We started our seeds

So I still don't have soil in my raised bed and it is already March 2. No problem. The kids and I sowed our first crops in pellets today. Hopefully the soil will be in the bed by time our veggies need to be planted.

Turns out the Burpee "ecofriendly" seed starting kit I bought was really easy to use. A little over 4 cups of warm water turned the dry pellets into dark, moist 2 inch seed beds in about a minute. (In my mind that process would have taken hours. In fact I got the first one started before naps even though we didn't start 'planting' until after my kindergartner returned from school because I was worried that the pellets wouldn't be ready for the seeds.) On a side note, Burpee claims that the trays and lids are made from plants. They feel like plastic. How is that possible?

In the end, I would say that starting seed pellets was not the least stressful task to take on with kids. At first, none of the kids seemed to understand what 'plant a row' meant. But we made it through. Each kid got their own seed (spinach, beets, fennel) and 10 pellets (2 rows) to plant -- then I did the rest (chard, peas, and flowers.) I am still not sure if I got it right. Are you supposed to cover the seeds with something? I did my best to get the seeds down in the center but so far have left them to their own devices.

Finally, I am proud to say that my garden window is being used for its intended purpose for the first time. Up until now it has been largely used as a dish drain.

So as behind as I feel in the planting department, I am now started. Looking forward to seeing some sprouts soon!