In the squeeee of green

I can't begin to describe the feeling of anticipation of coming home from a week-long absence (work and family) to see my green babies - oh and my boyfriend too!

The whole week I was afraid I was missing the birth of my wee basil plants. That the water would dry up and stunt the growth of my Roma tomatoes (though most plants are damn hardy.) I was anticipating some giant mass of garlic-y greenery and that I would be lacking in my blog's progression in jumping from a tiny sprout to a forest.

A dichotomy of emotions. There was green! The water level was above the legs of the planting tray. The capillary mat was still shiny and moist. But no lush, verdant forest was there. What could I expect - most of these seeds have a 7 to 14 day germination range.

Day 11 - Sprouts-ho

The two lettuce sprouts that had pushed their way through the soil on day four were five-times the size. One of the sprouts has a serrated edge. No clue what part of the mesclun mix this is supposed to be. I'm still going to eat it one day. Nom nom.

We've got a tiny chive stalk, SEVEN tiny basil heads pushing up and one lone, two-leaved tomato plant getting started. It's nice to have the green through the blinding grow lights!

The water is back above my binder clip markers and I've decided to leave the lights at the 4" height for today though I am worried about the sprouts getting to tall and leggy.

Journaling

A friend recently saw my journal and called me a 'plant nerd.' And I'm digging it. (See what I did there ;) I did the same when I had my larger garden in the city. Mostly to keep track of where I planted what and how well it did. Same here, really.

This time I want to be more detailed so I can get my timing right next year. I started late this year. Most seeding needs to begin 6 - 8 weeks before the last frost so you can plant your starters around this time of year, actually. Mid-May is usually when the frost takes a hike for real and you can let stuff sit out over night.

If I can detail exactly when the plants were ready to go outside then I can begin at the appropriate time next year. I'd also like to see the difference of the 4" space between the lights and the plants vs. the 10 cm I started with. There may not be any way to do this

without simply waiting for next year.

The herbs I mean to keep all year - but I'd like to get the tomatoes out at some point. Depending on where the sun is - they may end up in containers as I take my crack at a self-watering pots.