A watched pot never boils...

That saying means that if you are waiting anxiously for something to happen, it seems like it will never happen.  And sometimes it doesn't.  The photo below are four little seed containers with Cayenne Peppers, Chocolate Bell Peppers, Louisiana Long Green Eggplant, and Applegreen eggplant.  Peppers and Eggplant have a notoriously long germination period, but this is getting ridiculous.  I have them sitting on top of our freezer in the utility room.  It stays hot so I know the soil temperature is right. I'll continue to keep the soil moist and maybe soon I'll see some sprouts. 

I love to watch things grow!  How did this start?  I was thinking about this on my commute to work this morning.  I think it had a lot to do with both of my grandpa's and my dad.  My paternal grandfather was a farmer who enjoyed gardening.  At some point in elementary school, he helped me plant potatoes and green beans in a garden he helped me work up and instilled the love of the soil and plants in me.  We gardened at his house, too.  Almost 20 years after he passed away, we lived in his house.  When you mowed the grass and looked at the backyard, you could still see faint parallel rises where the rows in his garden were.  My dad was a farmer and also instilled a love for the land and watching things grow.  I always loved to see soybeans marking the rows in the early morning sun or the bright green leaves of rice over the dark brown muddy soil.

My maternal grandfather taught me about conservation - a love for the land in a different way.  I can remember going to eat Sunday lunches at their house and he'd take us to the bathroom to wash our hands before we ate - only he wouldn't let the water run.  He'd put the stopper in and catch a half-sink full of water and we'd all wash our hands in soapy sink water to save water.  Additionally, I remember one time we went into the woods behind our house to get some topsoil.  He had me fill the hole in with leaves and explained that it took years to create new soil.  He and my grandmother composted in a pile behind their house.  It was a good place to find worms.  Funny how stuff sticks with you from childhood.  Also a motivation to keep passing the torch, so to speak...

Nope, nuttin' yet

The tomatoes are a completely different story.  I gambled a bit this year and only planted one seed per seed pot.  The last several years, I played it safe and planted 2 or 3 per seed pot and almost all of them came up and I had to separate and re-pot.  This year I only planted 1 in each and achieved 99% germination.  You can see below that they've put on their first true leaves after the cotyledon.  Once they come up I put a 4 foot shop light fitted with grow-light bulbs directly above them.

Grow, baby, grow...

The Jalapeno peppers and Criolla Sella peppers have sprouted, so I moved those under the light with the tomatoes.

Some peppers have sprouted

The Pink Brandywine Tomatoes are especially healthy little seedlings.  The plant in the foreground displays a good example of little hairs growing all over the plant's stem and leaves.  These hairs are said to repel insects and serve to break up the flow of air across the plant, reducing evaporation, thus keeping the plant hydrated. They also reflect solar radiation and protect the plant from drying up in hot, dry areas. Interesting. 

Pink Brandywines

The leaves of the Jalapenos will be wide open by this afternoon.

Jalapenos

Same with the Purple Beauty Bell Peppers.

Purple Beauty Bell Peppers

We'll take care of these and baby them as they grow.  Once the danger of frost has past, these will find their place in the garden.  Growing plants from seed saves money. You can purchase a whole package of seeds for way less than you can purchase a six pack of plants at a big box store.  Plus, it is fun to watch them grow from a dry seed into a thriving green plant.