Starting the Barter Seeds

Today, I started the seeds I'm growing as part of bartering for my friend.  She wanted plants for her garden but has a black thumb, so she bought the seed packets and I'm growing them to seedlings in exchange for half of the plants.

Today, I started the following plants for her:

• California wonder sweet peppers
• Waltham 29 Broccoli
• Variety pack of heirloom tomatoes.

I chose the heirlooms because then if I like a specific plant, I can save the seeds for next year.  These plant packets would have cost $4 if I had bought them, but because I didn't, they're basically free.

I started them in a starter soil kit that I got for almost nothing last year at the end of the season, so it falls under my "use what you have" rule.  Unfortunately, I didn't have enough seed spots in the starter, so I can't plant them all yet.

I'll go see my friend in mid March for St. Patricks day, at which point, they should be seedlings.  I'm worried though that they won't be big enough to survive without a lot of care.  Fortunately, she lives in the south, so the harvest dates below will be fine for her first harvest.  I'll start up a second batch of seedlings later for my plants and for her second season.

Broccoli:  seedlings emerge in 10-21 days, harvest in 74 days
Peppers:  Seedlings emerge in 10-21 days, harvest in 74 days
Tomatoes:  seedlings emerge in 7-10 days, harvest in 72 days

That will be:

• Broccoli and pepper seedlings emerge from 2/21 to 3/3
• Broccoli and pepper harvest on about 4/25
• Tomato seedlings emerge from 2/18- 2/21
• Tomato harvest on about 4/23