I removed the walls of water off the 4 tomatoes in the front raised beds, and planted 20 new seedlings in the back garden in native soil. The plants that were in the front bed sustained some freeze damage, but just on the top part of the plant that had grown taller than the walls of water plastic. This is my first year using weed barrier in the back yard. The weeds were so bad last year and I wasn’t able to keep on top of them, hoping this will give my plants a chance. The tomato seedlings were already too tall and had overgrown their tiny pots. I should wait another week or 2 to start tomato seeds.
I planted 4 tomato plants today. These are from the seeds I started 30 days ago. I get some criticism from folks online that tell me I’m planting too early. I know! But I like to plant some plants out early. Most years, I it works in my favor because by the time the “acceptable date to plant tomatoes” is here, I already have a nice big plant that has fruit on it. I use the “walls of water” towers to allow the plant to survive and thrive in colder weather.
I seeded 36 tomato plants. I made a shallow row in a 1020 tray of potting soil and placed 6 seeds in each row. I place the tray on a heat mat and plug the heat mat into a temperature controller. Varieties are:
I set up the seed-starting equipment today: a set of wire shelves, 2 100W LED grow lights, a heating pad, a temperature-controlled switch for the heat pad, and a timer switch for the grow lights. I filled one 1020 tray with potting mix (Pro-Mix BX) and planted 11 rows of seeds w/ about 6 seeds in each row.
The day after freezing weather I decided to rush it and go ahead and put a few plants in the ground. I used some walls of water — these covers create a microclimate that lets you plant outdoors earlier than normal. They are a thermal mass that heats during the day and then return that heat to the plant at night. They also protect from direct sun and wind. I didn’t harden these plants off at all, went directly from the warm cozy house and grow lights to directly outside. We’ll see how it works out!
It got down to 33° last night and the plants look happy this morning no problems detected.
I didn’t take a picture of the 4 additional tomatoes I planted in the raised bed in front of the house.
All my seedlings seem to be doing great. I have 2 grow lights and 2 shelves of plants.
The tomato plants I started 5 weeks ago are bigger than what I normally buy in a store. I seeded them too early. Now I have to deal with these plants that are too big and take up too much space.
I moved all the seedlings I planted 3 weeks ago to bigger pots. They should be about the right size when I’m ready to put them outside.
I planted carrots, radish, lettuce, and beets in the 2 new raised beds.
The tomatoes I planted from seed are taking off and growing quickly now. I planted these 1/7, which is probably too early. I transplanted the tiny seedlings before they grew their true leaves into larger cups with holes poked in the bottom. They are under led grow lights that stay on 16 hours per day. I water with a weak fertilizer solution from the bottom.
I planted 8 each of 4 varieties of peppers today. I’ll keep the potting soil moist and sitting on a heat pad.
The plants I seeded a few weeks ago are starting to grow– I transplanted the sprouts into individual pots and they’ve been living under some new LED grow lights. It was probably too early to start the tomato plants, but I did it anyway. I was told by several online that I shouldn’t try to transplant seedlings until the plants have 2 to 3 sets of real leaves. But I remember reading about someone who liked to plant them closely in a big container, then transplant them into pots as soon as they sprouted. I’m trying this out, because it is easier to sprout them in a big container and you can quickly see if they are going to grow or die.
Buying potting soil is such a pain! Seems like all the normal brands and what is available at the stores is complete garbage. I think it is worth it to buy ProMix BX. It is great, very consistent texture, no trash or sticks in it, and has worked great for me. Problem is the shipping. The big bags weigh 60lbs each. I feel like I lucked out and found that I can order it from my local Ace Hardware store for about half the price the big stores wanted for it, and they even delivered to my house for free.
planted a few tomato, pepper, and eggplant seeds today. They are on a heat mat to bring the soil temperature up to a temperature that will promote seed germination
