I didn't plant much cold weather stuff this year, and what I did plant was direct seeded. I started my chinense peppers early (3-7), and my eggplants a little early (3-25), but most of my peppers on the usual day - 4-1. Some of the chinense will need re-potted - as you can see, a few got larger than others! chinense peppers, started on 3-7 in petri dishes. by pepperhead212, on Flickr
The hari and saved neon seeds sprouted already, but not the original neon and ichiban. I soaked them in GA-3, which I found out to be effective with these, but not pepper seeds, which I use saltpeter with. The hari sprouted in just 2 days! Eggplant seeds in petri dishes. by pepperhead212, on Flickr
My tomato seeds are all planted now (plus those last two peppers that grow fastest - superchili and jalafuego) - the latest I ever planted them, but the last time o seasons they grew too fast indoors - I lucked out in 2019, when I put them out earlier than ever, but last season there was a cold first week in May, which messed up a few of my plants. I didn't even do a few to put in Wall-o-waters - I'm waiting to see if that "42 day tomato" is really what it says! That will be early enough for me. This way, everything isn't done on the same day, which also makes it easier.
Today I got another Thunder Mountain, 2 Hong Gochu, and one Giuzeppi Numex, all transferred to the pots under the lights. Several others, as well, have shown, but haven't popped all the way up yet. Still no tomatoes showing in 2 days.
Today, outside, I uncovered 9 of my bucket SIPs, that go on the N side of my garden, with the smaller tomato plants, and 2 tomatillos. These I could do myself, due to the smaller tarps - the very larger tarps over others I'll need a friend's help with.
I also put out my electronic rain guage base today; unfortunately, the plastic was getting brittle - I don't know why, as I bring it in every year to the basement, before freezing temps. So I mixed some 5 minute epoxy, and dripped it on each end, to hold the broken plastic together, and made a thick layer on top, and drilled another hole on each side, to screw it down.
@tomatonut95 Thunder Mountain is new to me, and it's a very long (up to 12"), skinny cayenne type - not real hot, but I got it more for the decorative effect. The jalafuego is a jalapeño hybrid, which is a favorite of mine, as it is early, large (some around 4"), and hotter than many (around 6k). And it is one of the most productive I have grown.
Just got my first tomato plant - actually two of the Honeycombs came up. Nothing else yet, but I haven't looked for a few hours.
Got more peppers up today, too. More of the ones before, plus a Hanoi Market and a Superthai.
I uncovered most of my SIPs today (only 6 left in the front) and moved all of them into their spots, with the help of a hand truck. Many of them were filled to capacity - the tarps must have had leaks, where the snow laid on top.
I got a lot done outside yesterday, mostly related to getting the SIPs set up, finishing up and filling a new one. Also cut the shelf for another one on my bandsaw - something I didn't want to be doing late at night.
Here's that finished SIP, slightly smaller (14 gal) than the 18 gal ones I have a lot of, and have another of in the making. Usually, the ones I have of the Rubbermaid tubs (like this one) have lasted a long time, with very few cracks in 7 or 8 years, but another like this got brittle. However, the insides were fine, so I just cleaned those, and used them in a relatively new tub, which hopefully will last. Finished SIP, using shelf from an old one, and a new tup. by pepperhead212, on Flickr
I also re-potted my bay laurel plant - another one showing signs of getting rootbound, as it would dry out very fast, and not absorb water as quickly. It was also dropping a few leaves, though not as badly as the curry tree. Amazingly, that re-potted curry tree has not dropped a single leaf, since re-potting! Re-potted bay laurel, in 5 gal fabric pot. 4-10 by pepperhead212, on Flickr
Today, it had rained well over an inch by 11 am, and it was supposed to stop until sometime in the evening. However, it actually started raining more here - up to 1.48 now, so I didn't do much outside. I finished another SIP today - rained much of the day, so I cleaned the house some today (something I always neglect at this time of year ::)), then went to the workshop.
I wasn't sure if I could make the shelf out of this 3 dimensional lid, but it worked! Made a cardboard pattern (I always do this, in case I make another of the same brand), and traced it on the raised portions, and just cut straight to the next raised portion. Only took a few tweaks on the bandsaw to shave some sections, to get it to drop on those pvc "racks". The pvc racks I also cut on the bandsaw, cutting the two for the wicking chambers about 3/32" shorter, as the cap sticks out about that far. I trace the spots for the racks, and number them, so the holes for the zip ties are in the right spots, and those holes I mark in red, so I also drill a hole opposite, and just above them, on the pvc. Once all was marked, it only took about 1 1/2 hours to drill all of the holes, including the pvc. The pvc was better drilled with regular drill bits, but the lid was better drilled with a brad point - the regular bit grabbed the soft plastic once through, but the brad point didn't. And a forstner bit drilled the large hole for the chimney well - just shaved it away, until a disk dropped through. SIP shelf marked for drilling, red spots are where the zip ties will connect the pvc to the shelf. by pepperhead212, on Flickr
It's actually sunny out, now, but it's still going to be soaked, so back to the workshop! I have one more 18 gal tub - this one I have a pattern for, and a flat lid, so it will be faster.
I love what you are doing. I have used sips before. They work great especially in summer. Your peppers look great. I only start seeds outdoors so I have not started many peppers yet.
All but one of my tomato varieties (the Amish Gold Slicer) has come up, and yesterday I filled up the few empty pots of those, and a few others, with some of the extra seedlings, trying to fill them with similar varieties. I made sure that I re-labeled them to avoid any future confusion! (rofl) If I do eventually get a seed or two of the Amish Gold, I'll make up a couple of new pots.
All but one of my peppers - Portugal Fire - has had at least one sprout, though a couple had just one or two, so far. Most of the pots have a seedling, but I filled most of the empty pots with some extra seedlings - if those original peppers finally sprout, I'll pull these, and put the original ones in.
The early peppers are doing great (a few stragglers, as always), and will definitely have to be re-potted, since it's just over a month, when they usually go out. Early peppers, next to a few planted on 4-1 by pepperhead212, on Flickr
Garlic is doing great! But still only one shallot up (the bare area at the end of the garlic), even after all that rain, so I assume they are dead. Maybe I'll plant a few now, just to see what happens, when planted now, instead of the fall. First I'll carefully dig up a few, to see if they rotted, or are still alive. Garlic, 4-10 by pepperhead212, on Flickr
@Pepperhead212, thanks for the very detailed photos of your well-built, impressive SIPs. I understand the basic principles but I don't know how you're using the ones you make. Maybe you explained earlier but I haven't found it. Are those large diameter upright, perforated tubes all wicking chambers, with the seeds/transplants placed between them? Or do some of them have a different purpose. Only some have lids? Sorry if the answers should be obvious to me and I'm just not seeing them. Do you grow plants to maturity still in the SIP or extract & transplant some?
If I decide to try SIPs I'd make my own. I'd use them for raising transplants under lights. I presently start seeds in soil blocks, then go up to small pots with the tenders still under lights. This works well but I'm not good at keeping moisture consistent. Also making the soil blocks & up-potting take up plenty of time. SIPs might shorten some of that. I assume yours get re-used year after year - are they a hassle to clean, refill with new soil etc? Most of my transplants go out in 42" wide raised beds.
TIA for any comments you have.
PS: I wanted to scroll back through the thread but the forum won't let me get far at all.
@Vanisle_BC The only wicking chambers of the 5 pvc pipes in each SIP are the two that have caps, and are open to the top. This way, the mix is packed into the wicking chambers, then fairly well packed above, as recommended in the original Earthboxes, which just have two smaller wicking chambers in the corners. The other 3 pvc pipes are "racks", as I termed them, which supports the shelf, along with the wicking chambers. I drill a hole on each side just below the level of the shelf - this way, the soil does not sit in the water, when filled, as long as the SIP is fairly level. If used indoors, it would have to be used in a tray, to catch the overflow, though it wouldn't be much, as you can stop adding water as soon as it starts. The only times I've used SIPs indoors they were smaller ones - the curry tree in one of the buckets, and a jr Earthbox, with herbs, and they worked well.
I re-use the same soil, but I take a couple of scoops out, and mix in some new, with some more fertilizer, but not a whole lot. In the ones with the inorganic 10-10-10 granular, I put that in a "beer sock" - something used for putting hops and spices and various things in beer, when brewing. I cut a length of it a little more than the SIP, and tie one end, and put the fertilizer in it, and lay it about 4"under the surface - down the center, for most peppers and okra, which I grow in two rows, and on the opposite side from the side where I grow tomatoes and eggplants, which are 2 plants per SIP. Another half cup is added to the socks, when "refreshing" the SIPs in the spring.
With granular organic fertilizer, the good thing is that you can mix it right in with the soil mix, without burning the roots. This I have been using for a couple of years, though you need more of it, maybe 50%, since it dissolves slower.
I also add Espoma dolomite to the mix - about 3 cups, to tomato 18 gal, and another cup when refreshing, or topping off. The others I just add a little more, and start with half of that amount.
It is amazing how much water tomatoes and cucumbers can drink in a day! The original Earthboxes have a 2 gal reservoir, and even filling it twice a day, the soil would dry out with 4 cucumbers and 2 large tomatoes - their recommended numbers! The 18 gal ones have a much larger reservoir, plus newer Earthboxes have 3 gal, but all mine are old! The larger ones I use for tomatoes and eggplants, the smaller ones and Earthboxes I use for peppers, and some cherry tomatoes, which don't need as much water. I have them all hooked up to timers, with drip emitters, and the timers can water 3 times a day, so I set them in such a way that they overflow little - if I see it happening, I reduce the time some, and in the cool part of the season, with small plants, only once a day.
I make up my own mix (for this, as well as potting my other plants), as I've found that the plants grew in it just as well as the Promix, and it MUCH cheaper! I get some bales of peat moss, and large bags of perlite and vermiculite. I use large flour scoops I got at a restaurant supply place for rough measurements. In my wheelbarrow, I put 8 large scoops of peat, 2 lg scoops of perlite, 1 small scoop of vermiculite, a half a small scoop of worm castings, and a little mycorrhizae powder - only takes a couple tsp! I mix all this together, until it is uniform. The dolomite and organic fertilizer I add here, if filling new ones, but the others I stir it in as I go, when refreshing them.
When these first started out, coir was often used, instead of, or combined with, the peat. But it was found that the coir composted quickly, and in about 3 years had lost its "wicking" capability. Peat, OTOH, is basically inert, and it keeps its wicking properties. I got a lot of coir dirt cheap (pun intended) when Earthbox sold their stock, after this came to light. I use it for other things, like re-potting plants, and hydroponics.
I'll probably go out now, and start mixing some of that stuff up! When I take a couple scoops out, when refreshing the SIPs, I put them into a trash can that I roll along as I go, then add it to my raised beds.
I went to the Korean market yesterday, since that is right down the street from the orthodontist I went to. I didn't get much - really not short on anything in the condiment section, and I don't want to get anything that goes in the freezer! But I always go to the produce section - Asian stores have things I just don't see anywhere else! One thing I saw that I didn't really need, but I got some, anyway - lemongrass. I got it for rooting - 6 stalks, which is double what I need to grow about 5 years worth! I still have a bunch from 2017 Foodsavered in the freezer, many in small batches, and two large batches. I'll do that again, in the fall, and put the old stuff in a bag and label it as such - maybe I'll make a bug spray with all of it!
I cut the bottoms of the stalks off, then peel the brownish layers from them, then put them to soak, for rooting, which takes about 3 weeks, which will be just about right, for putting them out. I change the solution every 3 or 4 days. Since I only need 3 of them, I tried something known as scarification with 3 of these, that I also do with basil stems - just take a sharp paring knife and cut slightly into the stems in several places. These I just cut them a few times lengthwise in the woody section. I'll see if the roots come out those scratched areas better than the other areas. Trimmed lemongrass stalks, ready to be soaked, for rooting. by pepperhead212, on Flickr
I re-potted my 6 largest pepper plants today, and they were definitely getting rootbound. These plants were all started on 3-7, just over 5 weeks ago! And chinense varieties are usually the slowest - the reason that I started them a little over 3 weeks early. And that Death Spiral was one of the slowest seeds to sprout, yet look at the size! Larger Death Spiral, the most rootbound of the 6 plants. by pepperhead212, on Flickr
@Pepperhead212, I had neglected to thank you for the full reply to my questions about SIPs - Thank you! I admire both the care you put into making them, and your very detailed descriptions.
I had a bad problem with black aphids, on chives, of all things. I had never seen this on my chives before, but when I went out Saturday morning, I noticed immediately that the chives in one of the windowsill boxes on deck looked "dirty". Upon closer inspection, I found out that it was black aphids! Since there were no flowers, attracting bees, I sprayed it heavily with a pyrethrin solution - my usual way to kill these pests. After a few hours, it had dried, and I saw nothing moving, so I washed them off, then let them dry, and sprayed them again, and sprayed the rest of the solution on the ground beneath the container, for any chives that may have fallen. I haven't seen any sign of them these next two days, and I also checked my two clumps of chives in the herb garden, and the many clumps of garlic chives that grow as weeds, and no signs of these pests. Hopefully, this was a one-time problem. Black aphid infestation on chives. by pepperhead212, on Flickr
I got a lot more done Sunday, starting with something that didn't get done - changing the blades on my lawn tractor. A while back, a friend (who has the same model) suggested that I change the blades, since they were over 2 years old, and he told me that Amazon had a deal on the blades, so I got them, when snow was on the ground, and he would change them for me, come spring. He jacked up the tractor, tilted it, and got under there, with his gun ready, to remove the nuts, and he told me they didn't need changing, or even sharpening! He was right - they were sharp enough for me to cut myself on! I pointed out that this is probably due to the fact that I pick up almost all of the branches, while he uses the mower to grind them up! Last week he came over and got those blades from me (and ordered me another set), because he had hit something that had bent one of his blades - he definitely doesn't take care of it!
I got some more SIPs refreshed Sunday - still have 15 large, and 12 buckets to do. The buckets go faster, fortunately. I already have one 32 gal trash can filled with the mix I removed - that goes into the raised beds, eventually.
I got my larger 'tiller started Sunday, and changed the oil in it, plus a few other maintenance things. Ready to go, once the plants are!
Both of those Ichiban eggplant seeds that finally sprouted, and I planted in the pots, have popped up now. So if those do well, I'll have 1 extra of each of the others (which I planted in the original ichiban pots), which some friends will get. Now, of all of the varieties of tomatoes, eggplants, and peppers I planted, the only one I have yet to get a sprout from is the Portugal fire pepper - new seeds this year! Funny thing - the other peppers that took the longest, and I got the lowest % with, were also new!
No more black aphids anywhere out there this morning - I was checking the other 2 clusters of chives, as well as all those garlic chives I have, and no signs of them (fingers crossed).
I get black aphids too. It comes and goes. Black aphids are also attracted to beans. I use nasturtiums as a trap crop. Just don't plant them near chives or beans.
The thing that I really have to watch for black aphids is okra. It doesn't seem to appear as quickly on that red variety I grow, but I have seen it on those. I spray it frequently with Surround, being sure to get it on the undersides of the leaves.
I have not seen many aphids of any color for a while. I guess I have just been lucky or I have good beneficial insects and healthy plants around that keep them away.
Those chinense peppers, that I started early, will need hardening off soon! There are some slower ones, but even those are getting large. The smaller peppers, started on 4-1, are to the right on the first photo. Not that large, but taking off now, and they still have 3 weeks to go out, normally. chinense peppers on 4-23, started on 3-7 by pepperhead212, on Flickr
Fortunately, the weather is supposed to get warm for a while now, but I'll still have to see what May is supposed to be (though, of course, that is a long shot).
Here are the tomatoes - started on 4-5 - and eggplants - started on 3-27. Many of the eggplants sprouted slowly, and some of the tomatoes simply grow slower, depending on the variety. But the tomatoes are doing well, for just planting on 4-5! This is why I can't imagine planting them as early as some do, unless they will be in a pot like those large peppers, by the time they go out! Tomatoes on 4-23, started on 4-5 by pepperhead212, on Flickr
Today I re-potted my smaller kaffir lime tree, A.K.A. Makrut lime; this, and my other indoor plants all seemed to need re-potting this year. I thought it had been 3 years, but it was only 2 years, I found out on another forum. Today, I didn't finish my SIPs, due to the wind - would have blown the covers away, as I would be trying to cover them. Plus, making the soil mix would not have been easy, with the perlite and vermiculite blowing all over. I already had the mix made up for re-potting the kaffir lime trees, so I did the smaller one today. It was definitely rootbound, with some roots growing upwards, into the mulch. This soil mix I made with 2/3 peat, and 1/3 coir, plus some perlite, a little less vermiculite, some granular diatomaceous earth, some DE powder, for the upper few inches, plus some mycorrhizae powder, to inoculate it. The lime tree was put outside a couple of weeks ago, when I trimmed it considerably, brought indoors the last couple of nights, due to the cold, and I trimmed it even more. Looks a little scraggly, because I trimmed all the branches I had to, that were growing on top of each other. It will recover quickly, as always, and I had already seen several areas of new growth, triggered by the first trimming.
Nice tree. I don't like to repot large trees. I find potting soil runs out the pot over time. I really don't like to repot citrus trees and air space is the most important to keeping them healthy longer. My larger trees end up in 20 inch 18 gallon pots and I plant them in pure cinder. I have kept the kaffir lime in the same pot without repotting for almost 30 years. One of the 2 kaffir limes I have is nearing the end of its days and I started adding potting soil on top of the cinders, but it also keeps running out of the pot. I do have to feed and water the pots regularly. The pots have to be watered almost daily. The hardest thing is to move the pots since they are so heavy and they do have to be tipped regularly to make sure they are not going into the ground. I have a couple of trees that have gotten in the ground and need to be cut down now as it is impossible to move them.
@imafan, One main difference between your trees and mine is that I have to bring mine indoors when it gets cold! And, as you noted, an 18 gal pot is next to impossible to lift! The 14 gal one my large one is in is not easy to move - I need a friend to help me lift it down, and then take it outside with a hand truck, and the reverse of that, in the fall.
When these plants start requiring watering much more often, and sometimes dropping leaves, I know that they are getting rootbound, and I should re-pot them. Being rootbound seems to stress them, and make them prone to getting scale insects - they never seem to appear before the plants get rootbound. I severely prune both the roots and the upper parts of the plants, and it is amazing how fast they come back! This keeps them down to a manageable size, and they are much healthier, until they get rootbound again.
Yes, you are right, I don't move my pots often. I do have a platform dolly for doing that but even that is hard to do over dirt, grass, and rocks. I certainly don't have to move them up stairs either. Mine get scale too, but that is because I have them up against the plumeria tree. The same thing happened with the bay leaf and that one is better now that I have hosed off most of the scale and the bay leaf is up against the fence and gets more air. It falls down a lot when it gets windy, but it is resilient that way. I moved the younger kaffir lime tree a couple of feet so it is easier to reach to water. I have to find a better place for the other tree and I may have to repot that one, but I think I will need help with it since it is about 30 years old and five feet tall with a 4 inch trunk. I can usually spin the pots a short distance. For longer distances, I do have to use the dolly. The pot is also 30 years old, so I need to have a back up pot since it will probably be very brittle now. They don't make pots as well as they used to. The newer pots have been failing sooner than these older ones.
I started hardening off my tomatoes today - just 90 min, in somewhat cool (56° when put out) and breezy, but I have had an oscillating fan, on and off on a timer for a while, to help strengthen the plants against the wind.
Hard to believe these were only planted 3 weeks ago! Pinky Blast (a compact variety) was the smallest - only about 3", hidden in this somewhere, and a few other smaller ones, but most grew very well. Beginning to harden off the tomatoes, on 4-26 by pepperhead212, on Flickr
The extended forecast shows no signs of cold weather in the beginning of May, like last season. Still a couple of nights in the high 40s left in April, but most nights are well into the 50s, or even the 60s - even maybe ok for slightly early peppers.
I just planted some bottle gourd seeds, that sprouted very quickly (actually, less than 36 hours in the petri dish), after soaking overnight in a 250 ppm solution of GA-3. The seeds of the one variety I bought in 2016, and 4 of the 6 have already sprouted! I bought the new variety Alok this season, because the "long" variety (a generic term on the seed packet) I grew last season produced nothing but female flowers early on, with no male blossoms! The opposite of our usual winter squash - too bad these aren't edible. When males appeared, the females were scarce. Hopefully, I won't see that again. 5 year old Dhol bottle gourd seeds, sprouting in 36 hours after soaking 12 hours in GA-3 solution. by pepperhead212, on Flickr
These, and similar cucurbit seeds, I plant in Jiffy pellets, placing the sprout down, and in a couple of weeks, when roots start growing through the surface of the pellet, they get planted outside. Soon, I'll be doing this with the winter squash, as well.
Those 2 trays of tomatoes are out again this morning, almost no wind, but intense sun! I'll leave them for 2 hours today, and maybe take those large peppers out briefly.
This morning I found 2 bitter melon seeds sprouted in the petri dishes, in under 2 1/2 days. These seeds are notoriously slow, and difficult to germinate, due to the thick hulls - I've gotten some packets that say they are "overpacked", due to the low % germination, warning people about this problem. Some people actually sand off part of the hull, to help the water permeate them! I soaked these for 24 hours in a 250 ppm solution of GA-3, and in under 2 1/2 days, 2 of 4 of the new variety had sprouted. I have 2 other varieties - these are 1 and 2 years old, and I'll see if this helped them. 2 bitter melon seeds sprouted in under 60 hours, after soaking in GA-3. by pepperhead212, on Flickr
I cut the first asparagus because it was just getting too tall, with just a few very small ones finally popping up. I put those large peppers out, to start hardening off, and they are getting large! Some are larger than some varieties get the entire year! chinense peppers hardening off, 4-27. First large asparagus stalk in front. by pepperhead212, on Flickr
I'm hardening off my single o/wintered pepper. Can't wait to see how far it outstrips the seedlings started under lights this month.
Gotta love that asparagus - first gourmet vegetable of the year. Our first stalk was harvested 3 days ago. My wife dislikes the soft texture of it when cooked, so I used to get it all to myself. Then we discovered how it tastes raw, freshly picked. Now it never makes it to the stove top; seldom even into the house.
Edit, PS: Pepperhead, are those stainless screws in the photo, or just new?
@Vanisle_BC - Those are SS screws, and I made that bench in the late 80s, so they really are stainless!
Today I 'tilled a bunch of paths in my garden, to turn the weeds under, plus the row for my squash, which I covered at the end of last season to solarize it. I re-used the landscape fabric for the 3rd season - will probably be the last time, and it doesn't owe me anything! I put a smaller length in the front, and added some more irrigation line and emitters, to fill the space - this year I will have even more plants! Row for squash, and a couple of gourds, tilled, covered, and set up with irrigation. by pepperhead212, on Flickr
I went up to the lab this morning and got a fasting blood work taken - just basics for when I see my primary care physician on 5-11. After this, I mowed my lawn - it is very windy, but it is supposed to get even windier - 50 to 60 mph gusts - so I wanted to get it done early. Late tomorrow, if the wind dies down, I'll start putting the tomatoes in.
My asparagus is still slow - only a few harvestable stalks, and a number are bolting while very skinny, instead of of forming thick stalks. This is just the 3rd year after planting.
The wind died down considerably today, so I planted most of my tomatoes, plus 2 tomatillos. I planted 23 of the tomatoes - the ones that had thick stems. A few grew slower, so I didn't want to risk wind damage to those thinner plants. I still have at least 8 tomatoes to plant.
Still some nights forecast in the high 40s, so too cold for planting peppers and eggplants.
I only noticed flower buds starting on one of those plants - one of the two 42 day cherry tomatoes. It wasn't getting as rootbound as some of the others, but one was just starting to show flower buds. I pulled them off, but it will be interesting to see when they start producing flower buds again.
Last edited by pepperhead212 on Sat May 01, 2021 8:50 pm, edited 1 time in total.
I have a tomato flowering already! All cherries/grapes, of course, but the only open one is not the 42 day, but the Kustengold, which is also the fastest growing, even with these cool nights. It had no blossoms started in the pots - only two of the 42 days had some of those, which I pulled from one, to see if it would make a difference. Now, both look about the same size, and about the same number of buds on the one I cleaned them from. The Kustengold started budding about 3 days ago, and one is open now! After seeing how fast it grew, I planted the other "extra" I had, instead of one of those slowpokes I have. Another that is growing well - very dark green, and a few flower buds, as well - is the Cherry Brownie I planted. I think I have 2 extras of those. Nothing visible on the Sunsugars (my usual first ripe ones), and they aren't growing as fast as those others. The tomatillos started out really fast, but these others have taken off! Kustengold Grape tomato, one of the largest in a week of cool weather, 5-7. by pepperhead212, on Flickr
I stuck a thermometer in one of those covered pepper SIPs, just to see how cold it's getting at nights, and during the day, as well. The low last night was 49º outside here, but the low on that thermometer was only 57º, so that was good! And right now it is 81º inside there, and only 66º outside. I see a lot of new growth on them, so they must be doing ok.
I planted 2 more tomatoes today - a Boxcar Willie (planted this years ago, and got it as a freebie this year), that has a very thick stalk, and dark leaves, and another Cherry Brownie, that I put in the spot next to the first one, that I originally had for a second Wow! Sungold, but that one just isn't growing nearly as well, either the one outside (the better of the two), or the second one, in the seed room. Plus, I have only one more chocolate variety, while I have 5 gold varieties of cherry/grape (and two of the rest planted), so I planted another cherry brownie, since it's one of the strongest looking varieties, inside and out.
I got a lot done today! I took all those extra tomatoes over to a friend's house, along with those peppers for their son. We planted 5 of the tomatoes on the side, and 8 in the front, and I set up a drip system for those on the side.
Later, I came home and planted a lot here, since the lows are only supposed to be down to 54°, from now on. So I planted 7 eggplants, 3 bottle gourds, 2 tetsukabuto squash, 3 polaris butternuts, and 3 butterbush butternuts. On the other side I put in 2 bitter melons, and 3 cucumbers - one county fair and two Wisconsin 58s. Then I planted my okra - 12 Little Lucy, and 6 Emerald green. The only pepper I planted today was one of the large ones - a Paper Lantern habanero, which was strange, as it was the slowest of the chinense varieties, to germinate, and to grow, but eventually it took off, and now it has two pepper buds started on it. Paper lantern habanero, on 5-14, started on 3-7, showing a pepper started already. by pepperhead212, on Flickr
Looking good. Once things get started growing it can be hard to keep up with it all and I don't grow hundreds of seedlings (most of the time. I may have that many now unintentionally).
I finished planting my peppers today, and from what I just saw, they are going to like it out there - the first day in the 90s is supposed to be Thursday! I don't like the heat, but my peppers love it - what I always remind myself when too hot out there!
I planted 3 Giuzeppi Numex, and one Ancho Ranchero, and two of each of the following: Hong Gochu, Thai Vesuvius, Superthai, Jyoti, Hanoi Market, Big Chili Numex, and Jalafuego. I had a number of extras leftover, after I had taken the ones out for my pepper friend, so I texted a guy I know from work that loved peppers (hoping he still had the same number!), and he was thrilled that I remembered him! I told him that I hate wasting pepper plants, or any, for that matter.
I also sprayed almost everything with some Messenger today - only because of the small size of the plants (I started with tomatoes, but had more than half left still), and I had a gallon of spray. This is Harpin Protein, which is a safe spray for us and beneficial insects (though not OMRI listed), that basically does to a plant what a vaccine does to us - triggers the plant to form its own antibodies against various things. I'll see how it works.
I also put another valve in my irrigation setup - one on the row of tomatoes and eggplants, where the asparagus/ginger are on the next row. I wanted to turn off the water to the tomato/eggplants, and water the ginger/asparagus section with a long soaker.
I buzzed the blossoms on the Kustengold and 42 day tomato - the only ones open so far.
I sprayed my plants with Surround for the first time today, only used a little over a half gallon of the mix, since the plants are small. I mainly wanted to get it on the eggplants, as those flea beetles are out early. Funny thing, showing how fast some of these tomatoes are growing - later in the day some had a generous amount of dark, new growth, without the Surround! After it dried, I went around and looked closely at all of the plants, and found another tomato that's popping flower buds, and it's the first larger one (the others are cherry/grape) - June Pink. No open flowers yet, but there are a good number of them. Still no flower buds on the Sunsugars (often my first ripe tomatoes), but the plants are starting to grow much faster now, after starting out slowly.
I thought that I was going to be able to cover my peppers today, but it got too windy, once I was out there. I sprayed some Surround, plus some potassium bicarbonate as a fungal preventative, on many of the plants, since some had washed off, with the 3" of rain, plus a lot more growth, especially on the tomatoes. With the spraying, I had to pause frequently, due to the gusty wind. When I got around to the front, I noticed that 2 of my Little Lucy okras were not looking good - sort of wanting to wilt over, while the other 16 look fine, and grew some, despite the cold. So I started a couple more, since I'll probably be pulling those two.
My basils are cloning now - a little late, but the plants don't have to be producing well, until tomatoes start up. I'm sort of glad I didn't have them out already - basil is the most sensitive to cold, like we just got. Thai Basil, cloned for 5 days. by pepperhead212, on Flickr
chinense peppers, started on 3-7 in petri dishes. by pepperhead212, on Flickr
Hari eggplants 4-5, started in petri dishes on 2-25 by pepperhead212, on Flickr
Eggplant seeds in petri dishes. by pepperhead212, on Flickr
Eggplant seeds, sprouting in a petri dish. by pepperhead212, on Flickr
Thunder mountain 4-5 First pepper sprouted from 4-1 by pepperhead212, on Flickr
