Guess What? Seeds!

Started this week:

I'm testing the Jiffy Pellets - see how they do.  Price wise wasn't too bad - and they fit pretty exactly in a 9oz plastic cup.  On top the frig - 2 ea Hot Pepper 5 color chinese from Baker Creek and 2 ea Yum Yum Gold from Territorial.  Covered.

Went around and check on the other bottom heat germination spots.  Somehow I managed to let 2 different incubators dry out.  Drrrrrrrr ...   Anywho, the tomato's I started on the 10th in the soil blocks?  The two sets in trays and wrapped in saran wrap have germinated and many little tomato leafs have popped up!  The set in the upside down produce clamshell are drying out too fast.  I have spritzed them again; and this time I've wrapped the whole get-up with saran wrap.

Yesterday we had almost 2" of rain in the gauge; officially 1.4".  A few of the babies got overwhelmed; I need to learn to use the cut a palm frond to put over the babies to protect them trick.  Note to self!  Make it so.

I made my way off to the big box store for PVC supplies, and we finally got the dual light system working in the garage.

I had moved in the cell tray seedlings in anticipation of the rain; and covered in visqueen the plastic bin planter aka Gimpy Gals Transportable Seedling tray.  Speaking of which; I'm going to need to correct a few things in my design and implementation.  First, pine fines in the bottom?  Bad, bad, bad.  Next time; maybe a mix of sterile sand, peat moss and potting soil?  Something that will not decompose while the seeds are germinating.  Second; do not ever ever let water sit in the bottom for more than a few hours (? - guessing there, definitely not a week).

Half the cups have not germinated.  So now, I have to decide - give them more time with the sun and the bottom heat - or plant some more up with our new knowledge set?  After all I do have a plan that I'm behind schedule on but should be starting more seeds this week.

This is all a learning process, and growing anything is always a gamble.  What I should do is take the cups that have not germinated and set them off somewhere and let mother nature take over.  She'll make her choice - plant or compost.  And use the space in the bin to replant and improve for course two.

Our rainy day?  Three hours on and off the phone with our ISP provider; to try and get our flaky hates the rain connection/disconnection issues addressed.  And ... implementing dual lights (plus sun).  Grow babies grow!

Height adjustable light fixtures - check.  Multi-outlet surge protected strip - check.  Mechanical timer - check.  Correct lamp types?  Ummm, don't really know.  Right now one fixture has 2 natural light bulbs and the other has 2 older what looks like warm light bulbs.  Correct number of fixtures?  I'm accounting for the east exposure sun as a light fixture; so .... we'll see.  Timer set for 16 hours - check.

The 3 seedling cell trays are mostly for the back parking pad planting bed.  They will stay here until next week, closer to the end of the month before I plant them out.  Hope to get them a bit more established and to get the true leafs a good foothold.  I'm still not too sure about when/how to fertilize.  I've just been spritzing periodically with the tea bag infusion water.

The three Black from Tula tomato seeds germinating on top the hot water heater have sprouted!  The eggplants started at the same time have not yet sprouted though one is showing signs that it might be.  Anywho, the 3 tomato plants in the 4" pots have been moved over to the light area.  Though right now they don't have ideal light, seeing as how they are on the edge and all.  Maybe I'll move them out to the electrical box in a few days.  Think I'll try giving them some rabbit food when they form their first true leafs; see how that works as baby food.

The potato bags got some attention today - at right (above) is before I did any work.  At left is after.  I unrolled a few more inches of plastic bag; added some more dirt; covered up many of the plants; though not the tallest one - added the yukon gold tubers I got at Wally World.  Oh, and punched some more drainage holes.

Oh, and I had to go off again to another big box store to get more yellow viola's and bit the bullet and picked up a 32 gallon black heavy duty trash can to use as a rain barrel.  Really wish I had implemented that idea before yesterdays rain storm.  The baby seedlings will much rather have rain water than tap water.  Though I did stick out every bucket I had capable of holding water to catch rain yesterday; so we have some.