Planting Day 2010, and some lessons

13 years ago

Today was planting day, when all my seedlings (with some additional plants from the nursery) went into the backyard garden. Still staying with me in the house, though, are all my peppers and eggplants, which are still too small to even start hardening off yet. Next year, I'll know to start peppers and eggplants much sooner (probably early July) - even my tomatoes probably could have used an extra week or two.

Anyway, here's what it looks like now:

The near bed has zukes and eggplants in the middle, peppers and eggplants along the left side, with herbs around the near and right edge. I wanted salad greens for the zukes to grow across towards the aisle, but no luck at either HD or Galloway Farms nursery, so I'll have to wait until they have some in stock. The corners are all taken up by the Great Sacrificial Marigolds - which my daughter will pick, but leave the rest of the garden alone (you can see she's already stripped the near-right marigold, and "re-planted" the picked flowers right next to it. Bush beans are coming in nicely in the upper bed, with peas just starting to poke out next to them.

In the next bed

My tomato seedlings were still pretty small and leggy, despite being under a lamp for the last six weeks, and I'm not sure they're going to make it. Those are Cherokee Purples, Sweet 100's, and Lemon Boy. I grew a second batch of each one, which I'm keeping along in their pots in case any of these don't take. My butterstick squash is resting on a flowerpot to keep it out of the dirt - it also got super leggy, just jumping eight inches out of the starter pot before the cotyledon leaves even opened up.

Last bed here:

More bush beans, and peppers up front. Space where the Ping Tung and Sweet Pepper will go, with my Green Zebra, Yellow Pear and a second Cherokee Purple in the back. For some reason, those seedlings didn't get as leggy, but still weren't as big as I'd like.

Lessons for next year:

- Start the peppers and eggplants July 1, rather than August 1 - it's just not enough time to get them ready to go. Tomatoes will get started in mid-July, a bit earlier also.

- I think I'm going to skip transplanting my squash/zukes, and just seed in place in late August. The seedling just goes out of control in a starting pot.

- I wasn't able to find any greens (other than collards), and no cukes in the local nurseries this time of year. They said it was still too hot/early. So I've got some additional blank spaces for them, and I'll keep that in mind for next fall.

Looking forward to a productive season, and may the bugs and snails stay away!

Alan

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Comments (8)

whgille
13 years ago
Hi Alan

You were very busy today, good for you! and I hope that you get a bountiful harvest! About the lettuce and greens, it is very easy to direct sow them, just sprinkle some seeds and keep them moist, if you do baby lettuces, you can cut them with scissors and they grow again.

Last November bed of lettuce and greens

Silvia
albaby
Original Author
13 years ago
Wow, Silvia, that bed looks great! And you don't have to sow, just sprinkle on the surface? I can handle that. I'll pick up a packet of seeds the next time I swing by a Home Depot.

Alan
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User
13 years ago
Alan,

Looking good. Raising transplants under lights is pretty darn easy, what was your set up that produced leggy seedlings? I raise hundreds of seedlings a year under the lights and they always come out thick and strong.

Double bulb shoplights, one cool and one warm normal bulbs. Make sure the light is very close to the leaves...remember the light bulbs touching the leaves is much better than the bulbs 6 inches above the leaves. I find it far superior to place a wick (just synthetic yarn) in the pot of the seedling and let them sit on a rack with the wick hanging down in a reservoir filled with fertilized water. It is a automatic system that just takes you moving the bulbs up as the plants grow. One trick is to start with fairly weak fertilizer in the reservoir but enough water in it to last for a few weeks. As the water evaporates the fertilizer concentration increases automatically just as the plants need more food. It is such a simple, idiot proof way to raise transplants.
albaby
Original Author
13 years ago
Rabbit, I don't have anything near that elaborate in terms of a set-up - I'm very much a rank amateur just getting his legs in gardening. I really just had seeds in small pots with Seed Starter soil, watered regularly, and a desk lamp with a CFL set up close to the plants. All next to an east-facing window so they got some natural sun. A *very* humble rig, and it appears that it was not enough to get really strong transplants.

Alan
jpin9a
13 years ago
Bamboo - I tried your method over the last few months with a few tomatoe and pepper plants. I have to say, the wicking method works great. However I have to mention one item of note. I used plastic pots as well as peat pots. The peat pots with the yarn did not wick at all. Not sure what the scientific explanation is, but the plastic ones worked great and I ended up with very nice plants. Will be sure to use plastic from now on.
User
13 years ago
Alan,

You are correct, just not emough light.

Jpin,

Interesting on the peat pots....I can't see why the peat would make a difference but I don't use peat pots. As a rule I simply use plastic drinking cups of assorted sizes that I melted a hole in the bottom with a soldering gun. The wick method works great for houseplants as well, those that like to always stay evenly moist like African violets.
loufloralcityz9
13 years ago
Due to the peat pot being very compressed it has a stronger capillary action than your potting medium so it will suck up the water from the wick and evaporate it off it's sides thereby not letting any water get to your potting soil.

Water will always follow the easiest path. The plastic cup has zero capillary action so the water will then head for the potting soil as it has the stronger capillary action.

Lou
jpin9a
13 years ago
Thanks Lou - makes sense, thanks for the clarification.

Bamboo - I've already started setting aside several plastic containers of various sizes for next time- if anything, I'll shred the peat pots and add them to the compost bin.

Planting Day 2010, and some lessons

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Planting Day 2010, and some lessons

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