THE NEWBIE TOMATOES HAVE GROWN. TIME TO TRANSPLANT.
My heirloom tomato seeds were planted on 2-15-07 and 'popped' out of the soil on 2-23-07, about 6-7 days later. Right on schedule. The germination rate was about 90% - 95% - excellent. Now it is 16 days later (03-11-07) and it is time to transplant.
It does pay to buy good seeds. My seeds were purchased from Marianna' Seeds, a specialist in heirloom tomato seeds. Marianna's Seeds also has an excellent basil seed, Genova from Greece, which I planted at the same time as my heirloom tomato seeds. The germination rate was 90% - 95% as well. The basil will be ready to transplant in a few days.
To make transplanting easier, you water your plants the night before transplanting. This step allows you to get all of the dirt out in one scoop. Fill your pots approximately 80% full with sterile planting soil and poke holes with your finger or a spoon handle to make room for the tomato plants before going to the next step.
The next step is to carefully remove the dirt and the plants from the germination cell using a spoon or your tool of choice. Try not to touch the stems or the first set of true leaves. The true leaves are the second set of leaves to grow and will include any growth from that point on.
Plant your tomatoes deep. The fuzzy part of the tomatoe stems will grow into roots when covered with a planting medium.
If you prefer to separate the tomatoes in each cell, pick only the ones that look strong and then discard (compost) the ones that look small or weak. Hold the dirt clod and gently separate the roots and then plant the individual tomatoes into your prepared pots. Gently water with warm water.
Handsome devils aren't they?
Once you have completed transplanting, stand back and enjoy!
A group photo of the kids kicking back and sunning themselves.
The cucumber plant in the back on the left and the larger tomato plants in the back were gifts from a friend that had too many plants. Hmmmm. The neighbors will also enjoy this harvest.
Show Offs! You handsone devils.
I must show off my cucumber plant. It has huge blooms and baby cucumbers. Notice the tiny cucumber at the bottom. WOW. My first cucumber.
You could say that I am a new parent with a picture album and showing off the kids.
As the plants grow, I will take more photos and post accordingly.
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