It is very difficult for me to be patient while I have to wait for spring and my time in the garden. Last year, with the new addition of the greenhouse, I was eager, too eager, and started my seedlings in the greenhouse when clearly the temperatures were not high enough. I ended up carrying trays of peat pots back down to the house.

I had lots of great feedback from my friends after last year’s plant sale. More cherry tomatoes were requested as well as more yellow and perhaps a tumbler. My preference is for good sauce tomatoes but a variety is good fun too. I like to grow baby tomatoes that you couldn’t normally find at a local nursery. This year, I think I have found a great variety. There are sixteen in total so I thought I would break them up into groups for you to see and perhaps be inspired for your own garden if you can’t buy your plants from me. We will start with the Cherry type.

Candyland Red – Early ripening currant sized. 100+ tiny red super sweet 1/4 oz fruit with concentrated flavour. Compact, won’t take over your garden. Indeterminate.

Cherry Falls – Produces bright red, sweet, juicy cherry tomatoes on productive, semi-determinate vines. Its vigorous growth habit will give you extremely high yields and the trailing vines make it ideal for container or basket growing. Does not need staking or pinching. This determinate tomato produces fruit all summer.

Sungold Cherry – Super sweet, early bearing, fruit all season in 10-20 fruit clusters. Exceptionally sweet and bright tangerine colored. Indeterminate .

Super Sweet 100’s – High yields of well rounded, deep red, sweet 3/4-1 inch fruit. Vigorous indeterminate vine requires support.

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With the generator project finished, E is waiting to start the propane project. While he waits, we picked up his new chainsaw on Thursday and started to deal with the half-charred trees on the Crescent. It is the same as his last chainsaw but cost literally twice what he paid eight years ago. So far, he has taken down three trees which had no hope of surviving and still there are a few to go. On the upside it gives us some of the firewood we need. (Stihl MS291 chainsaw $650.00)

Next to the sweet potatoes, lettuce and spinach, 56 tomatoes have been planted. Theoretically, the heat mats and grow lights which I bought with the profits from last year’s plant sale will make the difference to this year’s seedlings. Seed starting an entire month earlier than ever before? I am nothing if not

an eternal optimist