More seeds

Getting a little excited about the tomato seedlings, so I started some peppers as well. These were old seeds, no way to know if they'll grow, except to germinate them. Some date back to 2006. The newest are dated 2008. Varieties included "Bulgarian Carrot", "Big Red" and a Cayenne pepper. I planted 3 seeds per pellet, 2 pellets each, so if one of 6 grow, I get a plant. If they don't germinate, it's not a problem. There will be plenty of plants available at the nursery in late May, which is when they go into the ground. I planted the seeds in the same coconut-husk pellets that I used for tomatoes. Better pic here of the cups I up-potted the tomato seedlings in, same manufacturer as the pellets. The pellets are called "Planter's Pride." The cups are called "Fiber Grow" and website is www.saveourpeatbogs.com I like these. The tomato seeds started at least equally well to starting in peat. Compared to peat, the product seems a little less hydrophobic, allowing better hydration. The pots are more porous than peat pots. I don't know in the long run if that's good or bad, but so far they seem no worse and possibly a little better than peat-based products. So far, "like".

Tomato Seedlings

Still struggling with computer programs. The editor that I bought seems to automatically remove pixels, and the photos are less crisp. My review at the momenr of "Phot Explosion" is that it sucks. So, I downloaded Picasa, which is easier to use, and free, but removed all of my cropping. I also worry that, being from google, it might upload onto the internet without my knowing, or collect information. Plus, this program now unedits some of my edits. Damn programmers..... but here we are. Here are the tomato seedlings in their original "pellets". The pellets are coconut-based fiber, much mroe environmentally friendly than peat. They worked really well. The seedlings are 2 weeks from bare seed. Amazingly fast. It's still not too late to start tomato seeds here - about 6 weeks from time to plant outside. I may start some peppers now. They go in even later. These were all old tomato seeds, up to 6 years old. They all sprouted. Roots are sticking out of the sides, as long as an inch outside the pellets. Time to replant them. This is the coconut-fiber based product I'm using for plantable containers. I've placed a couple of spoon-fulls of organic potting soil into the containers, then added the tomato seedlings, still in their pellets. I've added more organic potting soil to fill in around the pellets, then covered them as well, then watered them in. Here is the lighting setup that I'll use for a few weeks. It doesn't seem as bright as last year. Maybe the bulbs need time to warm up. Or need replacing. They are 20-watt bulbs. Gardening blooks usually call for 40-watt, but these are half as long, so half the wattage. I added some foil to reflect light back onto the seedlings. The plnats are only a few inches from the bulbs. The short distance maximizes the impact of the lights. They are cool bulbs, so no concern about burning. They do warm the air a little, which is beneficial. Overall I'm pleased with the seedlings. I did not order new seeds at all this year. Except the coconut-fiber pellets and pots, I did not buy new supplies. The plastic contaners are old. I may size them up one more time, this time into plastic pots, when they outgrow the current containers. The seedlings are all varieties that I like: Lemon Boy (favorite #1), Better Boy (favorite #2), Cherokee Purple (favorite #2), Black Krim (favorite #3), Supersweet 100 (favorite #4), 4th of July (second chance at becoming a favorite, pretty good last year and produced before the others). I have 3 plants of each variety, so 15 plants total. They will go into 3 beds of 5 each, more or less. Last year was a bad tomato year, partly climate and partly I was overworked and could not tend them. This year is already starting out better.

Mission Impossible: But it will be done.

Eradication of 3 of the worst invasives in my yard. Fortunately, none of them were started by me. Each year, I try pulling them out. Even one or two remaining leads to repopulation with these obnoxious weeds. When I pull them up, the rhizomes break, and new plants grow form the nodes. They re-seed like crazy. OK, I'm tired of this endless futile battle. This year, 2011, I'm declaring war. Lemon Balm. The yard was full of them 9 years ago when I bought this house. I made the mistake of leaving a few plants. Unfortunately, they grew and spread new plants all over the yard. This year, I am using Worry Free, an organic weed killer. Has a nice citrus scent. Every time I see a Lemon Balm plant, I spray again. They are dying off. I will continue to seek and destroy them. By summer, there will be no more. Canada thistle. Not as bad, but pulling them out doesn't kill the parent rhizome. One side border now has lawn, trailing around fruit trees. Repeated mowing will do the job. As it turns out, Worry Free quickly kills the new sprouts. I don't know yet if the plant carries the substance into the rhizome, but I have confidence that repeated killing will remove this pest from my yard for the first time in 9 years. Goutweed. This is the worst. Invasive as hell. The chickens love to eat it, but leaving any for them results in re-infestation. Areas that I have cleared are highly reinfested again. Repeated applications of Worry Free don't seem to kill the parent rhizome. Digging results in spreading of rhizomes. I hate to say it, but if no improvement with repeated applications of Worry Free, I may resort to Roundup. Not my favorite thought, but some organic authors don't have problems with roundup, which is biodegradable, and my use will be very limited. That's if I use it. This damn plant has got to go. In addition, I have ambitions to remove English Ivy, Himalayan Blackberry, and Garlic Mustard Weed. This last was a "gift" "nice groundcover" that I accepted and planted in ignorance. The infested area is relatively small, so I should be able to remove it. Again, digging doesnt work, so more Worry Free. The ivy and blackberry will have to be pulled out.

Intergeneric orchid Stefan Isler

Really lovely. There are 4 spikes. Im proud of myself, getting this to bloom. These are the first flowers to open - I expect many.

The season begins. Peaches and plums in bloom.

This is garden gold peach. There are traces of leaf curl on the new leaves. Leaf curl usually starts small then dominates. I'll be watching. If it's bad, that means no way to gtrow genetic dwarf peaches in my area without bagging them in plastic for the winter or heavy sprays. I did spray belated with micro-cop but might have been too little too late. Depends on how bad it is. I might cut these down and replace with "resistant" varieties next spring, if they don't produce.

Shiro plum. The most blooms so far. I did the "bee" thing and went back and forth between Shiro, Hollywood, and Trilite Peach-Plum.

The front border. Tri-lite peach-plum is in bloom with pink flowers. Quite lovely.

Hollywood plum. This tree is so lovely, it doesn't have to fruit to be worth having. But I hope it does. The plums are tasty and beautiful.

Bonanza miniature peach. Or is it Pondorosa - I get those mixed up. Tiny tree but lots of flowers.