BROCCOLI & CABBAGE

This is a blog about starting seeds (not proofing them).  I begin with a ditty that isn't very witty.

Gardening, in retrospect,

Scary thoughts, oh heck,

Nothing planted since last year,
This is a disaster, I fear.

No planting green veggie plants,
Because of ground hogs, we can't,
They hide and patiently in wait,
For the delicacy, better than cake.

The Broccoli,  almost ready for harvest,
They think we've made a personal request,
During the early morning hours,
They've scheduled their time to devour,

The Vegetable we love best.

We are getting ready finally to garden, or try.  We are very late so we will not be proofing the brassicas seeds.  We are going to take pot luck and place several seeds in each container.  If they grow they grow.  We start our seeds in an "incubator".  Then we trans plant them into small pots.

The following blogs are what we do every year to get our plants growing and ready for the garden.

http://organicinstlouis.blogspot.com/2013/02/broccoli.html

http://organicinstlouis.blogspot.com/2012/02/cabbage-and-broccoli-on-move.html

http://organicinstlouis.blogspot.com/2012/02/seeds-sprouted.html

Now for the incubator.  It is a simple affair using a Styrofoam box, a yogurt maker, piece of cardboard, a thermometer of some kind (I use an old outdoor one.)  I find the yogurt makers at the resale shops.  They have become scarce the last couple of year.  I guess, the  making yogurt has gone out of fashion.

Cut a hole in the side of the box at the base.  This is for the plug from the yogurt making to go through.  Put the yogurt maker inside (without its lid) you only need the bottom part of the maker with the heating element in it.

Now cut your cardboard the size you need to lay on top of the yogurt maker (fit it side to side and end to end in the Styrofoam box, on top the yogurt maker. The cardboard is cut the size of the interior and then you cut slots about 1/2 inch wide cut in it (this is to let the warmth rise into the chamber).  It is the shelf to place your plant containers on.

Place a thermometer in it (not over a vent hole) and turn it on.  Put the lid on tight, give it a couple of hours to warm up and then check the temperature.  You want it to hover around 80 degrees.  If it is higher open the lid a half inch and check it in two hours.  fiddle with the lid until you know how your incubator holds the heat.  You might want to open the lid even wider if it stays too warm.

Hopefully this will be a year we put supper on the table.
I love cooking from the cabinet loaded with items we have grown.

Other blogs by me:

http://glosgarden.blogspot.com/

Where I have stories of my cats and other pets

a blog about my courtship with my husband,

and a blog about my most embarrassing moment.

A "Soap box" blog where I do air my opinions.

http://pitbulladog.blogspot.com/

Blogs about our pair of pitbulls.

http://gloriouscreations.blogspot.com/

A Blog mostly about quilting and sewing, but you'll find recipes and gardening too.

All recipes, pictures, and writings are my own.

I give credit for items which belong to other people in my blogs .

Please do not copy without permission 

PROOFING BEAN SEED 2016

It has been since May 21, 2015 that I last posted.  We didn't have a garden the last two years.  There were several reasons.  The main one was we had a "hoard" of ground hogs move in.  They were extremely smart and thwarted all our methods to capture them.  We have a dog which has helped dispatch a couple of them and are hoping this will give us a window in time to garden.

First up for gardening is proofing all the old seeds.  We want to see if we need to order new replacements or if we will be able to use what we have.  Here are two blogs on the subject:

Proofing from another year
http://organicinstlouis.blogspot.com/2013/02/proofing-seeds.html

Blog about our favorite bean.  We are worried this year we won't have viable seed.
http://organicinstlouis.blogspot.com/2011/09/searching-for-spartan-arrow-green-beans.html

My excitement for gardening was rewarded when I checked the incubator on the 27th to see if the beans were showing any sign of germination.  WOW....not only were the seeds germinating, but they were all ready at 60 -80 percent germination.  Yesterday this was the results.  I am so pleased.

BEANS AND PEAS  FEBRUARY 24, 2016 PROOFED

“R”   SPARTAN ARROW BUSH BEAN 2010  RISPENS SEEDS (PR 10) 2/28 (10)

“RA” 2012 ORGANIC FROM US, OP 2012 (PR 10) 2/28 (10)

“RB”   “         “                        “                “      (PR 10) 2/28(10)

“RC” 2010 OUT OF 3 LB BAG  (PR 10) 2/28(10)

“Z” JADE GREEN BUSH BEAN PINETREE 2010 
        (PR 10) 2/28 (1) (ROTTED) TRASHED

“E” PEAS DWARF GRAY SUGAR 2008 100%, 2010 100%, (PR 10) 2/28/16 (8)

“A” SUGAR SNAP PEA 2013 GURNEYS (PR 10) 2/28 (9)

“J” GARDEN PEA 2010 SHUMWAY (PR 10) 2/28 (8)

“D” SUPER SUGAR SNAP PINETREE 2010 (PR 10) 2/28 (8)

The proofing of seeds tells me a couple of things:  

One my storage of them must have been optimum (the seed is very old for bean seed)

Some sources say 3 years and some say 5 years).

The seed quality from the producers are very good.

The proofing of seeds also tells you how long each variety will take to sprout in the
garden.  Remember you have to take in to account the temperatures and the weather.  

When proofing you may get 100% germination but the outside planting conditions 
may inhibit the germination of the seed.  

Googled and found the following info on germination times:

Propagate by seed - Do not start seeds inside. Beans do not like to be transplanted. Germination temperature: 70 F to 80 F - Germination is slow 

and poor when soil temperatures are below 60 F. 

Days to emergence: 8 to 10 -

Germination may take two weeks or more if soil temperatures are below 60 F.

From Cornell edu 

Take time to test your seeds and possibly save some money because you won't have to buy new.  

Off to proof some tomato and pepper seeds.

Other blogs by me:

http://glosgarden.blogspot.com/

Where I have stories of my cats and other pets

a blog about my courtship with my husband,

and a blog about my most embarrassing moment.

A "Soap box" blog where I do air my opinions.

http://pitbulladog.blogspot.com/

Blogs about our pair of pitbulls.

http://gloriouscreations.blogspot.com/

A Blog mostly about quilting and sewing, but you'll find recipes and gardening too.

All recipes, pictures, and writings are my own.

I give credit for items which belong to other people in my blogs .

Please do not copy without permission 

EGGPLANTS RE POTTED

THIS BLOG WILL BE EDITED AND UPDATED ON THE PROGRESS THE PLANTS ARE MAKING. THE DATES WILL BE COLOR CODED.  NEW COLOR CODED INFORMATION ADDED AT THE END OF THE BLOG.

MARCH 22, MARCH 31

2013 EGGPLANT SAGA continues.
My Eggplants have out grown these homes.  Today I am moving them to larger quarters.

I don't know if you recognize the plants, they're the seedlings I potted on March 2nd.

This is 19 days growth.

The picture on the left is the March 2nd potting.  I was very pleased with the results using the Activia containers.  The roots did not get root bound.  The soil did not dry out quickly like it does in peat pots. The above picture is tattling on me.  It is telling  you I don't use sterile potting soil for my plants.  Some people would condemn me for it.  In fact when  we first started gardening we religiously used sterile potting soil.  We had the fear of God put into us that every plant would die of damp off.  The only thing I like to use sterile mixture for is when I am seeding.  I also am very particular to use a soil less mix.   The soil I used was from our compost pile which was left over from the year before.  It was laden with weed seeds.  Needless to say we have to weed our potted plants.

This is the root system which has developed.  They should not suffer much transplant shock.  (Eggplants are supposed to hate being moved from pot to pot).  When I put it into the new pot, I put it just a little deeper than it was originally.  It is not like tomatoes.  It will not grow roots on its main stem.  I put it a little deeper so that it will be able to support the growth of leaves which will be happening.  

The following picture shows the depth I put the plant at.   I bury it up to where the cotyledons are.

  You will notice I am reusing a pot that has not been scrubbed out.  This is another NO-NO. (It was rinsed out before it was stacked and put away for the winter, just not scrubbed).  As you can see the soil looks wet.  I water all plants well, the night before I plan to re-pot them.  It helps them to plump up in case they have trouble taking up water after they are transplanted.  Something to "tide" them over.

After the plants are settled in, they get a huge dose of Fish emulsion water.  Not only does it give them a nutritional boost it settles the dirt around the roots. 

I didn't mention it before, to my dirt mix which is the same as the first potting, I add ground  up eggshells.  Calcium helps with the growth of the plants.

Today all our egg plants went to their new quarters.  I did lose one.  Its stem had a weak place and when I picked up the plant it snapped at the weak section.  Of the above Melanza plants we ended up with 17 plants. 

We also have 9 Aswad plants, and 10 Diamond plants.  I am hoping for only one more move but think because the cold is hanging on here, I will be doing this job at least 2 more times before they finally get to the garden.  

These are our eggplants in their new homes.

Look closely at the base of the eggplants, the dirt is covered to the cotyledons.

 

MARCH 22:  It is very important to make sure your eggplants are in a consistently warm environment.  Chilling, stresses them and sets back their development.  Our eggplants are still on their shelf where they are closed in at night to keep the heat in through the night when the lights go out. We are prepared with a heating pad if needed (a person's heating pad, not a special mat for plants).  This is set on low and the plants are set on racks about 1 inch above it.  The temps stay at or around 75 degrees

They receive 16 hours of light.  (We have a timer).  The plants are 2 inches or less from the light source.  The picture on the left, is the day before the eggplants were re-potted.  you can see how close the plants are to the light source.  Our light source is an inexpensive "shop light" set up with two fluorescent bulbs. (We have a bank of 3 units for each shelf).  We try to keep one grow light and one regular bulb in each fixture.  But grow lights are expensive so if they burn out sometimes they are not replaced immediately.  We have seen no detriments to their growth.

 

Water or the lack there of, is extremely stressful to the plants.  They need to be consistently damp.  This needs to be checked twice a day, especially when the plants are nearing filling their pots with roots.  They consume lots of water and dry out quickly. 

 



 MARCH 31,
The above tray is the same tray as in the picture above.  It is just turned around to the other side.  The Dannon container is the only thing handy that I had for size comparison.  They have really grown the last 8 days.  They are still under the lights in the nice warm furnace room.  They are given a feeding of fish emulsion once a week.  Their roots are rapidly filling the pots.  I was hoping to have some reprieve before I had to repot them again.

Tomorrow I will pull one out of the pot and take a picture of the root systems.
 



Previous blog on the beginning of these plants: 

http://organicinstlouis.blogspot.com/2013/03/eggplant-transplanting.html

For more blogs by me, visit at:

http://gloriouscreations.blogspot.com

A blog mostly about quilting,
cooking, poetry, prose and a little gardening,
New blog, tutorial on how to make 5 panel Boxer Shorts.

 

New Blog about dolls.

http://glosgarden.blogspot.com/
Not a garden blog.
There are articles which have nothing to do
with creating or gardening.
There are blogs on the new born baby kittens
we found and mothered.
It is a blog where I voice my opinions which will always be environmentally friendly.

As always, any pictures or writings are my own.

Credit has been given to contributions not my own.
Please do not use without permission.

TOMATOES

This is a blog which will be updated with each of the changes in the lives of the tomatoes.
BLOG EDITS:
March 24, March 25, March 26, March 28, March 31,  April 1

The color of the date of the edits will be changed.

 Information added on that date will be typed in that color. Scroll down for updates.
 

Finally it is the day to start my tomatoes.  I have been nervous that maybe I shouldn't have waited till now to start them.  I started the eggplants and peppers over a month ago.  The eggplants are ready to go into their second potting and the peppers are poking along. The following links are their blogs:

http://organicinstlouis.blogspot.com/2013/03/eggplant-transplanting.html

http://organicinstlouis.blogspot.com/2013/02/sweet-peppers.html
 

I have put the seeds in the dirt and they are ready to go into the propagation chamber.  The moon is coming up to the full phase I hope it pulls these seeds right out of their "shells".  I use exactly the same dirt and methods I use for the peppers and Eggplants.  (refer to either blog)

 

This is the 16 varieties ready to go into the chamber.

I normally use the  Activia containers  cut in half to start a few seeds (they are slipped in a plastic zipper bag), but I was rummaging in a drawer today and found these larger size sauce containers (used for take out).  They have plastic lids which will keep in the moisture.  They are large enough, when half filled, there is room when the seeds sprout to grow for 24 hours. (There are holes poked in the bottom for drainage.  We keep the chamber about 72-76 degrees for sprouting the tomatoes.

 

THE VARIETIES WE PLANTED

 

DATE

MARCH 20                MAR 24     MAR 25     MAR 26     MAR 28      MAR 31

 

AUNT RUBY'S                                 2/6             3/6              4/6                5/6

GERMAN GREEN

Pinetree 2010  6 sds

 

BIG MAMA  HYB                                               4/12          5/12                5/12

Burpees 2008 12 sds

 

CHADWICK

CHERRY

??   ??              9 SDS      5/9              9/9               9/9             9/9               9/9

 

CHEROKEE                                       3/6               3/6             4/6              4/6

PURPLE                                                    

SowTrue 2012 6 sds

 

COMPOST GOLD

Mine OP  2009 6 sds

 

DELICIOUS  12 sds      3/12                7/12        7/12            7/12              8/12

Henry Fields 2010

 

FLAMINGO HYB         1/8                   1/8           1/8            1/8                2/8

Gurneys ??  8 SDS

 

GERMAN OLD                                                     2/12          4/12              5/12

TIMERS  12 SDS

MineOP 2013 12 sds                                

 

GOLDEN RAVE                                   1/8            1/8            1/8                2/8

HYB Gurneys  8 sds

2010

 

JELLY BEANS HYB       1/ 8                1/8          3/8              3/8                3/8

Gurneys 2010  10 sds

 

JUBILEE                                                                                                         1/10

Ferry Morse

2009  10 SEEDS

 

JULIET  HYB                 8/10                 9/10        9/10            9/10              9/10

Jung 2012  10 sds

 

ORANGE HYB                                                     1/8                 1/8              2/8

WHOPPER  8 sds

Gurneys 2013

 

SUN SUGAR HYB        5/9                    8/9          8/9                9/9              9/9

Pinetree 2012 9 sds

 

I have two other packages of Jelly Bean tomatoes and I want to start a few of each just in case the others don't sprout.  I also want to start some more of the "Compost Gold".  We will be saving seeds from two of our tomatoes.  They each have a story:

 

COMPOST GOLD:  This tomato was found growing in the compost pile.  It is a jawbreaker size yellow cherry tomato (we have never grown yellow cherry tomatoes). The skin was thin.  It continued to flower and produce after the first frosts. The flavor was outstanding even for a yellow tomato.  The color was a brilliant gold.   Hence the name Compost Gold.

GERMAN OLD TIMERS has a wonderful story behind it, albeit long one.  I was on a trip to buy hay for my goats, cows and sheep.  I drive past a state park named "Babler Park". On the way there is someone who always has a small kitchen garden.  I noticed he had a veggie stand and could see squash on the table.  I stopped to buy some (my squash plants had been inundated with the borers.)  Also on the table I saw these green tomatoes.  They were on the medium size and I commented it was nice of him to pick his tomatoes green so people could make fried green tomatoes.

"Lady, Dem's ripe." He volunteered.

"They are still green, where did you find tomatoes still green when ripe?"  I replied incredulously in 1998.

"Da Ole guy, don the street, brung dem from Germany, gived me the seed."

"Do you know the name of the variety?" I asked.

"Nope, I din forgot, was long time ago.  Can't ask him, he dead."

I bought a pound of them, thinking it was a mistake.  When I got home I examined them and they felt ripe.  I cut into the softest one and cautiously took a bite.  Taste sensation moment.  If I closed my eyes it was the reddest tomato I had ever tasted with lemony overtones. 

The closest I can guess, is it is probably kin to the zebra tomato.  I have been saving my own seed from it since that day.  We named them German Old Timers because the original seed came from an old man from Germany.

MARCH 24:  I picked red because it is a red letter day.  I couldn't wait to get on the computer to write this update.  Last night seconds before I went to bed I remembered I hadn't checked the seeds for the evening.  I really did not expect anything being it was only 3 1/2 days since I put them in the chamber.  Much to my surprise there was sprouting just starting in two varieties.  Four plants, just unbending, in the Juliet's and 1 plant in the Sun Sugar. If I had left them, in the chamber in the dark, till this morning they would have become gangly.  This morning they were already an inch high and they had developed their first leaves.  The picture on the left is our first tomato sprouts.  I didn't realize until I took this picture I had put the wrong date on the labels.  They were started on the 20th, not the 21st.

 It is snowing very hard right now.  It didn't start till about 6 this morning after raining all night.  We are due for lots of snow today, who would have thunk!Normally I am picking lettuce outside, but the only thing growing in my garden is last years lemon thyme.  I have covered and uncovered, (with two large plastic buckets inside of each other for insulation)  to keep it from freezing.  It worked too.  It has been growing, albeit slowly and I have been harvesting all winter. 

Another herb that definitely says get growing tomatoes is basil. When I set the seed for the peppers I also planted Siam queen basil and sweet basil.  This week when they move to larger homes,  I will be able to pinch the top set of leaves off to have with chicken sandwiches..or even on pasta . These basils left their nursery tray on March 7th.  They weren't even a 1/2 inch tall at that time.  This picture was taken March 22.

MARCH 25:   It is still snowing and we have at least 11 inches on the ground.  The snow is real fine (like a mist that is frozen).  There is a wind today..Not a gusty one, it is steady about 10 mph.  Inside though me and the seedlings are doing just fine. 

In the last 24 hours we have had a population explosion.  I find myself getting anxious for the ones which have shown no sign of life.  I proofed the "Compost Gold" seeds and on the one set I had 80% germination.  They haven't shown they are "in the dirt"yet.  I just checked the dates and it took them 6 days to germinate.  Today is only 5 days.  I guess I need to be patient.  The other tomato "German Old Timers" I didn't proof because it was seed I collected last fall  and it wasn't old and it was processed properly when I collected it.  Of the older seeds I know to be patient, they do need a longer germination time.

This is the blog I wrote when I proofed some of my seeds.
http://organicinstlouis.blogspot.com/2013/02/proofing-seeds.html

Something I need to mention for those reading who are beginners;  When your tomatoes sprout don't be alarmed if they look extremely skinny and fragile.  I don't know why, but the tomato seedlings are terribly thin compared to their pepper and Eggplant cousins.  They also seem to take an interminable length of time before they set their second leaves.  Place those seedlings as close to the light source as possible.  Mine are no more than an inch some are almost touching.  (Do not let the leaves touch the bulbs).

MARCH 26:  A couple of more varieties sprouted during the night.  I am getting a little anxious about my newest seed from Gurneys.  The orange whopper has just sprouted one and I only planted 8 seeds because it was fresh seed.  

I have had a large percentage of "trapped" seeds.  Where the shell doesn't pop off.  some of them have not grown enough for me to pinch it off like I did for the peppers and eggplants.   There are pictures in the pepper blog how I "un trap" a seedling.
 http://organicinstlouis.blogspot.com/2013/02/sweet-peppers.html

The snow has stopped and what melting which did occur froze over making heavy ice.  Walking to the barn will be treacherous this morning.  Something a little off topic but note worthy, we had a Towhee show up at the bird feeder yesterday.  They are normally a very shy bird but he stayed around for half the day.  I hope we weren't his truck stop on the way to somewhere else.  Last year we didn't have towhees..but previous years we have always had a resident pair.

Today I will be potting more tomato seeds just in case and I will probably start some more basils and some lettuce.

MARCH 28:  Getting more anxious about the germination of some of the seeds.  I know it is only 8 days.


MARCH 31:  It is Easter Sunday, the end of Passover is tomorrow.  It is the season of renewal.  Today it is just that in our household.  The tomatoes are finally ready to do it in the "dirt".  They are ready to make the transitions to real pots.  For us it is the activia containers, using the mix they have come from mixed with My special potting mix.  It is also time to begin another blog on this stage of their lives.  I will post the link here when I post the blog.

I am very disappointed I have two varieties which didn't sprout. I know it  only 11 days and am still hoping more will sprout.  I will plant more of these and hope the seed isn't bad.  The biggest disappointment is the "Gurneys Orange Whopper".  This was new seed and to have only two sprout.  I will be calling the company.  If the viability is this poor in the fresh seed, It certainly won't grow next year. (I still have the other 2/3 of the packet to use). 

The "Compost Gold", I am wondering if I got the labels mixed up and this was the wrong seed that I proofed.  I had two sources I saved seed from.  One was the fruit which was fresh which I refered to as "wet"  and a fruit that was dried on the vine "dry".  This is the blog about proofing seeds:
http://organicinstlouis.blogspot.com/2013/02/proofing-seeds.html

APRIL 1:   I haven't finished the blog for yesterday "Moving Day".  I did want to put a note about the pots I used for starting the seed.  The larger "take  home sauce" pots were the absolute perfect container.  I will buy a product if it is in a container I can recycle for the garden.  The reason they were perfect is they had enough room when 1/2 filled to plant the seed and if it sprouted before you got there, there was room between the soil less mix and the lid.  The lid held the moisture in till sprouting (no need for plastic bags, sliding containers in and out).  They were small enough you didn't have a lot of mix used.  You could plant 4 seeds and extract the seedlings without damage.  (I did put nine seeds in a couple and they did fine.  I just had to soak the plants to loosen the medium from around the roots).  Then there was the coup d' gras.....they have outwardly sloping sides.  This made it easy to wet the root ball and slide it right out of the container. 

The containers I am referring to are the ones in the opening picture of this article.  As you can see we also use cut down activia containers.  These work well but they have to be put in a plastic bag to keep moist in the propagation chamber. 

The following blogs are blogs I've written about previous gardening of tomatoes:

http://organicinstlouis.blogspot.com/2012/03/from-seed-tomato-grows.html
http://organicinstlouis.blogspot.com/2010/07/perfect-tomato.html
http://organicinstlouis.blogspot.com/2010/08/more-on-quest.html

For more blogs by me, visit at:

http://gloriouscreations.blogspot.com

A blog mostly about quilting,

but cooking, poetry, prose and a little gardening,

New blog, tutorial on how to make 5 panel Boxer Shorts.

New Blog about dolls.

http://glosgarden.blogspot.com/

Not a garden blog.

There are articles which have nothing to do

with creating or gardening.

There are blogs on the new born baby kittens

we found and mothered.

It is a blog where I voice my opinions which will always be environmentally friendly.

As always, any pictures or writings are my own.

 Credit has been given to contributions not my own.

 Please do not use without permission.



 

 



WHEN TO START SEEDS

This is a question which is answered by multitudinous sites on the Internet.  It varies from region to region, and person to person.  It is also predestined by the things going on in your life. 

 

How do I decide when to plant.  I use all the tables I find and then I throw in the moon cycles.  We have discovered planting by the moon signs is very beneficial. 

 

We found we had no luck growing radishes and root crops if they were planted close to or in the coming up of a full moon. The seeds energies seemed to be pulled into making leaves.

 

Another thing that upsets a planting regimen is the weather.  The moon may be just right to plant the potatoes on March 16, but the ground may be frozen solid.  Or you can't prepare the site because you've had a torrential down poor.  You have to be flexible and plant when you can.  I can also counsel you, from my own experience about thinking about when your plants are due to mature.

 

Example:  If you are planting peas, the weather is still great, but you had to plant them over 6 weeks late because it was too muddy to work the garden at the proper time.  These peas are going to mature just as it gets real hot.  You won't get much of a harvest for your work.  The plants will burn up and the peas are on the plants will be tough.  Wait till summer is on the wain and plant your peas for a fall crop.

 

Tomatoes and peppers (Nightshade plants): you can start the seeds anytime just remember the date on the package is how long before the first fruit happens.  I started my eggplants the first of February.  They take a long time before they are big enough for the garden.  Peppers are also slower growing so I have started them too.  They are still in the propagation chamber.  They haven't sprouted yet.  Tomatoes are a faster growing plant and tend to get leggy quickly so I have delayed planting them until the next full moon.

http://organicinstlouis.blogspot.com/2013/02/sweet-peppers.html

http://organicinstlouis.blogspot.com/2013/02/eggplant.html

 

 

Brassicas:  We already have ours started and they are being transplanted this weekend.  I hope I haven't started them too early.  We are having colder temperatures than normal with snow.

http://organicinstlouis.blogspot.com/2013/02/broccoli.html

 

Happy gardening and please try you hand at raising your own plants.  You will have so many varieties available to you that are not sold on the open market.  Read all you can to decide what methods work well for you.  There are not any garden police running around and telling you what to do.  Remember if you are a new gardener to start small.  I know this is hard because there are so many new and exciting plants.   Remember what you plant will need weeding and watering.

For more blogs by me, visit at:

http://gloriouscreations.blogspot.com

A blog mostly about quilting,

but cooking, poetry, prose and a little gardening,

New blog, tutorial on how to make 5 panel Boxer Shorts.

New Blog about dolls.

http://glosgarden.blogspot.com/

Not a garden blog.

There are articles which have nothing to do

with creating or gardening.

There are blogs on the new born baby kittens

we found and mothered.

It is a blog where I voice my opinions which will always be environmentally friendly.

As always, any pictures or writings are my own.

Credit has been given to contributions not my own.

Please do not use without permission.

 

 



SWEET PEPPERS

BLOG EDITED:
MAR 4, MAR 6, MAR 8,  MAR 10, MAR 14
You will find the blog edits shown in the colors of the dates.
 

If I had a favorite vegetable in the garden it would probably be peppers.  They can be a dual purpose plant. They make a fabulous foundation planting (they are a beautiful plant).  They don't mind the heat reflecting off the house.  In return they repay your care by producing bountiful crops of edible produce.

This year we are working on cleaning out our seed stash and peppers are on this list.  We did order two new peppers on our seed order (we only ordered from one company this year). We are going to miss a favorite pepper because we are out of that seed.  We will re-order next year.
 

Next year we will be adding at least one more pepper to our repertoire.  "Yum yums".  Burpee's Big Daddy will be on our repurchase list, this year they will be missed.  The pepper on the left is Burpee's Big Daddy.

 As you can see this is a very prolific pepper. The soil in these two beds is not up to snuff.  (The organic matter ratio is off and they are too well drained.  It is very difficult to keep adequate moisture in the beds.)  They are still  performing above and beyond expectations.

This year's list of pepper varieties:
 

FOOLED YOU: Pinetree 2012. This is a jalapeno pepper with no heat.  They are extremely extremely prolific.    I have found these freeze fantastically.  We chop them in quarter inch dice and freeze on a cookie tray and dump into a plastic bag.  I had some in the freezer for two years.  When sauteed in oil I could tell no loss of flavor or change in texture.
 

GURNEYS DOUBLE DELIGHT:  This is a new addition to our seed stash.  We ordered it because we  were out of our favorite "Big Bertha".  The description sounded similar and Gurneys doesn't handle Bertha seed. 2013
 

GURNEY'S DOUBLE DELIGHT:  Another  new pepper for us.  It is described as a thick walled bull horn. It seems like a good substitute for the Big Daddy we won't have this year. The only draw back is it isn't yellow.

 MARCONI ROSSO:  Henry Fields 2010. This is another of the bull horns.  It is three lobed, I don't know if it is thinner walled.  We will be comparing these plants and the other bull horns for production, size, taste and thickness of walls.

GIANT MARCONI:  Totally tomatoes 2010.  This is a blockier version of the bullhorn pepper but is like the bullhorn in size, length and taste.

CORONO DI TORO-GIALLO:  Scheeper's 2010.  Another bull horn,  This one has a plus, it is yellow.  Hopefully it will fill the space of the Big Daddy Pepper.  Last year it did not perform well but so many things in the garden didn't because of the weather.   It looks like we'll be testing a few plants of each, and giving away the seeds of the ones that don't perform to our liking.  Where did we get all these, LOL.  If I had taken time to proof seeds in December this year I would not have ordered seeds I already had.       http://organicinstlouis.blogspot.com/2013/02/proofing-seeds.html

QUADRATO D'ASTI ROSSO:  Scheeper's 2007 , a thick walled large bell pepper.

ACONCQUA:  Saved seed,  Original seed was purchased through Pinetree seeds. These did real well in the greenhouse this year.  They are very prolific.  They are an extremely large cubannelle type.

PEPPER SEED PLANTING
The seeds were planted in a soil less medium.  I used "Activia cups" to plant them in.  These were put inside a plastic bag inside our propagation chamber.  The temperature will be kept at 72 degrees.

PLANTING LIST:   GERMINATION TIMES

FEB 26, 2013                      DATE     DATE     DATE    DATE         DATE
                                           MAR 4    MAR 6    MAR 8   MAR 10     MAR 14
FOOLED YOU                                   5/12         5/12         7/12           10/12 (2 MOVED)
12 SEEDS 2012

DOUBLE DELIGHT          1/10        2/10         5/10          6/10           8/10  (2 MOVED)
Gurneys 10 seeds
2013

GIANT II                            1/10         6/10          7/12         8/10           9/10 (5 MOVED)
Gurney's 10 seeds
2013

MARCONI ROSSO                                                               1/6          1/6
H. Fields  6 seeds
2010

CORONO DI TORO                                            1/5             1/5         1/6
GIALLO Scheepers
5 seeds 2010

QUADRATO D'ASTI                                                                           0/6
ROSSO Scheeper's
6 seeds  2007

GIANT MARCONI
T.Tomatoes 4 seeds                                                                   1/4      1/4
2010

ACONCQUA                 1/12          3/12         5/12                   6/12    8/12 (2 MOVED)
Mine OP 12 seeds
2013

MARCH 4:  Finally, I have just been over anxious for them to germinate, to see some form of life.  The 3 are just peeking the surface.  I pulled them out of the propagation chamber and put them under the lights.  These were all 2013 seeds.  I will have to be patient, I know the older seed will take longer to sprout.

MARCH  6:  Boy are these slow. I am so glad I started them ahead.  The thoughts in the back of my head was I was going to have to babysit these far too long.  It looks like they are right on their sprouting schedule.  

MARCH 8:  While checking for new sprouting I noticed two of the seeds had sprouted and were turning green but they had not "POPPED THEIR SEED CASINGS OFF".  If these are not removed the plant will not mature.  These beginning "leaves" are called cotyledons.  I take my fingernail and clip the seed casing off.  You will loose the points on these cotyledons but it will not harm the development of leaves.  (btw wait till you can see that there are two cotyledons at the base before you remove it.  Sometimes, a day later the seed casing will pop off itself.) The photo on the left is of the trapped cotyledon.

 


The picture on the left is the cotyledon after I pinched off the seed casing.  The casing can be clipped off sooner.  You must remember to not pinch below the "Y" of the "leaves".  Make sure there is enough growth so that you are not disturbing the base where the new growth will happen.  If the remaining 3 pepper varieties have not sprouted by the time I plant my tomato seeds I will plant some more of them.  Two of the varieties are from 2010, they should still be viable.  I am also going to plant the last of the "Giallo".  I have decided I want more of this variety(and they aren't sprouting well either)

MARCH 10:  Two of the last three varieties sprouted.  One of each, will be enough to tell me by the end of the year if I want to purchase more of that seed (bar no unforeseen accidents like ground hogs or tornadoes.  Yes, we have had a tornado plow through our plants and our Green house.).  I do hope the Giant Marconi will show at least one plant, too.

 

Giallo has not shown any more life, I will plant the remainder of the packet of seed when I plant my tomatoes next week.  I want to save seed from this variety if it does well and produces the type of

 

pepper we enjoy.  The first three varieties in the sprouting chart are hybrids.  I won't be saving seed from them  but the rest we will.

 

This morning in the propagation chamber, I found this crawling around a newly emerged seedling.   It had to have hatched in there because the plants were in a sealed plastic bag.   I was wondering how a soil less mix harbored insect eggs.  What I have is an off-colored Asian Lady Bug.  The bane of my existence on my living room east/south windows in January.

 

I went to check several sites and deduced it was what I thought it was. The following site gave me some information that is extremely useful.
     http://www.insectidentification.org/beetles.asp

 

In my blog on using newspapers, recycling them as mulch:

http://glosgarden.blogspot.com/2013/03/recycling-re-using.html

 

I cautioned about mealy bugs (roly poly/sow) loving to nest in and eat the papers.  I did not know there was a predator for them.  Perusing I found this:

 

http://www.insectidentification.org/insect-description.asp?identification=Mealy-Bug-Destroyer-Larvae

 

I literally thought it was a bug that had grown some kind of mold and I dispatched him. I now know, I should have saved him. 

MARCH 14:  Today is moving day, most of the seedlings have grown large enough to handle being put into their own apartments.  Finding enough Activa cups for them all is hard.  I can't eat it fast enough to supply the demand...LOL 

 

TRANSPLANTING THE SEEDLINGS

Some of the seedlings were not quite ready to transplanted. 

We had to work to gently remove the larger plants from the trays.

First thing we do is get all the "necessaries" together.   Once we begin we don't want to have to go looking for items to work with.  Clockwise:  Hershey's syrup bottle with luke warm water, Drinking water bottle for me, Cat litter box of mixed dirt for transplanting, gallon jug with the fish emulsion mixed in the water, (scissors, pens, glue stick, note book, labels, paper, phone, TV gizmos,  eye glasses).  Plants, tiny instruments for transplanting, Pots, paper towels.

 

HERSHEY'S BOTTLE:  This holds luke warm water to water the seedlings in when we have to disturb them to remove a friend.

 

DRINKING WATER FOR ME (Self explanatory)

 

KITTY LITTER BUCKET:  We re-use and re-cycle lots of items.  This oval one was perfect for mixing our soil for transplanting in.  What is our soil mix.  In a large wheel barrow we mix one part soil with one part peat moss, with 1/2 part sand, 1/2 part of our dried manure from goats/sheep/cow and one part rice hulls. When this is well mixed we add a quart of Epsom salts and a quart of bone meal to a large wheel barrow of the mix. This is then stored to use for potting. We take equal amounts of this and our soil less mix and mix them together. This is what we use for the first transplanting.

 

GALLON JUG OF FISH EMULSION:  We mix 3 tablespoons of emulsion with the gallon of luke warm water. 

 

SECRETARIAL GROUPING:  The TV gizmo's are for listening to programs while I am doing what can be a repetitive dull job (did you notice they are in a plastic bag?  this serves to keep them clean. They still work through the plastic).  The phone is in case I receive a call.  Glasses..I am at an age where things are very blurry.  Glue stick to apply those labels to the containers.

 

PLANTS: They are why we are going through this.

 

POTS:  The infamous Activia cups prepared for use.  (notice the re-used Styrofoam trays from the meat department.

 

SMALL TOOLS:  I keep an eye out for things that will work for transplanting.  A hibachi fork, a small butter knife, a tiny fork used for ordourves, and a tiny spoon (I think it used to be a artificial sweetener scoop).

 

PAPER TOWELLS

 

HAND PROTECTION:

 

I forgot to mention one important necessary for me.  Plastic gloves.  I cannot stand to touch dirt. The feel of it under my nails or drying on my hands is very uncomfortable.  Writing about the idea is giving me the chills....LOL.  I get my box of gloves every year from my dentist. They seem to be heavier than the regular doctors gloves.  I always request them in my favorite color and they are silicone and talcum free.  I can wear them quite a few uses before they have fatigue.  I just turn them inside out and give them a wash and let them dry.  Then when I need them I just turn them back to right side out  and happily work in the dirt. 

SQUIRT BOTTLES:

 

Another item which is recycled not trashed.   The Joy bottle is for applying the fish emulsion to the newly planted plants.  Using the small bottle with a nozzle gives control and you don't flood the plants or wash them out of their pots.  Watering in with the fish emulsion instead of water gives the plants a boost which is much needed to help them over the transplanting shock.

READY TO BEGIN

Remember the plant which had the trapped cotyledon?  This is not the same one, but the plant on the left (see the leaf that looks stunted) is one I pinched off the seed casing.  You can see the growth of the new true leaves

This crowded pot on the left,  has one over grown candidate to extract.  For demonstration I will use another pot where all the plants need new homes.  The picture below is the pot with the peppers gently removed.  I do not water for 12 hours before so the loose medium will fall apart.  If it is stubborn and too rooted together, then I set the in a bowl of luke warm water until the medium is loosened up.

 

These are the plants in their new apartments.  I used the seedling tray for the smallest seedling since we are low on activia cups.  I will probably have to transplant it again sooner than the other plants. 

We have already started our eggplant and broccoli plants.  

Check this blog's directory under the label "seed starting".  

For more blogs by me, visit at:

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New blog, tutorial on how to make 5 panel Boxer Shorts.

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