I haven't made any post recently because there isn't much going on in the garden at this time of year.
Some of my other interest include fly fishing and tying flies. I've stayed busy lately tying flies and getting syched out about the up coming fishing season. Anyway, I'm still getting ready for the gardening season.
I have planted seeds inside using the lighting stand that I built. The seedlings are growing well under the lights with the help of a south facing window..
All of the tomatoes came up pretty quickly, but the peppers and eggplants have been much slower to germinate. They have finally started to peek their heads out though. As you may be able to see, some of the tomatoes have started their first set of true leaves. They will have to be transplanted to bigger pots by next week.
I will transplant them to these 18 oz. plastic cups. I have drilled a small hole in the bottom of the cups for drainage. This was easier than it sounds. With the cups stacked together I was able to drill through several cups all at once. They were very cheap at the Dollar store and I can save them to use again next year.
I also made some plant tags. I cut them from an old kitty litter bucket with tin snips. I was able to get 64 plant tags using only the flat sides of the bucket. These can be used in the pots and with a hole punched in them, they can be tied directly to the plants in the garden. I'm going to have so many varieties of tomatoes, I'll need the tags to keep everything straight.
I'm going to have a lot more plants than I can use in my garden this year, so I may try to sell some on Craigs list or give them to members of a permaculture group that I joined. Having free plants is a good way to build your friend list!
After the gardening season starts, I will have plenty to write about. So don't give up on me yet!:)
Soooo......Until next time......HAPPY GARDENING!
From your experience then, after you've repotted these, when do you find is the best point to get them in the ground or planting beds here in Central Florida? Does spacing become more of an issue here as everything is so moist with the humidity it seems fungus disease will be more of an issue than I had in So Cal. Have already spotted a lot more "critters" on my property I'll have to plan for as we plant.
ReplyDeleteI plant my tomatoes about 2 weeks after our "average last frost date ". In my area it is February 17th. Check with your county extension service to find your last frost date. They are always glad to give advice.
ReplyDeleteAs to spacing, 2 - 4 feet is recommended. This spacing allows good air circulation. Also,tomatoes can put out roots 5 feet wide and deep. I space mine 2-1/2 feet apart and plant a fast growing crop like lettuce between them. The lettuce will be harvested before the tomatoes need that space. I also plant tomatoes in a short trench that is deep on the root end and slants up to the point where the plant comes out of the ground. Pull or cut off all of the lower leaves, leaving only 1 or 2 sets of leaves above the ground. The stem will grow roots all along the part of the stem that is buried.
Fungal diseases such as early blight can be a problem. It starts on the lower leaves and slowly works its way up the plant. By mid summer the plants can look pretty bad. At this point I take some tip cuttings and root them in pots in a shady area. These get planted in a new area for a fall crop.
Thanks for commenting and good luck with your garden!
Checked back and appreciate your advice. That's a great idea with the lettuce in between, I'll give this a try. Thank you for your advice!
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