‘morning, everyone! Where’s the coffee?

Unbearably exciting? That would be Caucus! The Chair and Vice Chair have both left town on business (or so they say), and since I was still standing there when everyone else stepped back, I get to put together caucus this year. Wheee! I might be punch drunk.

hehehe..I just got back up from the cellar from transplanting MY tomato (and pepper) plants. So far, the score: German Striped, Stapice, and Early Wonder: 1; Legend: pffffffffft. The peppers from Romania took a little bit to get going (why IS that? why do peppers take so much longer to germinate than tomatoes?), but are hale and hearty. As for other unbearably exciting things from this week? Well, we started to see the sun around here, which was a cause for general celebrating – I got up this morning and it was 11 degrees — it’s now reading 44.

OK you have just inspired me. Time to get the seed trays out and get to work.

We used to have a seed tray rack on wheels to allow moving from window to window as the, rare, sun travelled. My spouse has asked that I build another one this year so I am off to the workshop. Love the chicken carrier.

Have a great day

Wheeeee!

didn’t you know that peppers were slackers ;)

Good for you, Nomolos!

I’m impressed with those of you who manage to have something healthy enough to put in the ground. I have never been able to start indoors, I just don’t have the touch I guess. Or at least I don’t without a whole bunch of expensive technology. I know. I know” Seeds+ dirt+water+light= seedlings. This only works outdoors for me.

That’s about the same temp track we’ve been having here. A mite too cold for the sprouts even with the plastic chicken-carrier hoop house. Maybe if I taped the vents shut… nah.

well, once it gets warm outside, I’m going to slap those babies into plastic milk jugs and compost out on my asphalt driveway.

I hear you, I do much better with cuttings than I do with seeds.

Altho I should start some Morning Glories for the front porch. I sure need some hope for reals – this has been a loooong bleak winter, in more ways than one.

Seed plugs make it disgustingly easy, but they’d probably be a bit pricey for mass use. My problem is that I sprouted far too many seeds (had an accident when I opened the packet right over the freshly-watered seed plugs) and it just kills me to cull them after they’ve been sprouting so nicely!

something really low tech that worked for us when I first got started was that the DH stapled some woven wire fencing (which we have a lot of here) on top of a scrap lumber frame and then hung a trouble light underneath, pointing up – that gave them enough bottom heat to get started. An old window screen would work as well.

this year is nasturtiums for me. Lots and lots of nasturtiums.

Nice!

Ah, all I have for growing space is a 90-square-foot balcony! Otherwise that would be lovely.

Now PW, you will be careful keeping that top down too much. Tomatoes are so vulnerable to damping off. But I’m sure you know. I too have a difficult time thinning, even in the garden. Even thugh I KNOW that the results will be better with aggressive thinning.

I like those flowers a lot. I’m in the mood to plant somethings in my back yard, but first I have to work on the fence to keep the dogs out. The new puppy totally trashed my side yard. :(

I grew a two pound tomato once. I’m not exactly sure what those things are they try to sell you in the store that they call tomatos.

the ONLY thing that works for us up here. The garden soil never gets warm enough to really get pepper plants going and flowering.

Beautiful little plants Phoenix Woman! Once your seeds have germinated and sprouting, you can leave the cover off if your tray is indoors. Due to lack of sun here, I put them under a grow light. Then when daytime temps get into the 60s ( late April) I put them outside in the shade for a few hours a day to start acclimating them.I plant outdoors when the daytime highs are in the 70s and nightime 50s. I found out long ago that you can plant your tomatoes anytime after the frost, but if the soil temp doesn’t stay above 60, they will not grow! I hate thinning them out too, and have tried to give away my extras, but giving away tomato plants is like trying to give away zucchini. People want to buy the already-have-blossoms plants at Lowes in May!

I have sort of that problem with the DH – he has this theory that if you plant tomatoes close together, you get more. Well, you might get more..but you can’t get into the thicket to actually GET them. One of these days, I’m going to set up 2x4s and hog fencing and do them on wire. I think that will work better.

now THAT’s a tomato!

Well, after what happened with the tomatoes in the MidAtlantic and Northeast that got bought from places like Lowes last year (total washout – late blight – everyone was buying their plants from the same grower), I think there are going to be a lot more people starting their own this year.

They are selling you something they picked when it was still green, then sprayed with ethylene to make it turn red in the truck on the way to your grocer.

How do you keep the wild critters from eating all your veggies? (

Oh, that’s right! I’d forgotten about that. I usually select a couple of tomatoes from my year’s crop that I think are the best representation of what I was growing – roma, say or beef steak, and smear the seeds on a paper towel, let it dry and put it away for next year. I understand the proper way is to let the seeds ferment in a cup before you dry them so to keep from carrying over any disease from the prior year. This looks like a disgusting process, so I just take my chances. I have started seeds for roma, beefsteak, zucchini, yellow squash, cucumber and sugarbaby watermelon!

‘morning, everyone! Where’s the coffee?

funny thing, I read this weel that chockolate was healthy for you (probably unsweetened)

anyway, it reminded me of woody allens “sleeper”, you have to see this youtube to be reminded, funny stuff considering the reports about the health benefits of chocolate

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1yCeFmn_e2c

My stepfather always grew his tomatoes from seed ,he had some of the best tasting tomatoes I’ve ever eaten.
So good I’d pick them from the vine ,wash them and then eat them leaning over the kitchen sink.

Oh, drat. I just checked the weather and it’s supposed to rain. Guess that idea of working in the backyard will have to be put on hold. Guess I’ll have to stay in and clean and cook. Sigh.

A-yep. Store tomatoes, unless you get ones that were grown either via hydro or the old-fashioned, pre-mass-production way, generally have no taste other than that of wet cardboard.

Never really liked tomatoes until I started eating ones my grandparents grew in their backyard garden, which took up about half of their acre lot. They grew corn and cabbages and yes zucchini, which she turned into zucchini bread!

My tomato caging method — where space permits — is to make ‘cages’ out of 6 foot wide concrete reinforcing wire, which has 6 inch squares. I coil them to make approx 30 diameter and bend a couple of end wires over to fasten. I plant two plants inside each one, or three with the cage I made at @36″. Its great; mostly self supporting, but you can tie to the sides if desired, and you can easily reach inside to get the center tomatoes. They are hefty enough to just work into the ground a little, and wind doesn’t affect them.

You want the dark stuff, definitely — 70% is about right. And you don’t want Hershey’s regular production — try Equal Exchange’s mint bars for starters. If you can swing the expense, go for the artisan makers (Google “artisan chocolate” to find some in your area) — unlike with the big makers or even Green & Black (which I believe is now owned by a biggie), their 70% bars are never, ever bitter.

Morning PW and pups,

You ask what unbearably exciting things have you been up to this week? I’m financed, my business is being incorporated, I’ll then get my tax numbers and buy my material, and, I’l be an unbearably exciting photographer.

PW,
what kind of seedling media do you have them in?

Wow! Quite a week! Best of luck with your business.

chocolate…healthy…yum!

I’ve actually known this for about a year, chocolate is sold in health food stores now as a health supliment

anyway, did you check out the sleeper clip?

funny stuff there after reading that chocolate is healthy

darnit perris, now I need chocolate.

Yay you!
Congratulations

Great idea.And it would probably fulfill the DH’s desire, too. :)

Oh! Oh! Oh! Yay!

you BETTER have some if you want to stay healthy!

man, way to ruin a decadence, now what am I going to have when I go into self destruct mode?

I hope they don’t find out ice cream is healthy, then I’ll have nothing

Ooooh! Congratulations, Quebecois! You’d better post the website links here when you’ve got it up and running.

Oh, I remember that from when it first came out and was shown on TV, back even before cable! And aside from the remark about tobacco — if anything that’s been shown to be worse than thought in the ’70s — so much of that has turned out to be true. Oleo’s about the worst thing you can eat because of the trans fats, whereas butter and steak and eggs are fine.

Very exciting! Congratulations and bonne chance!

I’ve got them in grow plugs, which are a sort of dried and compressed organic mulch. You buy them, get ‘em home, pour water on ‘em, insert seeds when they’ve fully expanded, and then put a clear lid on them to keep the humidity at a constant level. Put the plugs with lid in a bright spot near a window, wait a few days, et la voila!

Wow! You are good!

LOL!

Thanks for the encouragement, appreciated, coming from all you fine folks. Website will take a bit more time, I have to find a way to make it stand out, and I’m far from there.

Keep it up, Q!

I Love nasturtiums. And hollyhocks.

a fresh grown tomato taste excellent!

I’m just a tad north of the 45th which goes halfway between Portland and Salem OR, so about 25 miles north. It’d gorgeous out and blossoms are unfurling, fragrances beginning to fill the air. Went to Edgefield’s, our favorite place to hang out, have a draft and a small pizza, wander the grounds (they have a modest sized golf range, an organic garden, an herb garden to die for and Ruby’s, heavenly massages and a pool for relaxing).

That’s just for openers! My SO and I keep going back and taking photos, for several years now.

You come to Portland, you go there!

All this talk about gardens make longing for the bounty from our gardens and pots! Our Strawberries are already setting fruit, last seasons tomato pots are sprouting volunteers for this years planting. Oh and all the Apricot plum and cherry trees are all filled with blossoms… Time is neigh to turn the soil and get my annual herbs in their pots, you know like Basil oh and if you haven’t tried yet get your self some Thai Basil… just to die for in salads soups and of course Pesto!! I just love being able to be able to go into the garden and fresh pick all the veggies for the evenings dinner… Sigh.. that time WILL return soon!!
Good luck to all you Victory Gardeners with this years crops!! Ya just can’t beat home grown anything… Forgot to mention the bumper crop of Oranges and Lemons this year…

Given the recent tomato-destroying frost in Florida, I can think of at least one local restaurant owner who’d appreciate it if you could sell her a few cases of ripe tomatoes over the coming weeks….

Heh! I won’t have any ‘maters until August, I’m sure. She’s better off picking up some plants at Linders — or getting some Bushel Boys at Kowalski’s.

My tomato yield last year was unfavorably affected by the fact that the space I have to garden is part-sun only.

This year I am taking a shepherd’s crook with four arms, and hanging the things that let you grow the tomato plants upside down from them. They will get sun. They will be easy to water. They will be easy to pick.

And for all my husband says he is going to do this and that with eating the tomatoes, he doesn’t, so I am going to grow all saucing tomatoes and see if I can put up a year’s worth of spaghetti sauce.