These are my basil seedlings. Basil seeds will stay viable up to 5 years, if stored correctly; (in a covered container in the fridge, I use a large coffee tin, with a packet of silica gel to keep humidity low). I under estimated how high the germination rate would be! So, I have too many seedlings in one section. They're so small right now, that if i tried to pull them out with my fingers, i could damage the roots of the seedling i want to keep. Best way to thin the seedlings is with a very small scissors. You just cut the seedling you don't want, close to the soil line. You don't even have to take the seedling you've cut out, just leave it there. You don't want more than one seedling per section, and this is a good safe way to remove all the extras.

I also got my second flat of seedlings planted today. These are san marzano, brandywine, pink caspian and prudens purple tomatoes. I also planted a rootstock tomato. I live in New Haven CT. Our frost date here is May 15th. Generally speaking, it's a bit early to start tomatoes. I usually don't start tomato plants till late March or Early April. They grow so fast, that they would be too leggy and tall by the time I could plant them outdoors. The difference with these is that I'm going to graft them. When I graft the tomatoes they will basically stop growing until the graft heals. So I need to give these tomatoes a head start over the regular ones, that I will plant later in the month.