Tall tales

Last year I blatantly ignored the vegetable seed packets and started everything indoors. Tomatoes, melons, cucumbers, lettuce, peas. I chose to ignore the packets that said "Sow direct" by telling myself that time spent sprouting safely on the sunny wind-less sill would give them a "strong start" and maybe even result in a better crop.

Unfortunately, I used up all my energy setting up the highly sophisticated Seedling Birthing Ground and Care Schedule and by the time we got to the "harden off and transplant outdoors" part I'd lost interest in the tedious care of newbie plants and just wanted the garden set so that I could focus my attention on pining for warm tomatoes.

This resulted in a total loss of everything except the honeydew. Thankfully, our neighborhood nursery had seedlings of everything I'd mercilessly killed off, so I refilled the beds with young strong (professionally hardened off) plants in the wee morning hours and then acted like nothing had happened and that I was not at all surprised that my garden went from a pitiful young plant graveyard to a thriving scene of springtime growth overnight.

What?

Sneaky.

Anyway, this year I'm taking the exact opposite approach and hoping for a better outcome. Specifically, I sowed everything direct in the beds (yes, even the tomatoes) and am now, at this moment, proud to say that there are some new faces poking their way through the soil. So far, both cukes (lemon and pickling), cantaloupe and lettuce have made an appearance. No action yet from any of the herbs (Thai and genovese basil, chives, curled parsley, nasturtium) or the tomatoes (shuddup, I know).

In order to hedge my bets, I'm considering sowing some tomato seeds in peat pots on the windowsill *just in case* the ones outside don't make with the growing. Then, if I kill the seedling starts, too, I will tippy-toe off to the nursery in disguise for some Better Boy plants strong enough to live through my reckless care. And then, yes, I will pass of their tomatoes as my own seedling babes and you'll say NOTHING.

Tee hee.

Photos soon...