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Greenhouses & Garden Structures

They aren't dead yet! What's up!?

16 years ago

Just to see what would happen, 4 days ago I planted about three peat pellets out in the garden. Each pellet had two 6-wk old spindly tomato seedlings growing in them. One had some chamomile sprouts. Over each planting I sunk a gallon milk jug 'hot cap' over them. Since it gets down to freezing here (Yacolt, WA, 700ft.) still at night, I thoroughly expected to peek in and see little black slimy things. But they are all still alive. And look good. How odd. I've read that 'hot caps' only extend the growing by 1 or 2 weeks and shouldn't be used until April or May. What do you guys think? Is it just a matter of time before the seedlings perish?

-Katy

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Comments (5)

greenhouser
16 years ago
If you don't care if they live or die why are you bothering with them?!?!?!
dirtbert
16 years ago
ooo I love experiments :)
Has your weather been sunny? and not very windy? Maybe they are saving enough heat in the ground inside your 'hot cap' during the day to survive the colder nights.
I'm guessing (purely guessing because I live in a much different climate) that once you have a couple of cloudy days and/or cool winds they won't be able to save enough heat and get too cold by morning.
Just my two cents.
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thecitychicken
Original Author
16 years ago
I love garden experiments, too, dirtbert. (my son's name is bert, btw)

I put a few more seedlings out under the 'hot caps' that are the milk jugs. (I have tons of seedlings growing on the windowsill) These mini greenhouses are working magic! The most sensitive plant I can think of, tomatoes, are looking great under them. It's neat but weirding me out. :)
medontdo
16 years ago
well maybe those milk jugs are thick enough to hold it in, the heat? ya, we experiment alot!!! but we never thought about that!! LOL now we'll ahve to!! LOL i am so curious!! we have 2 more snows coming til we're supposed to be done! hope this is true!!
thecitychicken
Original Author
16 years ago
Update on the tomato seedlings. . . Well, the first four were doing so well, for a week of cold nights, that I put out a few more. They were fine, too. . . until it got down below freezing one night. They finally succumed to the cold! But now I know that cloches (the milk jugs) really do help! I'll just wait until April or so to try some more. :) Oh, but the chamomile seedlings that I put out under the milk jugs are still just fine. So perhaps it was just too early for delicate tomatoes. I direct-sowed snow peas which I hope to see sprouting soon. Today I finished transplanting the five 15 year old Alberta spruce trees that a neighbor gave me for free. I hope they live!

---Katy

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