Pics and Questions

Jay: Yep, and the fact that I'm now going to be getting my electric outlet working in the back yard is a plus, up with the greenhouse!!!! I'm also having a friend come stay with me, that will be great also, I will have lots of help now. I'm going to do the flowers, shrubs, trees in the front yard and the veggie garden out back. That greenhouse will help out tremendously.
joy

Two of my Tomato Bush and one of my Tomato Whopper out on a field trip under my table on the deck, they are in 3 of Bob's grow bags, half filled with coir, buried up to the stem with the other half of the bag rolled up. There is a bit of a wind today; but, these maters have had my hands brushed across them twice daily at least so hopefully can take it.

Another one:

The first pic is of the two super bushes, the second pic is of the Whopper. Here are some closer uppers:

Being it's their first field trip and they are under the table should they be left out all day?

Here is another one:

Ok guys, what now? Do I leave them out there all day or what? I'm putting up the greenhouse this weekend. (smiles). Any advice?
joy

Field trip in full swing almost, got more tomatoes to pot up first, for now some are still in solo cups.

On the left you have eggplants (lavender touch) and cukes, on the right you have tomatoes.


This message was edited Feb 26, 2009 11:48 AM

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These are flower seeds my daughter planted in peat pellets, thought they could use some sun now that they sprouted too.



This message was edited Feb 26, 2009 11:49 AM

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These are my cukes.


This message was edited Feb 26, 2009 11:51 AM

more grow bags under the table:

One more til tomorrow:

Looks like you should have little cuke's on them..better check.LOL
Looking good Joy

Yeah, now I gotta drag them all back into the house. LOL
joy

Have the temps bein dropping below forty at night? Ok for tomatos but not for cukes and eggplants. Just thought I'd save you some work. Meanwhile they are fine looking plants and all this while you pretending to need our help! Why you can instruct us for a change... LOL & Congratulations as we will soon be coming to you for advice? I have found the coir to hold temps higher than the mix so you should be OK out there? But, you know best about your temps. I'd keep a couple of tomatos out and see how they fair up as an experiment.

Joy, when I mentioned putting your plants under the shade of the table, I didnt fully explain myself. It is one of them judgement thangs. If you think the little plants are too tender for a heavy blast of direct sunshine.....poke them in a shade untill they get stronger. Once they are strong enough for the direct sunshine, put them there for a reasonable amount of time each day. Again, it is a judgement thang and your judgement is good........but if you screw things up, dont blame me.:-) Tplant brought up the fact that some plants are more frost tender than others which is a good thing to know. Tomato's and peppers are about the only vegetables I have tried to grow so I'm having to learn lots of this stuff along with you. You keep asking questions and I will lurk in the back ground and pick up on all this good stuff.

To show you how tough some plants are.......I sow direct in my grow poles and here is two little sweet peas that just germinated. They face mother nature in the raw and they will survive, full sun on sunny days and can withstand some frost on cold nights. Some plants can do that......some cant.

It's been nice during the day, at night it might drop down to about 40 degrees, not any lower than that so far. My eggplants' stems were so skinny though and thought they could use some sun, they are susceptible to cold from what I read also; so, they are the first to come in when it gets chilly. Gave the cukes a shot of chammoille tea tonight as they were planted in the Garden Supply germination mix and I think they were overwatered. They get transplanted into coconut coir here this weekend, that's it. The eggplants the same. Coconut coir is definately the way to go for seed starting. Some of my tomatoes are looking yellow and sickly though; so, I know that I will lose a few more before season gets here, I'm expecting that though. The peppers are sure taking a long time though.

This weekend the greenhouse goes up, and everything is back to the back yard again, that way, if a storm breaks out, I can run my plants right to the greenhouse. LOL
joy

This is my first time growing eggplant (Fairy Tale) from seed. Joy indicated her's were growing slowly. I started my seed 2 weeks ago (same time as some peppers--pobland and orange bell) in the APS systems under grow lights. No germination as of yet--anyone have any advice as to how long this would take? I appreciate any advice. I'm so envious of everyone growing in TX or FL. It was almost 60 here yesterday, but will be in the low 30's for the next week. I'm so anxious for spring.....

Mom2goldens: First off how cold is it in your house? My daughter has a habit of liking it about 20 degrees in here if I allow her access to the thermostat. I keep it between 70 and 80 all the time in here and eggplants are really fussy about temps, they like it warm. I planted my lavender eggplant seeds and cukes the same day, Jan 28th, my eggplants just started coming up enough for me to put them under the light about a week or 10 days ago. They take forever to come up and they will also fool you, when you have just about given up on them, they will pop up, trust that one. LOL

I wished now I had of used coconut coir and had them under a seed starting mat when I first planted the seeds. Secondly, what I did was not put them under the light, I just put the dome on them until they popped up, then I put them under the light, with the dome off of course. I think they need to germinate first before you put them under the lights?

TPlant could help on this one I'm sure.
joy

Yes do not use light until they sprout wih few exceptions being flowers. Best if you had them on a heat mat for peppers and eggplant as they like it warm but will sprout in time and when they do use the lights. I put the lights on when I see the first sprout. Keep them dome on until they sprout.

Well, those babies insisted on another field trip today and here are the pics, I need to repot those cukes this weekend:

some more:

and more:

more:

This is a close up, look at that pretty shade of green:

I am beginning to think that table was a great idea. I found it at a garage sale and asked the guy who was having the sale if the table with everything on it was for sale, talked him right into it and bought an old picnic bench also. Greenhouse goes up today as it looks like rain.
joy

Joy, your babies look so healthy. Aren't you glad you didn't give up on them?

Devota: Yes, and I'm glad you guys all kept encouraging me to get off my duff and get them out into the sunshine, they really needed it, it has really perked them up some.
joy

Joy and TPlant, thanks for the advice. I'm sure it's warm enough--our basement is probably 72 degrees or so, plus I have the heat mat under the seedlings. Sounds like they need the darknesss to germinate---I'll try moving them out from under the lights, but keeping them on a heat mat. Your baby plants all look great, Joy.

My pepper seedlings are coming along fine. I wait till the trunks turn to wood before I transplant them at six to eight inches high . No hurry as they are in BocaBobs planters. May not even bother to transplant them but put them directly in my EBs? I am surprised I had so many germinate as the seeds were old and I did not show them any special care in storage. I plant them at the same depth unlike tomatos which are planted the deeper the better.

Well here is how much I love my plants, I gave them their own house, see how sweet I am? LOL

Oops that was the plants in their new house here is the house:

Another angle of the house:

Took two construction workers and of course the foreman (me) to mak it happen.

Cool Joy! That is one neat greenhouse! Your plants look so happy, I see some of your tomato girls admiring each others red dresses, LOL! ***Karen is ducking and running for cover before Joy whomps me one**** hehe

Joy, nice house !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

bob: Thanks, I left all the windows unzipped so they could get a cool breeze tonight, it will get a little chillier; but not below 40 degrees so this ought to harden them off. It has two doors and two port holes; but, I won't be using the port holes I don't think, that thing is hot when it is closed off. It has 6 windows on each side to unzip where they can get fresh air and two doors that unzip too. There is also netting up over the windows, like a screen to keep those horned catepillar laying moths away. LOL They are a tad too young I think for treating with Dipel dust and sevin yet. My daughter gets on my nerves I'll move the plants back inside and let her have that house. LOL

Not too many wearing red dresses anymore, mostly wearing white, means they should be flowering soon right? LOLOLO
joy

You are spoiling those plants, Joy. Boy by the time you keep slowly filling those bags up with coir as the tomato's keep growing, they are going to really have a mass of roots.

So happy [and envious] Joy.

WOW! I'm with Devota-- I have a serious case of greenhouse envy. Joy, you are going to have an awesome harvest.