, here they are!

Jimmy Nardello Pepper (two sprouts):


Reisentraube Tomato:


In terms of veggies, I have had a 95% germination rate. The only plant that hasn't sprouted yet is one of my Carbon tomatoes - that may change in the next few days. All in all, I'd say Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds knocked it out of the park with their seeds this year.

Here's a beautiful picture of a Carbon tomato, well on its way to developing several sets of true leaves - pretty boy!


The only last things I'm still waiting on to sprout are my catnip and lavender. I was reading up on lavender earlier this week and realize that I'm not the only one who has troubles sprouting it from seed - it appears to be a bit of a diva. I wasn't able to grow it last year either. But I can't understand the catnip...maybe it's the temperature issue? I had no problems sprouting it last year. Maybe I need to re-seed...

This week I also motored through the traumatic task of thinning-out the herb sprouts. My basil, oregano, thyme, and bee balm all had terrific germination rates, so I needed to thin out the playing field a bit - never a fun thing to do for the devoted gardener. The remaining sprouts now have more room to reach for the sky (or the grow light, for the time being).