User avatar
lakngulf
Greener Thumb
Posts: 1294
Joined: Mon May 10, 2010 4:34 pm
Location: Lake Martin, AL

Off and Running

It has been a colder winter and therefore a slower start to getting things started in the greenhouse. But with some recent sunshine and slightly warmer temps I have some plants up and running. I have several types of tomatoes, regular and multi-colored bell pepper, egg plant, etc. Last year I had good luck starting rattlesnake beans and silver queen corn in the greenhouse. I have these ready to go this year:

Image

Also, I am trying to get a jumpstart on some yellow squash. I can already taste it, shredded like hash browns and fried with onion and corn meal in a little hot grease.

Image

Some regular and red romaine and kale should be good too.
Image

User avatar
lakngulf
Greener Thumb
Posts: 1294
Joined: Mon May 10, 2010 4:34 pm
Location: Lake Martin, AL

I have lots of tomatoes: Celebrity, Brandwine, BetterBoy, Fantastic, Sweet 100, Umberto, and some others I received from the webmaster. My new greenhouse location has more sunshine and most of the plants are doing well, and not getting so tall like last few years. I hope that continues.

These are not very big, but very healthy. Maybe the late start will be good since Easter is so late this year.

Image

Here is that same group, along with others on the large door that I can open and give the plants some direct sunlight, and help harden them before garden planting. The door has worked well, I just wish I could get more plants on it.

Image

Some years back my wife read about using toilet paper cut into small rings as starting points for seeds. This process keeps the seed and young plant in tact, keeps the water around the plant, and is simple to lift out of the flat when time to up plant to larger peat pot. Here is one flat in process. These are some Better Boy and Fantastic starts.

Image

User avatar
lakngulf
Greener Thumb
Posts: 1294
Joined: Mon May 10, 2010 4:34 pm
Location: Lake Martin, AL

Here is a shot of the greenhouse in action. The flats start in the shelves to the left, with grow lights. When second set of leaves begin to appear I up plant to five inch peat pots, put them in plastic containers and set them in as much sunlight as possible.

Image

While this is going on it is encouraging to have some bright green produce in the garden that has wintered the storm, and still looking good. Collard greens are still tasty in March.

Image

User avatar
lakngulf
Greener Thumb
Posts: 1294
Joined: Mon May 10, 2010 4:34 pm
Location: Lake Martin, AL

Whew!!

Temps dipped into the low 30s two nights in a row. I ran a small propane heater for the little plants to pretend it was still spring. Everything looks ok this morning, and all got a good soaking of water. Decent temps predicted for now so the big door will be opened so the plants can get some sunshine.

I am already trying to figure how I can adapt the greenhouse so more sections can "open" up so the plants are instantly outdoors.

User avatar
applestar
Mod
Posts: 30514
Joined: Thu May 01, 2008 7:21 pm
Location: Zone 6, NJ (3/M)4/E ~ 10/M(11/B)

Good save! You are keeping my hopes up that spring IS on it's way... eventually. Down to low 20's here while all that's going on over there. ...not to mention the roaring winds all day yesterday :|

User avatar
lakngulf
Greener Thumb
Posts: 1294
Joined: Mon May 10, 2010 4:34 pm
Location: Lake Martin, AL

applestar wrote:Good save! You are keeping my hopes up that spring IS on it's way... eventually. Down to low 20's here while all that's going on over there. ...not to mention the roaring winds all day yesterday :|
We had the winds on Tuesday. I have my greenhouse on the back side of my house because that is the South side. The lake is on the front (north side) so when cold wind blows it is COLD. I tried to get a picture of the white caps on the lake and the pine trees bending from pressure of the wind AS COMPARED TO the calm and easy spot my little plants had protected from the wind by my house and greenhouse.

Rairdog
Green Thumb
Posts: 373
Joined: Sun Mar 16, 2014 4:46 pm
Location: Noblesville, IN Zone 5

Nice setup! It has given me some ideas. Just curious as to why you want more doors. I am new to GH seed starting. I have a door on one side and a big window on the other to create a cross breeze on nice days. Is the direct sunlight just as important to harden them off compared to the light through polycarb?

User avatar
jal_ut
Super Green Thumb
Posts: 7447
Joined: Sun Jan 18, 2009 10:20 pm
Location: Northern Utah Zone 5

Looking good. Thanks for sharing the pictures. Here it is snowing this morning.

User avatar
rainbowgardener
Super Green Thumb
Posts: 25279
Joined: Sun Feb 15, 2009 6:04 pm
Location: TN/GA 7b

Yeah, my cold weather stuff that has been going in and out and in and out and in and out, spent an extra night in last night. While it was marginally warm enough to have them out, it was really windy with a pretty big wind chill factor. I just didn't think that was good weather to bring them out into, since they had once again been in un-hardening. :shock: They are back out now, if my partner did what she said she would.

User avatar
lakngulf
Greener Thumb
Posts: 1294
Joined: Mon May 10, 2010 4:34 pm
Location: Lake Martin, AL

Rairdog wrote: Is the direct sunlight just as important to harden them off compared to the light through polycarb?
Yes, it is good to give the young plants controlled doses of direct sunlight before they go into full sunlight in the garden. I have the one large door with shelves that has plants in the sun just by opening it.

Image

I would like to use this method to put more plants in the sun light, without having to handle each plant container.

User avatar
bryce d
Cool Member
Posts: 92
Joined: Fri Jul 05, 2013 1:00 am
Location: Northern Utah, zone 6b

my tomatoes are looking quite awful.

User avatar
lakngulf
Greener Thumb
Posts: 1294
Joined: Mon May 10, 2010 4:34 pm
Location: Lake Martin, AL

bryce d wrote:my tomatoes are looking quite awful.
Mine are not as far along this year as in the past, but the little plants look good, putting on lots of low leaves, and so far have not gotten too tall. I will put some in pots in the greenhouse, but will not plant the bulk of them in garden until late April

What about yours does not meet your approval?

User avatar
bryce d
Cool Member
Posts: 92
Joined: Fri Jul 05, 2013 1:00 am
Location: Northern Utah, zone 6b

they are stringy and only have two leaves each. seems like every day another one dies. I cant wait for them all to die so I can give up.

User avatar
applestar
Mod
Posts: 30514
Joined: Thu May 01, 2008 7:21 pm
Location: Zone 6, NJ (3/M)4/E ~ 10/M(11/B)

That's too bad. :(

There are basic requirements and it's not always easy to meet them. I suppose that's why people stick to "formulas" that work. But individual environment of each gardener requires fine tuning of the basic formula.

This year's winter has thrown a monkey wrench into even the tried and true systems. I suspect those who are using a relatively thermo/hygrostatic or thermo/hygrostatically well controlled growing space are likely to be affected less.

User avatar
lakngulf
Greener Thumb
Posts: 1294
Joined: Mon May 10, 2010 4:34 pm
Location: Lake Martin, AL

This is why I need more big shelves on large doors that I can just open up to the sun

Image

Image

User avatar
applestar
Mod
Posts: 30514
Joined: Thu May 01, 2008 7:21 pm
Location: Zone 6, NJ (3/M)4/E ~ 10/M(11/B)

Are those corn? Where are you planting them this year -- or actually what I really want to know us what you are planting on your pier garden. 8)

User avatar
lakngulf
Greener Thumb
Posts: 1294
Joined: Mon May 10, 2010 4:34 pm
Location: Lake Martin, AL

applestar wrote:Are those corn? Where are you planting them this year -- or actually what I really want to know us what you are planting on your pier garden. 8)
I will transplant the corn to the garden, probably in the next day or so. We have some low 40s for the next two nights, so I am a bit concerned about that. The goal is to have the pier look like this again this summer

Image

Image

lexusnexus
Green Thumb
Posts: 358
Joined: Fri Mar 14, 2014 4:06 pm
Location: MD Suburbs of DC, 7a

Here in the DC suburbs in MD we've had lots of snow. The real killer has been the brutally cold temperatures. My partner's world domination rosemary bush seems to have succumbed to it. That plant lasted through winters when we had snowstorms that dumped 20"-30" at a time. But we didn't get the brutal cold with them.

User avatar
applestar
Mod
Posts: 30514
Joined: Thu May 01, 2008 7:21 pm
Location: Zone 6, NJ (3/M)4/E ~ 10/M(11/B)

Don't give up on it yet. If there was a lot of snow, the roots may have been sufficiently insulated even if the top growth had died back.

I can't wait to see what lakngulf's pier garden will look like when everything is planted and growing! :D
If you haven't seen it before, he posts photos every year. :cool:

User avatar
rainbowgardener
Super Green Thumb
Posts: 25279
Joined: Sun Feb 15, 2009 6:04 pm
Location: TN/GA 7b

It has been a tough winter. I think my hardy rosemary didn't make it. It was in a smallish pot and not protected. It made it through the previous, milder winter. I may try again (with a new one) and try to take better care of it. Meanwhile my regular rosemary has over wintered well indoors, growing the whole time. The question will be if I can successfully transition it back to outdoors. I have had rosemary die at that point.

User avatar
lakngulf
Greener Thumb
Posts: 1294
Joined: Mon May 10, 2010 4:34 pm
Location: Lake Martin, AL

I may be "jumping the gun" but I had some beans and corn in the greenhouse big enough to go in the garden so here goes:

DIRT
Image

HEALTHY PLANTS WITH GREAT ROOTS
Image

INSTANT ROW
Image

And the corn the same way. This worked last year so got my fingers crossed. Ten day forecast looks pretty good.

Image

User avatar
lakngulf
Greener Thumb
Posts: 1294
Joined: Mon May 10, 2010 4:34 pm
Location: Lake Martin, AL

I am on an extended trip so this is the only picture I can provide today. I have been watching closely the 10 day forecast for my area, and this looks like the only thing my little plants will have to worry about.....Big Winds and one COLD night. Hopefully, they will be ok. They have enjoyed some beautiful mid to high 70s for almost two weeks now, so I am hoping they are very healthy and ready to shiver a bit.

Image

imafan26
Mod
Posts: 13962
Joined: Tue Jan 01, 2013 8:32 am
Location: Hawaii, zone 12a 587 ft elev.

Great looking set up.

The wind was howling last night and I transplanted some parsley, lavender, carnation, dill, and other odds and ends yesterday. I hope they don't dry out. It is still dark so I haven't seen them yet. I still have about 50 long green eggplant, cutting celery, and rooted rosemary cuttings to pot up.

It was cold again last night and it is 67 degrees now. I know most of you would love that, but that is cold for here. I did plant some more superchili and cal wonder peppers, so I'll see if they will sprout this cold. I planted some cal wonder a week or so ago and so far nothing. I did not cover it though, so I will have to see if the seeds are still there. The doves here like to pick out the seeds from the starts. At least my older peppers are flowering, so I may just repot and rejuvenate them. More Trinidad Scorpions survived than I thought.

It is times like these that I wish I had a green house like yours. However, you can keep the snow.

User avatar
lakngulf
Greener Thumb
Posts: 1294
Joined: Mon May 10, 2010 4:34 pm
Location: Lake Martin, AL

Back from my trip and was anxious to see what effect the low temps had.

Beans took it hard and will have to be replanted:
Image

But corn and most of the tomato plants made it ok:
Image

Image

I have a few plants in fresh, rich top soil. Amazing how much better they look than the ones in containers
Image

User avatar
lakngulf
Greener Thumb
Posts: 1294
Joined: Mon May 10, 2010 4:34 pm
Location: Lake Martin, AL

I had a friend watering and monitoring the young plants in the greenhouse. Well, give young plants over two weeks in a greenhouse and they become leggy plants. They are all very healthy, and will be in the ground soon, after a couple days of hardening in the sun. They should have been placed outside during the two week span, but no way to make that happen.

Image

Image

Before I left I planted several items (beans, corn, okra, more tomatoes) to have for the garden in case the cold temps cancelled out what I had planted earlier.

Image

Image

User avatar
applestar
Mod
Posts: 30514
Joined: Thu May 01, 2008 7:21 pm
Location: Zone 6, NJ (3/M)4/E ~ 10/M(11/B)

Wow that dip into the frosty temp was crazy considering the rest of the week. Nothing to do when you are away too. Glad easy beans seem to have been the only serious casualty.

User avatar
McKinney88
Senior Member
Posts: 151
Joined: Thu Apr 17, 2014 2:03 pm
Location: Memphis, TN (Zone 7)

Your stuff is looking good! I have never seen anyone plant corn in starters and transplant it. I have always just put the seed in the ground. Very interesting.

User avatar
lakngulf
Greener Thumb
Posts: 1294
Joined: Mon May 10, 2010 4:34 pm
Location: Lake Martin, AL

McKinney88 wrote:Your stuff is looking good! I have never seen anyone plant corn in starters and transplant it. I have always just put the seed in the ground. Very interesting.
I, too, put the seed in the ground for most of my corn, in longer rows at the farm. But, for my small garden here at home, I try to get a jumpstart, and also use the starter corn to fill in the vacant spots. Before I left two weeks ago I put some corn seed in the ground. I have some germination, but we got so many rains that the ground got hard and I am not sure anymore will press up. I will plant the greenhouse starter corn there after it has a couple of days to get acclimated to the sun and outdoors.

User avatar
McKinney88
Senior Member
Posts: 151
Joined: Thu Apr 17, 2014 2:03 pm
Location: Memphis, TN (Zone 7)

What kind of corn are you growing?

User avatar
lakngulf
Greener Thumb
Posts: 1294
Joined: Mon May 10, 2010 4:34 pm
Location: Lake Martin, AL

McKinney88 wrote:What kind of corn are you growing?
Old standard: Silver Queen

User avatar
McKinney88
Senior Member
Posts: 151
Joined: Thu Apr 17, 2014 2:03 pm
Location: Memphis, TN (Zone 7)

lakngulf wrote:
McKinney88 wrote:What kind of corn are you growing?
Old standard: Silver Queen
Good stuff. That's what my family has always planted. This year is the first time I'm going to try something new. I meant to order Silver King to try but some how I ended up with Honey Select Triplesweet so that's what it will be this be this year.

User avatar
lakngulf
Greener Thumb
Posts: 1294
Joined: Mon May 10, 2010 4:34 pm
Location: Lake Martin, AL

applestar wrote:Are those corn? Where are you planting them this year -- or actually what I really want to know us what you are planting on your pier garden. 8)
The pier this year is beginning to look like it did last year:

Image



Return to “Vegetable Gardening Forum”