It has been getting only slightly warmer lately (remember, it last snowed only two weeks ago), then all of a sudden, it's 81 degrees today. I swear, weather in the mid-south is like a Monty Python animation. The new peas I planted directly into the soil on March 23rd finally poked their little heads out of the soil. They were planted about 1" into the soil, and that was only 10 days ago. Watching the transformation of a plant from tiny seed to (hopefully) huge plant is fascinating. The bush beans should be sprouting soon as well. When I planted them outside, I also planted a couple in some extra cells indoors, and the indoor ones look lie they're beginning to open up as well. With peas and beans both being in the same family, I expect both to grow rather quickly.
Today was also a big day for all the indoor starts. When you start plants indoors, you don't just plant them directly outdoors. The shock of temperature and environment change could kill them. Instead, about two weeks before the last frost date and when the weather gets warm, you begin bringing them outside for a few hours a day. This helps the plants adapt to their new environment slowly. After an afternoon in the open air and sunlight, my little plant starts looked great. They were all standing up and their leaves were wide open. Looking forward to being able to actually plant them in their final places.