Different

Here's my volunteer tomato plant from last year that came up in a tub with a Zucchini. (Note that it's a regular leaf)

This plant went on to grow a nice big red tomato which I've called Red Velvet.

Volunteer

And now one year on - can you spot the difference? (all 4 seedlings the same)

Red Velvet seedling

I'll be happy if it improves, although we liked it last season.

All Sown

The last of my tomato seeds that were sown on Monday are germinating, so the germination process is closing for me for another year. My grow list is larger than I'd hoped for.

After giving several varieties the chop, it looks like this will be what I'll grow at home. Some will be mainly used as a seed source for future sowings, plus a couple that will be grown to improve their filial status.

Black Cherry
Collioure Plum (Seed)
Cornue des Andes (Seed)
Crisana
Grub's Mystery Green
Konig Humbert (Seed)
Le Case di Apulia (Seed)
Lime Green Salad (Quad cotyledons)
Little Heart (Grow Out)
Nicoleta
Peron (Seed)
Red Velvet (Grow Out)
Siletz
Speckled Roman
Hungarian Paradicsom (Seed)
Tamina (Seed)
UK2000

Varieties I'll be selling at my Plant Sale will be listed at a later date.

Germination - I just love it.

Some seeds have germinated today, which is no surprise and I now have Speckled Roman tomato, Gold Bullet Habanero, Tahitian Goat Chillies, White Habanero, with Thai Silk, Cayenne Peppers coming up in past days.

Working out what to keep and what to sell now will be the hardest part of the process - well perhaps.

Update to last post

Fast forward the last post to Monday morning when I opened my P.O. Box and found two envelopes of seeds inside. Where to start...............

First to be sown are the tomato varieties, Collioure Plum, Cornue des Andes & Konig Humbert, so I will hopefully be able to increase my seed supply after this season..

Now for the interesting items, the chillies. Petit Marseillais, Piment d'Espelette, Hot Portugal, Aribibi Gusano and Takanotsume. Talk about some good varieties, now all I need do is get some of each to germinate and grow.

All varieties with the exception of Hot Portugal are sown into a nice moist mix sitting on the heat pad.

Let the season begin.

Last seeds sown

I've sown the last of the seeds for this season, the last tray taking up room that two seed swaps would have filled, but failed to eventuate. In their place I have resown, Granka & PCR Peppers from Slovakia, plus trying White Habanero, Gold Bullet Habanero, Explosion Chilli, Thai Silk, Orange Habanero and my last for the season Giant Aconcagua.

A few more tomato seed has been planted, with Sarnowski's Polish Plum, Noir de Crimme, Speckled Roman making up the list.

What are the chances?

In a small row of germinated seedlings for Lime Green Salad tomatoes, there is a Tricot and a Quadcot within a few centimetres. It's not very often that 'quads' come along, but add to the excitement of growing.

Off and Running

Six days out from sowing the tomato seeds, the hothouse is looking really good, with seedlings in trays and doing well.

Here's some seedlings that were sown last Tuesday:-

Sweet Temptation Chillies forming their first true leaves. These were sown earlier than the tomatoes.

Here are some of the Chillies, with lots of gaps where the seed didn't germinate, possibly too old.