Sunday 13 March 2016

Seedlings Started - Day 8


I've started my tomatoes and peppers.  I will also buy some other tomatoes for more variety as I can't be bothered anymore to start so many from seed! 

These are peat pellets - 12 rows of 6 pellets.  They are soaked with water to expand and then I put 2-3 seeds into each pellet (3 for older seeds as I don't know they will all germinate). At night, they are on the heat mat.  And for about 16 hours, they are under fluorescent lights which are on a timer.


After only a week, some have already started to sprout, mostly the tomatoes.  I've generally tried to keep each group of 6 pellets to a single type.  From left to right:

1) Jalapenos ... there are 3 pellets each of "Raam" and "M"
2) Hungarian Hot Wax Peppers - this is the only pepper that has sprouted so far (typically, this variety is always faster than any other pepper I've grown)
3) San Marzano tomatoes
4) Ancho peppers
5) Super Red Pimiento peppers
6) Mixed variety - Heirloom tomatoes (first to sprout)
7) Chocolate Cherry tomatoes (second to sprout)
8) Cowhorn Hot peppers
9) Kindle Lettuce - why lettuce in peat pellets, I don't know.  Will see how it works to transplant
10) Feher Ozon pepper
11) King of North pepper
12) Gypsy pepper

Also under lights are those pricey Xanthi peppers. Instead of my usual peat pellet approach, they are being "babied" a bit in their own 4-cell pots.



I've also started parsley (nothing to see yet) and these shallots which are just showing now.


And some lettuce - a mixed blend.



And just a few days ago, I started radish, arugula and peas in the greenhouse.  This is the earliest I've ever planted anything "outside" so we'll see how it goes with the greenhouse plants this early.  Normally, I would wait until later in April to start flowers and such, but I am pretty sure these cold season plants will be okay.

And I'm sure these darn pests are happy for the warm weather ... where do they hide all winter?  I've killed three of these in the past few days.  Squash bugs somehow get inside the house and stay inside all winter but I never see them until the spring.  And then they go outside and ruin my crops.  Sigh.


4 comments:

  1. Ugh on the bugs! We're having an ant attack right now, but at least they don't do much harm to the garden. I hope those pricey pepper seeds come up nicely for you. I would likely be talking to them and giving them a little pep talk!

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    1. Hmm, I'm not sure "pep talk" would describe what I'm saying to those pepper seeds. You'd better $%!&*## germinate soon is more like it.

      Too bad on the ants - I had a terrible time a couple of years ago here but usually just a few.

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  2. Yup, the bugs are definitely out, but so far I have only seen the good ones - a few spiders and ladybugs.

    Looks like you have made some good progress on your seedlings! My seed sown shallots all came up and then promptly keeled over from damping off. Not a good start to the season, that's for sure!

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    1. Ooh, too bad about the shallots. Yes, I've been doing OK with the seedlings so far. Really just luck as I don't do too much other than the fluorescent lights and heat pad.

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