Tomatoes Planted

Tomatoes are in, planted yesterday February 24th. I have my tomatoes in eight, five-inch pots, six different varieties. I planted two types of cherry tomatoes, three mid-size and mid-summer, and three heirloom tomatoes that are full size and long term.

Pots with loose covers set in place

Over the years, I have planted many hybrids and also many old time heirloom varieties. I have now settled on a mix of old and new, big and small, determinate and indeterminate tomatoes. Basically, we plant what we like to eat. Odd!

Should see my first shoots in about a week

I also planted some flowers that take a long time to mature, I am especially excited about the chocolate mint coleus. If it is something I can easily buy at a big box store I do not start them, I only start plants from seeds that I want to try, but cannot find.

I start flowers in a 64,  one-inch cell planter

Most seed packets say to start seeds six to eight weeks before it is time to set out. I have found that a bit earlier than that works well. I have about eleven or twelve weeks before it is time to set out. Here is what I have found, count the six to eight weeks after the first true leaves appear, not from the day the seeds were placed in the soil. This means my tomatoes will be about eight weeks old when I set them out. Perfect!

Do not forget to put a label stick in the pot - too hard to remember

One final hint. I plant my five-inch pots with four seeds each. once the plants have their first true set of leaves I remove all but the best one or two. When planting time comes I carefully remove tomatoes plants from pots and plant the entire root ball, not much shock this way. Then I use the pots for flowers from a nursery or greenhouse and set them out.

Just getting started last year - This was June 5th, after a very cold spring
Some years I am three weeks early, this looks like that type of year.
Garden should look like this by the middle of  May

First Onions are Up

In a follow up from the Feb 5th onion seed planting, the first new plants poked through yesterday. I was surprised as four days is pretty quick for onions. Packet information is not always spot-on but four days is fast when it is expected to be 7-14 days. Today is day five and it looks like I have 20, or so, very young plants poking through. They are so small I will wait a day or two before I attempt a photo.

Should be looking like this by the first of June - fingers crossed

Next up flowers and tomatoes. If I plant in the middle of this month it will give me ten weeks after planting to the first of May. I will plant some of my flowers, the ones in five-inch pots, with seed directly into the pots they will stay in. Saves time, and some stunted days after transplanting. I also start my tomatoes in larger pots, 3-5 inches so that they can go from the pot to the garden.

By the middle of July, I hope to have this look again in the garden

More coming soon.

Still looking good - Late September last year

Happy Gardening

Garden Plants Started and Growing

Planted a flat of sweet onions today. 72 cells, 2 to 5 seeds in each (I will thin to two each). My cherry and yellow pear tomatoes are up about three inches and growing nicely.

Cherry and Pear Tomato

 They are in patio containers and I will add about a half inch of soil every two weeks starting this week. When the pot is full, about three adds of soil should do it, I let them grow. Because they will be on their own before the last frost day in our area I will bring them in at night if needed.

I will be planting some more flowers this week, cucumbers and some ornamental gourds next week.

Tomatoes up and growing about 6 in high

The last date of frost in our area (Zone 5 but we are in a bit of a mini-climate where it is warmer than most all of zone 5) is May 15, but I am not convinced this year. I believe we could frost up to the first of June. Last year I had everything pretty much in by the 15th of May, the year before by the first of May.

Plants outside during the day inside at night.
 



Happy Gardening

-N-

When To Start Garden Plants

My scientific method for when to plant may have taken a hit this year. Last year I started my flats in early March, this year late February. Why, because I decided I could plant earlier this year, not sure what brought that on. Right now it looks like I might be later not earlier than usual.  This is my perennial garden at noon today.

 

Does not look like any color will be soon forthcoming. This is what it will look like in 100 days or so.

 

For now I will settle for this 

 and this

 

 

 

    and what is that you ask. Why, that would be my furnace room flat starting area.

 We old gardeners will settle for almost anything when it is cold snowy and blowing outside. Even a left over, from Christmas, Poinsettia setting in the window.