There they are. Aren't they beautiful? Don't they just scream "Summer!"? I sowed my tomato seeds in soil blocks last Saturday, and recorded my first sprout of the 2010 season on Sunday, March 14th. Here's what I planted this year:

• Roma (4 plants)
• Polish Linguisa (4 plants)
• Japanese Black Trifele (2 plants)
• Tiger-Like (1 plant)
• Red Pear (1 plant)
• Red Currant (2 plants)
• Yellow Pear (2 plants)
• Brandywine (2 plants)
• Juliet Grape (2 plants)
• Cherokee Purple (2 plants)
• Black Krim (2 plants)
• Persimmon (1 plant)
• Camp Joy (1 plant)

I also have peppers and eggplants under the lights, along with some Aunt Molly's Ground Cherries. I've grown most of these before, though it is my first year growing 'Camp Joy,' which is an heirloom cherry tomato. If I like it, I'll save seeds for next year.

What tomatoes did you plant this year? Or which ones are you planning to plant, if you haven't already?

If squash bugs or cucumber beetles have been a problem in your garden, you might be interested in helping the folks at Mother Earth News try out a new method for dealing with the little pains in the butternuts. I got an email the other day outlining the method and asking readers to try it out and report back about how well it worked in their garden.

The method is based on a study released a few years ago that found that if you plant an early trap crop, the beetles that have overwintered will flock to them. The authors of the study recommended placing a board on the ground near the plants. The beetles would hide under the board, and if you take the time to squish them daily, you'll eliminate 90% of your squash bug or cucumber beetle problem.

So the folks at Mother Earth News want to try the trap crop theory, but they've designed their own special alternative to using a plain board for the beetles to hide beneath. Instead, they recommend connecting two boards together with a hinge, making a handy beetle squisher.

For more details, as well as plans for the bug squisher, check out the Mother Earth News site.

So, I promised you my recipe for a seed starting mix that works well for making soil blocks. Well, I'll do better than that: here's a seed starting mix recipe that's perfect, whether you're starting in soil blocks, flats, or cell packs.

A few notes about my recipe: it is based very, very loosely on Eliot Coleman's seed starting mix, which he outlined in "The New Organic Grower." His is much more involved, but I simplified it a bit and still managed to keep the most important ingredients. I mention in the article that you can use peat or coir, but coir is much more environmentally friendly (peat bogs are completely destroyed when peat is harvested, destroying habitats for many forms of wildlife) and can be found at many nurseries. If you can't find it at your nursery, check your nearest pet supply store -- you can often find coir there in the reptile supply section, because it is a popular bedding choice for pet lizards and the like. You can also find coir fairly inexpensively online.

If you use this mix (or any mix, for that matter) for making soil blocks, the key is to get it sopping wet. You'll want to feel like you're five years old again making mudpies. When you pick up a handful and squeeze, a little bit of water should trickle out. If you're using it in flats or pots, just get it evenly moist, then go ahead and plant your seeds.

I love this mix because I don't have to mess around with fertilizing my seedlings -- all of the nutrition they could possibly want is already in the mix in the form of vermicompost and greensand. If the plants seem to need a little pick me up, I do an occasional foliar feed with vermicompost tea. But that, my friends, is another post!

I mentioned earlier in the week that we'd be talking more about soil block makers for seed starting. I love my block maker, which I received as a gift after numerous hints and references to the Johnny's catalog. I also mentioned that I never would have bought it myself, being kind of a tightwad by nature. So I got it as a gift, and everyone's happy.

Except that I got the two inch block maker, and it would be really nice to be able to plant up into the four-inch blocks, and holy cow -- look at the price of those larger soil block makers!

I figured I couldn't be the only one squeamish about paying upwards of a hundred bucks(!) for a soil block maker, so I did some looking around, and here are some ideas from clever folks who came up with their own designs:

• Topper's Place was the first site that really got me thinking about making my own soil block maker. With detailed instructions and helpful drawings, it's sure to get your creative juices flowing.
• Renee from A Growing Tradition made her own version of those pricey four-inch block makers from a set of her son's old nesting block boxes.
• Instructables has a tutorial on making your own soil block maker from plumbing pipes.
• Cornelia over at Homegrown.org has a great post up about making soil block makers of varying sizes from items from around the house, including ice cube trays and plastic food containers.

I hope these ideas help you make your own soil block makers. My husband and I (but mostly my husband...) came up with a design for a four-inch soil block maker that works really well. I'll post on our design soon - I'll be using it to sow my tomato, eggplant, and pepper seeds this weekend (woohoo!) Tomorrow, look for a post about my recipe for the perfect soil-less mix recipe for making soil blocks.