Growing some tasty stuff

I really miss having these colorful babies in my kitchen. That, together with a very persistent gardening itch that has been bothering me since early December, made me give in.

Here's to my first Glog and starting seeds just a tad bit early.

My set up is not as neat or organized as what I've been seeing here, as I've collected quite some different shaped seed trays over the years and have plenty of mismatching pots to go with that. Everything is set up for this growing season in the garage windowsill, making the garage my current happy place now that it's out.

Experience has thought me it's best if I start closer to the end of January, beginning of February, but hey, there's no fun in doing everything by the book, right? I've organized my seeds, reorganized them again and now there's nothing left to do.

So I've started the germination of a few seeds (one of each kind, I'm trying to restrain myself...) with the help of the Deno method and I planted a few in soil. Put them on a heating mat to make sure they're comfortable.

Deno method, to see if these seeds are still viable: Brandleka, Turkish kill - unknown variety, Corbaci and a Mistery pepper. As well as some Cocona fruit and Leonotis leonurus.

In soil:

Now what do I do with the coming days?

 

[Tinkerbelle]

that's very true

 

[Nulle]

Following your logic I'm waaaay late since I haven't put any seeds in soil yet and I'm even further north

 

[Ratatouille]

How do you do it, teach me. (I'm still saving up for a proper greenhouse.)

 

[PaulG]

Sorry to hear about your mom, @Ratatouille.
Always hard to lose a family member.

 

[Ratatouille]

Thanks @PaulG. I am missing her terribly, but comfort myself thinking she's reminiscing with my dad again now.

 

[Ratatouille]

In other news, I still have six pepper varieties I have not planted yet. Some old and some new. Shall I?

(Thinking about a name for my upcoming giveaway pepper plant shop. 'Mostly not so hot pepper plants' might be the one.)

 

[Ratatouille]

Soaking in tea, as it's what the cool kids do nowadays.

 

[Nulle]

Since I want to be cool too, I need to know if it's green, black, English Breakfast, Earl Grey, or Medova tea you're using because I wouldn't want to ruin my chance of coolness with the wrong tea

 

[Ratatouille]

Great question @Nulle! It's important to know the details.

I've heard through the grapevine it is supposed to be camomile or black tea. I don't have either, so I had some jasmin tea and used the second steap for my seeds. Green tea, scented with jasmin blossoms sounded like a perfect middle road.

 

[Tinkerbelle]

I don't think it really matters re: tea - although compared to water the tea soaked seedlings are putting out pedicules faster

 

[Ratatouille]

People, there are babies popping up everywhere. How come they're in such a hurry this year? I sowed this Sunday and now Piquillo, KS white Thai, Blended lemon, Butter cookie, Apricot apple, Aji mandarin, Pepperoncini and Golden nugget have sprouted, only two days later.

Please make it stop.

Before I know it, they'll be big and move out to their own place.

 

[Sulsa]

Is it just the picture or are that some strange round cotyledons? You sure they are peppers?

 

[Grass Snake]

Yeah that looks like lettuce just a guess but does look odd

 

[Ratatouille]

You're right! But it's rather strange, as the batch of soil was fresh, as was the vermiculite and the trays. I need to track down the origin of the seeds, but I don't think they're all from the same source. And I haven't started sowing anything else apart from some flowers.

They also pop up to the sides of the cells and I sowed the pepper seeds in the middle.

 

[Ratatouille]

I guess It's lettuce for dinner sooner then I thought.

 

[Tinkerbelle]

You've grown cuckoos by the looks of it

 

[Ratatouille]

Wait, this isn't the not so hot radish forum? My bad.

Found the culprit by the way. This weekend I've been rummaging through my seed basket near the potting table. (And here I was, thinking I grew some unexplainable faster-than-the-speed-of-light sprouting powers.)

 

[Ratatouille]

Some of my guerrilla not-peppers got their own pot for now.

I think I need to place them somewhere cooler, but I'll think about that another time.

 

[Ratatouille]

My seedling setup is in the garage and partly in the attic. Both areas are not heated and rather cold. I use heatmats, propagators and a sort of indoor poly tunnel (which all were free hand-me-downs) and a small fan. My growlights are led, so no extra heat from them. If I open the vents in the propagator, the temperature drops. With the heat and the cold, I get quite some condensation, even when I let the seedlings 'dry out' between watering. I haven't had mold issues (yet) with this set-up last year, but I am waiting for it to happen.

Do you guys think isolation might help? Like a styrofoam craft? I've been eyeballing grow tents, but am not keen on spending the money (that's for seeds and saving up for a proper greenhouse) or placing it in the garage next to the window and block out the light. (And investing in airflow or whatever those tents ask for.) Should I just suck it up and not overthink it?

You can see the moist on the leaves in the pic below.

And a bonus what-happened-here. Was it a helmet head that killed the cotyledon leaves?

 

[Tinkerbelle]

You're overthinking