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The growing instructions on the packet of the Black Russian tomato seeds stated that they would take 7 to 10 days to germinate, and sure enough, they were correct to the letter. Today is the 10th day after we sowed them in the paper pots, and we can now see the first leaves and shoots peeping through the soil.

We actually noticed the first two on Monday, but nearly all of the plants are now showing signs of having taken, and if they continue at the this rate, it won’t be long before we can transplant them into proper pots and put them in the greenhouse.

Elsewhere, our horticultural fingers have been doing things, too. Nik had a very busy couple of hours in the garden at the weekend, planting ten broad beans, two rows of white onion sets, and a row of early cropping carrots, which we’ll replace with later ones, once these have been harvested in the early summer.  We’ve also started three varieties of potatoes chitting.

As winter seems to (hopefully temporarily) take another cold grip on this week, we wonder if we’ve jumped the gun a bit. But, homemade plastic half-bottle cloches should, we hope, keep them warm and dry. It feels good to be planting once more, and means that with a bit of luck, spring is well and truly just around the corner.

It’s March, and so with spring supposedly just around the corner, we planted the first of the 2009 crop this afternoon. We’re going for the full gamut of vegetables once more (the new for ’09 garlic is already in and shooting and all the other seeds we’ve chosen have arrived), and though planting proper begins in April the Black Russian tomatoes went in today.

Yes, that’s right, a different variety to our usual and successful Golden Sunrise and Moneymakers, the Black Russians are deep reddy-brown in colour, and should be a little more unusual. As last year, we used the paper potter to make degradable newspaper containers in which to plant the seeds, and dug out the mini propagator that will provide warmth and cover while we start them off indoors.

Once we’d popped the seeds into the paper pots, we covered with 1cm of soil, watered just enough to moisten them, and lined them up in the propagator on the patio door ledge in the dining room. We’re starting them off indoors due to the 18-20 degrees C temperature the seedlings need to get started, and once they’re off, they should germinate within 7 to 10 days. Then, when large enough to handle, they can be transplanted into proper pots and kept in the greenhouse.