Jamie's Maties 2023

[jamiethemime]

Here's what we have so far:
Aerogarden:

Orange Hat micro dwarf. Seed is from Baker Creek, sown 1/14, germinated 1/20. I had to remove the seed shell from the cotyledons and thought i murdered it but it's going along great now. Looks bigger every day.


Jochalos micro dwarf. Seed is from Bunny Hop, sown 1-28, germinated 2/3. Not too far behind the Orange Hat! Excited for this one since the taste is described as pretty good for a micro.


Buena Mulata pepper. Seed is from Baker Creek, sown 1/14, germinated 2/12. Took soooo long to germinate, probably in part due to my apartment losing heat for a little while there, and the aerogarden is kept near a window. In any case, glad it's here now! It's very purple, I think the aerogarden lights are just really bright?

Jiffy tray:

The closer seedlings are from a Pinata pepper I bought last summer, and found some forgotten peppers desiccated in the fridge this winter (whoops). I'm pretty sure it's a hybrid so I'm planning on growing out a bunch in 6" pots (it's a dwarf pepper) and seeing what I end up with, and selecting from there. Will probably grow additional generations in my aerogarden over the winter once there's more room in there lol. There is another seed in my aerogarden currently but peppers apparently take for-eeeee-ver to germinate in there. Will be using paper towel/taped to my furnace (or invest in a heat mat someday) method in the future. Sown 2/2, germinated 2/6.

The further row are my Aji Charapitas. Seed from Baker Creek, sown 1/16, germinated 2/6. Was so sick of waiting. I started another set in paper towel and taped the bag to my furnace and they germinated so much faster-around a week or so? lost track on that one.

Lastly my seed tray:

These are more Buena Mulatas. Also failed to take notes on sow/germ dates for these ones. Oh well! Used the paper towel method again and again it had better results.

Plans for the future:
So impatiently waiting for early-mid March to start my tomatoes. I'm in a local gardening group and taking cues from the more experienced growers there for when to start. I can probably swing a little on the early side since I'll be growing everything in pots or grow bags so if push comes to shove (or a late freeze comes to Iowa) I can move everything inside overnight. We'll see.

[jamiethemime]

and just in case you're wondering why there's so many gray hairs in every photo, here's the culprit!

[Tormato]

Here's what we have so far:
Aerogarden:

Orange Hat micro dwarf. Seed is from Baker Creek, sown 1/14, germinated 1/20. I had to remove the seed shell from the cotyledons and thought i murdered it but it's going along great now. Looks bigger every day.


Jochalos micro dwarf. Seed is from Bunny Hop, sown 1-28, germinated 2/3. Not too far behind the Orange Hat! Excited for this one since the taste is described as pretty good for a micro.


Buena Mulata pepper. Seed is from Baker Creek, sown 1/14, germinated 2/12. Took soooo long to germinate, probably in part due to my apartment losing heat for a little while there, and the aerogarden is kept near a window. In any case, glad it's here now! It's very purple, I think the aerogarden lights are just really bright?

Jiffy tray:

The closer seedlings are from a Pinata pepper I bought last summer, and found some forgotten peppers desiccated in the fridge this winter (whoops). I'm pretty sure it's a hybrid so I'm planning on growing out a bunch in 6" pots (it's a dwarf pepper) and seeing what I end up with, and selecting from there. Will probably grow additional generations in my aerogarden over the winter once there's more room in there lol. There is another seed in my aerogarden currently but peppers apparently take for-eeeee-ver to germinate in there. Will be using paper towel/taped to my furnace (or invest in a heat mat someday) method in the future. Sown 2/2, germinated 2/6.

The further row are my Aji Charapitas. Seed from Baker Creek, sown 1/16, germinated 2/6. Was so sick of waiting. I started another set in paper towel and taped the bag to my furnace and they germinated so much faster-around a week or so? lost track on that one.

Lastly my seed tray:

These are more Buena Mulatas. Also failed to take notes on sow/germ dates for these ones. Oh well! Used the paper towel method again and again it had better results.

Plans for the future:
So impatiently waiting for early-mid March to start my tomatoes. I'm in a local gardening group and taking cues from the more experienced growers there for when to start. I can probably swing a little on the early side since I'll be growing everything in pots or grow bags so if push comes to shove (or a late freeze comes to Iowa) I can move everything inside overnight. We'll see.

Butchering the cotyledons usually has little effect upon the plant. It's what's between the cotyledons that matters.

[DriftlessRoots]

So great to see things growing! What kind/size of Aerogarden do you have and have you grown tomatoes in it before? We have one and I've only done herbs and lettuce. I got some micro minis in the MMMMMMMMM exchange and would love to try them out that way. Ours is a countertop six-pod model.

I highly recommend investing in a heat mat if you're going to be starting tomatoes, peppers, etc. for years to come. It's been a game-changer for me, especially when I was restricted to a cold basement. I start my peppers on it and by the time they are up and ready to move off it it's time to start the tomatoes so I can tag-team them that way and get by with a one-flat size.

[jamiethemime]

So great to see things growing! What kind/size of Aerogarden do you have and have you grown tomatoes in it before? We have one and I've only done herbs and lettuce. I got some micro minis in the MMMMMMMMM exchange and would love to try them out that way. Ours is a countertop six-pod model.

I highly recommend investing in a heat mat if you're going to be starting tomatoes, peppers, etc. for years to come. It's been a game-changer for me, especially when I was restricted to a cold basement. I start my peppers on it and by the time they are up and ready to move off it it's time to start the tomatoes so I can tag-team them that way and get by with a one-flat size.

I have the Harvest Slim, and I haven't done tomatoes in it before, just herbs. I'll definitely invest in a heat mat in the future, this year is kinda the starter year to see how things go.

[jamiethemime]

Update time!

Orange Hat: some color appearing on those flower buds!


Jochalos: Not far behind, either. Even though this one started a few weeks later, they might flower at the same time.


Buena Mulata: Chugging along, more true leaves.


Pinata: Now numbered to track their growth individually! Two clear winners among the first crop, but we'll see how the newer seedlings come along.
Aji Charapita: Some yellow tips to the leaves, but nothing super concerning yet.


Buena Mulata: first hints of true leaves appearing, looking very much like the one in the aerogarden did. One is smaller, that seed popped up quite a bit later than the rest, but I decided to let it grow instead of its pot-friend just in case a later start helps when it comes time for transplanting.

Big update to come: Just started phase one of all of my microdwarf varieties. In a week or two, I'll start the rest of the tomatoes, but I figure going slightly early isn't bad if everything I'm growing is in little containers, so I can zip them inside if there's a late freeze after they're transplanted.

[jamiethemime]

Time to do a little dance of moving lil germinated dwarf tomatoes from paper towels into jiffy pellets.

[jamiethemime]

Everything is now at least in paper towels, waiting on lil sprouts . I have at least one micro dwarf tomato germinated of each variety I'll be growing over the summer. The ground cherries germinated as well! I still have the rest of the seeds in the paper towel, even though I don't know what I'd do with more! I heard they have low germination rates so I put like 20 into the bag and only have 4 spots for them in the seedling tray. Turns out, ~25% germinate in like 3 days

I let my coir pellets dry out too much today, I left the fan on them while I was at work without checking on them in the morning. I am keeping the ones without visible sprouts moist round the clock, but the rest I'm letting get a little more dry in between waterings, and today I left them too long. Two pinata seedlings fainted, but seem to have mostly recovered with a thorough watering. I'm thinking I'll need to up-pot two of the pinatas soon as well, multiple roots are showing up at the bottom of their respective pellets. Maybe by the end of the week, same time as I'll probably be moving more micros into pellets.

My seed starting really ended up shuffling around a lot, next year I'll hopefully plan a little better, keep the peppers and tomatoes separate. I could buy a second coir tray, have one dedicated to peppers and the other to tomatoes and tomato-ish plants (ground cherries, if I enjoy growing them), and then also get a second 32-cell tray set for up-potting as they grow. I should consider investing in a new rack, too, since the one I have is just slightly too small to hold a tray, so it's kind of diagonal under the light. The one I have is so convenient for my indoor/outdoor set up, though. I really wish it was just a half-inch longer

I moved one of my aerogarden tomatoes, the Orange Hat, into a mason jar kratky-ish system. I'm thinking I'll gift it to my nephew for his birthday in a few weeks, along with its own dedicated grow light. My sister-in-law called me about killing a succulent plant (in a glass dish with no drainage, also no light source anywhere nearby), so I'm hoping with simple instructions, she'll be able to keep that alive for him, and he'll also be able to see the root system that's usually hidden from view. He will be turning 5 this spring and he's had the gardening bug since last year, growing berries and cucumbers (with some help from mom and dad I think )

The other aerogarden plants are doing well, Buena Mulata is chugging along getting more and more leaves, and the Jochalos has a few blooms going on. It's such a cute little plant, I'm so excited for it.

Anyway, that's probably about it for this rambly update. I gotta update the dates in my journal for all the sowing and germinating that's been happening, it's been so busy since March started!!! Then off to bed!

[jamiethemime]

Mail call! Quick Snack F1 cucumber seeds arrived! I immediately chucked two into aerogarden sponges in glass jars, along with some spider plant babies since they're supposed to help things root more readily (idk if that logic applies to seeds like it does for other plant props but rn I'll try anything), hoping to get at least get a start before my nephew's birthday. Fingers crossed!

Other than that not much huge has happened, a few more tomato varieties have germinated and I just started basil and oregano under the lights.

[jamiethemime]

I have so many little baby plants now!

Jochalos still doing well


Orange Hat looking good in its new home, ready to be gifted!


Successfully removed helmets from both of my Quick Snack cucumbers. This one is a little further along so it gets the coveted Aerogarden spot until it's time to get its own Kratky jar for gifting to my nephew as well. In just an hour since removing the helmet, it's already noticeably growing too. So glad both seeds started so I can grow along with my nephew's plant.


Lots of micros peeking up!


The biggest pinatas and Aji charapitas in their new 4" pots


Buena Mulatas in the front, and my ground cherries, dwarf, and cherry tomatoes springing up in the background.

We just had yet another big snowstorm, ugh. When does spring finally start?

[bower]

Ditto here, the snow is just not going away. But there's no better way to fight it than what you've got going!

[jamiethemime]

MAJOR UPDATE



MY FIRST EVER TOMATO

edit to add: for any curious, it's a Jochalos

[jamiethemime]

Ditto here, the snow is just not going away. But there's no better way to fight it than what you've got going!

It has gone away and we've gotten 40-50 degree days... and then another snowstorm comes along to kill the springy mood. It's so sunny and nice today, a bunch of the snow is melting. Tomorrow is going to hit mid fifties and probably melt nearly all of it and then, guess what, next day predicts snow.

[jamiethemime]

And I just spotted a tomato on the Orange Hat as well!

Moved all remaining un-germinated seeds to seed starter mix, if they decide to join us, that's great, but now that I have at least one start of everything I'm not stressing about it.

[jamiethemime]

Back from a weekend away and all of my seedlings survived! At least 4 little tomatoes growing on my aerogarden Jochalos. Lots of growth on the micro tomato seedlings, true leaves on the ground cherries are popping up, my oregano has sprouted, and, by some miracle, I convinced my partner to stop at the greenhouse on the way home from our long, long drive.


Spearmint, which immediately got a new home in a 6" pot. I thought I had grabbed a mojito mint, but saw the spearmint tag when I got home. Oh well, I've never been able to tell much difference between all the mints anyway (nobody @ me lol)


Left: Tricolor sage (isn't this gorgeous? I haven't seen it before)
Right: Spicy globe basil (holy moly this one smells AMAZING, way better than the Genovese basil I usually grow)

And no pic, but I also picked up a new medicinal Aloe. I froze mine this winter, whoops.

New lights arriving tomorrow per UPS, but for now everyone's crowded around the aerogarden.

[jamiethemime]

Okay, unpacked and able to get the real update pics:


I think I've let the Buena Mulata get too big before trimming back in the aerogarden, it's going pretty nuts lol. We'll see how it goes for now before we do anything drastic.


Quick Snack F1 has a true leaf! Will likely move to a kratky jar in the next few weeks.



Love my little Jochalos! Nothing really to report, but we're getting more tomatoes! Did the full water change on the aerogarden unit and a little root trim for this guy and the Buena Mulata.


Spare Aji Charapita got its own kratky jar. Definitely heard some roots snap when trying to stuff this into an aerogarden sponge so I'm happy to see it didn't just die while we were away.


Baby continues to be my most shy micro tomato, only one sprouted, but at least it's growing pretty fast. Odd though, the other three micros have been super vigorous and easy to germinate.
Buena Mulatas are doing better in soil than the aerogarden unit, I think.
True leaves on the ground cherries are coming in, looking forward to more growth on these guys.


Various indeterminate and dwarf tomato seedlings chugging along. Nothing super notable here.


The coir plugs are looking good still! I gave up on one Vilma seed that never sprouted, and one pinata that never did either.


Way in the back and completely out of focus are the genovese basil which has 4 lil sprouts, and the oregano has 2 which didn't dry out and die while we were away! They're so tiny I thought the surface would dry out too much in three days and they'd be goners, but very very pleased to not have to start over.
One Aji Charapita is looking particularly lush, but all three seem to like the larger pot vs. the coir pellets.
The pinatas are also growing steadily in their new larger pots.
Only just transplanted the Orange Hats to 4" pots, their roots were growing out the side of the net on the pellets, so they really wanted a new home. I do cut the net off the pellets before transplanting, and I was trying to be delicate but did end up tearing a few roots Luckily these guys don't seem to mind abuse.

I was considering earlier about getting a second coir tray and a second 32-cell tray but honestly it might be better to skip the pellets and go straight for the second tray and seedling starter mix. The coir pellets are simply too small, dry out too fast, and removing the netting before transplanting is a pain that's really not necessary.
I also have 2 other kratky jars I didn't photograph because the Vilma micro tomato and the basil seedling both look identical to what's in pots/pellets.

[jamiethemime]

It's I'm bored so let's update the plant log o'clock!



Tomatoes coming along on the Jochalos! I ordered some cheapo paint brushes on amazon to pollinate stuff, been doing that daily and there are so many lil tomatoes growing omg


Aji Charapita and Vilma Kratky jars


Basil and Quick Snack F1 Kratky jars.


Herb central! The basil was soooo pot bound it needed to be split up so bad. I went in with a knife and just quartered the plant. I was expecting a BIG tantrum from the roots being super disturbed but tbh it didn't seem to react to being potted up at all! I also took off a bunch of the tips to encourage bushier growth and not at all to try it on a sandwich It was delicious.


The big tray! Had a minor scare with overwatering, all the ground cherries spat out a true leaf, but it was a paaale yellow. Now I'm letting them dry out and they're slowly turning green. I apparently watered too soon after the big soak from the weekend away. Hopefully that will be a lesson learned on over-babying. Also, the mini oscillating fan I'd had in my amazon wishlist went on sale so I snapped it up! it's WAY better than the dinky USB fan I've been using.


The Aji Charapitas seem to really like their larger pots they're growing really nice and full! The pinatas also look like they're growing into super bushy cute plants!


Lastly, some more pinatas and micro tomatoes!

[bower]

So nice to see little tomatoes already! You've got an indoor jungle going there...

[jamiethemime]

So nice to see little tomatoes already! You've got an indoor jungle going there...

Definitely a jungle, last week when my partner tried to go to bed early, he stormed back out of the bedroom (where the aerogarden lives) and said, "can you at least put the plants where I can still reach the light switch!?" Of course, the super crowded placement was just temporary until my new lights came in now there's at least a 1/2" space to reach the light!

[davood]

now there's at least a 1/2" space to reach the light!

Just enough space for a couple more plants!!