Expanding the Class of 2014 - - with the help of the Pipsqueak

It's a cloudy, rainy day here in Southern California, so Pipsqueak and I transplanted some seedlings and planted some new seeds.  Some of the little squash plants were getting too big for the little containers, and, happily, all of the tomato and pepper seeds that I planted sprouted, but that meant there were two per cell, and I knew they'd be in trouble soon. 

I've been collecting toilet paper rolls this week, and after cutting them in half, and folding up the bottoms, they make great little containers for sproutlings. 

The Pipsqueak was more than happy to play in the dirt with me.  She put a spoonful or two of compost in the bottom of each little cell, and then I transplanted the babies into their new homes.  The best part?!  They are biodegradable!  When It's time to plant, all I have to do is open up the bottom a little, and plant the entire cell into the garden.  Oh yeah.  I'm totally excited about this. 

 

So this is where we stand with babies:

10 Radiator Charlie's Mortgage Lifter Tomatoes

5 Delicious Tomatoes

11 Cubanelle Peppers

3 Burgess Buttercup Squash

 

This is the list of seeds we planted today:

Virginia Pickling Cucumbers: 4 cells/ 2 per cell

Blue Lake Bush Beans: 8 cells/ 1 per cell

Black Valentine Bush Beans: 6 TP roll cells

Yellow Heirloom Tomatoes: 3 TP rolls (my last 3 seeds from last year)

Dill: 4 cells

Purple Basil: 2 cells

Cinnamon Basil: 2 cells

When they sprout, if they sprout, I'll transplant any multiples into TP cells, because I think they will do better that way.

 

Now all I need is my garden boxes, so that I'm ready to plant in about another 4 weeks.  I love the early spring here, but it comes at the cost of a really hot summer.  I'm thinking about covers for my garden boxes, which we'll need by August.  That's a long way off though, and there's still a lot to do between now and then. 

 

I'll keep you posted!!

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