Anyone else getting ready to start this years veggie plants?

[Ianab]

Things are winding up here. Been a poor season for chillies.  :(  I'm starting to pick some now, but not many habanero / ghosts / 7 pots etc. Just been too cool for them to really get going, even in a greenhouse. 

I think I'm settling on the Rocoto as my favourite now. That's the red apple shaped variety. I grew them from seed last season, but only get a few fruit. But they are a perennial and this year they have gone crazy, and could fruit for another 10 years.

Jalapenos / Cayenne / Thai Birds-eyes and chiltepins have also done OKish this season, and one Scots Bonnet plant is on it's 3rd season.  



 

[SwampDonkey]

My tomatoes might have gotten a little too much fertilizer. Seeing a little stress on older leaves. Not yellow but some wilting. Might be a touch of shock there to. Tomatoes are sensitive little buggers. ;D So I'm cutting that back for a bit and just using a pinch of Epson salts every other day. I know the soil is not rich in N-P-K from the bag, but this 10-15-10 is concentrated and they suggest half a dropper per litre. I think I may have some that had twice that. :D It's so dilute when you look at it that you can't see green, but powerful apparently. Schultz out of Rivier-Du-Loop, Quebec. Been around for at least 30 years.

[SwampDonkey]

Big beef        March 29-2021



Red bells (upper left) kicking in now to. Scotian tomato lower right.

[mike_belben]

The flea beetle hits the basal here, but way late in the season, September. These are bigger than leaf hoppers. They eat grape leaves to.

Flea beatles will shot hole my entire garden by about late may, early june.  Then the rest of the crowd follows suit.  Its deflating. 

[21incher]

Those flea beetles get my eggplants every summer and that's all they bother. I may try something non organic  this year because  they seem to have developed immunity to everything else that is non toxic the last 2 years. Put some eggplant in and they will leave everything else alone. I am hoping  with the mild winter  we don't  have a bumper crop of Japanese beetles. 17 year chicadas are supposed  to emerge  this year also :embarassed:.

[SwampDonkey]

Up here the potato beetle will fleece egg plant. They will even eat tomatoes if in the same area with potatoes. Earwigs seem to love lettuce, but I have mine scattered around the gardens and they are less bothersome. Didn't seem to be too bad last 3 years. If you have a lot of shade, that is where they hang out. I do same with basal, a little spot here and there and they might hit one and not touch others. ;D Also, when plants are under stress, that attracts bugs, so keep the ground moist. Had to water the garden all last summer, we had next to nothing for rain. I use creek water and my pump/tank and SxS. Creek 5 minute drive.

[kantuckid]

I have a craving for fresh radishes now ;D. Finally  started peppers and used the heat mats.  Germinated in 3 days. Tomatoes took 5 days with no heat. Eggplant haven't  germinated yet so I may replant. Spinach and peas went in today. The garlic is about  4 inches tall now also. Great  weather  the last couple  days.

I think it's safe to say we have never, ever had a pepper seed germinate in 3 days. We use a heat mat, baby the crap out of them , use a grow light and a southern exposure picture window and still one of my peppers just popped out yesterday and several haven't as yet. I'll throw out that maybe around 3 weeks is commonly seen on peppers.
 You must have some serious green thumb going on?  :D
Radishes I can eat if they appear in a salad but we don't grow them or buy them. In a restaurant it's common to not see them in salads at all.
 My granny taught me to make "radish roses" for holiday meals as she was  the real McCoy when it came to cooking-knew it all. Their falvor gets off after thge weather warms up but nice spicy snap until then.

[SwampDonkey]

Fresh greens from under the lights today. I gleam from the bottom leaves. ;D

Buttercrunch



Fern leaf dill

[SwampDonkey]

My bells here were just under two weeks, I'll be transplanting by next Friday on those. My jalapeno 2 to 3 weeks and might be going on 4 for some. But I have more than enough right now to get to size, more than I'll ever eat if they have 6 on each. And they usually have that many without working hard. :D ;)

[SwampDonkey]

I have some peppers to transplant into 1/2 gallon pots real soon. They are darker green than the photo, reflected light.

[SwampDonkey]

Potted my red bells this morning. 8)

[SwampDonkey]

I figured out what the trouble was with the tomatoes. Those paper pots, they restrict roots if you transplant and leave those on them. Take them off before transplanting. I always thought they would soften up and break down enough for roots to get through. I took my repots and removed those as I found the roots where not penetrating those and the pots wick moisture away so the roots aren't going into dry paper. The peat pellets work fine, they've even used them on millions of tree seedlings, more like billions. You will see rapid root growth through the side walls of those when you have the trays lidded and it is humid in there. ;)

[21incher]

My seedlings are starting to leaf out. This year I started later because my plants are usually too big when they get planted in the last week of may. Having everything in a grow tent in the basement really makes it easy to care for and keeps the mess out of the house. Tomatoes, Peppers, and Eggplants off to a good start. Just cranked the light up to 100% so they should take off now.


 

 

 

 

[SwampDonkey]

@thecfarm  Peppers are on the way. Be picking bells in June.  ;D

[thecfarm]

Smart boy you are, you are!!! Those peppers look better than great

[21incher]

Those are nice peppers. I have not had luck starting them early to get peppers sooner. The ones I plant need 60 deg nights to keep the peppers on the plants and we don't see them till June.

My tomatoes were overcrowded in the tent and stinking up my shop so I set up a second tent with a carbon filter to spread them out some and absorb the smell. Hopefully they have enough room now.


 
Hopefully this will clear the air in this 2 x 4 tent with a 2000w light.


 
This is the original tent and now I can lower the light and crank it up to get my peppers and eggplant going. About 4 weeks till they go outside and start hardening off. Those bare cups are parsley and it takes a long time to get going.



Here is a link about setting the grow tent up 
Update On My Seedlings And The Second Grow Tent Assembly - YouTube 

[stavebuyer]

We had a record late accumulating snow Wed and a hard freeze Thursday. 10-14 day outlook puts us into the "safe zone" for frost so I set out my tomato plants this morning. 100% chance of rain today with highs in the 80s forecast for Tuesday. I have had my black plastic out for 2 weeks so I think the plants will take off. Mothers Day and KY Derby next weekend usually puts us into spring/summer vs winter/spring. Mowing twice a week already. More than ready for garden goodies!

[SwampDonkey]

I don't plant starts until the middle of June here. I still have to start some more tomatoes next month for June planting. My early ones are flowering now and 4' tall. March is way too early for maters, make mental note. :D

Next spring I'm going to use this grow tent. ;D

VIVOSUN 96"x96"x80" Mylar Hydroponic Grow Tent with Observation Window and Floor Tray for Indoor Plant Growing 8'x8': Amazon.ca: Patio, Lawn & Garden

[stavebuyer]

I was only going to set half my tomato plants but when I saw how rootbound they were in the container I planted them all. 

[SwampDonkey]

I'm going to start some new tomatoes the first weekend in May, these ones where getting too out of hand. Photo back in reply #60 is just the right size, not 4 feet tall. :D

[SwampDonkey]

@thecfarm  Red bells coming on. ;D





Never had Bells in May before. :D

[thecfarm]

That's the way to have 'em!!!

[21incher]

Plants are finally outside hardening off. Sweet potatoes are in and the Orioles are finally back


 


 


Eating lettuce, spinach, Bok Choy, radishes, and kale from the salad beds. Garlic, onions, shallots, carrots, beets, swiss chard, and peas doing well. Asparagus and rhubarb going crazy. Life is back in the garden.

[SwampDonkey]

Poked in some more mater seeds for Scotian and Big Beef, they won't go out for 4 weeks, so they should be 16" by then or better. Planted another variety of bell pepper to try also, suppose to be 'sweet' and high yield.

[SwampDonkey]

Didn't take long for the second batch of tomato seed to germinate under the lights. 8)