Dreaming of Tomatoes

Yesterday, my tomato seeds and starting mix arrived in the mail.  This morning, I grabbed the box and headed for my greenhouse.

It's been many years since the kids called me "Mommy" but I'll keep Camille's editing job on my sign forever.

The snow is gone and the sun is out, but the wind is blowing hard - and it's a cold wind.  Instead of riding, I got busy in the greenhouse where it was nice and warm.

I had three kinds of tomato seeds to sow: slicing, sauce and grape varieties.  Last year I had enough tomatoes to make and freeze a whole bunch of sauce and roasted tomatoes.  I intend to do the same this summer.  We have really enjoyed our spaghetti dinners this winter.

In the summer, our nights remain cold so I need early varieties of tomatoes.  Legend was a winner last year.

I use this heating pad to keep the soil warm and germinate the seeds.  That way, I don't have to heat the greehouse.

I sow the seeds in this plant tray. 

...which has a soil temperature sensor buried in the dirt.

I plug it in and set the temperature to about 65F.

I keep the tray covered until the seeds germinate.  This creates a warm moist environment for the seeds.

Somehow, I have ended up with volunteer poppies growing in the gravel of the greenhouse floor.  I love coming out here with a book and relaxing with all the baby plants perfuming the air around me. 

Back in the house, I immediately recorded my activities in my new obsession -- a gardening network called Folia.  You can click on the badge on my sidebar and it will take you there if you want to check it out.  I've tried other gardening websites before and they were awkward to use and I wasn't impressed.  Someone recommended this one to me in a comment and I love it!  I can follow other gardeners all around the world, I can read (and contribute) to forums on all aspects of gardening, and I can track my plants.  What fun!