I never seem to have enough time to get fully grown pumpkins so I like to get seeds started indoors. I would have started them last week but I've been away from home and already had a lot for my housesitter to look after.
I generally direct sow seeds for summer or winter squash but based on last year's poor results, I've decided to start them indoors as well.
The following are now under the lights:
- Watermelon: 10 seeds of Moonbeam; 10 seeds of Sugar Baby
- Pumpkins: 10 seeds Sugar Baby; 10 seeds of a Rainbow Blend variety pack
- Winter Squash: 6 seeds each of Sweet Dumpling, Waltham Butternut, Table Queen Acorn
- Summer Squash: 10 seeds various; 6 seeds Zapolitto del Trunco
- Melons: 10 seeds Hales Best; 10 seeds Mouse Melon
- Cukes: 12 seeds Marketmore
I've done a really good job this year with tracking the dates when I have started seeds. As I was entering the dates for today's batch, I realized I had missed planting seeds for Red Kuri squash. I'll try to find that seed packet and get those in later today.
But I am still having a lot of problems labeling the seedlings - in fact, I'm already a bit mixed up with my peppers (not sure which is which for a few of them). I've tried plastic labels that you write on; unfortunately, the writing keeps fading, especially in the greenhouse.
I really need to keep track of these as I'm likely going to share some winter squash seedlings with friends. So I'm trying this new style where you just stick a piece of paper (or the seedling packet itself if empty) into a tube. They are much pricier but can obviously be reused. Once I've got the cucurbits in the ground (or given away to friends) I'll use these label markers for other crops like carrots.
I hope those labels work for you. When I switched to soil blocks I had the hardest time labeling my plants as you can't just stick in a label. Now I use tape on the sides of the flats. It works, but I have to be careful to not move the blocks without remembering to move the labels too. I did that with my celery and celeriac this year. So I'm not sure which is which.
ReplyDeleteGood to know I'm not the only one challenged by this. :)
DeleteI've had good luck using a black Sharpie to mark the labels. The colored ones fade in sunlight. Learned that the hard way with my garlic last year. The red Sharpie had completely disappeared over the winter. I had to use my planting chart to tell what was what.
ReplyDeleteYes, I think it's the sharpie colour. I have been using dark green or purple simply because that is what I had on hand. I hate to buy a new (black) sharpie when I have others already available, but that's probably the obvious fix. Thx David.
DeleteWhen potting-on my tomatoes I just did one label for each group of varieties together in a tray (with a couple of varieties in each tray) putting a label at the start of the relevant group of pots, but after turning a few around for watering they've got out of line with each other, oops! Hopefully should be able to work it out by looking closely at the leaves for differences!
ReplyDeleteOoh, same thing for me. I had put two trays beside each other both labelled. But I had some loose ones leftover that wouldn't fit in the trays - once I moved the trays, I couldn't remember which were the loose ones! Oh well, this year I'm keeping all of my tomato plants (vs. giving some to friends) so I guess it doesn't matter too much.
DeleteI think most of us have issues with labeling plants at one time or another. I usually mess up when I actually sow the seeds, especially when we are talking a lot of different varieties like peppers or tomatoes. I'll be sowing them, and usually about half way through I'll forget to put the label in some of the cells, then have to backtrack and guess which one is which. Already did that this year with the peppers - now we'll see if I can get through the tomato sowing this week without messing up.
ReplyDeleteIt seems like such a basic ability to label plants properly but wow, it's a struggle!
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