Spring Tomato Garden 2006 - 1

Okay you peeps out there...now that it is official that all of us in the south have started our seedlings and y'all up north are not far behind...let's start posting our Spring 2006 photos and whatnot here (also the other thread was getting long).
This is pretty much the continuation of the Spring 06 Planning thread....
http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/566011/

Woohoo! Let's see some pictures! ;)

Michelleb

Well, my tomat sprouts are just 1 inch tall, wouldn't look like anything in a photo.

I am going to take some pictures this weekend. I just have cotyldons (

I am going to take some pics today as I am having a low pain day and I've been inactive on this forum to long! I have and am having a fantastic crop and it's time for me to get with it!

I'll try to get some updated pics this week-end also. they may not look very different in a picture, but to me they sure have grown! LOL
... Elaine

Yeah TP, I've wondered where your pictures have been! Glad you are feeling better today! Your surgery is next Wednesday, right?

Fool and Darius, I think it is fun to see them even as little sprouts....so bring it on!

Elaine, you know I would love to see yours too...I bet they have grown a lot!

Okay, here are my babies. The 6 packs with nothing were NOT planted. I started these in wet paper towels and transplanted to 6 packs.

I now have then under lights.

Darius -
They look great, but I notice that there is room for more! That would never happen in my house, LOL
Later, Suzi :)

OK Michelle--you asked for it! lol

These babies just got put out to harden off--they are just too big and rowdy plant lights anymore. All were started 1/7/2006. The two in the cleverly recycled home depot pots are a hanging basket variety a friend gave me--hey the mockingbirds gotta eat too right? They are being kept company by some "winter sowing" plants (flowers to be specific).

Debbie

Here's one a bit closer--they are going in the ground midweek. We aren't going to have a winter this year--I declare it over!

redbuds by moonlight anyone? can you say spring in Houston? Oops off task here....

Lovely photos, Deb! What are the cute little fan-like plants?

blackberry lily...believe it or not...there's also some native TX Columbines too.

Did I send those to you? I LOVE them. I've never grown them from seeds - yet! In fact, this is the first year I actually saved the seed - duh!

no....but they are easy. I winter sowed them down here....I grow almost everything from seed. I have a very mixed landscape. I think it eliminates insect problems and I have good soil I've worked up organically.

This batch is going into home-made EBs next weekend! I save my Pilot 44 oz styro cups year round for transplanting maters. The plants develop nice deep roots with these!

Mark

Here are some of my babies. :-)

Wow y'all..they are soooooo beeyooteeful!! I'm mighty impressed!! Y'all have a really good start out there.

Debbie, most of us Texans did kind of miss out on winter this year hu? Does that mean we will have a mild summer? wish wish wish. Anyway...our redbuds are blooming too. I have yellow irises blooming as well.

I just realized that I have not posted a pic of my lovely babies yet! I'll do that tomorrow. We just had our wonderful Chinese friends over for dinner. So now lots of clean up. So the picture will have to happen tomorrow.

Oooooh So pretty!!!! Me likey! ~ Suzi :)

MyRee - Which 12 varities are you starting??

Since it is only 4 miles to L Linda's, run, don't walk and volunteer to save her poor tired body the work and grab some of hers, after all, you need more than 12 dif varities! LOL

Welcome to our own little insane asylum Marie, don't worry, it is contagious and the addiction multiplies exponetienally! Yay!! ~ Suzi :)

Okay, here's a couple pics of my babies now that they've grown a bit.

Now here's another view.

Okay, y'all asked for pics, so here's another one. LOL

Okay, this is the last one ... promise!

Elaine...VERY nice maters friend. You done good sista!

Here is a picture of the ones I started on 1/31.

Edited b/c it posted twice. sorry y'all....

This message was edited Feb 25, 2006 3:33 PM

Here are the babies I started a week later..2/6. These seeds courtesy of our lovely and talented Saint.

How 'bout a close up of some of the babies? So, do y'all think it is time for me to put them in 2" pots yet? These are the ones on 1/31 that have their true set of leaves coming out. The Sungold babies are very lanky so I know those will have to be buried deep. Let me know what y'all think.

The babies planted 2/6 will not be ready yet b/c they are just now beginning to get their second leaves.

thanks, Michelleb

Sweet 100's are lanky too...

are they ready to be potted up?

Representing the North, what would a thread be without some insight from some northerners(Go Yanks!!!?) I start some maters early every year and I give them out as gifts to my friends and family members that like to get off to an early start, rather than paying $4 to $5 bucks a plant for what I give them, at a local nursery. Danny

Danny, those look great...when did you start them?

Michelle, I'm not sure exactly, about 3-4 weeks ago, or so. I started mine similar to yours, and I pulled off, or cut off the plastic around my peat pellets, and buried my maters in individual cell packs(6 packs), in potting soil. About an inch from their tops, and then I watered them with a diluted fertilizer to lesson the blow via the shock of transplanting. Good Luck, Danny

Well whatever you did Danny...you did right b/c they look super. I plan on taking the netting off the pellets and then putting them deep into 2 or 3" peat pots until they are ready to go outside for hardening off and then planting. The peat pots worked great for me last year. I know a lot of DG peeps don't like them, but I do. Maybe once I get more experienced, I too, will not like pellets or peat pots. But for now, they do great.

Thanks!
Michelle

Wow, everyone sure has some mighty fine lookin babies! ;) Mon y'all. Let's see some more pics!
... elaine

well the DH says our yellow leaf problem is we watered to much..humf! but what does he know he's only an Ag eng & Env Eng! I still think they should pull through but darn if it doesn't tick me off...anyone have any helpful hints for moi? And no, killing the DH isn't going to help...he's the bank for this lill hobby....hum....

Here is the first tray I started and transplanted. Sowed the seed on January 28.

araness are the entire leaves yellow, or just the first leaves that emerge after planting?

I guess I still thought I was in 9b California - started my toms in January - and our last frost here in 6b NV won't be for months, yet. My leggy folks got a grow light and got transplanted deep up to their necks and are doing well now. My second batch have just started on their true leaves and are much stockier and happier, having set under grow lights their whole little lives. The transplants are currently in 9 oz plastic cups (they were free cups) and will soon be transplated up into the large plastic soda cups you get at Taco Bell (I guess this shows you how much I eat at Taco Bell). Can I just keep transplanting them up to bigger containers and raising the lights on them until it's safe to harden them off and put them outside? I know 30 tom plants aren't many to some of you, but this will be my first year with space for a "goodly garden", and I'm trying really hard to contain myself. But I'm thinking I may have already overdone it!

Babies include:

Steak Sandwich
Mortgage Lifter
Mexican Midget
Yellow Pear
Sweet Baby Girl

kmom246, Way to go! Sounds like a bunch to me. LOL I have 12 I've transplanted so far and 1 straggler, plus there was a tray of Homestead heirloom tomatoes that were calling my name at WM I couldn't just leave there. LOL That's it for me on the tomatoes. :)
... Elaine

Kmom and Elaine - Great restraint! I have very little (restraint, that is) this yr as far as toms go! Have seeds of lots of dif varities and getting more when that Tom RR gets here, LOL. Of course, won't be able to grow but 1-2 of each!!

Think in 03 had about 30 dif ones, 5-6 of each. 04 had maybe the same or a few more! 05 had many more! 06 the rule is going to be almost too many!!! 07 - def too many!!! Sort of like an experiment gone haywire!

30 is very good! Kudo's to you if you can keep it reasonable! I think I have this fairy tale in my head that I can grow lots and NOT hurt my back again! Hmmm that tiller someone was talking about sounds better and better all the time, even though this land is really easy to dig...

Later ~ Suzi :)