Just a smidge over a week ago I (finally) started my sprouting trays, filling the little pots with leftover potting soil that actually made it through the move, dropping a couple of seeds in each pot, and watering them daily. That bit of routine and excited impatience led to what I am considering a success so far. All but two vegetables (peppers and parsnips) have at least one sprout so far. I promise you the carrots have a sprout. It was just so teeny tiny when I took the photos that you can’t really see it, but I was excited to see how much it grew on Saturday alone. I took Lexi out when I got up and gave everything a check, noticing that something had finally popped up in the carrots tray, and when I took her out again in the afternoon it was noticeably taller. I nerded out a little bit, I’ll admit.
I did mention in my first gardening post that I’d planned on starting things in reused containers, and honestly I did plan to, but I think in the rush and excitement of the move and the confusion of where things were all packed up, it just became easier to pick up some containers when we were getting seeds. If nothing else, I can reuse the trays next year, right? And I think the initial purchase of the trays and seeds was only a couple bucks anyway. I figure it’s an investment in the next few years.
The next step has been to start getting the raised beds ready for transplanting. Since a lot of the containers I was going to use got trashed during the move (mostly yogurt containers and old soup cans), I don’t have much of an in-between growing option; it’s straight from the trays into the raised beds. I’m sure that’s okay, though, and it helps get our yard looking even cuter, anyway. What we’ll do is build the boxes, dig a little into the ground so they’re buried a few inches, and fill them with topsoil we’ve bought. (Buying dirt always seems like such a silly thing to me.) We’ve gotten one done so far, and I plan on doing a post about our raised beds and transplanting in the next week or two when my sprouts are ready for that step.
Watching the trays go from dirt filled pockets with seeds hidden inside to dirt filled pockets with bunches of growing green sprouts has been really fulfilling. (Does that sound dorky?) I’m feeling really hopeful for the rest of the process, from transplanting into the beds to harvesting all the vegetables when they’re ready. It’s nice to watch something you’ve nurtured grow and thrive, y’know?
Sonya Cheney 
All the sprouts are looking great! Were you going to do any herbs this year? I’m trying mine for the first time but they seem to be doing well. Gardening is so satisfying! Just as an FYI, the peas, lettuce and carrots can be started directly from seed in the garden bed without having to put them in a starter if you want! Saves a little transplanting time. 🙂
I didn’t know that! I’m going to do another cycle after I transplant everything from these trays, so maybe I’ll just start the second on directly in the dirt for those ones.