Stickman's 2014 Glog- That's all folks!

stickman · Mar 16, 2014

meatfreak said:
Good to hear you got your pc problems fixed, you need it in time so you can post your dawn patrols reports again

Thanks Stefan... in fact, 3 of the 5 tomato varieties I planted today are yours... the Costoluto Fiorentino, Datterini and Sacharnaja Sliwa Krasnaja. I also planted seeds for some green Tomatillos and a Yellow slicing tomato from Scarecrw called Dagma's Perfection. The next major milestone is to transplant the onion seedlings when the scallions I left in the ground to OW start to grow new tops... I'll start my herb and flower seeds for companion plantings then too.

Cheers all!

meatfreak · Mar 16, 2014

stickman said:
Thanks Stefan... in fact, 3 of the 5 tomato varieties I planted today are yours... the Costoluto Fiorentino, Datterini and Sacharnaja Sliwa Krasnaja. I also planted seeds for some green Tomatillos and a Yellow slicing tomato from Scarecrw called Dagma's Perfection. The next major milestone is to transplant the onion seedlings when the scallions I left in the ground to OW start to grow new tops... I'll start my herb and flower seeds for companion plantings then too.

Cheers all!

That's an excellent choice

The Sacharnaja Sliwa Krasnaja are also very suitable for making dried tomatoes. I started mine 3 weeks ago. They are working on their second pair of true leaves, I'm gonna harden them off this week so I can bring them to the poly tunnel. They aren't getting enough light inside and it's to warm so they are stretching already. Went for 11 varieties this year, half of those are sauce tomatoes. Haven't started on the herbs I want yet but it's still early for Basil and such. Do have eggplant this year also?

stickman · Mar 16, 2014

meatfreak said:
That's an excellent choice The Sacharnaja Sliwa Krasnaja are also very suitable for making dried tomatoes. I started mine 3 weeks ago. They are working on their second pair of true leaves, I'm gonna harden them off this week so I can bring them to the poly tunnel. They aren't getting enough light inside and it's to warm so they are stretching already. Went for 11 varieties this year, half of those are sauce tomatoes. Haven't started on the herbs I want yet but it's still early for Basil and such. Do have eggplant this year also?

I'm really into using sun-dried tomatoes in my hot sauces, so that seems serindipitous! I use the cherry tomatoes fresh during the growing season and dry them for winter use in September. Now I'll add the Russian plum tomatoes to that list as well. Do you know if they're good for making spaghetti sauce?

I have the large purple Italian Eggplants started, and also some striped, green Thai Eggplants for vegetable curries. The Parsley is sprouting now, but no sign of life from the Ajwain seeds. I'll have to order some meant for planting in next year's grow I guess.

The Brown Egg seeds I got from the fellow who developed the Bhut Orange Copenhagen were a total washout this year. I planted the whole packet and only got one non-viable sprout. To fill the gap, I started some Sang Cho seeds... a Korean sweet paprika type I got from BootsieB. They've broken dormancy in some rockwool plugs, and when they've fully sprouted I'll transfer them to 3.5 inch pots.

Cheers!

PeriPeri · Mar 16, 2014

Great news on the digital woes being solved! Can't wait to see the catchup pics...

meatfreak · Mar 16, 2014

stickman said:
I'm really into using sun-dried tomatoes in my hot sauces, so that seems serindipitous! I use the cherry tomatoes fresh during the growing season and dry them for winter use in September. Now I'll add the Russian plum tomatoes to that list as well. Do you know if they're good for making spaghetti sauce?

I have the large purple Italian Eggplants started, and also some striped, green Thai Eggplants for vegetable curries. The Parsley is sprouting now, but no sign of life from the Ajwain seeds. I'll have to order some meant for planting in next year's grow I guess.

The Brown Egg seeds I got from the fellow who developed the Bhut Orange Copenhagen were a total washout this year. I planted the whole packet and only got one non-viable sprout. To fill the gap, I started some Sang Cho seeds... a Korean sweet paprika type I got from BootsieB. They've broken dormancy in some rockwool plugs, and when they've fully sprouted I'll transfer them to 3.5 inch pots.

Cheers!

Yeah, they are perfect for pasta sauce also. You can use them for everything, it really has an rich tomato flavor. Not the best picture but to give you an idea of the yield

That's funny, I also have the Italian eggplant this year. My parents got me some seeds from Italy last year. Got about 18 plants going now but will give some away of course

Also have the Bianca Rosa, but that's more for it's looks. No Tomatillo for me this year since I don't want to many stuff in my garden. Gonna sow Mexican Sour Gherkin, Zucchini and 2 types of cucumber in April. Already got flat Parsley from the volunteers, but will also add garlic chive (Chinese Chive), Thai Magic Basil, Green Joy Basil, Dark Opal Basil and Genovese Basil. Of course I won't forget the Cilantro

maximumcapsicum · Mar 16, 2014

Sounds like everything is coming along! Sadly I started the tomatoes way too early ( same time as annuums) and they got too big too fast. Been pruning leaves off em, hoping to plant most of them as stem buried in the ground. Should get a ton of roots right?

stickman · Mar 16, 2014

PeriPeri said:
Great news on the digital woes being solved! Can't wait to see the catchup pics...

Oh yeah... the dam will burst then for sure...

meatfreak said:
Yeah, they are perfect for pasta sauce also. You can use them for everything, it really has an rich tomato flavor. Not the best picture but to give you an idea of the yield

That's funny, I also have the Italian eggplant this year. My parents got me some seeds from Italy last year. Got about 18 plants going now but will give some away of course Also have the Bianca Rosa, but that's more for it's looks. No Tomatillo for me this year since I don't want to many stuff in my garden. Gonna sow Mexican Sour Gherkin, Zucchini and 2 types of cucumber in April. Already got flat Parsley from the volunteers, but will also add garlic chive (Chinese Chive), Thai Magic Basil, Green Joy Basil, Dark Opal Basil and Genovese Basil. Of course I won't forget the Cilantro

Good enough Stefan... I love Eggplant too! There are so many ways to prepare it and I love the creamy "mouthfeel" of properly prepared Eggplant. :drooling:

I'll be interested in hearing your review for the Mexican Sour Gherkins... there's a seed company here in the States called Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds that has seeds for them, as well as the Rat-Tail Radish and a host of others. Last year I grew the summer squash from Korea called a Ho Bak... looking very much like a short, fat Zucchini with pale skin like the Italian types and buttery yellow flesh. It was particularly good sliced, battered and fried or shredded and stirred into Korean pancake batter and fried... then served with a soy/sesame oil/rice vinegar based dipping sauce. Of course you have to stir in a few grams of Gochu powder too...

I'd highly recommend it if you're interested in Asian foods.

One other thing... those Asian Garlic Chives are invasive if you don't keep them held back by cutting back the edges of the bed you have them planted in. If you have chipmunks or moles digging up your veggies, they're good at repelling them though, so that may be another reason to grow them.

maximumcapsicum said:
Sounds like everything is coming along! Sadly I started the tomatoes way too early ( same time as annuums) and they got too big too fast. Been pruning leaves off em, hoping to plant most of them as stem buried in the ground. Should get a ton of roots right?

Sorry to hear that Adam... hopefully you could clone some shorter plants by topping the ones you have going now, dipping the cut end in some rooting powder and putting the slips in prepared growing medium like rockwool. PaulG is a past master of the technique... you might want to contact him about it. Cheers!

JJJessee · Mar 16, 2014

Good to see you'll be fully back on line soon, Rick.
Ya'll will have to keep me posted on the Sacharnaja Sliwa Krasnaja.
I'm a sucker for a saucy tomato.

maximumcapsicum · Mar 17, 2014

Thanks Rick! I'll check with Paul as soon as I get to a computer (hard to MSG on the mobile app). The tops all look healthy, but it's clear the lower branches aren't getting water or light. Tomatoes need to start two weeks to a month after annuums.

georgej · Mar 18, 2014

All looking great Rick! Seedlings are beautiful!

stickman · Mar 18, 2014

georgej said:
All looking great Rick! Seedlings are beautiful!

Thanks G... those are a few weeks old now. The most recent won't be up before we get our replacement laptop at the end of the week. We're doing good here, but not holding a candle to Jericson, Scott and Shane... living in the south has some advantages...

JJJessee said:
Good to see you'll be fully back on line soon, Rick.
Ya'll will have to keep me posted on the Sacharnaja Sliwa Krasnaja.
I'm a sucker for a saucy tomato.

Sure JJJ... I got the seeds from Stefan (meatfreak)... he has a good eye, and I'm sure it's a great variety if he grew it.

maximumcapsicum said:
Tomatoes need to start two weeks to a month after annuums.

Good luck with taking cuttings from your Tomatoes! Agreed on the timing... I start my Eggplants 6 weeks before last frost and my Tomatoes 4 weeks before.

Parsley is sprouting for me now... first time I was ever able to do that, and I'm psyched! Hopefully the Tomatoes will be hooking in the next day or two. I have some Culantro that broke dormancy yesterday and I planted some Tansy then as well.

Cheers all!

meatfreak · Mar 18, 2014

Thanks for the head up on the Asian Chives, I was already planning on keeping it in a pot

The tomatoes over here have been going outside for the first time, the weather has gotten back to normal but I want to harden them off first in the back of my own garden before I bring them to the poly tunnel.

Devv · Mar 18, 2014

I started tomatoes in January, and have been the last few years. Yes the get leggy, but I snip all the leaves except the top 5-6"s and bury the stems along the flow of the ditches I plant in. All this buried stem turns to root. The ones I put in the first hoop house are now almost 18"s tall and are ready to rock. Some have set already. I don't know of any other plant one can get a way with but I read up on them over 30 years ago and have been burying since. One other thing I learned is that they can tolerate much colder weather than peppers, I won't bring them in unless it's going to frost or freeze here, but our weather is way different than most of the country. Example 45° this AM and 86° this afternoon, so our cold is usually short lived. Not like wake up and 45° and 50° for high .

Can't wait for the flood Rick!

georgej · Mar 18, 2014

Yeah it's tough in the cold!
It's only just stopped frosts here and the plum and cherry blossoms are beginning to pop in the warm sun.

Only a few months, it's gonna be high 30s C and huge humidity! Hoping to move in June and I can perhaps rig something to help the babies cope in the sun better!

meatfreak · Mar 18, 2014

Devv said:
I started tomatoes in January, and have been the last few years. Yes the get leggy, but I snip all the leaves except the top 5-6"s and bury the stems along the flow of the ditches I plant in. All this buried stem turns to root. The ones I put in the first hoop house are now almost 18"s tall and are ready to rock. Some have set already. I don't know of any other plant one can get a way with but I read up on them over 30 years ago and have been burying since. One other thing I learned is that they can tolerate much colder weather than peppers, I won't bring them in unless it's going to frost or freeze here, but our weather is way different than most of the country. Example 45° this AM and 86° this afternoon, so our cold is usually short lived. Not like wake up and 45° and 50° for high .

Can't wait for the flood Rick!

Had to do the same thing last year, Scott and indeed it worked out just fine. Tomatoes are like a weed, you have to do pretty extreme things before it dies just like that

stickman · Mar 19, 2014

meatfreak said:
Thanks for the head up on the Asian Chives, I was already planning on keeping it in a pot The tomatoes over here have been going outside for the first time, the weather has gotten back to normal but I want to harden them off first in the back of my own garden before I bring them to the poly tunnel.

meatfreak said:
Had to do the same thing last year, Scott and indeed it worked out just fine. Tomatoes are like a weed, you have to do pretty extreme things before it dies just like that

Good luck with your plant-out Stefan, and cheers on the heads-up... it seems like people all around me are getting things in the ground, hopefully it won't be much longer here. I was looking at a picture from this time last year, and there was snow on the ground then too, so nothing out of the ordinary... :rolleyes:

Last year I put down red plastic mulch for my Tomatoes for the first time, and they absolutely loved it! I think they got at least 20% bigger than they usually do for me, and having clean tomatoes because the rain wasn't splashing mud on them was a bonus. The plastic mulch makes hand-watering them a little trickier but I solved that problem by cutting off the bottoms of half-liter water bottles and burying them next to the plants with the small end down and 2cms of the other end above ground. I'd just fill the bottle and let it slowly perk down into the ground next to the plant's roots. When we finally get a water line run out to the garden I'll just put a soaker hose under the plastic mulch and hook it up to a hose timer.

Devv said:
I started tomatoes in January, and have been the last few years. Yes the get leggy, but I snip all the leaves except the top 5-6"s and bury the stems along the flow of the ditches I plant in. All this buried stem turns to root. The ones I put in the first hoop house are now almost 18"s tall and are ready to rock. Some have set already. I don't know of any other plant one can get a way with but I read up on them over 30 years ago and have been burying since. One other thing I learned is that they can tolerate much colder weather than peppers, I won't bring them in unless it's going to frost or freeze here, but our weather is way different than most of the country. Example 45° this AM and 86° this afternoon, so our cold is usually short lived. Not like wake up and 45° and 50° for high .

Can't wait for the flood Rick!

Oh yeah, 'maters really like the head start under the low row cover. I've occasionally gotten some frosted leaves under it if it's leaking air, but only on the peppers and eggplant. The tomatoes just hang.

Good to know what to do about leggy plants that got started too early. It's a great technique, and I'll try to remember it if I ever need it in future. Glad to hear your plants are doing well outside, and we're pulling for pods by May for you.

georgej said:
Yeah it's tough in the cold!
It's only just stopped frosts here and the plum and cherry blossoms are beginning to pop in the warm sun.

Only a few months, it's gonna be high 30s C and huge humidity! Hoping to move in June and I can perhaps rig something to help the babies cope in the sun better!

Good luck with that when you finally move G... I think shade cloth will be your friend then. I hear Cherry Blossom time is the opening of picnic season in Japan and some companies even give their workers the day off to enjoy it. I could really dig that here...

Have a great hump day all!

RocketMan · Mar 19, 2014

Ok, I hate having to play catch up

Computers, yeah I'm a tech guy and I like free stuff too so, I get my AV stuff free from Bright House, we get cable and internet service with them and get McAfee for free through them. Comcast does the same thing so check with your internet provider to see if they do the same thing. A lot of times the free online services, while fairly effective, can be a bit behind on getting their updates out.

Seedlings are looking good brother. Any idea how mush longer you have till you can plant out?

meatfreak · Mar 19, 2014

Sounds like a plan on the red mulch, didn't know that. Now I just ordered anti rootsheet to put over the ground, watering is easier as it runs through it. Like you said, the ground won't splash on the stems that easily.

stickman · Mar 19, 2014

RocketMan said:
Ok, I hate having to play catch up

Computers, yeah I'm a tech guy and I like free stuff too so, I get my AV stuff free from Bright House, we get cable and internet service with them and get McAfee for free through them. Comcast does the same thing so check with your internet provider to see if they do the same thing. A lot of times the free online services, while fairly effective, can be a bit behind on getting their updates out.

Seedlings are looking good brother. Any idea how mush longer you have till you can plant out?

I wish I could say for sure Bill, but we'll just have to see. Last year I got them in the ground by the end of April, and the year before that we had a warm spring, so I was able to plant by the middle of April. If this turns out to be a very cold, wet spring like the Old Farmer's Almanac predicts, I might not be able to get them in the ground before the middle of May... call it 8-10 weeks from the Vernal Equinox.

The new computer should be here tomorrow or Friday. Once we get it configured it'll be catchup time...

meatfreak said:
Sounds like a plan on the red mulch, didn't know that. Now I just ordered anti rootsheet to put over the ground, watering is easier as it runs through it. Like you said, the ground won't splash on the stems that easily.

Is that a spun-bonded black fabric? It sounds like what we call "landscaping fabric".

Devv · Mar 19, 2014

Rick, is that new laptop coming with Windows 8?

It probably will, mine did. The 8.1 update is free, but you have to run all the updates on 8 first or it doesn't show up in the store.

It's got a bit of a learning curve but once you figure it out it's not really bad. Before we rolled it out at work we demo-ed it for 60 days. Google the hot keys and setup the desktop and you're good to go.

Have fun with your new toy!