Just as the seedlings started getting big enough for a safe sunbathing, the weather changed, and we’re back to winter temperatures. Mornings are getting colder every day, and although the days are sunny, the temperature doesn’t reach 10°C (50°F). This is why my outdoor seedlings are now wrapped in plastic sheets. The vegetables inside the sheets are growing nicely, there are even some new seedlings showing up, still, if the temperatures drop more, I’ll have to take them indoors during the night.

The past couple of days there hasn’t been much work with the seedlings. The weather was too bad to do any work outside, so I didn’t do any transplanting, except for the mini tomatoes. I’ve transplanted them to individual little pots so that they could grow better and grow more roots. These tomatoes will be staying in the front yard, most likely in balcony containers. There are lots of them for now, but they tend to die off after the transplanting, so we’ll see how many I’ll have left in a couple of weeks.

The rest of the seedlings were just watered this week. All of them are growing good, some are already showing some new roots in the cups, and I’ve pinched the tops of the first couple of chili peppers. This way I’ll ensure the plant will grow bushier instead of tall, and I’ll be able to keep them in yard pots without the need for support. 

Tomatoes are getting really big and forming more and more new leaves every week. I think they will be a bit of trouble since there are still 2 months until the planting date, but I wanted to be sure I’ll have enough tomatoes for this year. 

80% of the seeds that I had at home are old, some even 5 years old, and I knew most of them wouldn’t germinate. I’ve sown tomatoes once more since the first sowing, and with the ones that germinated last, I should have enough for this summer. Most of the germinated seeds are actually the new seeds that I bought last year, so next year I’ll have to do some serious tomato seed shopping since all I have left now are a couple of varieties.

The kohlrabi and lettuce, which I’ve started last week, have been moved indoors due to the cold we’ve been having. I’ll keep them here until they germinate, and then I’ll move them back outside. Because I’ve used clear containers I can see that this will be soon as all of the seeds are already growing little seedlings, and soon they’ll be out of the soil.

Right now my indoor shelves are 70% full, and there’s room for more containers, but I’m waiting for the middle of March when I’ll start with cucumbers, melons, and some more flowers. I don’t want to sow them too soon, I won’t have anywhere to keep them if they grow too big. 

Hopefully, this cold period won’t last long, and I’ll be able to start sunbathing all my seedlings. We’ve had a couple of cold springs, now it’s time for a warm one.