i put tomato seeds in incubator once on setting for hatching eggs and they sprouted in 24 hours.
Garden 2022
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i put tomato seeds in incubator once on setting for hatching eggs and they sprouted in 24 hours.
You might be on to something.
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We got less than half an inch of rain this week and I collected just over 300 gallons for my irrigation system. Looked at the 10 day weather forecast and Sunday and Monday are expecting lows around 20F, so I have 2 days to figure out how to protect and re-winterize things before it gets the better of me. My PVC water pipes are my biggest concern right now. Trying to get a jump on Mother Nature and be risky....
Won't help for this go round, but did you watch the Victorian Garden, I think @Tommyice posted a page or so back? In March (I think) episode, they make some grass/straw mats that look pretty interesting to me. Easy to use once made.
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@Tommyice suggested another series the "Victorian kitchen garden videos - Dailymotion "that he included a link for, I watched the April episode of it and found it very interesting. I end up watching the Tudor Monastery Farm series on Prime. I liked the fact that they were pre-industrial age and relied on different crops and explained why things were done. I have watched part of the Victorian Garden but wanted to watch it with the wife and she has not been feeling up to much in the evenings lately.
I am planning to go to HD tonight and get some black plastic to cover all my water barrels to keep them from freezing and I plan to disconnect the line and valve I just repaired. I knew I added that union for a reason.
Today, during lunch I harvested carrots from my first go at bucket carrots, they were so cute. The second planting did not come up as well (same seeds), but the third planting that I applied cling wrap over the tops after I watered them the first time look like they are coming up better, I peaked inside (still same seeds). I will wait until Sunday and post comparison photos. I think it is a good to know and I gotta remember type of thing.
This was the series I was referring to. I didn't remember the whole title.
The also did a Victorian Flower Garden series. I enjoyed the April episode but really loved them all and learned something in each one.
@UrbanHunter i can empathize with you about the freezing temperatures and your water collection. I just set up my rain barrels this past weekend, all three of them, and this coming weekend we’re expecting 28° overnight. Not sure how I’m gonna handle that either I think I’m just gonna wind up opening the valves and letting it all drain.
Little fyi—Tommy was my gelding, I’m a mare. LOL
@UrbanHunter i can empathize with you about the freezing temperatures and your water collection. I just set up my rain barrels this past weekend, all three of them, and this coming weekend we’re expecting 28° overnight. Not sure how I’m gonna handle that either I think I’m just gonna wind up opening the valves and letting it all drain.
Little fyi—Tommy was my gelding, I’m a mare. LOL
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Sorry, no offense intended....
I am looking at 2 nights of 23-26F but I am just going to put black plastic over the barrels for 2 days before the temps drop, the black will heat up the barrels and provide a little insulation, I plan to just leave it because it will stop the alge growth in the white barrels...
No offense taken--it takes an awful lot to offend me and that is not even in the ballpark.
I'm mostly worried about the spigots on my barrels. I really don't feel like emptying the water out, climbing inside and replacing them after they freeze and crack. It's raining right now here and my barrels are better than 2/3 full. This has been the most frustrating weather so far. Teasing us with beautiful, warm days and cajoling us into thinking it's time. Then pulling the rug out from under us.
I'm mostly worried about the spigots on my barrels. I really don't feel like emptying the water out, climbing inside and replacing them after they freeze and crack. It's raining right now here and my barrels are better than 2/3 full. This has been the most frustrating weather so far. Teasing us with beautiful, warm days and cajoling us into thinking it's time. Then pulling the rug out from under us.
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Tonight at dinner the wife told me that a friend of hers who got plants from us last year (cause I started too many) wanted to know when I will be giving away my extras this year... I told her that I am only planting a pinch of seeds at a time and will not be having extra's to give away. She seemed to be very confused that I am not growing as much as last year. She asked me about the San Marzino Tomatoes, I told her I only started 1 seed cup with 15 seeds and I am only going to plant the 10 best of those... She then asked what she is supposed to tell her friend? I guess tell her to go to Walmart, HD, or Lows and buy what she needs before they run out....
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No offense taken--it takes an awful lot to offend me and that is not even in the ballpark.
I'm mostly worried about the spigots on my barrels. I really don't feel like emptying the water out, climbing inside and replacing them after they freeze and crack. It's raining right now here and my barrels are better than 2/3 full. This has been the most frustrating weather so far. Teasing us with beautiful, warm days and cajoling us into thinking it's time. Then pulling the rug out from under us.
I was thinking a packing blanket over the barrels would hold in the warmth some, I installed bungs in the bottom of my barrels last year and I can drain them with a single valve, but this afternoon the sight glass said they are about 6 inches from full and I hate to lose all that water. I just know come May/June we will be in a high heat drought condition. Then again you may have the better plan...
Came home tonight and my asparagus bed has went nuts. Had 2 stalks up last night, today I bet nearly half of it is up.
The onions, cabbage, spinach, and lettuce I planted Tuesday got 3/4" of rain yesterday. They looked really good today. I'm gonna start laying out my drip irrigation Saturday.
The onions, cabbage, spinach, and lettuce I planted Tuesday got 3/4" of rain yesterday. They looked really good today. I'm gonna start laying out my drip irrigation Saturday.
Hey BP, when you fill your raised beds, you put branches/sm. logs etc. then do you add any sand or mulch before compost. I guess the real question - in what order do you fill your beds.
I'm probably not following proper technique, but it seems to be working so far.
I pur down either cardboard or chicken wire (or hardware cloth whatever is on hand), then wood up to about 1/2 the depth of the bed (more or less). Then fill up with straight mushrooms compost.
On the bed I'm filling now, I did put some compost in after first layer of wood. I'm thinking that will help slow down the settling some.
Some people do dirt, sand, and just top with compost. The stuff I'm buying comes straight from the mushroom farm and so far has proven to be weed free.
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Got the giant kale seeded in the ground. Was starting on the area for the giant beets, but a neighbor came by with a big tub of rainbow sherbet. Oh well. Tomorrow. Traded for eggs.
Thank you! Hubby is building a couple for me - should be pretty, but want them functional also
Thank you! Hubby is building a couple for me - should be pretty, but want them functional also
This guy is where I got the idea of the beds I'm making now.
Ours will be metal and stone. He has made some for a client - pretty sharp looking. I'll post a pix whenever we get them finished.
Sewed beans in pots today - have to start them inside so birds don't eat them. Also got the fig tree planted. Hubby got a new rototiller so is happy. We couldn't get the old one going. It's about 20 years old and we put $125 into it last year to get it going. It's just time. Also got spuds in one of the old small raised beds until Hubby makes the new ones. I'm so happy to be outside, hope it doesn't bite me being so early.
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I'm paying the price for being early this year... Thankfully not much has made it outside yet.
Today, we had venison stew for dinner and a lot of it came out of the garden/growing station. We were able to supply turnips, carrots, onions, and part of the potatoes.
I have some direct sow beets that are exposed now, so I may put plastic sheet over them for the next few days to protect them from the freezing weather.
I totally drained the water barrels today, it was a good wet run (I was able to fill them up and flush them out) for the system.
The new frame for the solar panels powering the growing station has been assembled, I made up some L brackets for holding down the outer panels using thin 8"X3" sheet metal with holes in that I found at home depot, the holes made it easy to bend 1" over so the L is 1"X7" 3"s wide. The winds today were over 30mph and I just didn't feel good about trying to mount 2 rows of solar panels, so I'll wait.
Today, we had venison stew for dinner and a lot of it came out of the garden/growing station. We were able to supply turnips, carrots, onions, and part of the potatoes.
I have some direct sow beets that are exposed now, so I may put plastic sheet over them for the next few days to protect them from the freezing weather.
I totally drained the water barrels today, it was a good wet run (I was able to fill them up and flush them out) for the system.
The new frame for the solar panels powering the growing station has been assembled, I made up some L brackets for holding down the outer panels using thin 8"X3" sheet metal with holes in that I found at home depot, the holes made it easy to bend 1" over so the L is 1"X7" 3"s wide. The winds today were over 30mph and I just didn't feel good about trying to mount 2 rows of solar panels, so I'll wait.
You all are going like gang busters in the gardening dept.
Here I was feeling smug just having one flower pot of peas started and trellised for replanting later.
Keep up the good work.
Will be starting be starting tomatoes, garlic, onions, shallots, green beans tomorrow.
Also will be planting a small raised bed of various kinds of carrots in Estelle's garden bed.
Everything I plant this year will have to care for itself for a bit longer.
Because of my Dad.
That's just life right now.
Here I was feeling smug just having one flower pot of peas started and trellised for replanting later.
Keep up the good work.
Will be starting be starting tomatoes, garlic, onions, shallots, green beans tomorrow.
Also will be planting a small raised bed of various kinds of carrots in Estelle's garden bed.
Everything I plant this year will have to care for itself for a bit longer.
Because of my Dad.
That's just life right now.
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It's good to see you back @MoBookworm1957, some years the demands of work or family trump the garden. I have had years where I got to July and ended up traveling for 5 solid weeks, my poor garden was beyond repair.
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Thank you UrbanHunter for the kind words of encourgement.
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Okay, I owe everyone an update on the bucket carrots and I slept in and started the morning by setting up my potting station.
Here are the carrots started without a cling wrap top (white bucket) and ones (black buckets) started a month later using cling wrap, same seeds same packet, same light and heat.
I have talked about using 1 starter tray and 1 heating pad. So today I am repotting my 1 starter cup of San Marzano tomatoes. I set up a transfer tray with the target starter cups filled with soil and a hole in the middle of each made by a fat sharpie, the supply starter cup is shown, I dump out the supply cup on it's side, I put 1 tomato plant into each target cup with the aid of a small sharpie, I back-fill around around the new plant with the wet leftover soil.
Today I wanted to get 15 plants because I have space identified for 10, I got 25 plants out of my 1 starter cup....
I wanted to share something cute, last year I saved seeds off a store bought red bell pepper plant. The seeds sprouted and look, I think I see baby bell peppers!
I have 4 more starter cups ready to re-pot, so I'm going to drop off. But I kept my word, I gave the report on the carrots (take away, cover the top with cling wrap till the seeds sprout)...
Urban
Here are the carrots started without a cling wrap top (white bucket) and ones (black buckets) started a month later using cling wrap, same seeds same packet, same light and heat.
I have talked about using 1 starter tray and 1 heating pad. So today I am repotting my 1 starter cup of San Marzano tomatoes. I set up a transfer tray with the target starter cups filled with soil and a hole in the middle of each made by a fat sharpie, the supply starter cup is shown, I dump out the supply cup on it's side, I put 1 tomato plant into each target cup with the aid of a small sharpie, I back-fill around around the new plant with the wet leftover soil.
Today I wanted to get 15 plants because I have space identified for 10, I got 25 plants out of my 1 starter cup....
I wanted to share something cute, last year I saved seeds off a store bought red bell pepper plant. The seeds sprouted and look, I think I see baby bell peppers!
I have 4 more starter cups ready to re-pot, so I'm going to drop off. But I kept my word, I gave the report on the carrots (take away, cover the top with cling wrap till the seeds sprout)...
Urban
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What a difference the cling wrap made! I've grown peppers from seeds of store bought peppers. They are never big and there is not much meat to them. Thanks for sharing, you have a great set up!!
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I was just happy the peppers sprouted (80%), I don't mind small peppers if they are meaty. The peppers we got off the original plant were small, but they had very few seeds and they turned red without going bad. So I figured what the heck, I saved some seeds and am growing some plants. Two of the plants will stay indoors (I've read that they can last up to 5 years) and 2 will go outside on the deck.
Yep, I've got an interesting setup, my potting table is also a freezer, I don't have enough room to turn around and heaven forbid if I don't get advanced notice if I need to get something out of the freezer. I am very blessed but the wife has a hard time visualizing what I am doing. Today at breakfast she said that we are a little intense, I don't know if that a criticism or a compliment, but I think it fits...
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I harvested the big spinach for freezing (there is lots of baby spinach that will be ready soon), I got the raised bed with baby beets covered, I covered the outdoor broccoli, carrots, cabbage, and celery, then I came in to wash the spinach I harvested.
As I finished washing it all I looked up and it's snowing...
My back hurts, we don't have enough ice to do the blanching and shocking, I think I'll take a rest.
Urban
As I finished washing it all I looked up and it's snowing...
My back hurts, we don't have enough ice to do the blanching and shocking, I think I'll take a rest.
Urban
I won't quote both posts, but it all looks good UH. I just put some spinach starts in a raised bed outside today. My greenhouse is outside and doing well. I potted some beans yesterday to get them going inside so the birds don't eat them. Hubby rototilled everything today so that's ready when plants and weather are. It's early yet but we don't have snow. We sure could use some rain though.
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This morning I stopped and looked over the re-potting that was done yesterday, I was happy to see all the little plants seem happy. Out of the 4 starter cups I had on the hot pad I ended up with about 200 plants, I had so many celery come up I had to put them 2 to a cup, but I eventually ran out of the starter cups and space for the trays.
Right now it is 25F outside and more snow is forecast for today. The outdoor spinach in the covered raised bed will be fine, not so sure about the lettuce, I have been amazed at how much the tops on the raised beds help, then again all I really need is about 10F. 3 more days of chill are forecast and then it's back to spring.
Right now it is 25F outside and more snow is forecast for today. The outdoor spinach in the covered raised bed will be fine, not so sure about the lettuce, I have been amazed at how much the tops on the raised beds help, then again all I really need is about 10F. 3 more days of chill are forecast and then it's back to spring.
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Update: the ginger has shoots 6" tall. Turmeric is always slower to sprout. Good purchase for the price. The seed catalog prices were way too expensive.
