Tomato seeds

I am at heart a gardening traditionalist.  I believe that the harder you work your soil, the better tasting the results.  But I also can't resist some of the gardening gimmicks that come along, especially the ones that look fun for the kiddos.  So I have owned numerous Topsy Turveys over the years, for tomatoes and peppers and strawberries.  Mostly I found that they put the fruit at the exact right height for our dog to walk up and take a bite.  When I tried raising them, they became a salad bar for our neighborhood squirrels, who were safely out of the dog's reach! 

We found this Jiffy Professional Greenhouse at our local megastore.  I turned my kids loose with it, a couple of packets of tomato seeds, and my camera.  The instructions are easy, add 5 and 1/4 cups of warm water, to loosen the peat pellets.

 Then just pull back the netting and place 2-3 seeds in each expanded pellet, and cover with the peat.  We planted tomatoes, which will be replanted in our home and community garden, and maybe a couple of our topsy turveys - the squirrels have gotta eat, too.   

Once they are all covered, cover with the clear dome and place in a warm location away from direct sunlight.  When seeds sprout, remove the cover and relocate to a sunny spot!  Does it work?  I'll update with pictures as they grow, but I believe that anything that gets my kids excited about getting their hands dirty has already worked!