rossomendblot's 2025

[Labradors]

@Jambow Same here. I've had an Earth Box on my front step, planted with annuals for years. Water accumulates at the bottom, and I get swarms of flies (which I'd have called Fungus Gnats, except that they are bigger). Plants don't do well in that!

[rossomendblot]

Interesting. I've been using this design of wicking container for a few years and haven't noticed any fly issues. I wonder if the holes in the Earthbox aeration screen allow too much of the potting mix to fall into the reservoir? With this design the holes in the sides of the reservoir containers are too small to allow potting mix in, and any larger holes are blocked off with weed membrane. That's also why I like to use something inert like gravel, molar clay or perlite in the reservoir since it reduces the risk of anaerobic conditions versus organic media.

[JayneR13]

That's entirely possible. The design of the Earth Box also uses potting soil as the wicking material. Some is packed into two corners of the box for this purpose. Also the drain is actually quite small for the size of the box. That's why I drilled holes into the bottom. While I've never noticed fly issues, the water accumulation causing wet feet has been consistent over the years, and not just with this design. I've also tried various Monkey Pots, which stack vertically. Same issue with water accumulation. Additionally, the two topmost pots are really too small to grow much other than greens or herbs. In another design, the way the pots stack wastes entirely too much growing area in addition to the water issue. Considering my limited space I grow vertically wherever I can, but not with these. Your design might be worth exploring further however.

[Tim DH]

Hi Ross,
With ref to: 'Are those peppers in 100% clay pebbles?' ... Yes peppers, and yes clay pebbles but only a surface dressing.

With ref to: 'First fruit set of the year' ... I'm a little ahead of you! Its been a crazy spring here, I've a few plants setting their second trusses! My first fruit set of the year award goes to a new F1 (Latah X Quedlinburger Furhe Liebe) I post quite a bit about creating F1s on the OSSI forum if your interested.

Tim DH

[rossomendblot]

Hi Ross,
With ref to: 'Are those peppers in 100% clay pebbles?' ... Yes peppers, and yes clay pebbles but only a surface dressing.

With ref to: 'First fruit set of the year' ... I'm a little ahead of you! Its been a crazy spring here, I've a few plants setting their second trusses! My first fruit set of the year award goes to a new F1 (Latah X Quedlinburger Furhe Liebe) I post quite a bit about creating F1s on the OSSI forum if your interested.

Tim DH

I have soft spot for Latah, it was the first determinate tomato I've grown, and the taste was always pretty good. Are you trying to create a superduper early tomato?

[rossomendblot]

I'd not thought of growing calabrese that way. .... Maybe when I get the new greenhouse!

I'll be interested to hear how your kratky peppers get on.

Tim DH

I also do it with red cabbage and cauliflower. You generally get an earlier harvest, which reminds me, I need to check on the cauliflower to see what they're doing. A 1L pot is about right, since brassicas still grow quite well during winter, and in a 9cm pot they will get too stressed which could promote bolting/buttoning.

Today was cauliflower harvesting day! Very happy with these, and glad I only have five so as to avoid death by cauliflower, since they're all coming in at 1kg or more per head. The variety is Orkney F1, sown in October and overwintered in pots in the greenhouse, as with the calabrese from a previous post.

cauliflower june 2025.jpg

[rossomendblot]

The Kratky basil is also a go! I drilled new lids with one hole, since two per tub was too crowded last year. These will be going on the window sill, I don't grow basil in the greenhouse anymore since it always seems to get a fungal disease.

kratky basil 2025 june.jpg

[rossomendblot]

I'll be interested to hear how your kratky peppers get on.

Tim DH

Kratky pepper update - the plants are much happier now, having recovered from their initial drowning, and they're putting out good roots.

kratky pepper top.jpg

kratky pepper roots.jpg

[Tim DH]

Hi Ross,
With ref to: 'I have soft spot for Latah, ....'
For years Latah was the only determinate I grew, because I prefer growing indeterminate cordons. It only got a try out in the first place because I was curious. It did very well that year in earliness and productivity, so, grudgingly, I grew it again. Then I discovered that it has some measure of blight resistance, so it finally got a trial outside of the greenhouse, where, despite being an easy target for the molluscs, (because of its growth habit) it still performed well.
This year I'm trying it, and some determinate F1s raised from it, outside, using cages made from stock fencing.

With ref to: 'trying to create a superduper early tomato'.....
I am convinced of the benefits of growing F1 hybrids in terms of vigour and productivity. BUT I object to paying a pound a seed for them. AND I object to supporting mega agri business. We (the amateur public) have access to a huge range of OP varieties, which are effectively inbred lines. So that means we of the potential to create a huge number, squared, of F1s. Some of those F1s must be winners.
So far I've only named one. 'PotemkinF1' [parents Imur Prior Beta(mother) and Latah(pollen)] which anyone can re-create. Its an early red cordon with some blight resistance that crops well. With me it outperforms Primabella and the commercial Crimson Cherry F1.

Tim DH