What's Growing? Seedlings on the Light Shelf This Year

What’s Inside: What’s growing on my seed shelf this year? Here’s a look. Teaching your kids to grow plants is a valuable life skill and starting seeds indoors is a fun winter handicraft.

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What’s Growing on the Shelf?

We built a seed starting shelf a number of years ago during woodworking/handicraft time. We’ve really perfected our seed starting over the years! It’s such a rewarding family hobby.

Here’s a look at what we are growing this year.

Family Heirlooms

I like to grow heirloom plants in order to be able to save the seeds.

An heirloom is a plant that will grow true to itself next year if you save its seeds.

There are other tricks and some seeds are easier to save than others, but in general, this is what we mean when we say “heirloom” plant. These seeds and plants have been grown for a long time and the offspring ring true.

The opposite is a hybrid plant. We are not talking about genetically modified plants with fish genes in a tomato. No.

Farmers and horticulturalists are always trying to improve their crops. Hybrids are natural cross-breeds created to get the “best of both worlds.” For instance, a farmer might cross a prolific tomato with one that resists fusarium wilt. The hybrid would be great for this year, but chances are any seed saved from that hybrid would not exhibit the same characteristics. It would likely tend toward one of the parents instead of both.

It’s a great deal for horticulturalists and seed sellers if you can’t get the same plant unless you buy their seed!

But with heirlooms, you can get a reliable offspring that is just like the parent.

If you save the seed properly.

That’s for the future – I haven’t yet saved seeds tremendously successfully, but that’s the thing about gardening. It’s so hopeful.

And I learn more every year.

So I could save seeds if I wanted to with heirloom varieties.

What Seedlings are Growing on the Light Shelf This Year?

Tomatoes

This is the one thing that I learned to grow when I was first starting to learn how to garden. We had a tiny yard and could only grow one thing in about 20 square feet. So I learned tomatoes because they are just so much better when home grown.

I also grew herbs, but that’s another story.

I’ve tried all kinds of things growing tomatoes. I had one banner year 2 summers ago and last summer was a bust, so I have to change some things this year.

Meanwhile, I got a few variety packets of heirloom tomatoes. Here’s what’s growing so far:

Cherokee Purple (from 2 different sources – I’ve hoping they are slightly different)
Black Krim
Beefsteak (I killed most of these in the first week – they grew so fast!)
Yellow Pear
Golden Jubilee
Cherry tomatoes: regular, tiny Matt’s Wild, Chocolate Cherry, Bumblebee Sunrise
Brandywine
and one packet of “Heirloom Mix” just to go wild.

Close up of tomato seedling in an orage air prune tray — Close up of Cherokee Purple tomato seedling in air prune tray — just about ready to up-pot since you can see the first true leaves starting

Close up of tomato seedling in 2.5" green pot — Close up of Cherokee Purple tomato seedling in air prune tray — just about ready to up-pot since you can see the first true leaves starting

Eggplant

My eggplant went nuts! Eggplant is notoriously long to grow – season-wise. I never seem to get anything but flowers. So I started them super early too.

And they are beautiful too! Black Beauty’s and Long Eggplant. Looking forward to a good harvest. And looking forward to giving away some plants to friends because there are so many!

Close up of eggplant seedlings in pot — Close up of eggplant seedlings in 2.5″ pot. It’s important to label each pot!

Seedling transplants in 2.5" grey or green pots. — Close up of eggplant seedlings in 2.5″ pot. It’s important to label each pot!

Peppers

Sadly, most of my peppers did not overwinter this year. Except for a few of my little Aurora peppers.

Other than that, I’m starting over. I don’t think even my cayenne survived.

So I started a bunch of jalepeños and some California Wonder Peppers. And a few mini bell peppers (red & yellow – but the red did not sprout.)

Long-germinating seeds

There are seeds that qualify as “long-germinating” – mostly the herbs, but others too. So I started a few of those. I started both blood-veined and French sorrel – the French sorrel is doing well but it is slow. These are both perennial greens, a bit like spinach in flavor and usage, so I don’t mind if I don’t get a crop this year.

The blood-veined sorrel may not disappoint me either because I started a bunch a few years ago and I have 6 or 8 nice little mounds that come back each year. I was just starting some for a friend this year because mine are not quite big enough to divide.

And it’s such a pretty plant.

I like planting perennial edibles, especially if they are attractive.

I also started some Roman chamomile because I killed all of my 2 year-old plants trying to overwinter them. Plants are so picky about watering.

And I started some Utah Tall celery because I had some old seed. Even though it is not the best to transplant.

The seedlings are so funny because they are so tiny. Their little cotyledons are about ¼ inch high and maybe a millimeter across.

tomato seedlings in orange air-prune tray — I try to get 1 seedling in each cell if for this years seedlings. These are various cherry tomatoes and the seeds were too small to keep separate!

Tomato seedlings in 2.5" pots looking strong under the shop lights. — I try to get 1 seedling in each cell if for this years seedlings. These are various cherry tomatoes and the seeds were too small to keep separate!

Basil

Basil is interesting. It wants to grow on the off-cycle of the moon (see below). That means I start them on the full moon instead of the new moon.

This year, I got a bunch of coir pellets – you know, the kind that expand when you add water. I started the basil in them.

And like the tomatoes, I’ll start a second batch in another month.

Because we love basil.

I started 3 types this year:

Genovese (the big green basil that you think of as basil)
Opal (which are gorgeous, deep purple plants – completely suitable for planting in the front yard because even though they are edible, they look ornamental.)
Licorice. I never tried this before, but I had some seeds.

In a month, I’ll probably add some Tulsi “Holy Basil” also.

Basil seedlings in coir pellet pots in a blue 1020 tray — Basil seedlings in coir pellet pots. The Genovese sprouted 100% germination, but the Opal had a high fail rate.

Moon Cycles

Did you catch that? I like to garden by the moon. It just means timing your activities to the moon cycle.

You know how the moon affects the tides? Well, it has to do with the pull of water. And plants are made of water.

In general, seedlings like to start on new moon and be transplanted on full moon. Full moon affects root growth more, while new moon affects leafy growth.

That’s the basic theory. There are plenty of subtleties, but that’s the gist of it.

I have noticed that seedlings sprout faster this way.

Just my observations.