Not Feeling Too Crazy This Year

Yeah, I think the Tomato Crazy this year is going to be approaching levels of sanity not seen since, oh, my pre-Blackrock days. When I didn't even grow anything.

I started my tomato seeds yesterday, in the most half-assed manner possible. That manner being that I was outside with Cubby when I remembered I always start my tomatoes by the first of April. Which was in two days. And here I was outside on a sunny day, so hey! Cubby! Let's go see if there's any seed-starting soil left in the barn!

There was. So I pulled it out, along with a few little leftover plastic seedling cell trays plus a weeding tool for Cubby to play with. Then he occupied himself using the weeder to gouge holes in a piece of plywood* while I dampened the soil, dropped two seeds in each cell, covered them up with more soil, labeled some previously-used plastic markers and chucked the whole thing in the heated downstairs bathroom to germinate. I hope.

The seeds I used included some Stupice seeds that are a few years old, plus some Stupice seeds that I saved from last year. I have no great hopes for terrific germination from either, but as long as just a few make it, that's all I need. Plus I started some seeds for a variety recommended and sent to me by the very generous Phoo-D that she had saved from her tomatoes last year. I have more confidence that those will germinate.

I think I planted about 24 seeds total. I only need six plants from those. To those six, I will add six of a paste variety I'll buy at the local nursery. So you can see that I will not be even approaching the levels of insanity achieved with last year's 100+ tomato seedlings.

Good thing, because God knows I have enough to make me crazy without adding to it with tomatoes.

* At least, I think that's what he was doing. He was kind of far away and I didn't investigate too closely because the activity filled all the requirements for acceptable Cubby entertainment. That is, he was within sight; happy; not doing any bodily harm to himself or any of the animals; and not destroying anything anyone cares about. Works for me.