Shule's 2022 growlog

[Shule]

It's time to start a new growlog. I planted my tomato and pepper seeds yesterday morning (March 18th).

Here's my tomato list:

- Aker's West Virginia x 1 (from Gardenboy of Tomatoville in 2016; sprouted on 30 Mar)
- Amana Orange x 25 (1 plant from timelesstomatoes.store, 24 plants from my saved seed, descended from Marsha's seed; I planted 8 plants from each of three different fruits saved in 2021 from plant B1; the first one sprouted 28 Mar; the timelesstomatoes.store one sprouted on 31 Mar)
- Aunt Ginny's Purple x 2 (from seed I saved last year from plant A; sprouted 2 Apr)
- Big Cheef x 1 (from GardenBoy of TomatoJunction in January 2020; sprouted 8 Apr)
- Brandy Boy F2 x 1 (from seed I saved in 2019 from plant A; sprouted 28 Mar)
- Brandy Boy F11 x 1 (from seed I saved in 2019 from plant A; sprouted 26 Mar)
- Brandywine OTV x 1 (from Tormato in 2016; marked 2015; sprouted 6 Apr)
- Brandywine Pink x 1 (Livingston Seed Co. packet with barcode 048389049593, gifted to me by a local friend; packed for 2011; sell by 10/2011 LOT 10; wow, these are old--I didn't know until now; I like old seed, though! Sprouted on 30 Mar)
- Carolina Yellow x 1 (Thresh Seed Co. with barcode T0-SL-002, packed for 2022, sell by 12/22, LOT A; sprouted by 4 Apr)
- Cherokee Golden x 1 (from JohnnyRock of Tomatoville, January 2020)
- Cherokee Purple x 1 (from Marsha's 2016 SASE seed offer on Tomatoville)
- Cherokee Yellow x 1 (1 seed; from JohnnyRock of Tomatoville, January 2020)
- Cherokee Yellow Perfection Peach x 2 (each from a different fruit; from seeds saved in 2020 from plant A, fruits #1 and #3; both sprouted 28 Mar)
- Cherokee Yellow Red x 1 (2 seeds; from JohnnyRock of Tomatoville, January 2020)
- Cherokee Yellow Yellow Pear x 1 (from JohnnyRock of Tomatoville, January 2020)
- Frog Princess x 1 (from Julianna of TomatoJunction who got them from Remy / Sample Seed Shop; sprouted on 30 Mar)
- Gold Medal x 1 (from tradewindsfruit; packed for 2015)
- Golden Queen x 1 (from Timeless Tomatoes in 2016; sprouted 9 Apr)
- Hamson x 1 (from hometownseeds.com, purchased in 2021 or 2022; sprouted 28 Mar)
- Italian Heirloom x 1 (from Thresh Seed Co.; packed for 2021; sell by 12/21; LOT B; barcode T0-SL-009)
- Medovaya Kaplya cross F2 x 6 (from seed I saved in 2017; trying for a red round PL sweet cherry; first container sprouted on 29 Mar)
- Mountain Gold x 1 (from Timeless Tomatoes in 2016)
- Orange Banana x 6 (from Timeless Tomatoes; they might be new or from 2016; I don't know; sprouted 2 Apr)
- Orange Caprese x 1 (from Tormato in 2016; marked 2015; sprouted 1 Apr)
- Pinky Blast x 1 (from Tormato in 2016; marked 2015; I think he got them from AlittleSalt)
- Primrose Gage x 1 (from Tormato in 2016; marked 2015; sprouted 1 Apr)
- Snacker-B F4 x 6 (from seeds I saved last year, from plant B; the first one or two sprouted 28 Mar)
- Super Sweet 100 F1 x 1 (Burpee seeds packed for 2013; from Tormato in 2016)
- Vorlon x 1 (from Tormato in 2016; marked 2015; sprouted by 4 Apr)
- Yellow Brandywine x 1 (I don't have a record of where I got these, but the packet and handwriting look exactly like those of Big Cheef; so, I'm guessing GardenBoy of TomatoJunction in January 2020)
- Yoder's German Yellow x 1 (from JohnnyRock of Tomatoville in January 2020)

Here's my sweet pepper list (all Capsicum annuum):
- Canary Bell x 12
- Coral Bell x 9
- Lunchbox Yellow, Orange, and Red x 11 (they're all in a mixed packet; it came with 11 seeds and I planted each seed in its own container; I overseeded the other varieties in this list; sprouted 2 Apr)
- Quadrato Giallo x 1
- Sunbright x 2 (the first sprouted 8 Apr)
- Big Red x 1

So, I have three trays of seeds. Each tray has 36 cells. The cells are a good size.

I added some turmeric to the soil, this time (never done that before). Hopefully that wasn't a bad idea. I read somewhere that it deters pests or something, but if it was a bad idea, at least I didn't add a terrible lot of it. I added food grade diatomaceous earth to the soil, as I did last year (but probably less than last year).

I put some cinnamon on top after watering, to help protect the seedlings against damping off disease (hopefully it's not too early to add the cinnamon; I'm not sure).

I watered in wood ash and monoammonium phosphate as I've done for the last few years.

I plan to start putting the trays outside during the day probably in about a week. For now, they're in the house.

I overseeded most of the tomatoes and peppers.

I didn't end up ordering from Sand Hill Preservation Center (to get another strain of Amana Orange, and more melons/watermelons), or anywhere else, after all. Maybe later. For now, I've got plenty of stuff to grow, and I can breed my own strain of Amana Orange.

I've decided I don't plan to grow any muskmelons, this year.

I do plan to grow watermelons: I plan to seed those in foam cups outdoors after the last frost, some time (that seems to work better than doing it earlier and better than direct-seeding; with direct-seeding, they don't germinate as well, or grow as fast, and volunteer melons growing with the seeded melons make things confusing).

So, let's see what watermelons I do plan to grow (since I didn't order any new ones):

I think I'm just going to grow King Winter and Winter Queen. I hope to grow many plants. If they cross, I'll know what the cross was. I have Santo Domingo Winter, too, and maybe other Santo Domingo types, but I think I'll save those for next year.

Well, I might still order from SHPC and/or other places before I plant the watermelons. So, I might grow the Wintermelon watermelon, too.

[Shule]

Well, I guess it's best to add the cinnamon after they go outside, like I did last year, because the cinnamon quickly transformed into mold (a dark mold). Hopefully that won't hurt the germination, and hopefully cinnamon mold outcompetes pythium in the soil.

[Tormato]

It's time to start a new growlog. I planted my tomato and pepper seeds yesterday morning (March 18th).

Here's my tomato list:

* Aker's West Virginia x 1 (from Gardenboy of Tomatoville in 2016)
* Amana Orange x 25 (1 plant from timelesstomatoes.store, 24 plants from my saved seed, descended from Marsha's seed; I planted 8 plants from each of three different fruits saved in 2021 from plant B1)
* Aunt Ginny's Purple x 2 (from seed I saved last year from plant A)
* Big Cheef x 1 (from GardenBoy of TomatoJunction in January 2020)
* Brandy Boy F2 x 1 (from seed I saved in 2019 from plant A)
* Brandy Boy F11 x 1 (from seed I saved in 2019 from plant A)
* Brandywine OTV x 1 (from Tormato in 2016; marked 2015)
* Brandywine Pink x 1 (Livingston Seed Co. packet with barcode 048389049593, gifted to me by a local friend; packed for 2011; sell by 10/2011 LOT 10; wow, these are old--I didn't know until now; I like old seed, though!)
* Carolina Yellow x 1 (Thresh Seed Co. with barcode T0-SL-002, packed for 2022, sell by 12/22, LOT A)
* Cherokee Golden x 1 (from JohnnyRock of Tomatoville, January 2020)
* Cherokee Purple x 1 (from Marsha's 2016 SASE seed offer on Tomatoville)
* Cherokee Yellow x 1 (1 seed; from JohnnyRock of Tomatoville, January 2020)
* Cherokee Yellow Perfection Peach x 2 (each from a different fruit; from seeds saved in 2020 from plant A, fruits #1 and #3)
* Cherokee Yellow Red x 1 (2 seeds; from JohnnyRock of Tomatoville, January 2020)
* Cherokee Yellow Yellow Pear x 1 (from JohnnyRock of Tomatoville, January 2020)
* Frog Princess x 1 (from Julianna of TomatoJunction who got them from Remy / Sample Seed Shop)
* Gold Medal x 1 (from tradewindsfruit; packed for 2015)
* Golden Queen x 1 (from Timeless Tomatoes in 2016)
* Hamson x 1 (from hometownseeds.com, purchased in 2021 or 2022)
* Italian Heirloom x 1 (from Thresh Seed Co.; packed for 2021; sell by 12/21; LOT B; barcode T0-SL-009)
* Medovaya Kaplya cross F2 x 6 (from seed I saved in 2017; trying for a red round PL sweet cherry)
* Mountain Gold x 1 (from Timeless Tomatoes in 2016)
* Orange Banana x 6 (from Timeless Tomatoes; they might be new or from 2016; I don't know)
* Orange Caprese x 1 (from Tormato in 2016; marked 2015)
* Pinky Blast x 1 (from Tormato in 2016; marked 2015; I think he got them from AlittleSalt)
* Primrose Gage x 1 (from Tormato in 2016; marked 2015)
* Snacker-B F4 x 6 (from seeds I saved last year, from plant B)
* Super Sweet 100 F1 x 1 (Burpee seeds packed for 2013; from Tormato in 2016)
* Vorlon x 1 (from Tormato in 2016; marked 2015)
* Yellow Brandywine x 1 (I don't have a record of where I got these, but the packet and handwriting look exactly like those of Big Cheef; so, I'm guessing GardenBoy of TomatoJunction in January 2020)
* Yoder's German Yellow x 1 (from JohnnyRock of Tomatoville in January 2020)

Here's my sweet pepper list (all Capsicum annuum):
* Canary Bell x 12
* Coral Bell x 9
* Lunchbox Yellow, Orange, and Red x 11 (they're all in a mixed packet; it came with 11 seeds and I planted each seed in its own container; I overseeded the other varieties in this list)
* Quadrato Giallo x 1
* Sunbright x 2
* Big Red x 1

So, I have three trays of seeds. Each tray has 36 cells. The cells are a good size.

I added some turmeric to the soil, this time (never done that before). Hopefully that wasn't a bad idea. I read somewhere that it deters pests or something, but if it was a bad idea, at least I didn't add a terrible lot of it. I added food grade diatomaceous earth to the soil, as I did last year (but probably less than last year).

I put some cinnamon on top after watering, to help protect the seedlings against damping off disease (hopefully it's not too early to add the cinnamon; I'm not sure).

I watered in wood ash and monoammonium phosphate as I've done for the last few years.

I plan to start putting the trays outside during the day probably in about a week. For now, they're in the house.

I overseeded most of the tomatoes and peppers.

I didn't end up ordering from Sand Hill Preservation Center (to get another strain of Amana Orange, and more melons/watermelons), or anywhere else, after all. Maybe later. For now, I've got plenty of stuff to grow, and I can breed my own strain of Amana Orange.

I've decided I don't plan to grow any muskmelons, this year.

I do plan to grow watermelons: I plan to seed those in foam cups outdoors after the last frost, some time (that seems to work better than doing it earlier and better than direct-seeding; with direct-seeding, they don't germinate as well, or grow as fast, and volunteer melons growing with the seeded melons make things confusing).

So, let's see what watermelons I do plan to grow (since I didn't order any new ones):

I think I'm just going to grow King Winter and Winter Queen. I hope to grow many plants. If they cross, I'll know what the cross was. I have Santo Domingo Winter, too, and maybe other Santo Domingo types, but I think I'll save those for next year.

Well, I might still order from SHPC and/or other places before I plant the watermelons. So, I might grow the Wintermelon watermelon, too.

Seeds from me, except possibly Brandywine OTV, were not grown by me, rather they were seeds sent into the swap, by others.

Experimental Farm Network has a couple of watermelons with winter storage potential.

Even though you may not be growing them this year, I can send you a list of melons and watermelons that I have, and the ones that I am awaiting, if you'd like.

[Shule]

@Tormato
Sure! I'd be interested in a list.

[Shule]

My first tomato just sprouted (Brandy Boy F11).

Time to put them outside! (Tomatoes, anyway; I'll wait on the peppers.)

[Shule]

The tomatoes are outside. I checked the weather, and it says it's warm enough^ for me to just leave them outside tonight and tomorrow night.

^: According to my method, anything above 41 degrees F. (I mean, 42+) is warm enough.

[Tormato]

The tomatoes are outside. I checked the weather, and it says it's warm enough^ for me to just leave them outside tonight and tomorrow night.

^: According to my method, anything above 41 degrees F. is warm enough.

41 degrees? Throw in some wind and rain, and Dingwall Scotty would likely thrive, but be a bit homesick.

[Shule]

These tomatoes sprouted yesterday (March 28th):
- Amana Orange (just one, from saved seed)
- Brandy Boy F2
- Cherokee Yellow Perfection Peach (both containers)
- Hamson
- Snacker-B (one or two containers)

It's warm enough that I'm leaving them outside, again (the forecast changed). I put the peppers out with them, today, even though they hadn't sprouted yet.

I tried out a foliar spray of calcium nitrate already at this stage, on the 28th, even though most haven't opened up their leaves (only Brandy Boy F11 has). I know foliar sprays help tomatoes grow faster when seedlings just have cotyledons (but I'm not sure about spraying them before they open up).

I gave our volunteer blackcurrant bush (which is growing flowers for the first time, I believe) a foliar spray of calcium nitrate, too, as well as our chives, a few tulips, and some of the Sempervivum. This blackcurrant bush is the one that the ants keep farming aphids upon (I hope that means they're really sweet; it probably needs potassium/calcium); the ants were starting to arrive, on the 28th.

I'm not sure how bulbs like tulips respond to foliar sprays of fertilizer; so, I'm doing it to see if it makes a difference. I know Sempervivum like foliar sprays, though.

Our semi-dwarf Red Gold nectarine (transplanted in 2020) seems to have a lot of flower buds on it!

[Shule]

One container of the Medovaya Kaplya cross F2s sprouted, today.

So the varieties from saved seed have all sprouted, so far, except Aunt Ginny's Purple. Hamson is the only one to have sprouted, so far, not from my saved seed. I've noticed this trend of many of my personal saved seeds sprouting faster most years, for unknown reasons. I know others have noticed this with their saved seeds, too (instead of mine).

[bower]

Shule, that method of leaving your newly sprouted seedlings out, down to 42 F, is really brave. I sometimes think it's too cold beside my window for the little ones that haven't got a true leaf yet. But maybe that's just "fussing".

[Shule]

Shule, that method of leaving your newly sprouted seedlings out, down to 42 F, is really brave. I sometimes think it's too cold beside my window for the little ones that haven't got a true leaf yet. But maybe that's just "fussing".

It works for me. They handled even colder temperatures in previous years before I stopped using my greenhouse (but that wasn't as reliable; this method seems to be quite reliable as long as pythium or something doesn't kill the plants--but that's my soil, rather than the method).

Tomatoes for me grow fine in cold weather as long as it's not freezing, *if* they have the proper nutrients, in the proper amounts, for cold weather (and are used to cold weather); if they don't, they'll turn purple, translucent, and possibly get stunted eventually. They grow faster in warmer weather, though, but I think it saves time in hardening off, if I'm hardening off from the get-go: It's not unusual for the lows during my growing season to be in the 40s.

At seeding time, I give them monoammonium phosphate (a lot of it, but it's getting transplanted with them, so it's not the end of the world) and wood ash (there are ashes of fruit/vegetable scraps and things mixed in it, too, this year, and last).

Phosphorus helps with cold-tolerance, for sure. I suspect that calcium (considering how it helped my poinsettias) and potassium and sulfur (considering experience with potassium and sulfur deficiency occuring in my experience in cold tomatoes that aren't given any) also play a major role. There's not a *lot* of potassium in the wood ash, but it's enough to hold them over for a while. There is a *lot* of calcium in the wood ash, though (and there are plenty of micronutrients).

I'm not saying my method is the best method, nor that it'll stay the same forever (but I like it, and it seems quite effective).

[Shule]

@Bower
Notwithstanding what I said above, I'm not one to recommend transplanting home-started seedlings before the last frost (anymore), even if the plants are protected from frost. The effects of cold on seedlings seems to be different in the ground.

I have had good results with store-bought plants with Wall-o-waters, however (but the ones I start myself, I wait until the frosts are over, because I don't think they're big enough for that).

[Shule]

Three new tomatoes sprouted:
- Aker's West Virginia (@Gardenboy, you gave me these in 2016)
- Brandywine Pink (from 11-year old seed )
- Frog Princess (@Julianna I thought maybe you'd be interested to hear this.)

[bower]

@Shule your nutritional method makes perfect sense to me. I use bone meal for my seedlings, even in a cold room indoors, especially to make sure they have access to phosphorus at those early and chilly stages.
Also agree re seedlings in small pots vs in ground. They will tolerate a lot more, because the soil in pots above ground or out of the ground warms faster and stays warmer. It takes a long time for the huge volume of soil in the ground to fully reach tomato happy temperature.

[Shule]

The Amana Orange tomato from Timeless Tomatoes sprouted. There are still plenty of the ones from my saved seed that haven't sprouted (even if some of them sprouted first).

The aforementioned first spray of calcium nitrate didn't do much to the tomatoes; I guess they have to get a bit older, first. The volunteer currant bush is looking good, though, and I don't see any aphids on it, yet (it still has a very small number of ants, though).

The weather should be cold enough for me to keep the tomatoes/peppers in the house at night for the rest of this week and at least most of next.

[Shule]

Today, the following new tomatoes sprouted:
* Orange Caprese
* Primrose Gage

[OhioGardener]

Lots of Amana Orange . I really enjoy that variety. Great looking and great flavor.

[Shule]

Today, the following tomatoes sprouted:
- Aunt Ginny's Purple
- Orange Banana

Also, three of the eleven Lunchbox peppers sprouted!

[Julianna]

@Shule yay! I hope Frog Princess does well for you!

[Shule]

Here's what has sprouted, so far (not just today):

Peppers:
- Lunchbox Mix (4 of 11)

Tomatoes:
- Aker's West Virginia
- Amana Orange (from saved seed; 11 of 24, but not all look like they'll make it; only one or two seeds have sprouted in each container, so far)
- Amana Orange (Timeless Tomatoes)
- Aunt Ginny's Purple (1 of 2)
- Brandy Boy F11
- Brandy Boy F2
- Brandywine Pink
- Carolina Yellow
- Cherokee Yellow Perfection Peach (2 of 2)
- Frog Princess
- Hamson
- Medovaya Kaplya cross F2 (6 of 6)
- Orange Banana (2 of 6)
- Orange Caprese
- Primrose Gage
- Snacker-B (5 of 6)
- Vorlon

The new ones today (which may or may not have sprouted yesterday) were these:
- Carolina Yellow
- Vorlon

The ones with lots of seedlings that have sprouted per container, so far, include these:
- Aker's West Virginia
- Amana Orange (Timeless Tomatoes)
- Brandy Boy F11
- Brandy Boy F2
- Brandywine Pink
- Carolina Yellow
- Cherokee Yellow Perfection Peach (2 of 2)
- Hamson
- Medovaya Kaplya cross F2 (2 of 6)

The was some seedling loss from damping off over the weekend. So, it seems adding the cinnamon early on isn't entirely effective.