Tomatoes sell themselves. Peppers you gotta hustle.

On the bus, at the bakery, during the cat’s check-up at the City Cat Clinic — I’m pimpin’ plants.

You like ‘em hot? You like ‘em sweet? You into Eastern European heirlooms? The Pepper… er… a.. Peppa’ Pimp’s gotcha covered.

My startribune.com coworkers were an easy sell. Buy a pot. Plant a pepper.
Any sunny spot will do.

Don’t have room? I don’t have time for your excuses.

The members on my kickball team savored the taste of free peppers as much as the taste victory. (However, after accepting and planting my extra potatoes, our third basewoman had no patience or space for my latest solicitations, “Enough with the free plants! Kick that red rubber ball and get on base!”)

Yeah, my hustle’s tight.

Even GG reader Rebecca of Veggie S.O.S. received a couple “bonus peppers” with her replacement tomato plant.

Chillin’ on company time with company resources, my inbox has gone international with deals big and small:

Jaime,

My wife Monica is going to give you a call. She works in the warehouse district and can come over to drop off the (Italian) “goods”. She will wear a red trench coat with a green hat. You should wear a yellow shirt with turquoise pants so we know who you are. The seeds will be in the garbage at 4th and Hennepin for the exchange.

Matt

Yellow shirt? Turquoise pants? Man, it’s hard out here for a pimp.

Thanks for all the great seed starting advice!

Last week, my seedlings started to look a little leggy. I moved the trays closer to the light and set up a fan to blow throught the screen door of the CPPC (Cat-Proof Protection Chamber).

This morning, their stems were solid and strong. Though some of my peppers are still struggling to free themselves from their cotyledons, my tomatoes just sprouted their third set of leaves!

Wednesday night, the CPPC sprouted with its first signs of life — Tomato seedlings!

I thought it was just a fluke, an unexpected success from my inexperienced bumbling, but, by Sunday, some brave Bulgarian Hot Peppers poked through the soil. Plus, I now had a whole pallet of tomato seedlings.

Life! Life! I have successfully propagated life! Now, I’m as anxious and nervous as a new parent with her newborn (No, Mom, don’t call me at the office. There are no real grandchildren on the way.). Guiding these plants to full maturation and a bountiful harvest suddenly feels like a huge responsibility. Am I really ready for the challenge? Do I become one of those parents who quotes Dr. Spock? Or do I put my faith in mother nature and trust my “natural instincts?”

Life! Life! This trial by fire is terrifying — What the heck do I do next?

This past weekend I searched online and offline for the best deals in heating pads.

To my disappointment, there were no deals to be found.

Gone are the good old days of one-temperature-heats-all charred plastic heating pads. No, today the big box stores carry super foam, moist and dry heat pads with six different temperature settings and safety-first auto shut-off switches.

Great for a bad back, but not so great for starting seeds.

Time for a little Math 101:
The average heating pad is 12″ x 15″ and cost around twenty to twenty-five bucks. The CPPC (Cat-Proof Protection Chamber) is approximately 24″ x 48.” Each flat of seeds would need one heating pad, possibly one and a half.
Estimated heating pad cost: $40 - $60.

Then the boyfriend and I popped into Midwest Hydroponic and Homebrew. The space and the staff were anything but welcoming. However, there are advantages to being ignored.

After I located the hydroponics section, I was able to unpackage, and thus, fully inspect my mat options. Some were flat and thin as mylar. Others were thick and foamy. Depending on the brand, an 11″ x 24″ propagation cost around $30. The largest mat, the 22″ x 44″ Fast-Gro behemoth was $67.95.

I could pay less and struggle to outsmart the auto shut-off. Or I could pay a little more and line the entire floor of the CPPC with toasty goodness.

I walked to the counter with my new Fast-Gro bottom heating propagation mat in hand.

The cashier looked me up and down. “You know this is $67.95, right?”

I handed him my credit card. “Yeah, don’t remind me.”

Total heating pad cost: $72.37.

When I got home, I discovered that my new purchase was actually bigger than the CPPC. The actual product dimentions are more like 26″ x 48″ with a heating surface of 22″ x 44.” It took two people to lift up the CPPC and slide the mat underneath.

So much fuss for such little seeds!

When it comes to gardening products, I am a sucker for all things sustainable, organic, pesticide-free or free-range.

Unfortunately, what tugs at my heart strings also tugs at my purse strings. A trip to Mother Earth Gardens can cost twice as much as a trip to Home Depot — But the staff is so smart and eco-friendly, just eavesdropping on another customer’s question makes me feel like a better gardener.

When I asked about seed starting, the dark-haired, sinewy sales clerk behind the counter asked if I had ever used a Coir Brick. She reached for a brown rectangular rock the length of her hand and asked “Would you believe this brick of coconut fiber expands to 1/3 cubic foot of soil?”

Um, no. (Being a sucker for informercials, she had my complete attention… Yes, tell me more about this magical product that can fold my laundry, scoop all four litter boxes and do my taxes. I’ll buy two for a free copy of “Yoga Booty Ballet.”)

“Sometimes, peat from Canadian companies is actually stripped from bogs in Eastern Europe with minimal regulation. Under the right conditions, peat could be renewable. Under the wrong conditions, it’s anyone’s guess. The Coir Brick is made from the coconut fruit, not the tree. It’s totally a renewable and eco-friendly alternative to peat moss.”

And not to mention, affordable. I bought one. (Later I found Coir Bricks for a dollar less at Midwest Hydroponic and Homebrew… more about this adventure later.)

After soaking in water for 20 minutes, the brick produced more than I expected — Way more than I needed. I added it to my seed starting mixture, marveling at the dirt under my fingernails (yes, red eyes = marveling).

I filled up two Jiffy flats with plenty of seed starter to spare. To make sure I didn’t forget anything, I hopped online and reread all your great advice (Thank you! Thank you!). Then I planted my very first tomato and pepper seeds.

I watered the flats, misted the lids, and slid my little seeds into the CPPC. Keep your fingers crossed. (For some real seed starting action check out Lorika’s secret farm.)

Now it’s time to price out some heating pads!