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Post by reed on Apr 2, 2015 19:58:39 GMT -5
I'll be starting tomatoes and peppers this week end. Broccoli, cabbage and the like are ready to go on out to the garden, I have plenty for back up just in case. Our "official" frost free date is may 15.
I think I am also going to direct seed a few tomatoes this weekend and a few more for the next two or three weekends, just to see what happens.
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Post by kazedwards on Apr 3, 2015 8:46:03 GMT -5
I direct seeded a few tomatoes last year. They did about as well as the ones I started.
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Post by robertb on Apr 6, 2015 12:34:21 GMT -5
TPS is growing merrily on the windowsill, Welsh onion and Green Mountain potato onion are up, no sign of the Everlasting Onion yet. It was just an odd plant which flowered so the seeds could be sterile, but I hope not. I haven't put anything in the open ground, but it was nice and warm on the plot this afternoon, with butterflies and bumblebees out. Time to sort out the broad beans.
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Post by kazedwards on May 13, 2015 18:12:23 GMT -5
Ok so I have way to many tomatoes growing so I have decided to give some away. The thing is when you go to plant them the mix that they are in stinks once you remove the plant from the container that they are in. Is there a way to get rid of that short of repotting them? I have been only watering from the bottom is that the reason for the smell? If they where just for me it wouldn't be a big deal but I don't want to turn anyone off on gardening.
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Post by oldmobie on May 13, 2015 19:15:13 GMT -5
Ok so I have way to many tomatoes growing so I have decided to give some away. The thing is when you go to plant them the mix that they are in stinks once you remove the plant from the container that they are in. Is there a way to get rid of that short of repotting them? I have been only watering from the bottom is that the reason for the smell? If they where just for me it wouldn't be a big deal but I don't want to turn anyone off on gardening. Is it a wet, anaerobic decay kind of smell? Less frequent watering might help. If you're willing to repot, the addition of dry fresh soil should help. A potting soil with a bit of charcoal MIGHT help even more, as the charcoal absorbs smells. I used to use a brand called Jungle Growth that I really liked, but it was kinda high-dollar, ~$12 for 2 cubic feet 20 years ago. |
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Post by flowerweaver on May 13, 2015 19:16:14 GMT -5
Probably from the bottom watering causing an anerobic situation. Usually by the time I pot them up from cell trays into 3" pots I just water as needed, from the bottom. With all the rain we've been getting some of mine had been sitting in water for a couple weeks and when I potted them up they didn't smell too good either. That was the first time I ever noticed that smell.
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Post by steev on May 13, 2015 19:21:29 GMT -5
Does it stink because it's soggy and anaerobic? If they drain and dry a bit, does it still stink? Are you sure it's "potting" mix, not "potty" mix?
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Post by kazedwards on May 13, 2015 22:44:19 GMT -5
Probably from the bottom watering causing an anerobic situation. Usually by the time I pot them up from cell trays into 3" pots I just water as needed, from the bottom. With all the rain we've been getting some of mine had been sitting in water for a couple weeks and when I potted them up they didn't smell too good either. That was the first time I ever noticed that smell. yes I think that was it. I have been keeping the tray with at least 1/2 inch of water at all times. I will see if drying them out will fix the problem. Today I watered them from the top without the tray to kinda flush them of the old water and now they are drying a bit. We will see if it helps. Thanks for the advise! |
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Post by keen101 (Biolumo / Andrew B.) on Feb 10, 2017 21:14:18 GMT -5
 This is my new area for starting seeds. Normally i just direct seed, so i have little real experience with starting things indoors. With the tomatoes that's a bit different so I've been steadily improving. The biggest issue i think has been lighting. These new LED Grow Lights are fantastic and plenty bright enough. The second thing is i think i need to still do some more on picking the right seed starting mix, i seem to keep running into soils that have lots of wood sticks. Last year i tried mixing in some peat moss, that really didn't help much either. Too wet and it seems weird fungal issues arise. Too dry and things have problems too. With this experimental winter growing i've tried two things. 1.The box has a bit of potting mix with mostly just regular ol' garden/yard dirt. This regular dirt seems okay and probably would give me less problems, so i may just use that when the time comes. Someone mentioned lat year that that is what they do. 2.I'm experimenting with Netpots and Aeropinic / Hydroponic seed starting as well. I got a few rockwool cubes and these things are pretty good. Interesting method to say the least, but does seem to work. and third, i got a cheap rechargeable battery powered clip-on fan. I think the fan will help a lot. Not only can it help ciculate the air and reduce those fungal problems (if using poor potting soil), but it should also help toughen up the seedlings and encourage them to send out more and deeper roots to help stabilize them. |
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Post by elomiry on Feb 13, 2017 13:45:09 GMT -5
I havn't tried bottom heat but they have been in a very warm room. I will try bottom heat tomorrow. The problem is that both trays have seedlings now.
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