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Who’s been going through tomato withdrawals over the last 6 months? Let’s face it, once you’ve tasted a homegrown tomato the super market ones just won’t cut it ever again.

I’ve had success in previous years with vegetable gardening but I’m not a professional gardener by any means! I have a passion for growing, especially vegetables, and want to share this with my readers. I will keep the posts coming weekly so you can follow along. If you have any tips or advice please share in the comments for everyones benefit.

There is still a possibility of a frost this month in Georgia so I’m starting tomato and pepper seeds inside to get a jump on the growing season. They should be ready to transplant by the 2nd week in April.  The Vegetable Garden blog has great resources for determining your zone, planting schedule and gardening calendar for your specific area.

I’m expanding my garden this year by adding two more raised beds, starting from seeds earlier and installing drip irrigation.  The 4×4 ceder beds can be purchased from Home Depot for $40 and have worked well for me in the past. They do very well outside and aren’t treated with chemicals like most lumber or railroad ties.

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Seedlings Planted

3/16/2013

• Sungold Cherry Tomatos
• Gardener’s Delight Cherry Tomatoes
• Brandywine Red & Yellow Tomatoes-Heirloom
• Poblano Chili Pepper
• Jalapeno Peppers
• Beets-Direct Sowed 3/19

Equipment Used

3-4×4 Ceder Beds

3-7

3 cubic feet vegetable and flower soil

There’re a lot of choices of  to choose from. Any garden or home store should carry them. I picked these Jiffy seed starter trays from our local Pike Nursery for $6.99 each and they hold 72 plants. Sounds like a lot? It is but some won’t germinate, some won’t look healthy and if you still have more than you need then give the plants to other fellow gardeners!

 

I filled the trays halfway with dirt and placed a seed in each keeping track of which seeds were in which section and labeling them accordingly.

 

Some Poblano Pepper seeds. I should probably buy a . Some of the seeds are very small and hard to plant by hand.

 

Seeds are much cheaper than buying whole plants and allow you to get a jump start on the growing season.

 

Make sure you keep track of what you planted in each section. I used tape and a permanent marker to label the tray sections.

 

Give the trays a good watering being careful not to wash away the seeds. Cover with the dome lid and place in a well lit area inside.

 

I prepared two more areas for additional raised beds which I will add next weekend. This area is on a slope so I had to dig out and flatten the plots.

 

I direct sowed about 30 Beet seeds! Let’s see how they do!

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