I just moved most of the germinated peppers to pots and set em under the lights. The were way easier to start on a napkin because their roots are super fuzzy rather than stringy like the tomatoes were. They were very easy to handle. The cayenne seeds I used were super old and I haven't seen movement from them yet. No movement from the Chile de Arbol either. The CA wonder bells (new seeds) are starting slower than expected, about the same rate as the jalapenos which were a bit old. I'll give em a couple more days and then set them on a germination mat in case temperature is playing a part here. The house is usually in the mid 60s-71F and they are domed in a window with colder outside temps, so the temps might be a little low for activity. I'm thinking beginning of April will be when I start my zucchini, squash, melons, luffa, cucumbers. These things tend to grow really freaking fast and I don't want to outgrow my indoor space before they can be transplanted. I think early May is when they are recommending summer garden plants around here. The daytimes are often great but it always cools off a lot at night. This is great for summer production but pushes my start date out later than I'm used to.
Thanks to some helpful tips on here, in particular from bewildered, I now have a modest -- for me -- garden going. Thyme, rosemary, mint, cilantro, oregano, red and green bell peppers and I'm getting basil tomorrow. Currently on day 3 of having them in planters and so far none of them have died. That's quite an accomplishment for me.
Woohoo! You're so welcome. Anytime you have a question feel free to ask. I have loved to garden since I was a kid and it is a big passion of mine. Glad to hear your new babies are still living it up on your deck. As long as you protect them from the worst of your afternoon texas sun and water reguarly they should do great. I'm sure you're using miracle grow potting soil or similar and that stuff is made to have decent drainage and food for a season. It's when you start putting stuff in the ground, needing to fertilize, composting, and mixing your own soil blends that it can get complicated.
Yeah I'm fine with them in pots for now. Easier to move if they don't like an area. We have a shitload of cedar mulch laying around from some brush clearing operations, so I grabbed a bucket of that and might spread some on top of the soil once it gets a little hotter to help regulate the moisture a little better. My thinking is that the mulch should absorb a lot of the moisture so it'd be more difficult to over-water, but on the flip side won't it also protect the soil to keep it from drying out? Also, mosquitoes here are best killed with a small shotgun, so any excuse to have cedar mulch near living spaces is great.
Looked it up and it appears that's a myth. Or at least, it generally is. Apparently it stems from the fact that if mulch is manufactured incorrectly it can sour, which is where the problem sometimes occurs (ours was put through a wood chipper on side and kept in where it landed around the ranch). Regardless, I hadn't considered that mulch might cause an environment conducive to mold, so for that reason the negatives outweigh the benefits, to me at least. And for that reason I'm gonna hold off with it. Thanks for the heads up! Never woulda learned that if you hadn't mentioned it.
RotN, I would put a few inches of straw on once the heat arrives. You will be watering containers daily in full summer. the straw will help. Just saying.
I’m disappointed I had saved some seeds of some great scotch bonnets I had been growing. Seeds are probably 3 years old and I’ve had a piss poor germination rate. 1 of 20 seeds. Bought a dedicated heat mat just for germination.
Yep, straw is a good one. You really need mulch where you're at. Personally I use straw from the duck coop which has a bunch of poop in it. It's not hot like chicken poo so I get the benefits of mulch for uniform moisture with a bit of constant fertilizer.
How disappointing. How long have you waited? Some of mine took way longer than expected to wake up. I didn't germinate anything I saved myself this year. I'm also worried that my san marzano romas tomatoes hybridized but I might try em out next year anyway.
Super hots do take a while but it’s been over a week and a half. Not lost all hope but not sure they were stored properly. I’ve done tomatoes 2-3 years down the line and they sprout 90+% in less than a week. Hybridization actually happens less than people assume. You have to really be trying to have it happen. I’ve never sequestered my uncles heirlooms from the rest of my varieties and it’s never happened spontaneously in the 5 or so years I’ve been growing them.
That is awesome to know because I saved a fuckton of seeds from the romas. I tried to use up some of the older seeds that I bought a few years ago this season but will definitely use the saved seeds next season and then just save some from those fruits. Everything I grew was an heirloom so it should come back pretty true from seed, if hybridization isn't as frequent like you say.
Ok quick question: did I plant too much in one pot? And if so, what do I do? Because I didn't expect them to get so big so quickly and now I'm a bit concerned, though I think now might be the time to salvage whatever rather than later. Here's the setup. In one of these 15 inch diameter planters, I have three plants of each -- in a roughly triangle pattern to evenly space them -- in one pot: - rosemary - thyme - oregano - cilantro - mint - basil Would the stronger plants just kill off the weak ones and then I just let them compost on the soil? Or should I try to re-pot like one of each plant? Or will it all be fine considering I'm going to use a ton of herbs anyway and give away a bunch more too? Also, I have a food dehydrator. Anyone have opinions on how well those work on herbs?
Yeah you kinda did. Herbs get big. Rosemary is sculpted into ornamental bushes in some parts of the country. The thyme and oregano are more creeping in nature and will just drape over the sides. Cilantro, mint, and basil are more soft stemmed and small habit forming. You really need to be harvesting the basil and cilantro regularly or it will bolt (form flower heads) which is basically the end of the life cycle for the plant, making it more woody, less tasty, and done once the flowers seed. Overcrowding means they are competing for sunlight with each other and sucking up water faster than you can give it to them. A root system is usually at least as big as the full plant on top. If I were you I would buy a few more pots and at least put the ones that are bound to get huge in their own separate container. Can't speak for the food dehydrator. I think Nett has used one on his peppers before but I don't own one. If I want to dry herbs I usually just tie them in a bunch and hang them upside down. It's stupid easy.
So would you put one plant per pot? Or take one out and just re-pot that? They've only been in the planters a few days so I think now would be the time to address it.
To be honest the pic is kinda small and I can't really see what is going on. I would for sure split up the rosemary plants. Oregano and thyme will fill up those containers really fast but should just drape over the sides, so that's up to you. The basil is small now and it really depends on how much/fast you're using it. I probably wouldn't do more than 2 basil plants per container though and that is with frequent clipping.
Ok yeah rosemary was the only one I wasn't worried about. We use it like absolutely crazy, and there's at least a dozen or so people I know who will take some. Plus once it gets larger, the plan is to take it out of the pot anyway and move it to an area in the front that actually used to be a garden when we moved here. Thing is about 15 feet in diameter raised bed, surrounded by rock and has a hose spigot dead center which I'd use for an automatic watering setup.
You can always repot later. Rosemary easily get 3-5' in a season. And the fresh stuff is way stronger than dried so a little goes a long way.