'25 Season: Post #3 - Germination Has Commenced: 21125

Twas less than Six Days Ago these Seeds Were Planted - it is ALWAYS exciting to see the first sprouts - so I share this Joy! -- FINAL UPDATE (see below - 21425)

This morning I went to check on the trays of seeds been planted and it always is so joyful to see the sprouts first emerging. There are quite a few that have shown up - and to think - it was less than six days ago they were planted. That is a very hopeful and encouraging indicator.

Now - I’ll share some images of these first ones and then please check back on this article over the next few days as I suspect there is going to a plethora of sprouts showing up to face the lights in hopes of growing into what they were born to be!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Images to Follow - 21125 821~~~~~~~~~~~

This first one is particularly appreciated by me because it comes from some seeds saved since 2022 Season! It is an early form of the “big-ole Cherokee-style” heirloom tomato - as discussed in an article here years ago - this whole line of seeds originated with a single beautiful tomato my wife and daughter purchased at the “Independence” (a city near our getaway place in Virginia) Farmers Market. When they returned with it I could tell it was a “beauty” but I did say to them:

You paid WHAT for that?

They sort of laughed but we saved the seeds from that original tomato and planted them and now I think last season was the 4th Generation I’ve been saving, but I’m sure there has been some “mixing” with the other tomatoes - anyhow - I decided - why not see if these ‘22 Season seeds are still viable - and well - the answer is below:

You see it there don’t ya? Bottom line - this line of tomatoes has more than “paid for itself” - I reckon my wife and daughter saw that when they paid the price requested fair & square!

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Ok this is a real close-up of another tomato - you can easily pick out at least two sprouts in the image below - can’t ya?

Here are a larger batch of the same tomato tray - I’ve circled the sprouts or indicated them with lines. There are a whole bunch coming up. This is exciting!

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Continuing on - here is a whole line of seeds sprung - I think they are basil (Edit 21225 727: after thinking about it I think they more likely are the lettuce variety I planted - oh another edit - turns out it is basil after all - how do we know? - well a I pulled out one sprout smelled it and my wife did as well - it is basil no doubt).

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And finally for now - you may think this is nothing but “dirt” but look close - there is a sprout - I think it is a beet!

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That is it for now - but as I said - please check back over the next few days - I plan on sharing more images and expect the trays to be evidently becoming full of new green growth!

Peace to all readers!

BK, Initial publication - 21125 831

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Edit #1 - 21225 704 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It is a day later - here are the images I have to share plus a little commentary after each one:

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As you can hopefully see the tomatoes are sprouting in earnest. (Note: I could have taken a better picture I see now - tomorrow I will).

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This is a serious close-up of one of the first peppers to show itself (that image is a space about 4 square inches in area). You see the little green “hoop-like” entity about to spring literally I hope….here let me show another:

This is really encouraging - cause usually peppers take longer to germinate - there was one other sprout in the pepper containers - but I think it might be a “tomato” seed dropped there by accident - I’ll know better in a few days and if it is a pepper - it was the first and I’ll show it later if that is confirmed. Otherwise, what you see above are the first two peppers seedlings to reveal themselves. They come from a tray holding the famous “Golden P” as I like to call it - read back if you want to know more - as well as Jalapeño, and either way I’m thrilled about that as last year the Jalapeño’s sprouted basically last of all and my theory was that I had gotten the seeds for a fruit not yet ripe - so this year I was more careful about that.

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So in the other trays beets have emerged, red cabbage, basil, and lettuce as well I’m pretty sure. I’ll send images of those later. What is in the image above is either Rosemary or Eggplant (I think) - neither of which I have planted by seed before so I’m not sure even though I might check - any reader here know?

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So that is it for todays update - I think I will have one or two more and then it will be onto Post #4.

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As a side note, I would like to mention that I have figured out a way to transfer images and avoid the hassles I was experiencing beforehand - so that is one less bit of trouble I reckon. If anybody is interested how I do this now - just inquire.

Warm Regards to all readers.

BK, Edit #1 - 21225 723

~~~~~~~~~~~ Here is the Final Update - tis 21425 748 ~~~~~~~~~~

This final update is made about 7.5 days after the seeds were planted. It shows what has sprouted along with some comments and also serves as an “inventory” of everything planted so far. I did plant one other type of pepper that I had received as a gift from a friend but forgot to plant earlier - so it was setup a couple days ago.

Here are the images - “hot off the press” - from about 15 minutes ago:

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Image 1: Pepper Tray well Along - Golden P and Jalapeño

This shows the one pepper tray that is bursting with sprouts. Not exactly sure why this one is “so far ahead” of the other pepper trays. Also along one edge of each of plastic trays there was a gap after I placed the individual “peat pot” trays and so I filled that gap with soil and planted some other seeds in there. This particular one I think had the lettuce planted in it.

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Image 2: Heirloom ‘22 - Cherokee-Style Tomato (big and purplish)

These tomato seeds from 2022 Season are germinating nicely, but I can’t deny I find it odd that one tray seems to be so abundant and the other not so much? I think I either labeled one of the trays incorrectly OR perhaps planted the seeds deeper? I’ll know more later.

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Image 3: Tomatoes Doing Great - Tommy Toes, “Big Cherry”, and more Heirloom (‘24 Season)

Wow is all I can say - these are the tomatoes and it seems the germination rate was tremendous - approach 80% or higher I would say - cause look at all of em!

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Image 4: Other Stuff - Red Cabbage, Beets, Eggplant/Rosemary (?)

You have to “look carefully” to see the sprouts be there is definitely a line of “red cabbage” and “beets” coming up and another line is just starting to emerge (I think that may be the eggplant but it could be Rosemary).

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Image 5: A Couple Sweet Ones and Special Pepper From Friend - Sweet Pepper and (“can’t remember the name just now”)

So I’m pretty sure in the yellow container those are the “sweet pepper seeds” I already had on hand from a few years ago that did well and I planted some of the sweet pepper seeds from the garden direct as well (in the other trays). In the blue containers are the seeds from a little itty bitty “bush pea pepper” my friend shared with me and I can’t remember the name just now but I have it written down elsewhere. I just planted those a few days ago and the sprout that is in there (if you happened to have noticed it) is actually a tomato I transferred over from another container - in fact the tomatoes shown above are going to need to be separated sooner rather than later since the germination rate was so high, but I don’t mind and I usually make efforts to save what I can and not just “thin it all out”.

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Image 6: The Rest of the Peppers - Many different types as well as non-pepper seeds planted along the sides

There are a few sprouts fixing to emerge in the trays above, but in general as expected most need more time - pepper typically take at least 10 days to germinate and often longer (especially for the “hotter” varieties on average). I expect over the course of next week they will be emerging in earnest.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~ END OF FINAL EDIT ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

So, that is it for this Post #3 - all and all I must say I’m thrilled with how things have started out - I know that a “sprout” is not a guarantee of “future product” but if the seeds don’t sprout you can rest assured that is a guarantee of “no future product”……(ha, ha). So the seeds are sprouting nicely and I have high ambitions for the ‘25 Gardening Season.

Warm Regards to all Readers - and I expect Post #4 will be sometime next week during which time I will speak to other matters (such as how I have been watering) as well as the beginning process of separating some sprouts - because if there are too many then that is not good for any of em - they need some space no doubt but for now I suspect their roots are in loving embrace - and that is good.

Peace,

BK, 21425 825