Sowing the Seeds

This year I have decided to start planting my vegetable plants indoors. I was patiently waiting for my Burpee Catalog but after 3 weeks I felt I should go looking elsewhere for the peat pots and trays.

Low and behold I walked into the local Sears store 2 weeks ago and they had a BURPEE station set up; seeds, trays, pots, soil - everything I needed!

The last time I tried planting indoors was back in 1992. Yes, I remember the year since Sue and I had just moved into our first apartment together. Our apartment was downstairs (in the basement) but we had a large living window which attracted a lot of sunlight; the perfect place for plants to grow.

Maybe a week or so after I planted the seeds they started to sprout. I was growing some pepper and tomato plants and the idea was to transplant them at a later date. I was very happy since this was the first time (and last until now) that I tried to plant from seed. This may also be the first time I even tried to grow vegetable plants. Before this I had lived with my parents or friends and never thought about my own garden before. My father grew tomato, cucumber & pepper plants as long as I could remember. So, it was natural for me to want to grow my own vegetables.

Things did not work out quit as well as I had hoped. Soon after the plants started to pop up something disastrous soon happened to my poor little plants. You see, we had a cat at the time (named Inky) who liked to sit in the big window. I remember coming home from work and walking into the bedroom. The first thing I noticed was that the trays were not in the window! The second thing I noticed was that they were on the floor upside down surrounded by dirt and my POOR LITTLE PLANTS lying helpless and limp.

Very traumatizing for a new gardener... and I might of shed a tear at the time. I get a little misty eyed just thinking of those little pepper and tomato plants lives cut short by a cat looking for a ray of sunshine.

So, today I once again try what I haven't tried since 1992. I've had a garden mostly every year since 1995 with the exception of the year we lived with the in-laws.

We currently have a cat (named Miles Davis) but the difference this time is that the plants will be downstairs in our guest room with the door closed. We get tons of sunlight in the guest room and the window seal is wider than any of the other ones in our house. I have given up on Green Peppers. Last year I got about 4 peppers from 4 plants. I'm growing Jalapenos, Tomatoes, & cucumbers.

I will post my progress here. Wish me luck.

PS: I'm hoping to make my own salsa. So, anyone out there that has some tips on canning, please share.. if I'm real ambitious I'll try canning.. otherwise I'll be making spaghetti sauce or other things with the tomatoes.