On Their Own Terms - and Time

The Kermits have resisted peer pressure and are stirring at their own pace. When I started seeds in the greenhouse on March 1, two varieties of eggplant were among the sown: "Striped Colliope" and "Kermit." Over the ensuing weeks the Colliopes made themselves known early on; these along with the fast-starting Kohlrabi and purple cabbage, joining the eventual throng of tomatoes by sundry surnames. Eventually one, then another pepper broke through the soil; herbs added their names to the list... ...while all six of the Kermit cells in the tray remained oddly, disappointingly silent. For whatever reason - carelessness, fluidic largesse, or perhaps a gritty reluctance to give up - I have continued to include them in my daily waterings. Then, almost miraculously a couple of days ago - and perhaps a week before I start transplanting the rest of the upstarts into the garden - a lone sprout emerged; and today a couple more. Amazing. Nature is so...well...natural. Never mind what the seed package might promise. The seeds have a sense of their own.