Branching Out's Seeds and Sprouts

[heirloomgal]

That is the question for spring isn't it @Branching Out, even more so as the plants grow in size! I'm always juggling! Right now because I have so many peppers, I've got them on rotation with the lights, like @digitS' suggested. Works well. I also try to keep several plants in a pot for as long as possible. This does elongate the stems to some degree, but peps and toms can be planted deeper in bumping up so I don't get too concerned with that.

I have a small greenhouse, but I don't really find it helpful when it comes to running out of lighting area for starts. Partly because the days are still rather short so they would only get about 5-6 hours a day of light, and also because I think the regular exposure to the very chilly air (walking them there) might cause some problems too. Plus, I'd have to be really paying attention because if the sun clouds over, the temps plummet like a stone.

 

[Branching Out]

Thank you both for your good suggestions. While it makes a ton of sense from a practical standpoint, the 12 hour rotation would require a huge amount of discipline and I am not sure I could do that consistently. And good to know that a greenhouse may not necessarily help much in our northern climate as well; I have been wondering whether I need a greenhouse-- but I do not really want one at this time. I haven't tried sowing several plants in one pot before, but I know that Craig LeHoullier the Tomato Guy does that, with up to 40 tomatoes in a 4" pot. That would be a huge space saver for peppers, that have to spend a lot of time indoors under light. I can definitely try starting half a dozen in a small pot and see how that goes. Easier to keep track of the different varieties that way too; I don't want to tax my mental rolodex too much.

Last year we could not put out peppers or tomatoes in the ground until very late June, and they all did okay anyway. I am thinking that this year I will try to stagger my tomato starts, and as plants go out to a cold frame I will get the next round going. If each strategy helps a little it may just make a big difference overall.

 

[Branching Out]

We have a few days of heavy rain in the forecast, so this afternoon I took advantage of a break in the clouds to appreciate the latest round of spring flowers. Purple-blue hyacinth, soft pink chionodoxa, and daffodils are all at their peak right now.

 

[Branching Out]

There is a beautiful plant growing in my garden that I could not identify, so I used a plant finder app to figure out what it is. It appears to be lemon balm, which is odd because I have never grown lemon balm before. I rubbed the deep green foliage between my fingers and it released a deep lemon scent, so I suspect that it is indeed lemon balm. How it ended up in my garden is a bit of a mystery.

 

[heirloomgal]

There is a beautiful plant growing in my garden that I could not identify, so I used a plant finder app to figure out what it is. It appears to be lemon balm, which is odd because I have never grown lemon balm before. I rubbed the deep green foliage between my fingers and it released a deep lemon scent, so I suspect that it is indeed lemon balm. How it ended up in my garden is a bit of a mystery.

People call it the 'lemon bomb' for a reason! It may have snuck it's way in, it's wily stuff!

 

[flowerbug]

People call it the 'lemon bomb' for a reason! It may have snuck it's way in, it's wily stuff!

is it in the mint family?

 

[heirloomgal]

is it in the mint family?

Bingo!

 

[Branching Out]

Bingo!

Thanks for the warning! I will approach it with caution. Lemon balm tea is sounding kind of nice....

 

[Branching Out]

Like AMKuska the area under my grow lights has turned into a jungle, seemingly overnight. I am moving things around to try and find room to accommodate my Silvery Fir Tree tomatoes, which have become lush willowy shrubs. Four of my Tezier French bean plants are still kicking despite being subjected to a fair amount of abuse, and I even have a few cute beans forming. These bean plants are magnets for fungus gnats. The under side of their leaves is just covered with them, so I had to take the beans outside and use a small paint brush to remove the bugs. And I was surprised to see two little fruits on my Doukhobor tomato plant too. They look huge in the photo, but the largest tomato is just 1" across.

Tomorrow we are going to clear off the top of the seedling rack so a couple of light bars can be positioned up there, to give the tomatoes a few more inches of clearance to grow. Hopefully warmer weather will arrive soon, so the plants can go on field trips outside for some natural light during the day. I am revving up my seed starting for tomatoes and peppers, and I am not quite sure where I am going to put them all.

 

[heirloomgal]

Wow! Your plants are HUGE!! It's been a few years since I've grown Silvery Fir and your photo brings back memories. I've never grown another that looks like that one, so unique, so carrot-ty. You will have tomatoes in no time with plants that size! I'll be curious to hear how you like the Doukhobor tomato; I've not tried that one but I am partial to Russian and Eastern European varieties and they seem to do well in Canada. It might be a new one to try.

The fungus gnats I see here sometimes are these tiny, tiny little black flies. They aren't especially fast, and they like to hide under the pots and in them too. When I shake stuff around they tend to fly out, I wonder if you have different gnats than we do? I've never seen them on leaves before?