Amkuska's 2025 Garden

[Moon888]

Well AMKuska, like you and your husband I learned the hard way to label the container-- and not the lid!!

Here is my two cents. I use Craig LeHoullier's advice (he wrote the book Epic Tomatoes) for starting tomatoes, which is to get the seeds going two months prior to transplanting them outdoors. In our area that would be April (although I do start some earlier as part of experiments that I like to conduct, and also for early cold-tolerant varieties). Per Jamie at Quail Seeds, tomatoes are 'Movers' and they need to keep going once they hit their stride. https://www.quailseeds.com/blog/movers-divers-sprinters-and-sprawlers-a-guide-to-seedlingsI

And you have my sympathies. It was a difficult year for tomatoes here in the Pacific Northwest. Many of us are hoping for a better crop next year. Do you happen to know the name of the variety of tomato that caught your daughter's fancy?

That is good to know, thank you : )

 

[flowerbug]

You are very fortunate to have ladybugs; I get over excited to see one in a blue moon : )

with so many soybeans being grown in this region at some point the asian lady beetle was imported on purpose to help with aphid problems. the original lady bug species is also still around. until i got the house sealed up better they were a real problem as i could get hundreds of them off the windows inside each day for weeks at a time. now we have a few that still get in each year but i don't have to spend too much time removing them.

 

[AMKuska]

Hi @Moon888 ! Glad you're finding my little corner interesting. I see you're from Australia. What is gardening there like?


Woke up in a hurry this morning. A juvenile raccoon was trying to raid the chicken coop. I didn't realize it until my 3 chihuahuas, who are way too small to take on a raccoon, went pouring out to take on the raccoon.

The raccoon leapt over the fence to escape my dogs, and apparently had no idea there's a dutch shepherd in the yard next to mine. No more raccoon. Dutch shepherd is not hurt but for a tiny scratch on his paw he got running through the blackberries.

 

[AMKuska]

Growth on the seedlings not in the root riot cubes are positively dismal. They're 8 days old and haven't even put out true leaves yet.

The tomatoes that I started in the root riot cubes are huge and healthy. So much so, they're probably going to outgrow the tent before planting time. The peppers are growing more modestly, but are definitely developing at an appropriately fast rate.

Even though I may have to discard these tomatoes, I'm really happy with the outcome. I think this likely narrows down my slow growth problems to the seedling starter/potting soil I'm using.

What does everyone use for good growth and healthy starts?

 

[ducks4you]

I had a total epic fail on ALL seeds that I started for 2024--health and pain related--BUT, I have invested in a total of 5 heat mats, which I have purchased over several years. I have been successful using them for starting tomatoes and peppers.
IF you are growing anything tropical, and tomatoes Are tropical, they want heat. IF they are healthy they will put forth voluminous roots, so up potting is essential until they can go out into their final bed, or pot, if that is your preference.
Keep them watered, warm, and a heat mat will dry them out an prevent mold, but you cannot forget about them.
Lots of plant babysitting!
Also, they get tall. Fast. Invest in this, if you can:
I hate, hate, hate to suggest spending a lot of money of ANYTHING, but, if you really want to grow your tomatoes, you might want to buy this, available at WalMart, probably in January:

iPower Growlight Plant Germination Kit - Walmart.com

Buy iPower Growlight Plant Germination Kit at Walmart.com

www.walmart.com

I also have bought just the dome before at Farm and Fleet, last time it was $6, probably $8-$10 now, wish I had bought 3 of them.

 

[AMKuska]

I had a total epic fail on ALL seeds that I started for 2024--health and pain related--BUT, I have invested in a total of 5 heat mats, which I have purchased over several years. I have been successful using them for starting tomatoes and peppers.
IF you are growing anything tropical, and tomatoes Are tropical, they want heat. IF they are healthy they will put forth voluminous roots, so up potting is essential until they can go out into their final bed, or pot, if that is your preference.
Keep them watered, warm, and a heat mat will dry them out an prevent mold, but you cannot forget about them.
Lots of plant babysitting!
Also, they get tall. Fast. Invest in this, if you can:
I hate, hate, hate to suggest spending a lot of money of ANYTHING, but, if you really want to grow your tomatoes, you might want to buy this, available at WalMart, probably in January:

iPower Growlight Plant Germination Kit - Walmart.com

Buy iPower Growlight Plant Germination Kit at Walmart.com

www.walmart.com

I also have bought just the dome before at Farm and Fleet, last time it was $6, probably $8-$10 now, wish I had bought 3 of them.

This is the coolest thing! As it happens people have been bugging me to put stuff on my Christmas list and I have everything I want, so the list has been empty. I'll add this.

Come to think of it, my big happy tomatoes are on a heat mat but I don't even know if it is plugged in. If it is, I'll remake this experiment with them both on the heat mat, though I've used them for the last 3 years and it doesn't seem to make a change.

 

[Shades-of-Oregon]

It’s a clever idea small light built in domes, depending on how many seed kits needed. Maybe too many Ipower plugs to plug in if more than a couple of different types of seeds are needed . There are triple armed Ipower lights with several arms to spread across many grow flats with one connection .

I really don’t need the light built in the dome. I use domes , works just fine with a good separate grow light over the tops of many seed flats. Many times the domes top need removing for air circulation keeping the light at a consistent length from the seedlings is key .
Once the plants first set of real leaves have formed then usually 3 sets of leaves is the time to remove the dome permanently and seedlings needs higher brighter light for green plants to grow efficiently without becoming spindly.

The Ipower domes are useful for small individual seed start flats. In my experience for larger grow flats Sansi
LED grow light over many seed flats works well. Have had 2 of these lights for many years and they are another system for LED lights saving electrical energy.

 

[AMKuska]

It has been two weeks since I started seeds in ordinary potting soil. Germination rate was a lot poorer, with 25% not sprouting. Only 3 were close to the same size at 2 weeks, and none of them had a comparable root system.

Barely any root system at 2 weeks. Roots that are there are thinner

Overall plant size

Progress on my hydroponics

 

[Shades-of-Oregon]

Have you tried growing on a heat pad ? Not sure how warm the water is especially this time of year around here we need heat pads to grow strong roots. Some hydroponics us clay pebbles that is used on heat mats just a thought. Or… I always use sterile soilless medium when starting seeds. It’s a tough go and a lot of work and hopes dashed with a frustrating outcome. It also looks like the leaves need brighter lighting and or the seedlings are victims of a bit of damping off, a disease caused by various fungi and fungus-like organisms could be in soil or from constant overly damp conditions. Damping off can cause seedlings to collapse, and is especially common when sowing seeds indoors or under glass without opening the top closure for air circulation allowing the soil to slightly dry out before the next watering.

It’s always something. Well tomorrow’s another day, Good Luck.

The bottom picture looks like healthy plants.

 

[AMKuska]

Have you tried growing on a heat pad ? Not sure how warm the water is especially this time of year around here we need heat pads to grow strong roots. Some hydroponics us clay pebbles that is used on heat mats just a thought. Or… I always use sterile medium when starting seeds. It’s a tough go and a lot of work and hopes dashed with a frustrating outcome. It also looks like the leaves need brighter lighting and or the seedlings are victims of a bit of damping off, a disease caused by various fungi and fungus-like organisms could be in soil or from constant overly damp conditions. Damping off can cause seedlings to collapse, and is especially common when sowing seeds indoors or under glass without opening the top closure for air circulation allowing the soil to slightly dry out before the next watering.

It’s always something. Well tomorrow’s another day, Good Luck.

The bottom picture looks like healthy plants.


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These tomato plants aren't for keeps. I was comparing one type of soil medium to another to see which had better results. Indoor conditions are quite pampered. My husband and extended family all know I like gardening, and have lavished some pretty sweet gardening gifts over the years.

I have two vertical racks. On one side for starts all has heating pads underneath. On the other side is for bigger plants and no heating pads. They're in their own grow tent with a heat lamp for the colder months, but also ventilated for fresh air. I like to go in there in winter because it's warm and cozy.

The hydroponics thing with the lettuce is a gift from my mother in law, it circulates water. Not sure how to add things to it or what all is needed for it but the plant food you drop in when it flashes a light at you. Would you put those rocks in the base?

As for lighting--the tomatoes I started in root riot cubes are huge and definitely could have shaded them out. I'll let these guys keep on keeping on and see if their own light source helps, but I suspect the soil I tried just isn't a great medium. What specific brand of sterile starting soil do you use? I've been very disappointed in pretty much everything I've tried but the cubes.