Starting seeds!

Starting seeds this year has been a sheer luxury with the addition of two 'trugs' that my father made for me for Christmas. He is a master carpenter and boat builder and sometimes takes custom requests. These are just precious to me! He made them so that the handles fold down and can be tightened into either the upright or flat position. I can now carry two standard flats- one in each hand- without struggling to prevent them from twisting and spilling. I would love to use a random assortment of recycled yogurt containers, etc, but I have space constraints and a perfection habit... that is sometimes only offset by a glass of Cabernet Sauvignon, as you can see. I really like the 32-cell packs the best, as they seem to be a nice compromise between cells too small or too large. And the seedlings from them don't completely fall apart if they need to be "potted up," although I can generally get away with leaving them in the original cells until they go into the raised beds. This photo is from a couple nights ago, when I seeded broccoli, brussels sprouts, kale, collards, tat soi, and chard. For the first time this year, I sprinkled the growing medium with a mix of blood meal and cayenne pepper to discourage both mice and cats in the laundry room where I have my grow lights.