!! THE RACE FOR JUNE TOMATOES IS ON !!

[applestar]

Ninja-like reflexes claim must be made with chopsticks!

It's true, raibowgardener. Your advanced experience in seed starting/transplant growing shows. I'm scrambling to maximize every square inch of space. I forgot the chant the mantra of last year: "Do not fill up the Grow Light Area" and am admiring your empty shelves with chagrin. I just took a leap of faith with my full tomato seed starting yesterday.

[tn_veggie_gardner]

wolfie: If you look in the right places, you can get away with a nice one for under $100! I bought a really nice, good sized cold frame that's like 4x4x2.5 ft for only $89. I would tell you where, but I don't know if that's against rules or not.

I plan on using it to put my seedlings outdoors a few weeks earlier than normal, to kind of get a head start on things. =)

[gixxerific]

Again with rules

[garden5]

The Mar. 1 plant has officially been planted (yesterday) .

This one will be grown especially for the intent of getting some early fruit off of it. It will be easier (and hopefully more effective) to focus my efforts on one plants instead of the whole garden.

Good luck, all.

[rainbowgardener]

Ninja-like reflexes claim must be made with chopsticks!

It's true, raibowgardener. Your advanced experience in seed starting/transplant growing shows. I'm scrambling to maximize every square inch of space. I forgot the chant the mantra of last year: "Do not fill up the Grow Light Area" and am admiring your empty shelves with chagrin.:

They won't stay empty I took the cabbage and broccoli trays out for hardening off, and immediately filled up their spaces with other stuff I had up potted. There's lots more stuff to pot up and lots more seeds just sprouting! All of that will be crammed before seed starting season is over! And that is though more and more gradually gets moved out along the way. This coming weekend I will make my wrapped-shelf-system/mini greenhouse and some more things will get moved out, any thing with cold hardiness.... lavender, thyme, goatsbeard, at least. But those spaces will get filled up too.... And I haven't even planted a lot of the warm weather stuff yet, like squashes, moonflower, cardinal climber....

[applestar]

They won't stay empty

My point exactly! The foresight to HAVE that kind of space to expand to, as well as a certain level of discipline and fortitude NOT to fill them up too early!

This coming weekend I will make my wrapped-shelf-system/mini greenhouse and some more things will get moved out

You have one of those? I've been eye-ing them in catalogs with increasing sense of urgency. 5-shelf unit? With or without the interchangeable shade cover?

[vermontkingdom]

I've been tied up with family matters and missed the beginning posts on the tomato race. I started tomato seeds on January 18th (Oregon Spring, Sub Arctic Maxi, Early Wonder, Tiny Tim, Celebration Hybrid, Red Alert, and Bush Beefsteak. They have been transplanted twice and I now have blosoms on Celebration Hybrid and Early Wonder. They are about 12 inches high. It was crazy for me to start these seeds and 34 kinds of hot peppers but when you first retire and have all this new found time, you get a bit anxious. I bought Earthboxes to put the early tomatoes in but haven't done so yet. I have plants, seedlings (all the brassicas and seven types of onion) and lots of other things growing all over the house, basement, sun room, and office. My wife thinks I've gone around the bend! At least I planted lettuce back on January 10 so we've been eating lots of fresh lettuce but what the heck am I going to do with all these plants now? What was I thinking? I failed to remember I've lived my whole life in Vermont.

[Duh_Vinci]

Apple - whatever it is, healthy, thick and luscious looking plant! And the "mystery" of it's origin just adds a sense of excitement!

I had a volunteer last summer, not my tomato, I know for sure, grew up in the remote location, far away from the garden. Turned out to be a small, pear shaped sugary sweet short, determinate variety. Needless to say, saved the seeds, growing 4 of them this year on the balcony for snacks.

Got to love those volunteers!

Regards,
D

[rainbowgardener]

AS - "You have one of those? I've been eye-ing them in catalogs with increasing sense of urgency. 5-shelf unit? " I have homemade variety. Just take a metal 5 shelf unit, wrap it all in heavy plastic, duct taped to the verticals. The front sheet I slit vertically and put velcro all down the length of it, so it can be easily opened and closed. Then for daytime you can open it a little bit at the bottom and a little bit at the top for some airflow, or open it all up if it's going to be warm. Lot cheaper than the catalog ones and I only have to redo the plastic every few years (outdoor critters tend to scratch/chew it up and eventually the duct tape dries out, etc) I set it up on the deck which is morning and early afternoon sun. Bungee cord it to the deck railings, because otherwise it gets top heavy and the wind blows against the plastic like a sail and it goes over -- learned that lesson the hard way!

VermontK - what are you going to do with all those plants?! You must have a long time left before they can go outdoors. I guess maybe it's time to invest in a pop up greenhouse with a heater! If you can afford all that (they ARE EXPENSIVE!) you are good to go. Otherwise you are going to have tomatoes and peppers getting leggy in front of every window in the house!

[hendi_alex]

Finally! Early next week we will see high sixties and low seventies. My tomato plants have been crying to get out in the sunlight on a warm day. A few days of warm weather and the plants should begin to jump. Perhaps will include some photos in a week or two.

[gixxerific]

Great idea RBG, kinda funny I was eyeing the metal racks at Lowe's the other day thinking the same thing you are doing. My problem is I don't have a great place to put anything like that without lights.

I guess I could kick one of the kids out of there rooms and throw them in the cold basement and turn there room into a grow room, nah I couldn't do that to my little angels. I have thought about everything, my house just isn't set up for indoor growing without lights very well. But that's okay because my outdoor garden couldn't be situated any better.

Vermontkingdom I know how you feel, I have been off wrok a LOT lately and went totally nuts one weekend just planting everything. Now I'm overrun if it doesn't warm up enough to get some of this outside soon I might have problems but hey, what are you gonna do.

[seagullplayer]

Small set back, in the assembly of my portable greenhouse I broke a connector, HF support said it would take 10-12 weeks for a replacment!

They also said I could return it to the store, my store has no more of them, but one 50 + miles away does. It looks like I might be able to patch the connector myself and wait for a replacement, I will figure that all out tonight...

Good news, plants are looking good, but just about to out grow my "mini greenhouse". We all love pictures:

[img]https://i902.photobucket.com/albums/ac221/seagullplayer1965/th_Mar4tomato.jpg[/img][img]https://i902.photobucket.com/albums/ac221/seagullplayer1965/th_Mar4closeup.jpg[/img][img]https://i902.photobucket.com/albums/ac221/seagullplayer1965/th_Mar4growth.jpg[/img]

Huckleberrys are showing some promise also, my first time for these:
[img]https://i902.photobucket.com/albums/ac221/seagullplayer1965/th_Mar4huckleberry.jpg[/img]

One of the larger "Ground Cherry" plants, I have been told they are slow growing, but they seem to have taken off after the transplant:

[img]https://i902.photobucket.com/albums/ac221/seagullplayer1965/th_Mar4groundcherry.jpg[/img]

I continue to love the homemade newspaper pots!

[rainbowgardener]

Great idea RBG, kinda funny I was eyeing the metal racks at Lowe's the other day thinking the same thing you are doing. My problem is I don't have a great place to put anything like that without lights.
.

In case you missed it, the mini-greenhouse/ wrapped shelving is OUTDOORS. It is for transitioning things out, hardening off, getting things outdoors a little sooner with some protection. It gives me a place to put things that need to get moved out from under the lights, to make room for other stuff. It sits on my deck, tied to the deck railings. That's why it doesn't need to have any lights.

[gixxerific]

RBG I see, that could work but I would have to put it in the front of my house where all the neighbors can look at it and think bad things but......... I don't have a deck but I guess I could set it up in the actual garden, now there's an idea. Oh well too late for this year maybe next.


Seagullplayer do you have any "vice grips" or any other kind of clamp that would be a good temporary fix for your stand?


:EDIT: Sitting here thinking that you had a great idea RBG and the fact I didn't want to spend any money this late in the game, I'm looking around the house like I do to see what I can McGyver into something. Low and behold I have a small floor table that is basically a one level shelve like you are using. I already have plastic, heck I even have Velcro I could use. So maybe I can get some of my cool weather stuff out there after all. Problem is I have started working again and I leave very early, but if the temps stay above freezing in the morning I can put stuff out. I leave to early to be shuffling this and that in the dark coldness. But it looks like the weather is finally giving us a break, good ol' St Lou we have winter than a week or two of spring than full on Summer.

[seagullplayer]

RBG I see, that could work but I would have to put it in the front of my house where all the neighbors can look at it and think bad things but......... I don't have a deck but I guess I could set it up in the actual garden, now there's an idea. Oh well too late for this year maybe next.


Seagullplayer do you have any "vice grips" or any other kind of clamp that would be a good temporary fix for your stand?

:EDIT: Sitting here thinking that you had a great idea RBG and the fact I didn't want to spend any money this late in the game, I'm looking around the house like I do to see what I can McGyver into something. Low and behold I have a small floor table that is basically a one level shelve like you are using. I already have plastic, heck I even have Velcro I could use. So maybe I can get some of my cool weather stuff out there after all. Problem is I have started working again and I leave very early, but if the temps stay above freezing in the morning I can put stuff out. I leave to early to be shuffling this and that in the dark coldness. But it looks like the weather is finally giving us a break, good ol' St Lou we have winter than a week or two of spring than full on Summer.

That is a thought after my own heart, but that will not work here. This rig is going to take glue, a drill bit and a long 8-23 bolt...
I'm picking up some super glue and a bolt on the way home, I'm using a drill bit from work, wish me luck.
If this "fix" won't work, I am taking it down tonight and returning it Friday to the other store, I just hate to take it all back down.

[seagullplayer]

Greenhouse is up!

[img]https://i902.photobucket.com/albums/ac221/seagullplayer1965/th_greenhouseside1.jpg[/img]

My "fix" for the broken connector:

[img]https://i902.photobucket.com/albums/ac221/seagullplayer1965/th_greenhouserepair.jpg[/img]

The plants yesterday, I still have much work to do. I will post a seperate thread about the greenhouse later.

[img]https://i902.photobucket.com/albums/ac221/seagullplayer1965/th_plantsingreenhouse.jpg[/img]

[rainbowgardener]

Here's one of the three trays of June racer tomatoes, currently:

[img]https://i602.photobucket.com/albums/tt102/rainbowgardener/tomatoes3-16.jpg[/img]

This is a cool picture if you click on it to enlarge... all the little carnivorous hairs we learned about awhile back!

They are 5-6" tall and sturdy. Doing well considering they have a month to go yet before going out.... I don't know where I'm going to put everything!

See also the my seed starting operation thread for pics of other stuff.

[applestar]

Wow, an ant's eye view of your tomato forest! Lookin' GREAT! Definitely 2 weeks or more ahead of mine by my reckoning. Will you uppot again? They're in 3" or 3.5" pots right? It's such a dilemma -- uppot and you need more space, but if you don't, the foliage crowd/shade each other and who knows what's happening to the roots! I'm having the exact same issues.

[rainbowgardener]

You nailed it exactly. AS.... They are in 3" pots and with a month to go they would definitely do better if up-potted. But I'm about out of room already!

What to do! ???

[Ozark Lady]

I am starting to eyeball the bathtub, maybe for trays not so hard to move? Tee hee.
Really, it is almost that or give them my bed!

I have simply got to get plants uppotted and out of here.
Good news, the plants in the unheated mobile are doing fine, just in front of the sliding glass doors. No lights, no heat. But, the next tray over there, will have to go on the table with lights, fan and all.

I am noticing the plants still in here in the warmth are growing faster. The cool there seems to be slowing them down.

We put lights on shelves, just last weekend, you can watch the plants grow now... they are growing that fast!

[tn_veggie_gardner]

Uh oh! I have a small bud set growing on one of my June race maters!

[rainbowgardener]

My seed starting area is rapidly getting too full, the tomatoes are already getting too big and clearly aren't going to make it another month in the 3" pots ... what to do, what to do?

[img]https://i602.photobucket.com/albums/tt102/rainbowgardener/tomatoes3-18.jpg[/img]

MH came home from work and didn't even blink to discover more square footage of the living room given over to my plants! The wire shelf is the one I just took down when I finished converting the second shelf in the basement from 6 to 8'. It's just sitting on top of a couple stools. We don't have great plant windows. That would be a good west of south window, but as you can see it looks out at the neighbors house just across the driveway. So the lamps should hopefully give enough supplemental light to get them through.

Now I just need to somehow acquire some 6" pots-- I've never collected those. There's one more tray of tomatoes to come up and they will get up-potted once I have the pots. Makes more room for the other stuff in the basement too.

[Ozark Lady]

Your hubby didn't blink?

I think my hubby is beginning to have nightmares of plants chasing him!

[applestar]

I just came inside from building a raised sunflower house bed (with cardboard and straw) and extending the rice paddy and building a new raised tomato bed... just as the last of the evening light faded. Mine was laying out the take out seafood in the kitchen, looked over and simply said, "Done?"

Do you ever work so hard that you have to tell yourself to save a reserve for putting away the tools, then get up after a few minutes of rest to tweak the garden some more... and end up hauling wheelbarrows of mulch and dragging the hose around to water? That was me. I'm hurtin' already!

[gixxerific]

I'm in the same boat RBG my tom's are getting BIG. Though I have some bigger pots. I'm just worried that they won't be any good come planting time.

Good luck.

[applestar]

Now I just need to somehow acquire some 6" pots

I'm saving Qt size containers -- ice cream, yogurt, take out soup, Chinese food....

[hendi_alex]

I save all of my nursery pots. Even pick larger sizes up when dropping trash off at the recycling center, whenever some are handy. I also have a friend in the nursery business who will always give me containers if I ask.

[Duh_Vinci]

Rainbow/Dono - I hear you!

Downstairs, complete jungle (while organized, still a jungle) Everything growing like mad. I have 3 dozens of 6" and 7" containers saved from the prior nursery purchases (mostly azalea types).

Here are my earlies that germinated in early Feb, now 12"-16" tall:

[img]https://drphotography.smugmug.com/Garden/2010-Garden/2010firsttomatoesrepot03202010/814535746_fDAxu-XL.jpg[/img]

I'm so glad that I spaced out the seeding few weeks apart, otherwise wouldn't have any space left. The joy of gardening!

Regards,
D

[wolfie]

Dono, what do you mean when you say they are getting too big and won't be any good when they go out?

I have bought plants from nurserys and farmers markets before with fruit already on them and planted in the ground and they still did well.

Are you afraid that if they grow inside too long they won't grow outside?

[tn_veggie_gardner]

Getting small bud sets now. =)

[img]https://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f229/sfbslb/tomatoes_032110_2.jpg[/img]

[img]https://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f229/sfbslb/tomatoes_032110_1.jpg[/img]

[img]https://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f229/sfbslb/tomato_bud_set_032110_1.jpg[/img]

[gixxerific]

Wolfie what I'm talking about is that a lot of people say that you should plant in the ground during the most root growth period. If they get too big they may not do so well or last as long. Another thing is that tomatoes can grow a huge taproot 2 ft or more straight down, if transplanted they tend to grow more outwards.

I would like to do a test witha seed planted vs a transplant. Even some of the great gardeners on here that put out HUGE plants still put out smaller ones to compensate for later growth.

I'm nor expert gardener but I do my best. So take this at face value and research on your own.

I hope I didn't confuse you any more that you already were.

[hendi_alex]

Had to bring the largest transplants in for the night as temperatures dipped into the upper 30's. Left the smaller plants in the cold frames, hope those will be o.k. The plants go back outside this a.m. Ten day forecast has the lows in the 40's and 50's. Temperature seems to be settling as we move nearer to our late April planting date.

[img]https://farm3.static.flickr.com/2704/4456513641_7544cbd726_o.jpg[/img]

[Rob]

I'm in.

I'm thinking my Stupice may do well. I'm a bit envious of some of the head starts some of you have...

[gixxerific]

Had to bring the largest transplants in for the night as temperatures dipped into the upper 30's. Left the smaller plants in the cold frames, hope those will be o.k. The plants go back outside this a.m. Ten day forecast has the lows in the 40's and 50's. Temperature seems to be settling as we move nearer to our late April planting date.

[img]https://farm3.static.flickr.com/2704/4456513641_7544cbd726_o.jpg[/img]

I was thinking about planting my (single) big one in the ground. Just to see if it tould make it. It has been outside for the most part for a long time. And no serious problems so far. Maybe I'm just getting to stir crazy.

[hendi_alex]

St Louis? Good luck! I'm expecting one last freeze here in S.C., probably coming from the upper mid west. I may plant one or two plants in their final planting spot, in a 25-35 gallong container. But will move them inside if the temperature drops below 40.

[tn_veggie_gardner]

Muahahaha...maters already growing on one of my Wisconsin 55 plants & 2 of my Sungold plants are flowering! =)

[img]https://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f229/sfbslb/first_tomato_041210.jpg[/img]

[hendi_alex]

I've got three 'Sweet Cluster' and two 'Juliet' tomatoes in their final containers outside.

'Sweet Cluster'
[img]https://farm5.static.flickr.com/4040/4517720879_ef6986dd17_o.jpg[/img]

'Juliet'
[img]https://farm5.static.flickr.com/4037/4518354846_0d88be694c_o.jpg[/img]

I am in the northern part of zone 8 and would expect to harvest my first tomato in 10 days to two weeks.

[tn_veggie_gardner]

Lookin great! Won't be harvested in June though. lol

[gixxerific]

I have blossoms and tomatoes on 2 differetn Black Cherry's and little tomatoes on a couple differetn Brandywines, I also have a another plant or 2 with little maotrs on them.

No Frost, No Frost, No Frost.

[Duh_Vinci]

Looking good Alex!!!

Dono - I think you will like black cherry, very productive and grows like crazy - be prepare to support!

Weather... So, low 30's didn't kill my tomatoes, plastic bags worked like a charm! Pulled the bags off about 8am, everything looked great...

But the wind Crazy gusts this late morning!!! Lasted for about 2 hours... I can hear some trees falling in the woods, quickly brought all the seedlings inside. But what's planted in the main garden - half of the plants are shredded into a little pieces!!! The row of early varieties in containers are along the side of the garage, so these were well protected, but from other 21 plants in the ground - about half are torn a pieces

Well, I still have some seedlings to replace most of the damaged ones, but still... And no wind was in the forecast, still showing 7mph - year, right!!!!!

Regards,
D