Surprises - the good kind

I like surprises - the good kind that is. Surprise lillys, that I thought I had killed, are sprouting. A friend gave me these last year. I brought them home, planted, watered, the leaves turned brown and withered away. No flowers. Nothing. Until now...very nice surprise!

And, while I've made every effort to successfully grow peppers from seed this year, I'm still a bit surprised that so many of them are doing so well. Having tried a few times before, and in earnest last year, I've learned this is not as simple as poking some seeds into dirt, watering and walking away. They need attention - DAILY! They need the right potting mix, and light - they need warmth - they need water, but not too much. And good air flow, a spritz of tonic to ward off damping off, and a watchful eye for mold and other issues. Lots to remember - but worth it.

I seem to have 3 groups - A) very vigorous and thriving; B) growing but just not as fast or big as group A; C) Hanging in there - growing very slowly, maybe having a leaf drop or curl. So while I'm having far better success than in the past, there's still a few weaklings in the bunch. No biggee - I'm just thrilled to have some super-babies that should make fabulous transplants come May! I'd say for month-old seedlings they look pretty darned good, wouldn't you?