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Juliuskitty
- Green Thumb
- Posts: 364
- Joined: Sun Aug 18, 2013 6:13 pm
- Location: South Florida
Re: Finally! Off to a haphazard start for the 2014 season
They really are coming along, aren't they? It won't be long now.
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rainbowgardener
- Super Green Thumb
- Posts: 25279
- Joined: Sun Feb 15, 2009 6:04 pm
- Location: TN/GA 7b
Looking good!
You just stimulated my brain to an
that I should have had years ago. I always have trouble keeping things labelled. I don't want to buy enough label sticks for 500 plants, so I try to keep things grouped in trays and have one or two labels per tray. But some how in all the moving around processes they go through, it is easy for stuff to get mixed up.
I looked at your boxes with the variety names marked on it and it finally occurred to me that I could do that. My little pots are mostly black, but it wouldn't be that hard or expensive to put a masking tape strip on each pot and mark on that. Wow! Why did it take me all these years. Unfortunately it is too late for this year, because not too much is left in pots, but hopefully I will remember this for next year.
You just stimulated my brain to an
that I should have had years ago. I always have trouble keeping things labelled. I don't want to buy enough label sticks for 500 plants, so I try to keep things grouped in trays and have one or two labels per tray. But some how in all the moving around processes they go through, it is easy for stuff to get mixed up.I looked at your boxes with the variety names marked on it and it finally occurred to me that I could do that. My little pots are mostly black, but it wouldn't be that hard or expensive to put a masking tape strip on each pot and mark on that. Wow! Why did it take me all these years. Unfortunately it is too late for this year, because not too much is left in pots, but hopefully I will remember this for next year.
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applestar
- Mod
- Posts: 30550
- Joined: Thu May 01, 2008 7:21 pm
- Location: Zone 6, NJ (3/M)4/E ~ 10/M(11/B)
Oh yeah that would be much easier and cheaper.
I put duct tape on the black ones. I tried using white paint pen, too. That works really well -- too well in fact. It won't come off.
On grey and green plastic pots, I just write directly with the garden marker. And ever since I found out they come off like a charm with rubbing alcohol, I just wipe off and write on new labels.
I'm refusing to make up permanent labels (triple folded aluminum tape "engraved" with ball point pen) until they are planted in the garden.... For the container plants, I really like the orange plastic spoons though. DH gets them from his favorite ice cream shop. They are re-usable as well.
Another thing DH gets -- rice pudding that comes in these cups because the kids like them.
Doesn't it just SHOUT soil blocker? It even has a dimple in the middle for sowing seed. So. I tried it out:
I cut off the rim, which made it flex easily, then wet the mold, lightly stuffed it with pre-moistened mix (not vigorously shoving in the mix like with the commercial blocker with a plunger), then gently unmolded it by squeezing and flexing (just like jello mold)
I sowed some of the pre-germinated cucumber seeds in them. It seems like the perfect size. I also put some too long fermented tomato seeds that started to sprout in the in the middle one. Cucumbers are already starting to sprout:
I put duct tape on the black ones. I tried using white paint pen, too. That works really well -- too well in fact. It won't come off.
On grey and green plastic pots, I just write directly with the garden marker. And ever since I found out they come off like a charm with rubbing alcohol, I just wipe off and write on new labels.I'm refusing to make up permanent labels (triple folded aluminum tape "engraved" with ball point pen) until they are planted in the garden.... For the container plants, I really like the orange plastic spoons though. DH gets them from his favorite ice cream shop. They are re-usable as well.
Another thing DH gets -- rice pudding that comes in these cups because the kids like them.
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McKinney88
- Senior Member
- Posts: 151
- Joined: Thu Apr 17, 2014 2:03 pm
- Location: Memphis, TN (Zone 7)
Question. I have started some tomato seeds last week. Is it ok to leave them outside once they sprout? We average about 80 deg F right now. I have one barely up right now and wasn't sure if it was ok to set them out all day while I'm at work. All my other plant seeds I leave outside and they are doing good.
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applestar
- Mod
- Posts: 30550
- Joined: Thu May 01, 2008 7:21 pm
- Location: Zone 6, NJ (3/M)4/E ~ 10/M(11/B)
IMHO they should be OK as long as you have them in deep enough containers of potting mix that they won't dry out in the sun and heat while you are away (you should make sure when you are home, before leaving them unsupervised 
) and they are not in drip trays when it rains (a lot) that they would drown. If they start out in full sun then they will naturally acclimate to the amount of sun as they grow.
However, they would be fragile in extreme weather, but if you bring them inside for a consecutive number of days during foul weather, they will need to acclimate to the sun and air movement.
Only other issues I can think of are pests specific to tomato seedlings and general nuisance like birds or squirrels digging them up.
) and they are not in drip trays when it rains (a lot) that they would drown. If they start out in full sun then they will naturally acclimate to the amount of sun as they grow.However, they would be fragile in extreme weather, but if you bring them inside for a consecutive number of days during foul weather, they will need to acclimate to the sun and air movement.
Only other issues I can think of are pests specific to tomato seedlings and general nuisance like birds or squirrels digging them up.
