The indoor seedlings are coming up like mad now! Not only are there more tomato (including cherry tomato) and tomatillo seedlings, but late yesterday I finally spied my first chile seedling, and today I noticed that the basils and bronze fennel are finally starting to sprout! Even late bloomer “Paul Robeson” tomato is finally up. Today I also noted that there are four more seedlings of the first chile, “Cochiti,” bringing the total to 5 before any of the others have sprouted at all. In terms of tomatoes, two of the first three to sprout still lead the pack – “Myona” tops the total with 6 out of 8 seeds sprouted, followed closely by “Manyel” with 5 of 8. “Toma Verde,” the first tomatillo to sprout, still leads the tomatillo pack by a wide margin. For the herbs, there are a handful of bronze fennel seedlings up (“Smokey,” from Renee’s Garden Seeds), and three “Red Leafed” basil plus one in the same pot that may be a “Red Leafed” or may be a “Mrs. Burns’ Famous Lemon” (it’s slightly tinged in red, but not nearly as red as the others), and then there are a few coming up in the second pot of basils, but it’s harder to tell what kind those are because I sowed “Eritrean” and “Mayo/Yeome” in the same pot and I believe they are the same color as seedlings. (See below for a list of the basils.)
We’ve had so little rain since the snow melted that yesterday as I was working in the garden I saw a strong gust of wind pick up dirt/dust from the street and gust it down the boulevard with litter, as if this were the Southwest. And yet we had such a good snow/ice season that the ground is saturated anyway and the broad-leafed evergreens look their healthiest at springtime in a few years. Today it is finally thickly cloudy (after days upon days of brilliant sunshine) and sporadically sprinkling; it is allegedly going to outright shower this afternoon, but we’ll see. This morning I went out to sow the peas and fava/broad beans, as it is ‘fruit days’ and I wanted to get them in before the possible-rain, plus tomorrow is supposed to be colder and today is already crisper than yesterday, the temperature having peaked around dawn this morning. The ground is so wet that all I had to do was press my thumb into it to create a hole deep enough for planting a legume seed, as if I were working with dough or sliding a warm knife into butter.
I planted the favas in the front of the crop patch, since that worked well last year, and planted a long row of most of the peas behind them (in a row just because it makes it easier to trellis them), with the two definitely dwarf peas off by themselves. I reviewed the pea list I compiled here in a recent entry before planting to check on sizes and to arrange them by type of pea. I planted the row from shelling peas, to the pea that can be shelled or used as a snow pea, on to snow peas, then peas that can be used as snow or snap, and finally the snap/sugar pea. I should’ve compiled a fava list before I did so for this post (see below for list), as I’d forgotten “Iant’s Fava” is so much bigger than normal fava plants, and would have planted it behind the others if I’d’ve remembered. I planted the two dwarf peas by themselves in the southeast corner of the patch, but I don’t know if that’s the right place for them, so we’ll see. I planted five of each fava, except for “Purple Guatemalan,” as I was so charmed by the purple fava seeds in my hand that I planted an extra one. I planted six of each pea, except for “Capucijner’s Blue Pod,” as I only received ten seeds of that very rare (in the US) cultivar and didn’t want to plant over half the pack only for disaster to strike, so I planted four of those instead. See my recent entry “Spring and Peas” for a list of the pea cultivars.
It was cool and gusty with very damp air, and by the time I finished sowing the seeds, my pants, bare ankles, and bare hands were all caked with mud and I was cold and stiff, but I knew that my reward was going into a heated home for a warm shower and a hot mug of tea, so it was all good.
While I was waiting for the tea to steep, I thought I’d check the seedlings for watering needs, and forgot that – I know this will shock you – recently used gas burners are hot. So I, not surprisingly, accidentally burnt a few small holes in the bottom of one of the seed trays. The good news is that it appears that it was just the main tray holder that was damaged, and those are extremely cheap & easy to replace (in fact, I have some extras in my home at present). Plus, I learned my lesson, and hopefully will not do something so dumb again. And it also speaks to the high quality of my seed trays that so little damage was done despite sitting on a hot burner!
Basils
Mrs. Burns’ Famous Lemon This variety has been grown for 60 years in southeastern New Mexico. It is an Old World introduction and readily self-seeds. (Native Seeds/SEARCH)
Mayo/Yeome A strong smelling medicinal plant commonly grown in Sonora, Mexico. Good for cooking and flavoring vinegars and oils. The white and pink flowers make it an attractive garden plant. Do not grow with other basils if saving seed. (Native Seeds/SEARCH)
Eritrean (O.GRATISSIMUM) [Family heirloom from an Eritrean Exchange student] Compact plant with beautiful, purple-tinged green foliage, stunning in flower. It has a strongly attractive and spicy odor, and is much used in African cuisine. (Southern Exposure Seed Exchange)
Red Leafed (Ocimum basilicum) Annual. Beautiful, deep burgundy-red throughout; adds color to salads and soups, with the same great basil taste as green leaf varieties. Start indoors and transplant outside after frost. (Turtle Tree)
I also have three more basils that I haven’t sowed yet because I didn’t have them yet during my last basil planting.
Broad Beans / Fava Beans
Broad Windsor 85 days. Plants grow 24 to 36″ tall and produce 1″ wide, 6 to 8″ long pods containing 5 to 6 large beans. We love to substitute this bean for chickpeas in hummus. (Southern Exposure Seed Exchange)
Iant’s Fava Originally introduced by Alan Kapuler of Peace Seeds. A large-seeded Guatemalan variety that reaches 6 feet tall! The bright yellow seeds are reputed to contain elevated levels of dopamine, and may have benefits for those at risk for Alzheimer’s disease. A fine plant for improving garden soil. Abundant production of delicious fava beans (Baker Creek)
Guatemalan Purple Large deep purple colored seeds from Guatemala. Produced well in our winter grow-out in Tucson and a spring growout on our Conservation Farm (4000ft). (Native Seeds/SEARCH)
D’Aquadulce a Tres Longue Cosse Beautiful black and white flowers attract many beneficial insects. Well-filled pods to 8’’. Beans have a warm nutty flavor, meatier than lima beans. Edible leaves. Very disease-resistant. (Bountiful Gardens; leftover seeds stored since last year’s planting)
I ordered one more fava bean this week that I will plant as soon as it arrives; here is its description:
Nintoku Giant This variety’s yield is heavy. Most bean pods have 3 large seeds in a pod. Sow seeds in late spring in cold winter climate areas. For warm and mild winter climate areas, sow seeds in fall and harvest in spring. These sweet, tasty beans are especially prized in China and Japan, where they are parboiled and then stir-fried in oil with garlic. Boil beans and serve cooked as an appetizer or add to salad. Broad beans are extremely high in nutrients, including protein, iron and potassium. Maturity: Approx. 90 days (Kitazawa Seed Co.)
A Bee in the City 
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