In a couple weeks I will start the greenhouse up. trays are filled and ready for seeds. still cold here and ground freezes a little on top at night. Will chop up the ground where the onions go with the big tiller then run a horse over it just before planting. Makes the ground a little finer that way. Horse tines are smaller than the tractor tiller.
2025 Garden season
- Thread starter SONNY
- Start date
Ouch....
8 flats of 72/576 seeds started in cell trays in the germination chamber. Still a little room in the bottom and door for more 4 & 6 cell trays. Bottom shelf isn't as deep as the rest to make room for the compressor, etc. outside. Lots of space in the door shelves. Hope to get some 2nd Gen. Greenboy started along with some smaller head Copenhagen cabbage, Butter crunch lettuce and a dozen Brussels Sprouts today.
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Don McCombs
501 Club
I’m guessing that you put water in the crock pot?
Yes I do. I check it daily to see if it needs refilled. Cooler/cold temperatures makes the slow cooker operate more controlled by a heat mat thermostat that I mounted on the backside of the freezer cabinet. The water evaporating makes for a near perfect 90% -95% humidity level inside.
The seed starting media is mixed in a bucket with water and mixed up very wet. I sow the seeds, then place in the "chamber". With the high humidity, no watering is necessary until I pull them out to put in the greenhouse. This can be anywhere from 36 hrs. germinating onions and Marigolds, to 5 days with pepper plants. Cuts normal germination time in approx. half. I have used other methods of germinating seeds, but this has been the easiest and most productive. A person just has the check it 2X a day as some plants will grow fast and get leggy, don't ask how I know... I normally pull plants when they get around 2" tall.
But, even the leggy plants I had through the learning process did well, just a little more difficult to set. Otherwise, about half way through the growing season you couldn't tell the difference in plants compared to the second batch I started because I wasn't sure how they would grow and finish out.
workinonit
Well-known member
Planted the tomato plants yesterday. Also planted Watts and White Acre peas as well as an heirloom pea that I have saved.
Still too wet to till and it is drizzling. Set out tomato plants? Nope. Not around here. I'm going to plant seeds today or tomorrow, no hurry. Mini house in the greenhouse is running but only contains marigolds. Could plant peas but don't use enough to pay to do it. Ruhbarb is up and so are the weeds but again too wet. Garden from the inside a little longer. Vern
Tomatoes germinated in 60 hours. First pic is yesterday just before noon. Second picture is 24 hours later. Amazing how fast they can grow. Probably should have put them in the greenhouse last evening, but tractor club meeting ran a little late, and was raining pretty good by the time I got the feeding done. Hopefully they won't get too leggy.
Ones on the second shelf weren't getting as much light so moved them up after taking the ones off the top shelf. Should be big enough to put in the greenhouse here in a bit.
Will have to put them in the heated shop on Mon. & Tue. night as they are calling for a low of 25º Mon. and 27º Tue. overnight. Temps look to be reasonable the rest of the week.
Ones on the second shelf weren't getting as much light so moved them up after taking the ones off the top shelf. Should be big enough to put in the greenhouse here in a bit.
Will have to put them in the heated shop on Mon. & Tue. night as they are calling for a low of 25º Mon. and 27º Tue. overnight. Temps look to be reasonable the rest of the week.
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Finally got the garden rolled over Thursday evening, running about a week behind as I normally do because of the rain. No real problem as it will be another 3 weeks before I set/plant most items. Supposed to have 4 days with no rain so may at least get it worked down the first time over, and a small section to put onions & peas out, plus a cabbage plant I covered with a lot of leaves to keep from freezing, and replant to make seeds.
The 6" of leaf mulch I put around the pumpkins last year to keep the weeds down broke down very nice in the basically compost, and turned down nicely.
Man do I love this little 2 bottom plow, it does a dandy job.
The 6" of leaf mulch I put around the pumpkins last year to keep the weeds down broke down very nice in the basically compost, and turned down nicely.
Man do I love this little 2 bottom plow, it does a dandy job.
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I had a groundhog problem on the raised beds...had a problem. Apparently they can climb fences and 30" raised beds. Mowed down some 6 packs of veggies I had on deck. He was living under the shed and was bold. I did 3 things: I bought a conibear trap that I was going to put at the burrow entrance, I put out the live trap and baited it with cantelope and sliced celery and I bought poultry net with solar energizer. In spite of the low odds of catching it, I did catch it in the live trap before the other things arrived! Happy about that.
So I save the conibear trap for the next one and I put up the poultry netting which is inconvenient as heck for access...but there will be a next one and I do have rabbits and squirrels so that should help (I don't have deer).
So I save the conibear trap for the next one and I put up the poultry netting which is inconvenient as heck for access...but there will be a next one and I do have rabbits and squirrels so that should help (I don't have deer).
I use those little sulfur smoke bombs you get at places that sell fireworks in the hayfield. Get a bucket full of dirt on the backhoe, drive to the hole, throw in 3 smoke bombs, and fill the hole with dirt. Much cheaper than the one's they sell at TSC, or Rural King. Not sure I'd do it under a building though.
Don McCombs
501 Club
Glad you had success. Keep the trapping going. Where there’s one, there’s a hundred.
I guess you can say I officially started planting the garden yesterday. I reset a cabbage plant I mulched over last Fall to save to make seed this year. I actually covered 10 plants, but looks like the Deer pawed around and partially uncovered the rest and froze out. Was really hoping to save one of the second generation plants from last year to make seed, to see what I'd get from a 3rd generation. Guess I'll have to try again this year.
