pepperhead212's 2024 garden

[pepperhead212]

I got two eggplants sprouting today, after 5 days - the long purple, and matrosik. A couple more peppers, but still no tomatoes, after just 2 days.

[pepperhead212]

I got 2 more sprouts peeping through (actually, 2 in each pellet) - the first of the Asian Delight Hybrid, and more of the Matrosik. The Ichiban is the only one I haven't gotten any of yet.

More of some of the first peppers that came up also sprouted, plus the first Mucho Nacho jalapeño, and Datil seeds have sprouted. Maybe more - that was earlier in the morning.

I mowed my entire lawn today, for the first time this season. I had to replace the battery - it was 5 years old, so it didn't owe me anything. Also weedwacked almost everything - could have done more, with the other battery, when that one died, but I just took that as the excuse to call it quits. I would have done more of the deck staining, but rain is coming tomorrow, so I'll have to wait until another time with several nice days in a row - doesn't happen too often!

[pepperhead212]

The main thing I did in the garden today was setting up the drip irrigation lines in my garlic bed, and the mint bed. I tested them, to make sure there were no unwanted leaks, then shut them off, as I definitely won't be needing them soon! I set my leaf cutter bees house up again - too early to order any, but I'll watch to see if any show up on their own. I finished outside just in time, as it started raining hard around 3:30 pm.

One thing I did I almost forgot about - I put my rain gauge back up. I put new batteries in it, and figure I'll probably get some readings on it tonight! No more lows even close to freezing forecast, so I put that in, and started with the drip irrigation system, too.

When I was done outside today, I went upstairs to clean up, and of course, I had to look to see if any more seeds had sprouted. lol At 6:30 pm, there were 4 of the tomatoes sprouted - Napa Rose, Sunsugar (always one of the first), Genuwine F1, and Superfantastic. I also noticed that all 3 of the tomatillo pots have at least one sprout in it. The tomatoes are on their way!

There was also an Aruna pepper sprout, and a couple others that have already come up.

[pepperhead212]

Overnight, I had 8 more varieties sprout, plus some of the previous varieties had more. Green Brandy, Negro Azteka, Ron's Carbon Copy, Rosella, Early Blue Ribbon F1, Mountain Rouge F1, Primary Colors Angora, and Pruden's Purple Pink are the 8 new ones to sprout, and some of the earlier ones have all of their pots filled, some with the 2 seeds I planted in them. Just over half the varieties have sprouted, and well over half the pots have sprouts in them.

Only one more pepper variety sprouted overnight - the Aji Dulce. No more eggplants overnight.

[pepperhead212]

Yesterday, I harvested some of my spearmint, to make my first mint tea of the season. Just a bunch of 3-4" stalks - not a lot of flavor, at first, but I always look forward to starting to get that mint! And soon, I'll have enough of the peppermint, to start using in Indian dishes.
First harvest of the spearmint, for the first mint tea of the season. 4-10 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

[pepperhead212]

Around 4 pm today I had 7 more varieties sprout, some of them in all 3 or 4 of the pots I put them in! All of the cherries (or other small varieties) have started, and all but 3 of the rest of the varieties have appeared.
Bronze Torch F1, Juliet F1, and Zluta Gold Kytice were the last of the small ones, and Amish Gold Slicer, Atomic Fusion, Beefmaster F1, and Green Giant are the others that have come up since this morning.

[pepperhead212]

It looks nice out today, but was much cooler, and incredibly windy, so I only went out briefly for a couple things, so I went down to do some things in the hydroponics (which I've been ignoring lately, with all the other things). The Russian red kale I had to pull out, as it was growing into the lights, but I got a bunch more greens from that one plant. The wasabina mustard greens plant had a bunch more, too, but that one sort of spreads out, rather than going straight up, branching out more every time. I also pulled the one leaf lettuce that still hadn't bolted in over 5 months, and I got a huge amount of leaves from it for salads. I'll have some outside soon, so I don't need this anymore. And I trimmed a bunch from the basils - didn't use any of this (and there's still a lot more), but this will trigger the plants into some new growth, which I need for starting cuttings - the easier and faster way to start plants for outside, than starting with seeds. Same with the epazote. I also re-filled the tubs, which were low, due to those large greens, and ignoring them, as I noted. I also added a little nutrients - a little low, but surprisingly not much, after all those greens and herbs!
A large bunch of greens from the Russian red kale and wasabina mustard greens, from the hydro. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

Had to finally pull out the Russian red kale in the hydro, as it was growing up in the lights. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

[pepperhead212]

All of my tomatoes are started; those two that were the latest - Big Cheef and Daniel Burson - have only one seedling in the two pots, and the second pot of each I filled with extras of others, Pruden's Purple Pink in one, and Oaxacan Jewel in the other. Everything is doing so well, I finally pinched off all of the extras, figuring I won't be needing any more of them; hopefully I'm right!

All of my eggplant pellets now have seedlings - one of the ichibans, which was the slowest to show up, now has 3 seedlings - I thought I had only put up to 2 seeds in each pellet, but not that one! The ones that had 2 sprouts, I waited to see which one was the largest, then pinched off the smaller one, as usual.

Peppers the slowest, as usual, though the ones already up, have seedlings in all the pellets, in many of them all the seeds germinated. Only 3 of them have no sprouts at all, and they are all new this year! Go figure...

[pepperhead212]

Those Swiss chard are still getting large - surprisingly not a hint of bolting yet, but as soon as they show that, I'll harvest all of them, as those spots get other plants in them soon.

Here are those Swiss chard plants, out front, that I planted sometime last fall, harvested a bunch then, before they sort of died back (but not really), then took off again in the winter, due to mild temps.
Two of the Swiss chard plants from last fall. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

The largest and the smallest of the Swiss chard plants, from last fall, on 4-18. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

And there's no stopping that garlic! Do any other garlic growers remember back when the garlic would be planted around Halloween, even earlier farther N, but the garlic wouldn't even show, just grow underground some, as the ground would freeze? It would show up, around early march, before taking off! This stuff grew all winter long! But there's no global warming...
Garlic growing great, with all that rain. 4-18 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

[GoDawgs]

And there's no stopping that garlic! Do any other garlic growers remember back when the garlic would be planted around Halloween, even earlier farther N, but the garlic wouldn't even show, just grow underground some, as the ground would freeze? It would show up, around early march, before taking off! This stuff grew all winter long! But there's no global warming...

It's all cyclical; nothing new under the sun. Just times none of us were around for. Enjoy the longer planting season!

[pepperhead212]

Nice day today, would have reduced the wind a little, for a perfect day. I got a lot done out there today, getting the tarps off those SIPs , and getting them in their spots for the season, though I didn't level them, or "refresh" them yet. A few of the plastic covers on them need replaced (hard to believe how many years some of that lasts!), and I save a lot of those heavy plastic bags from things like peat, to make them with. The ground was very muddy in areas still, due to all the rain lately, but there is none forecast until next Wednesday, so maybe the sun will dry it out some. I'll get more done tomorrow, though it is supposed to be much cooler for a few days.
Getting garden almost ready for those tomatoes (and a few other things). 4-20 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

[PlainJane]

Looks great, and your rosemary is pretty happy too!

[pepperhead212]

Today I got a bunch done, topping off the SIPs, and replacing the tops on I think 4 them. Just the dozen buckets left, plus the peppers and okra, which are later things. In fact, I soaked the okra overnight, and set it to sprout. And on checking those seeds I have sprouting, I couldn't believe that 3 of 6 of those bitter melon seeds have sprouted (and that was this morning, only about 1½ days, and those things are notoriously slow, and low % to germinate. The winter melon has one barely sprouting, and the others had at least one with a hint of a sprout, but not as good as the bitter melon.

Tomorrow I have something to do in the middle of the day tomorrow, so I won't be getting dirty early in the day. Maybe I'll find some seeds to plant inside, and hopefully, I'll finish early, and I can get back out there.

[pepperhead212]

I just turned on my oscillating fan in my seedling room, to help strengthen them. The tomatoes are growing fast now, and the tomatillos are, too. And something I probably didn't mention, when discussing the small amount of fertilizer in these things is the silica fertilizer, from the hydroponics, which helps strengthen the stems - something that definitely worked when I first used it with the tomatillos, which I used to have trouble with, and had to stalk them, from early on. With the silica, I haven't had the problem since. Only about 1/2 tsp of the solution is needed per gallon of water, every time watering.
One of the 2 trays of tomato seedlings, after about 2 1/2 weeks from planting. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

[pepperhead212]

I got out there a little before 2 pm; not real sure early, but I got everything ready in the back garden today - still have the peppers and okra on the side and front, plus I have those rows to 'til, that I still have to wait for, because they are still very wet, but not muddy, like it was few days ago.

[pepperhead212]

I transplanted those eggplant seedlings, just dropping the pellets into the larger pots (18/tray) - I could already see the growth on them overnight!

Here is one of those trays of tomatoes last night, and a top view this morning, showing these things after soaking overnight on 4-6, and starting all of them on 4-7. If started on 4-1, like I used to, they would have been ready too early!
Tomato seedlings, 20 days after starting, 4-26 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

Top view of one of the tomato trays, 4-27, 3 weeks after starting seeds. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

I might put them out late today, to start hardening off. I don't want to put them out in that 86° we have forecast for Monday, at least in the sun, but they will be planted sooner than I thought.

[PlainJane]

Your seedlings look wonderful!

[pepperhead212]

Thanks PJ. I did put them out later today, and will leave them out, as it is supposed to stay in the 50s tonight (unlike the mid 30s I've been getting lately!), and the wind is very low, fortunately. I'll get up early, and get the trays out of the sun, into a shady area.
Starting to harden off the tomatoes and tomatillos. 4-27 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

[pepperhead212]

I got up early today (for me, 7:30 am), because it is supposed to be hot today, and I wanted to harvest some stuff, and run up to the PO, and mail a couple of things. I checked my seeds I am sprouting, and all of my cukes sprouted in less than 24 hours, and almost all of the okra spouted in about a day and a half. All those are planted in pellets now, as are all of the gourds. Might plant a few zinnias today, too.

[pepperhead212]

Another hot day here today, too, getting to 86°, so not quite as bad as yesterday, but I bit the bullet and turned on the AC, but only because a friend was coming over later on. I basically got everything ready for the tomatoes tomorrow - I hardened them off for 4 days, with 4 hours of sun today, which didn't bother them at all, but I took them back inside, due to the wind. No rain this time, though it looked like it might. Now the rain originally forecast for tomorrow morning, is not in this area, so I might be able to start earlier (I'll find out in the morning). It's hard to believe that these tomatoes got so large, starting the seeds the night of 4-6.

Tomatoes, and a few tomatillos, ready to plant the next day, May 1st. by pepperhead212, on Flickr