Begonias in my sunroom

The begonias in my sunroom are thriving this winter. The one on the left is a gift I received from a friend last summer. She called it a watermelon begonia. I assume it got it's name because the leaves are a glossy green with a lighter green vein. It has been blooming now for about a month and, with more stalks forming, looks like I'll have blooms to enjoy all winter.

The begonia on the right is called The Fairy. It was an impulse purchase at my favorite local garden center, Colonial Nursery. I nearly killed it with lack of water over the summer. But I think it has recovered.

In November I saw wild begonias growing in Costa Rica and these remind me of them. The wild ones were growing on a rocky outcrop near the ocean and their flowers were almost exactly like those of the Watermelon begonia.

So with the position and culture the wild begonias enjoyed in mind, I planted these two begonias very high in a light, peaty medium and I water them sparingly.

I think it's working!

Tomato seedlings

Pink Brandywine and Pineapple tomato seedlings

Here is a quick snapshot of my first try at starting tomatoes from seed. I have one flat of an heirloom variety called Pink Brandywine and another of my favorite from last summer called Pineapple (it was incredibly sweet). It took them about 5 days to come up and I left them covered for about a week. They have been uncovered now for a few days.

Next weekend the plan is to move them to individual jiffy pots. They should be easy to share with my friends and neighbors that way. Truly, I wasn't expecting the seed packets I purchased would contain so many. But if they all live and grow well, it will be a lot of fun to have something to share.

Next weekend I'll also attempt to start some peppers. I've collected some seeds from the bright yellow and red peppers I bought at the store. It should be a fun experiment.