Since Thursdays are our "Sarah's Garden" days, it only seemed right to include the following announcement which found its way into our inbox yesterday.

The Friends of the Free Library of Philadelphia have informed us that on Saturday, May 21st at 1pm at the South Philly Library (Broad and Morris Streets), they are sponsoring a book and plant sale that includes a free workshop by the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society.

The plant sale follows immediately after the workshop with all proceeds benefiting the South Philly Library. The workshop promises to help people who want to learn how to create beautiful small space gardens and will cover topics like container gardening and window boxes.

I've been reading Sarah's posts with great interest since I'm trying to get my own backyard vegetable garden going. Anyone who gets into this activity and does it without the use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides can really start to appreciate how refreshing it is to eat food free from those chemicals. It's one of the many reasons for supporting a food co-op so YOU can make the decision to have such carefully and sustainably grown food available to you (especially when, as is likely to happen to me, your backyard harvest isn't all you hoped it would be).

Hello again!  Things are moving along in my little corner of South Philly.  My garden has gone from this:

to this:

and this:

Nice!  So now everything is outside:  "everything" being the beefsteak and beauty queen tomatoes and the eggplants.  I still have other things to plant outside, like sunflowers and summer squash, but I only have so much precious weekend time.  There are also some tulip and daffodil bulbs that I planted very late in the game that have started blooming so I decided to let them keep going and focus on replanting all the tomatoes and eggplant.  Here is the raised bed now, with daffodils and one red tulip hiding amongst all the mint:

A note on this mint:  it's crazy!  But seriously, this is the third year I have had this particular mint plant and every year it comes back stronger than ever.  It requires NO work (except the occasional thinning out of the plants unless I want it to take over the entire backyard) and in the winter I just cut it down and it comes right back up in the spring.  It's great to have though, even just to throw a few sprigs in some iced (or hot) tea or just plain water or iced coffee.  And things like mojitos and juleps are fun (the latter especially if you're having a Derby party this Saturday) but a sprig of mint goes well in pretty much any drink.  You can also throw some leaves in salads and it pairs well with lots of lamb dishes.  Versatile!

Anyway, the actual planting of all the tomatoes and eggplants took both Saturday and Sunday afternoons (sure, I could have started in the morning and gotten this done in one day but my weekend mornings are reserved strictly for sleeping and brunching.)  I planted 28 pots in all and went through three BIG bags of potting soil and two smaller ones, plus another bag of my trusty compost.  The biggest obstacle this time around was water.  Thanks to all the rain we've been getting, everything was really wet.  The potting soil had been sitting outside, so all three big bags were wet - the one on the bottom was actually closer to mud than soil.  There are also two large metal planters left over from a previous tenant and they already had soil in them from last year.  Unfortunately that was also pretty muddy and there are no drainage holes in either of them so I had to use other pots.  I actually had some luck with just cutting the bags open and leaving them in the sun for a while to dry out the soil on Saturday, but Sunday I started running out of soil and the sun was not as strong.  Long story short I ended up using one of the metal planters for some beefsteaks surrounded by eggplant:

We'll see how that goes.  And here are the plants right after I planted them, looking a little droopy and over-watered and sad:

Two days later, they are less droopy but I still haven't watered them yet, which shows how wet the dirt actually was.

Another challenge was (again) actually transplanting the plants - untangling them from themselves and attempting to keep as many of the roots intact as possible.  Even the beefsteaks, which were all at least about a foot tall, had insanely delicate roots.  I'm going to get really scientific on you here, so get ready:  roots are really important.  Even more important than the part above the ground, since a plant gets the vast majority of its nutrients and water from the soil (this is also why good soil and compost are important.)  Here's a picture of one of the little eggplant's roots so you can see how big they actually are in relation to the rest of the plant:

Kind of like that overused analogy of an iceberg, the biggest part of the plant is actually what you can't see!  So you want to be very careful when transplanting to try to get as many of the roots as possible.  I actually found it easiest to just dig in there with my hands - this way I could feel the roots instead of just shoving a spade down there and breaking lots of them.  Of course, then your hands will end up looking like this:

But getting your hands dirty is fun, right?  I thoroughly enjoy it, but do be prepared to have dirt under your fingernails at all times.  No more manicures for a few months.

The plan in the coming weeks is to make sure what's outside doesn't get too wet/dry/cold and give away some of the smaller pots of tomatoes to make room for more plants!  I am also starting some more things inside:  basil and feverfew.  I've never grown basil from seed and I'm not entirely sure what feverfew actually is other than I love the name and it has pretty little white flowers.

Just for fun, here's a picture I took of two of the daffodils.  Look at them poking their little heads through the chair!

So stay tuned!  I'll be back with another update next week.

Sarah DeGiorgis has lived in Philly for five years and is finally starting to feel like a true Philadelphian, though she still detests cheesesteaks.  She enjoys reading, watching bad tv, eating and cooking good food and digging in the dirt. Catch up with her continuing efforts to grow food in South Philly by clicking here.

With over a year under our belt, there's a risk that our efforts to organize a co-op will lose steam but if last week was any indication, we still have plenty of steam left. The week started with our monthly educational event during which we hosted Shruthi of Cardamom Kitchen fame. (In fact, you may have already read about it.) The Newbold Civic Association welcomed Outreach Committee Co-chair Rachel Linstead Goldsmith on Monday to talk about the Co-op at their monthly meeting. Our outreach to the neighborhoods on the west side of Broad Street continues to pick up. On Wednesday, our good friends at Hawthornes Beer Boutique and Gourmet Eatery (738 S. 11th Street) hosted a fund raising event for us. The happy hour featured several delicious hors d'oeuvres (okay... I'll list them again: Smoked Salmon with cream cheese on crostinis, Pulled pork on slider rolls, Roasted red pepper hummus on Pita, Pico on tortilla chip, Bruschetta on Baguette, Tuna tartar on won ton, BBQ chicken quesadillas, Oven-roasted turkey on multigrain with sauerkraut and poblano aoili). Over 50 people enjoyed the hors d'oeuvres and drink specials (growlers, anyone?) helping the Co-op raise nearly $500. Some lucky folks won gift certificates or tickets donated by Calm, Zipcar, and Eastern State Penitentiary. All proceeds from events such as this go toward expenses we anticipate down the line including the market analysis and feasibility study that we'll need when we approach lenders for financing or the marketing materials that will help with our upcoming member-owner drive. A special thanks goes out again to South Philadelphia Tap Room for another such event back in December (before this blog was really up and running) and the Philly Community Wellness Center for donating a gift certificate that was awarded during the event. The end of the week arrived and we were just getting started. On Friday night, several of our more talented volunteers began dropping off some of the best looking baked goods South Philly has to offer. Somehow, Alison and I were able to resist the temptation to eat every single cookie occupying our dining room table just long enough to hand them over on Saturday morning to other committee members and volunteers who peddled them at the LoMo Spring Flea Market and Community Fair. Braving the breezy, sunshine-filled weather, this group brought in another $140. Meanwhile, a few blocks to the north, Amanda, Kat, Andy and I staked out a spot on East Passyunk Avenue to hand out brochures and solicit survey takers at the Flavors of the Avenue event. So while part of our group spent the day with cookies and cakes, the rest of them got to sit downwind from a big top tent filled with samples of Passyunk Avenue's finest restaurants. At least a hundred or so folks stopped by to learn about the Co-op and many of them have joined our growing list of potential member-owners. Thanks to everyone who filled out a survey. Any information and research that we compile ourselves is that much less that we have to pay professionals to find for our market analysis. And if you missed out on any of these events, we'll have plenty of additional opportunities for you to see us or volunteer to help out. On Saturday, May 7 we'll be tabling at the PEP Plant Sale (Broad and Federal) from 10am to 4pm. Interested in volunteering? Learn more about volunteer opportunities and fill out our Volunteer Interests Survey. I can almost guarantee you that someone will be in touch with in a day or two to take you up on your offer!

Join us on Saturday, May 14 and Saturday, May 21 from 3:00pm to 6:30pm at Lucky Old Souls for their Jazz on Colorado Court series at McKean St between 17th & 18th Streets.

Lucky Old Souls is a jazz club coming to South Philly, currently getting their final approval from the PLCB with renovations on their building to begin soon and an opening date of 2011. Every Saturday in May they're hosting a free outdoor neighborhood concert next door to their future home. On hand serving up food will be Honest Tom's Tacos, Buttercream Cupcakes, Tyson Bees, & Little Baby's Ice Cream. SPFC will also be there on the 14th and 21st for two fabulous evenings of live jazz and food trucks! Stop on over with the family and say hello!

*This event takes place every Saturday in May but SPFC will only be there on the dates indicated here.

Kale chips are the easiest non-recipe around. Take kale, heat to chipness. I Googled "kale chips" to see if there was someone I should credit, but I get over 2.5 million hits, so I assume a lot of people do this. I make this for parties, and a giant bowl of chips costs less than a dollar, and it's made of kale. You can't beat it. People ask for the recipe. I point to kale and the oven.

I'm not a huge kale fan, so I started doing this a few years ago and it's awesome. We usually intend to pack it up and keep it, if we make it when we don't have company, but it's hard. You start picking at the tray, and suddenly you've eaten a bunch of kale. If you're a big kale fan, all the better, but you don't have to love kale to love kale chips.


First, preheat the oven to 400.  Then start with some kale.

I thought I'd use the whole bunch, but in reality only used about half by the time I filled my trays, so the rest went to the fridge for another use.  Wash and dry your kale thoroughly.  Kale seems like one of the buggier of the greens.  Wash it hard.

Take off the stems.  This is pretty simple, just run a knife along the stems.  Or, sometimes you can hold them by the end and run your hand down them and take the leaves off (like a giant version of stripping rosemary).  Do this to all the kale you're going to use.  My stems go to the stock bag.

And tear the kale into bite-sized pieces.  This size.

Half a bunch of kale (and a bunch is 67 cents worth at the "regular" grocery store) gave me this many uncooked chips.

Which filled two baking sheets.   I tried it lined with a silicone mat and unlined today, and the results were the same.

Then spritz with olive oil.  I rely on my olive oil spritzer, but if you don't have one, toss them with olive oil in a large bowl or shake them with it in a bag.  You want barely any oil - we're not talking about coating, we're talking about just enough so they don't stick to the pan, and so that the salt and pepper do stick.   That's right, salt and pepper.  To taste.  Forgive my blur.

Then in the oven for 10 minutes or so.  The edges will just start to brown and none of it will feel soft, it will be crispy all over.   If I could add audio of someone biting into a kale chip here, that would convey the texture.  Like if you barely closed your hand over a piece, it might crumble like this:

So the finished chips look like this:

You can let them cool and then seal them tightly in bags for a day or so, but they don't keep crispy for long and besides, they're addictive fresh from the oven.
This works with chard too, and I imagine other veg but haven't tried.

This recipe is cross-posted at Saturday’s Mouse, where I’m working on making food out of food.

Kale Chips

• 1 bunch kale (or less, sokay)


• spritz of olive oil (or a teaspoon or so)


• salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400.  Wash, dry and de-stem the kale.  Tear into bite-sized pieces.  Spritz with olive oil and season with salt and pepper (more pepper) and bake until crispy and starting to brown, about 10 minutes.

Some of you may remember our very first Community Event back in January when Genevieve Sherrow came and shared her personal journey of transitioning to a gluten-free lifestyle, talked about her new book (Gluten Free Warrior) and brought some crazy good samples of some of her gluten-free recipes.

We're happy to announce that Genevieve has recently partnered with La Cucina at Reading Terminal Market for a series of gluten-free cooking classes.  Check 'em out!  Here are the deets:

Thursday, June 2nd 5:45-7:45 PM: Gluten-free Budget Friendly, Quick and Easy: GF diets can be costly. Relying on whole foods such as bulk grains and legumes, fruits and vegetables can be your best bet when designing quick, budget conscious, nutritious meals. We’ll make satisfying whole foods meals that you can prepare in less than 30 minutes for under $20 including: Eat the Rainbow Veggie Chili, Chickpea Vegetable Curry and Stir-fry of Carrot, Celery, Zucchini and Mushroom with simmered quinoa (Vegetarian, no eggs and no dairy).

Saturday, June 25th 11-1 PM: Gluten-free Brunch: Brunch is an ideal time to nourish, relax and cook! In this class we’ll make nourishing whole grain breakfast dishes that are sure to jump-start your day.  Millet Porridge with Peaches, Scallion, Walnut and Nori Scramble, Hearty Buckwheat Waffles.  Recipes include eggs and dairy.
Classes are $30 and include food samples, recipes and educational  materials.  You can register by contacting Anna Florio @ 215-922-1170.

Genevieve Sherrow, MS, CN, has been living gluten-free since 2007. She completed a Master’s of Science in Integrative Nutrition in 2009 at Bastyr University in Seattle, Washington. Genevieve is Founder of Gluten-free Warrior, a Philadelphia-based company specializing in education, counseling, writing, food service and restaurant consulting. Gluten-free Warrior is also a therapeutic whole foods cookbook designed for individuals living gluten-free and wheat-free. For more information about Genevieve, visit gfwarrior.blogspot.com and wholefoodreflections.blogspot.com

It is difficult to fathom that in a country as wealthy and industrialized as the United States, over 17 million households are without proper access to fresh, healthy food. Many US cities with a large impoverished population, with little access to food, rely on a strong network of nonprofit organizations to help increase food security. While these nonprofit efforts are admirable, the best way to bring the community together to increase food access for all citizens, is the implementation of a Food Policy Council (FPC). The advent of food policy councils began in Knoxville, Tennessee in 1977, when Bob Wilson, a professor at the University of Tennessee challenged his landscape architecture class to examine planning issues related to food availability within their city. This assignment spurred a resolution to be passed within Knoxville’s local government in October of 1981 to form a food policy council. The resolution declared that food policy and issues were a governmental responsibility and concern, and that Knoxville’s food system was to be monitored and acted upon as needed. The initiation of Knoxville’s food policy council inspired the implementation of at least five other food policy councils over the past twenty years within the US. As food policy councils became more prevalent in the United States, their function became clearer. A council’s mission is to strengthen the economic vitality of the local food industry, ensure that an adequate and nutritious food supply is available to all citizens, increase local food production, and minimize food-related activities that degrade the natural environment. A council’s members consist of government officials, local restaurateurs, members of local businesses, farms, and food distributors, as well as volunteers from a diverse set of policy development and community bodies. A number of policies must to be enacted in order for an FPC to accomplish these goals. The specific state and local policies that affect the survivability of a local food system address transportation issues that hinder food access and farm viability, nutritional programs available to citizens, institutional and nonprofit involvement, and sound economic strategies that promote a sustainable local economy. The organization of urban farming programs by a city’s food policy council not only improves access to food for impoverished residents, but also improves the environment with the creation of green space, as well as provides a source of income for local citizens. One area where this is being done is Boston, Massachusetts. There, the statewide food policy alliance is supporting an extensive campaign encouraging citizens and institutions to buy and eat local produce. The promotion of urban and backyard gardens in Boston have improved the area’s land and soil quality, boosted the local economy, and provided impoverished citizens with greater access to fresh, healthy food. Meanwhile, back in Knoxville, TN, home of the first ever food policy council, members of local government collaborated with policy developers from the department of transportation, re-routing bus routes, in order to provide impoverished citizens with greater access to supermarkets. In addition to altering mass-transit routes, the Knoxville food policy council also pushed to install bicycle racks on the front of buses so that citizens without cars could access food a little easier. Without governmental sanction and strong ties to the local nonprofit network, many Knoxville residents would still be without sufficient food access, today. Bringing together specialists and key players within a food system helps to improve the system as a whole from the beginning of growth and manufacturing, to distribution, to consumption and ending with waste management. The implementation of Food Policy Councils offers the best opportunity for any urban area to accomplish the goals of strengthening the local food network, aiding in increased food and nutrition policy effectiveness, and also in creating an overall balanced food system for producers, consumers, and the environment. In addition, councils strengthen food security for the residents of an urban area. The implementation of a food policy council is the best way for a city to improve its local food system and move toward the ultimate goal of sustainability. Please welcome Haley VanderMeer who is a new addition to our team of South Philly Food Co-op volunteer bloggers. Haley first published this article at GreenAnswers.com on March 28, 2011. Haley has done work promoting various local food events including photographing food at farmers' markets for social media promotion for the Jefferson Farmers' Market and has written and distributed recipes at its educational booth.

A big round of thanks goes out to Shruthi Bajaj of Cardamom Kitchen for spending the evening of April 24th with five Co-op fans and helping us "demystify spices." (And trust me, for someone like me whose experience with spices is the cinnamon on my toast and the black pepper on my eggs, it was a demystifying experience.)

Shruthi started the evening off by having us each take a quiz (good thing I studied!) to determine our constitutional type (or dosha). Our group had a healthy mix of Vata, Pitta, and Kapha. (For the record I was a Vata with a side of Pitta, meaning that I when I am out of balance I can be a little scattered and anxious.)

Just after the quiz, Shruthi shared with us a sprouted mung salad that included one of the four spices she would go on to talk about later - cumin. The salad was fresh and delicious with an herb and spice mix that really made it pop. And, as her recipe notes, the sprouted mung beans enhances their digestibility and increases the content of vitamins C and B complex. (Considering what else I had to eat that day, it was good that I got something this healthy in my system!) I'd share the recipe but since I don't have Shruthi's permission to do so you'll just have to email her if you're interested.

Shruthi then went on to talk about the types of food one should eat depending on the season of the year and how eating the wrong types at the wrong time can throw a person out of balance. A Vata person who eats light foods in the spring or fall will almost float away and should balance themselves out with foods that have heavier textures.

Does this seem like too much for you to keep track of? No worries. Shruthi can do it for you. Check out her website where she offers customers a service in which she'll visit your home and give cooking classes based in Ayurvedic insights or she can cook meals for you either as one-time deal or on a continuing basis.

Finally, we talked about Shruthi's four "go to" spices: coriander, cumin, turmeric, and cardamom. In fact, she was so convincing about the healing properties of turmeric when mixed with sesame oil and applied as a balm that I came home yesterday to find the bottom and sides of my bathtub stained yellow because a certain someone used this on her ailing ankle.

Rather than re-hash what we talked about, I refer you to Shruthi's website where she explains what makes these four spices so special.

Thanks again to Shruthi and everyone else who made it out on Sunday.

With the good fortune of having enough volunteers, we're in two places at once today! Come visit us at the LoMo Spring Flea Market and Community Fair and support the Co-op by purchasing one of the many baked goods that our volunteers prepared for today. I was down there setting up and made sure to leave some cookies for everyone else. We're under the blue tent on Broad between Snyder and Jackson. The fair goes until 3pm but come by soon while we still have baked goods to offer! Also, another crop of volunteers will be at a table along Passyunk Avenue for the Flavors of the Avenue event between noon and 5. We'll be handing out brochures, answering questions and asking people to fill out surveys. The surveys are a vital part of the planning process and will be used as part of our market analysis and feasibility study. Hope to see you out there today!

Hello food people!  My name is Sarah and sometime this winter I decided to try my hand at growing some vegetables.  Now, I'm going to document it.  Join me!

One of the perks of living in South Philly is that my roommate and I have a nice little patio with a built-in planter and pretty good sun.  Of course my first thought was:  food!  A little background on me:  I don't know too much about plants but my parents are avid gardeners. My father taught high school horticulture (it's totally a class) and my grandmother still has what remains of her farm, so they are my main sources for any plant-related questions.  I have grown (and killed) various plants in the past, from houseplants to tomatoes, but this is my first time growing anything entirely from seed.  So let's get started!  I hope to learn a lot from this and hopefully you will too.

Sometime in January I started to feel my annual spring fever, so I somewhat erratically ordered a lot of seeds online.  I feel like I have to come clean here and say that this is not entirely local because the seeds are from Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds.  But I wanted non-genetically modified seeds and I figured heirloom varieties would be fun.  That, by the way, is how I make lots of decisions.  I am not a super-green-thumb or anything, but last summer I was too late to the game to start tomatoes from seed so I bought some young plants from the Lowe's on Columbus Boulevard.  I doted on them, then kind of forgot about them, then overwatered them and the resulting fruit was kind of disappointing.  Basically the fruit tasted...bad.  It wasn't horrible but it wasn't the delicious fresh-from-the-garden taste I remembered as a kid.  I chalked up some of this to possibly distorted memories and changing tastebuds, but I decided to grow things from seed the next time around to see if I couldn't get better tasting produce.

I started three crops inside:  two varieties of tomatoes (beefsteak and an heirloom called beauty queen) and eggplant.  The instructions told me to start them inside 4-6 weeks before the last frost.  A quick Google search revealed that the last frost for Philadelphia is usually around the middle of April, so I started my seeds in early March.  Now I know that there are seed starting kits and all sorts of special trays and planters, but I don't have that much money or space and I'd rather recycle what I already had.  In our backyard there were a few pots leftover from previous tenants and I gathered a few of my own from thrift stores - I started with three, one for each crop, and then gathered more along the way.  The only thing I know about pots for plants is that they should have some drainage holes in the bottom in case you are like me and tend to overwater - that way the excess water will drain out instead of flooding the plant.  Some of the containers I got from thrift stores didn't have holes in the bottom but it's easy to drill little holes or, in my case, just poke some holes with a knife (be careful!)  Again, going on instinct and various tips, I washed all the pots I was using with all-natural soap (Dr. Bronner's in my case) because I knew that even if I didn't quite get it all washed out it wouldn't be as horrible to the plants as a chemical-laden detergent-based soap.

The first nice sunny weekend in March I walked to the hardware store and bought two bags of potting soil.  I had planned on doing a soil test of the soil that was already in my backyard but since it's all in a raised bed and I had already added potting soil to it last year I decided to skip it.  Plus I am doing most of my planting in containers since a lot of the raised bed is occupied by a wonderful little Japanese maple tree which I wouldn't trade for the world but which also doesn't allow for lots of sun.  So plants like tomatoes, that need full sun, will be planted in containers on the sunny side of the yard, away from the tree.

 

I basically just filled up each pot (loosely) with soil, sprinkled the seeds on top, and topped with a little more soil.  Then I watered each one until water ran out the drainage holes, since when you first plant seeds the soil is very dry and seeds need water.  Duh, right?  Seeds also need sunlight, which can be hard to come by in a rowhouse.  We get pretty good light, and it's a good idea to be aware of which way your house or plot is oriented before you start planting.  Philly is kind of at an angle, by which I mean that streets going north don't actually point due north.  But it's pretty close, so facing the Schuylkill is vaguely west and the Delaware is vaguely east.  With that knowledge (and no compass) I've determined that my backyard is about ESE and the front of the house is therefore WNW, or something like that.  Obviously if you have real person tools like a compass you can figure this out exactly.  The only other note on this is that the strongest sun is from the south and the weakest from the north, so for something like tomatoes that need full sun, south sun is best.  Do be careful though, because south sun in the summer in Philly can be very strong and plants will dry out very quickly (as I learned last year) and the sun can even burn the leaves if you're not careful.  Sun is about amount (hours per day) and also strength, so get to know your planting space and how the sun moves through it.  I am lucky to have dealt with this space last year so that I know the sunniest spots and how the sun moves according to season, but a little trial and error doesn't hurt.

With that in mind I put my three pots in the front windows, right against the glass (even though they don't need sun until they sprout) and waited, making sure to keep the soil damp.  In about a week I had little beefsteak sprouts!  And about a week after that the beauty queen and eggplant followed suit.  Because the little seedlings were so delicate, I bought a 99 cent spray bottle so that I could mist them and not just dump water on them and knock them over.  They seemed to respond well to the misting (and it was pretty fun) so I kept that up until each plant had two sets of leaves, which is when you can transplant them.  I actually think it was better for me to use larger pots rather than little seedling trays since larger pots hold more dirt which holds more water and therefore doesn't require constant watering like the trays would (although a self-watering system for those would be easy to assemble and would reduce the watering work also.)  Personal preference, I guess.

 

The last weekend in March was transplanting time for the beefsteaks, which were getting quite crowded.  I gathered all my pots and two more bags of potting soil and headed outside.  As I was doing this, I remembered reading (in Grid, I believe) that Green Aisle Grocery on Passyunk had local compost for $5 a bag.  Now I know that you can make your own compost and that it's a great way to cut down on waste and all that, but I didn't have any started and I'm not particularly keen on worms and Green Aisle is just a short walk from my house.  I rationalized that at least it was local (South Philly) compost, I was supporting a local business and it was a way to fertilize without using chemicals.  A quick walk to Green Aisle and twenty minutes later I mixed some compost into the potting soil and got to work.  Now this is where something like individual seedling trays would have come in handy - it was very hard to get the first few seedlings out of the pot without breaking them since they are so delicate.  I ended up lifting up the top layer of the soil (the roots only went down two inches at most), setting it on the ground, and gently separating each plant by knocking the soil away from the roots and then very gently pulling the plants apart.  I cannot emphasize enough how gentle I was - even just gripping the seedlings with barely any strength would have killed some of them.  That said, I had so many I wasn't afraid to lose a few and got rid of the smallest ones.  But seeing as how I had raised them from seed I really didn't want to just throw over half of my little babies out.  I ended up saving too many (I do have limited space) but I just couldn't bear to part with them.  So, more pots were gathered - thrift stores are great for this and also I found some groundspeople working at Penn and they offered me as many plastic pots as I needed from the little plants they were planting so it doesn't hurt to ask around.  In the end I ended up with eight pots with anything from three to...many seedlings in them.  And this is where my lack of plant knowledge comes in:  two seedlings were significantly larger than the others, so I put each of those in a pot with only one smaller plant thinking that the biggest ones would be the hardiest, or at least the hardest to kill.  The rest of the normal-sized ones just got a little more space.  The beauty queens and the eggplants were still too small - each plant only had one or two leaves - so I just left those.  I'm still not entirely sure why the beefsteaks are so much larger than the beauty queens or the eggplants, but I'm assuming that since beefsteaks are big tomatoes then the plants must be big plants.  Again, some research beforehand might have been helpful but that's not really how I roll.

 

Fast forward a month and here we are!  I'm planning to move them outside this weekend since I think we're frost-free (cross your fingers!)  I'm assuming its the compost, but after transplanting the beefsteaks really took off.

This past month I've switched from misting to actually watering with a watering can with one of those drip heads so that I don't just dump water on them.  They got too big for the mister (heh) probably about two weeks after I transplanted them, and they needed more water.  Again, I'm using fairly deep pots but with lots of sunshine I still have to water them every two days or so.  (That week that was gray and rainy I only watered once or twice all week.)  I'm trying really hard to stick to my grandmother's advice of watering little and often, as opposed to a lot and rarely.

I'll be back next week with another update!  Also I'll be planting things directly outside, like rosemary, basil, thyme, summer squash and a few various flowers.  I told you I have a lot of seeds.

Sarah DeGiorgis has lived in Philly for five years and is finally starting to feel like a true Philadelphian, though she still detests cheesesteaks.  She enjoys reading, watching bad tv, eating and cooking good food and digging in the dirt.