The shelf above that is for the six-pack starts. There is some logic to putting them on the highest shelf, but then I really can't see them, and that's the smallest light. (2 bulb 2 foot) So they are on the second shelf, under 4 bulb 2 foot lights. Getting creative, I was able to fit all 11 six-packs under there.
On the top shelf, I have kind of a mid-height. This is good for most of the Tomato starts, the Coleus, and Basil. This is not the most light, so I hope it's enough, but as these plants have more leaves, I think it will be ok. And Coleus doesn't need tons of light at this point.
So where are we with these plants? I've reduced the Tomatoes down to 4 of each. I took out the ones that looked the worst. They just weren't worth the space. There are a few that are getting pretty tall. The biggest by far is a Sun Gold; it's at least a foot tall above the container. That one, and a Fresh Salsa, and two Brandy Boys are on the bottom shelf because they are a little too tall for the top shelf. I really should give all of the tomatoes some fertilizer, I think that's why they are not growing as fast as I would like.
I had 3 six-packs of Basil. Two were directly under the bottom light, and they got pretty big. The other was getting less intense light and it's still small. The two that were getting big were starting to touch the lights and burn, so I transplanted them up to 3 inch round containers. I worked in some Espoma fertilizer in there because I think they could use it at this point.
That freed up 2 six-packs, so I planted those with more Zinnias, the Zahara Bonfire kind. That conveniently used up the pack. I would like to start more Zinnias when I get the space. I have the Thumbelina Zinnias, which are obviously shorter, and I was thinking I would just direct-sow those.
The Romaine is looking ok. I'm kind of disappointed that only like, 2/3 of them actually germinated. Actually less than that considering multiple seeds per cell. I was thinking about consolidating, moving out the empty cells and scooping in some. I've got 4 six-packs, and it could definitely be condensed down to 3. But since they are so young and weak looking, I don't want to do that just yet. I'll give them some more time, but in 2 weeks it will be ok to plant them outside.
Same with the Kale! The Kale looks pretty great, overall. A few looked pretty thirsty but presumably they will recover ok. Next weekend might be a good time to actually put them in the ground.
Next up is Morning Glory. I'm kind of behind on these. I was planning to put them in their final containers right away, but that depends on me actually buying potting soil, and I've just been too lazy. And I need to decide if I want to do anything with those poor Liriope that are in the containers now. Of course I could start them in six-packs and just transplant them quickly. It's probably more important to do that early.
Before I put anything in the raised bed, I want to move some soil around and really add a lot of potting mix. Again, this depends on me buying soil. My thought is that if I move all the soil from the tomato side to somewhere else, I am less likely to get some awful wilt. Sounds like something I could do next weekend.
I was planning to plant some peas. St. Patrick's Day is supposed to be the lucky time to plant them, and I will be away in North Carolina. And Mike McGrath says to germinate them inside first, because the soil is still pretty cold. So maybe I'll do that. I mean, I don't have to. I will use that space for green beans in May. And if I get the Peas in there next weekend, that gives me...8 weeks? That's the exact Days to Maturity, and I think that means that is when the peas start producing, and there should be like a month of this. But I can't see a big downside. I would need to pull them out and de-tangle them from the trellis. Ok let's say I plant peas now-ish, and by May they are starting to produce. Can I just plant the green beans around them? The Peas will be fully grown, so there will be no confusing them. It's like a month before the green beans get really established. So I can keep getting peas, and by June, I can just cut them down. I don't think there is any problem to have the roots in the same place. They are both nitrogen-fixing, so having peas proceed them could only help. And I assume most people do this, because it's so convenient and obvious. If there was a reason not to, I think I would have heard of it. Ok, let's do it.
And the next thing I need to start is the Bok Choy. I really need some open six-packs for that. Maybe in like, 2 weeks, the other pack of Basil will be ready to transplant.
What's in the six-packs, again? I have:
- 2 of the Giant Leaf mix of Coleus
- 2 of the Red Coleus (they look awful, barely anything happening)
- 1 of Basil
- 2 of Zahara Zinnias
- 4 of Romaine
Hm. The closest thing to transplant is the Romaine. The Zinnias (the Giant ones) that are in that 12-pack are actually looking really good, but they certainly don't need to be transplanted any time soon. And if I did, what would I put them in? Twelve plants in large containers, c'mon.
Let's buy a lot more lights and start using the space under the counter! More plants!
No, no, no. C'mon.
How are we going to free up some space? The Kale is the first thing to come out, and if everything goes well, that can happen next weekend. Then maybe the Romaine. The Rudbeckia is the one taking up the most space, and they don't get planted until late April. But at this point, maybe they could survive in front of the window? And that would make it easier for me to harden them off on nice days.
If I get the Kale and the Rudbeckia out of there, then I have a lot more space, and I don't need to have a light so high up. Well, maybe I will have the same light placement but hopefully it will be for the tomatoes.
I gotta get some Bok Choy started soon, but I'm not sure where I will be able to start them. Maybe I need to make them out of some other container...
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