*sigh*
Started various seedlings on schedule (using the end of April for the date of last frost, since everything I can find says thats last frost for my area). Everything SPROUTED, and GREW way quickly this year. Guess using proper lighting instead of a sunny window helps…..
Had to pot up almost everything a couple weeks ago as the roots were getting rediculous……and now everything, except the baby pumpkin plants, are looking really sad. They’re still under the grow lights, I don’t have a green house to put them in yet. I had some watering issues the first week or so, trying to figure out the proper watering needs now that they weren’t in the self watering tray, but they still look really sad…..lost a bunch of the pepper plants too. I’ve restarted more seeds for those though its possibly late enough now I don’t know how much good that’ll do…..
I hate losing plants like that!
You can make a cold frame with a couple of bales of straw and an old window for the top. I used to use that system before we got the collapsible greenhouse. Just lift the window to check/add water and they get plenty of sun.
Grow lights only work for a little while. Also, being in a windless environment, their stalks stay skinny. Shake them up a couple times a day to encourage stronger stalks.
When I transplant into pots, I place the pots into trays, and water from the bottom; it’s like a self-watering system except you let the bottom go dry for a day or two – depending upon the pot size – before watering again.
Setting them in trays is what I ended up doing, so much easier than trying to water each pot!
I’ve got some arched plastic frames to go over the plants for frost protection. I put half the pumpkin plants out (under the arched plastic) two days ago, and it got down below freezing last night, so we’ll see how they did. If they’re still ok then I’ll start doing that with the rest too, sort of a green-house in place.
But I’ll have to come up with a place for a greenhouse next year I think. One of the little ones at least…..