My Herbs de Provence replacement seed order arrived today, proving again that Seeds of Change has a very reliable shipping service. Only three of the six packets were shipped, though. The Greek Oregano is on backorder, and I'm going to have to find another seed source for the rosemary and thyme. Apparently they are no longer available through Seeds of Change.
Tray 2 is now two-thirds complete, though, which is exciting. I planted six slots each of the Syriaca Zaatar Marjoram and Dukat Dill in the same section as the Pimientos de Padrón. I put the Garden Sage next to the pepper seeds, and in the center of the tray I replanted some tarragon. Only three of the tarragon seeds in tray 1 germinated, and I think it was because they didn't get warm enough. Their package says they need 70F and are supposed to be planted 1/4" deep. I just put them on the surface of the soil (they seemed so thin and delicate), and I know that the soil was at least ten degrees cooler than they needed. Hopefully they'll fare better in the warmer tray 2.
The tarragon is again supposed to be the first to germinate of the bunch at 5-7 days. The marjoram should be next (7-14 days), and then the sage and dill, requiring 10-14 and 14-21 days, respectively. Judging by past experience with the seedling heat mat, though, I would imagine they'll all have sprouted by the time I return from Christmas break. Hopefully my guest photographer and gardener will be able to capture and care for them all.
19.12.09
pimiento de padrón seeds sprouting
The pimiento de padrón seeds have already started sprouting. I have to say that I´m really quite impressed and pleased with the seedling heat mat that I´ve placed under tray 2. These pepper seeds were supposed to take 10-20 days, and at day 6 two of them are already showing signs of sprouting.
I also think that the heat mat is the primary difference between the germination progress and overall growth rate of the tomato seeds between the two trays. At this point, it definitely seems like it was a good investment. Now I just have to decide if I should remove the extra heat once all the seeds have germinated.
I also think that the heat mat is the primary difference between the germination progress and overall growth rate of the tomato seeds between the two trays. At this point, it definitely seems like it was a good investment. Now I just have to decide if I should remove the extra heat once all the seeds have germinated.
15.12.09
(kind of) new seeds ordered and temperature data soon
I received an email today from the Seeds of Change Customer Service Coordinator informing me that the Herbs de Provence seed collection had been discontinued as a result of the company being unavailable to acquire a number of the included seed packs. The main disappointment of the email was that it removed the possibility that the seeds would be waiting in my mailbox when I got home today. They´d already refunded me the money for the purchase, and so I quickly put it toward six seed packs that should round out the herb garden nicely. Hopefully arriving before I leave for the holidays are:
1 PACK, DILL, DUKAT
1 PACK, MARJORAM, SYRIACA ZAATAR
1 PACK, OREGANO, GREEK
1 PACK, SAGE, GARDEN
1 PACK, ROSEMARY
1 PACK, THYME, GERMAN WINTER
The Rosemary and the German Winter Thyme are both on backorder, but if Seeds of Change ships to me as quickly as they did before, then I stand a good chance of having the rest of them planted and germinating over winter break.
I´ve never grown dill or marjoram before, and this marjoram is supposedly quite different from the sweet marjoram that was a part of the Herbs de Provence collection. They say on their website that the Syriaca Zaatar Marjoram has a flavor that combines the tastes of sweet marjoram, thyme, and oregano, which definitely makes it sound like it´d be interesting to cook with. The other main decision I had in picking out seeds was the dill. They sell four different varieties: Bouquet, Dukat, Goldkrone, and Mammoth. They say that the Dukat is "Delicately aromatic, never bitter or overly pungent. Perhaps the sweetest of all dills. The preferred commercial variety. Stays leafy longer than others." All of those seemed like good things, especially for cooking. I also liked that it´s only supposed to grow to be 18-24" tall, as opposed to the Mammoth which can get up to 5´. The Bouquet Dill was also a smaller plant, growing to be 3´ tall. The website said that this variety was the best to grow for the production of seed, though, and since it is the leaves of the plant that I use most frequently for cooking, this didn´t seem like the best option. They didn´t have any information on the Goldkrone Dill, so it wasn´t really in contention.
In other non-seed-related news, I used a portable thermocouple to monitor the temperature and humidity of the top tier of the greenhouse for almost four days last week to get an idea of how accurate the thermometer and hygrometer are that I have placed on the shelving structure. I also wanted to know how much the temperature varied between sunny and cloudy days, and how much heat and moisture was escaping when I open the flaps for watering and photographing. The quick summary is that the PetCo terrarium meters do a pretty good job of representing the conditions (of at least that shelf) of the greenhouse, and that I should really be keeping the greenhouse warmer, especially at night. I´ll upload the data once I have the graphs processed so that they can be presented in a more accessible form. In response to this new information, I´ve increased the setting of the heater on the bottom shelf of the greenhouse from 70F to 80F (still on the low setting), and that appears to have resulted in an increase in temperature of about 6-8F on the top tier. How it will increase my electric bill, is yet to be seen.
1 PACK, DILL, DUKAT
1 PACK, MARJORAM, SYRIACA ZAATAR
1 PACK, OREGANO, GREEK
1 PACK, SAGE, GARDEN
1 PACK, ROSEMARY
1 PACK, THYME, GERMAN WINTER
The Rosemary and the German Winter Thyme are both on backorder, but if Seeds of Change ships to me as quickly as they did before, then I stand a good chance of having the rest of them planted and germinating over winter break.
I´ve never grown dill or marjoram before, and this marjoram is supposedly quite different from the sweet marjoram that was a part of the Herbs de Provence collection. They say on their website that the Syriaca Zaatar Marjoram has a flavor that combines the tastes of sweet marjoram, thyme, and oregano, which definitely makes it sound like it´d be interesting to cook with. The other main decision I had in picking out seeds was the dill. They sell four different varieties: Bouquet, Dukat, Goldkrone, and Mammoth. They say that the Dukat is "Delicately aromatic, never bitter or overly pungent. Perhaps the sweetest of all dills. The preferred commercial variety. Stays leafy longer than others." All of those seemed like good things, especially for cooking. I also liked that it´s only supposed to grow to be 18-24" tall, as opposed to the Mammoth which can get up to 5´. The Bouquet Dill was also a smaller plant, growing to be 3´ tall. The website said that this variety was the best to grow for the production of seed, though, and since it is the leaves of the plant that I use most frequently for cooking, this didn´t seem like the best option. They didn´t have any information on the Goldkrone Dill, so it wasn´t really in contention.
In other non-seed-related news, I used a portable thermocouple to monitor the temperature and humidity of the top tier of the greenhouse for almost four days last week to get an idea of how accurate the thermometer and hygrometer are that I have placed on the shelving structure. I also wanted to know how much the temperature varied between sunny and cloudy days, and how much heat and moisture was escaping when I open the flaps for watering and photographing. The quick summary is that the PetCo terrarium meters do a pretty good job of representing the conditions (of at least that shelf) of the greenhouse, and that I should really be keeping the greenhouse warmer, especially at night. I´ll upload the data once I have the graphs processed so that they can be presented in a more accessible form. In response to this new information, I´ve increased the setting of the heater on the bottom shelf of the greenhouse from 70F to 80F (still on the low setting), and that appears to have resulted in an increase in temperature of about 6-8F on the top tier. How it will increase my electric bill, is yet to be seen.
13.12.09
Santiam tomato slideshow
It's been brought to my attention that the tomato slideshow in the 11/12 post is no longer functional. This is related to the rather steep Picasa web album learning curve. As that particular slideshow cannot easily be restored, I've uploaded the Santiam tomato slideshow that I've been working on.
Click to view a larger version in Picasa:
Click to view a larger version in Picasa:
new seeds and cilantro slideshow
The Pimiento de Padrón and sunflower seeds arrived yesterday from Renee's Garden. The package says that they take 10-21 days to germinate, and that they need to stay very warm (75-80F). I planted them toward the back of tray 2 so that they hopefully won't even cool off when I open the greenhouse flap for watering. The back half of tray 2 also receives the most sunlight, which should help not only with warmth, but also the strong light source that the seedlings supposedly will require once they've sprouted.
I think I finally understand why the cilantro seeds I planted are called "Slow Bolt." They took 7 days to show any signs of germinating, but since they first started to emerge, they've grown very rapidly, and have now almost caught up to the tomato sprouts in height.
Click for full screen viewing in Picasa:
I think I finally understand why the cilantro seeds I planted are called "Slow Bolt." They took 7 days to show any signs of germinating, but since they first started to emerge, they've grown very rapidly, and have now almost caught up to the tomato sprouts in height.
Click for full screen viewing in Picasa:
11.12.09
tomato slideshow and supplies complete
My greenhouse supplies are now complete. The second fluorescent bulb arrived yesterday and none too soon, as the tomato seeds on the second tray were already in need of light. I installed it in the same way as the top tier, with double white polycoated chain (number 3) from Lowe's.
I'm still waiting for the Pimientos de Padrón and the rest of the herb seeds to arrive, but in the mean time, the tomato seeds on tray two are taking off. Here´s a slideshow of their progress so far. They´ve really germinated so much faster than last year (when they had minimal heat and light...).
Click for full screen slideshow at Picasa. (temporarily disabled due to technical difficulties with Picasa, see Santiam tomato slideshow in 13/12 post instead)
I'm still waiting for the Pimientos de Padrón and the rest of the herb seeds to arrive, but in the mean time, the tomato seeds on tray two are taking off. Here´s a slideshow of their progress so far. They´ve really germinated so much faster than last year (when they had minimal heat and light...).Click for full screen slideshow at Picasa. (temporarily disabled due to technical difficulties with Picasa, see Santiam tomato slideshow in 13/12 post instead)
7.12.09
tomatoes and tarragon sprouting!
Right on schedule, the tarragon, Crimson Sprinter tomato, and Santiam tomato have sprouted! It seems like the heat mat is doing its job on tray 2. I'm hoping that the seeds in tray 1 will be able to germinate without the extra heat of the grow bulbs. I would think that the cooler temperature would at worst slow down the germination process, and hopefully not prevent it from happening at all.
Tarragon sprout:
Crimson Sprinter (left and top right) and Santiam tomato (bottom right) sprouts:
In bulb related news, I called ACF Greenhouse this morning about the missing T5 bulb and fixture. They apologized and said that the second box would be shipped out today, which is good, since with tray 2 sprouting, it looks like I'm going to need the second light sooner than I thought.
Tarragon sprout:
Crimson Sprinter (left and top right) and Santiam tomato (bottom right) sprouts:
In bulb related news, I called ACF Greenhouse this morning about the missing T5 bulb and fixture. They apologized and said that the second box would be shipped out today, which is good, since with tray 2 sprouting, it looks like I'm going to need the second light sooner than I thought.
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