While I felt utterly ridiculous starting seeds with snow on the ground outside, I know that if the tomatoes don't get started now, I won't get any before the 4th of July. And according to Brett, "if you aren't eating fresh tomatoes before the 4th, you're not worth much as a gardener". So, while I squeaked by with my tomato harvest last year (picked my first one right at the 4th), my goal is to be pickin in June this year.
With that in mind, my lovely brandywine tomato seeds are now tucked away in their peat pods. They'll start inside under a plastic "greenhouse" tray and then gradually work their way into the ground in late April/early May.
If you're wondering why I'm putting all of my effort into this not so spectacular type of tomato (as I tend to go for varieties that are unique to funny looking), I'd say you have a good question. I don't particularly enjoy fresh tomatoes so they're not the first garden crop that I get excited about. But the first year that I had a garden, my Mom asked about tomatoes and was highly disappointed when I told her that I had none. So I went out and bought a couple of plants- they didn't grow more than 2 feet high and were a total flop. Then last year I started tomatoes from seed and shared them with her. But as her daughter, I knew she was thinking "what's going on with these burgundy tomatoes". Fast forward to this winter and I asked her what type of tomato I should plant. To prepare her for answering, I opened 3 different seed catalogues to the tomato section, giving her over 100 heirloom varieties of to choose from. After flipping through a little bit, her response was "what about better boys?" (not very exciting or heirloom). And there you have another example of why David asks if I really came from my family. The compromise is that I chose brandywines- they're normal looking, good producers, and have a long history of being grown on small farms & gardens.
Now all I have to do is wait for 4ish months, keep them watered & fertilized, and hope that the cats don't decide to attack the seedlings. I'll keep you posted.
