Peat pellets expand in minutes, so it's not quite like watching paint dry. (See slideshow below.)

They don’t look like much right now, but the small peat purses I’ve tucked safely away in a mini-greenhouse will, with a few seeds and a little luck, produce a bounty of heirloom tomatoes by mid-summer.

I finally chose four seed varieties to join my two stars (black plum and sun-sugar hybrid) in this year’s garden. Yes, I know I said I was only planting four or five heirlooms total, but I was so intrigued by my options that I decided to try and squeeze in an extra pot. So, drum roll please . . . Isis candy, Rosalita, Dr. Carolyn and Wild cherry are the extras that will join my favorite performers onstage. Hope they’re ready for their closeups!

I cast them mostly because they offered color variety — nothing looks better than a fabulous mix of shades and shapes in a simple summer heirloom tomato salad. Of course, I wouldn’t dare compromise on taste, and according to the ebullient descriptions on the Tomato Growers Supply Co. seed packets, there is much to look forward to in the flavor department as well. (I’ll post my own reviews in due course.) Isis candy is golden-yellow with red veins, Rosalita is pink, Dr. Carolyn is ivory-toned and wild cherry is dark red. Rosalita is an oval, grape tomato; Isis candy is a 1-inch oblate; Dr. Carolyn is a cherry, and Wild cherry is a small, 1/2-inch cherry.

It only took about an hour to get 36 peat purses (six per variety) seeded and tucked away inside the mini-greenhouse. (Adding warm water to the small, coin-like peat pellets causes them to expand into a soft growing medium held together by a fine mesh. You then pull the little purses open at the top, sprinkle in a few seeds, cover lightly with the medium, and put the lid on the greenhouse. See slideshow below for a look at the process.)

So now the seeds have been sown, and although temps will only reach the 50s today, spring is definitely waiting in the wings.

Slideshow: How to start seeds using peat pellets. (Click on 2nd button from right below image to enlarge to full screen.)

P.S.: You can order purchase these supplies at your local nursery or online from many garden suppliers (including those listed on my Blogroll).