A first time for everything.

KLorentz · June 19, 2009

Ya know I was sitting in the garden and realized that this is the first year all my tomatoes and peppers are grown by me (from seed)! Yes I have grown some from seed with varying degrees of success but not to the point all my plants where grown by me. Previous years I had feline interference. I also learned in the same time frame that orchids and cats do not mix.

Kevin

cdbva · June 21, 2009

Something I will hope for, maybe next year.

This year I tried seed for the first time. I taped the plastic top over my grow pots securely, but forgot to do it one time after watering. Just one time! The next morning I discovered 9-month old Matisse had gotten the top off and pulled up half of the young plants -- and managed to put the top back down, thinking I wouldn't know it was him. The varmint.

So I set the sprouts outside on the porch. Came home from work to find a tent caterpillar party had made short work of the rest. We never have tent caterpillars! I found myself fervently wishing that birds would come and eat their sorry caterpillar behinds.

Congratulations. It isn't easy circumventing the furry forces of nature.

Christine

Blueaussi · June 21, 2009

You know, the only time I ever had problems with the cats and seedlings was when antique cat I had a few years back took to sleeping on top of the seed starting tray. Once I agreed to give her her own seed warming mat, she left the rest alone.

WVTomatoMan · June 22, 2009

Quote:

Originally Posted by KLorentz

...this is the first year all my tomatoes and peppers are grown by me (from seed)

Congratulations! There is something very satisfying about it isn't there?

I don't know if you've thought about it, but if you're growing OP varieties you might want to consider saving seed and next year growing everything from the seed you saved. I think it is very rewarding.

Good luck.

Randy

KLorentz · July 1, 2009

As a mater of fact all are heirloom varieties. So seed saving is being planed if all goes well.

Kevin

habitat_gardener · July 1, 2009

I'd intended to grow all my tomatoes from seed this year, but couldn't resist planting a couple from the nursery in early March, then couldn't resist kind offers from Tomatovillians, or local plant sales, or plant exchanges...so ended up with something like a couple dozen varieties I'd grown from seed (9 of those from my own saved seed) and a dozen varieties from other sources (plus some multiples).

I've been planting tomatoes for a neighbor as well. This year, I grew all six of them from seed, and it *is* satisfying to look at that row of tomatoes and realize I grew all of them from seed, and that none of those varieties are available locally.

It was also satisfying to give away dozens of seedlings.

I'm already fermenting my first batch of seeds, from my first huge Caspian Pink.

Peppers were not as successful, mostly because I grew them in my cold frames, so the biggest ones are only 3 inches high.

June 19, 2009	#1
KLorentz Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Stryker, Ohio Posts: 995	A first time for everything. Ya know I was sitting in the garden and realized that this is the first year all my tomatoes and peppers are grown by me (from seed)! Yes I have grown some from seed with varying degrees of success but not to the point all my plants where grown by me. Previous years I had feline interference. I also learned in the same time frame that orchids and cats do not mix. Kevin

June 21, 2009	#2
cdbva Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Falls Church, VA Posts: 538	Something I will hope for, maybe next year. This year I tried seed for the first time. I taped the plastic top over my grow pots securely, but forgot to do it one time after watering. Just one time! The next morning I discovered 9-month old Matisse had gotten the top off and pulled up half of the young plants -- and managed to put the top back down, thinking I wouldn't know it was him. The varmint. So I set the sprouts outside on the porch. Came home from work to find a tent caterpillar party had made short work of the rest. We never have tent caterpillars! I found myself fervently wishing that birds would come and eat their sorry caterpillar behinds. Congratulations. It isn't easy circumventing the furry forces of nature. Christine

June 21, 2009	#3
Blueaussi Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: South Carolina Zone 8a Posts: 1,205	You know, the only time I ever had problems with the cats and seedlings was when antique cat I had a few years back took to sleeping on top of the seed starting tray. Once I agreed to give her her own seed warming mat, she left the rest alone.

July 1, 2009	#5
KLorentz Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Stryker, Ohio Posts: 995	As a mater of fact all are heirloom varieties. So seed saving is being planed if all goes well. Kevin

July 1, 2009	#6
habitat_gardener Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: California Central Valley Posts: 2,540	I'd intended to grow all my tomatoes from seed this year, but couldn't resist planting a couple from the nursery in early March, then couldn't resist kind offers from Tomatovillians, or local plant sales, or plant exchanges...so ended up with something like a couple dozen varieties I'd grown from seed (9 of those from my own saved seed) and a dozen varieties from other sources (plus some multiples). I've been planting tomatoes for a neighbor as well. This year, I grew all six of them from seed, and it is satisfying to look at that row of tomatoes and realize I grew all of them from seed, and that none of those varieties are available locally. It was also satisfying to give away dozens of seedlings. I'm already fermenting my first batch of seeds, from my first huge Caspian Pink. Peppers were not as successful, mostly because I grew them in my cold frames, so the biggest ones are only 3 inches high.