03 Growing like kudzu!

Ok, maybe not quite "like kudzu"...

8/2/02 -- almost 2 weeks to the day, and 2 of the 12 varietals of tobacco seeds planted have begun to show little green sprouts.

Now, keep in mind that we're talking about seeds that are about the size of a flake of store-bought ground pepper (that is, substantially smaller than a grain of salt), that have to be kept ON TOP of the soil to germinate -- so watering can be a trick (I use a misting spray bottle) -- so "bursting forth with lush green goodness" really just means that the seeds have cracked and now show little green leaves that are only visible with a magnifying glass (well, if you're as old as I am, they are! ;) and barely stand out against the grey of mostly-potash-soil.

(Tobacco likes all the nutrient stuff that's in potash, so I filled their little seedling trays with potting soil, then covered each section with 1/2 inch of ash, then made a finger-indent into which I poured a dozen or so seeds, each.)

Anyway -- they were outside for a while, then I brought them back inside on Wednesday, and today (Friday) morning, under the alternating glow of two 75W grow lamps (it's a VERY small cigar ranch!), maybe 3 or 4 (it's hard to tell -- need a better magnifying glass!) of the "Indian" and the "Mountain" tobacco seeds "sprouted" -- and, again, I use the term VERY loosely.

So far, there's not much else to tell -- as Mrs. Misc and I "rode herd" across the rolling tundra, we looked for signs of rustlers or any cigars that had broken through the fence, but there were none. It seems that these little hefers are just determined to keep their heads buried in the sand for a little while longer.

Coming home, I stopped to notice the golden flies buzzing in the setting Sun, smelt the aroma of Ma-Misc's stew in the kettle, and leaned against a fallen log to play a little harmonica while enjoying a good cigar -- life is good.