Thursday, April 29, 2010

Growing cottage cheese

Today I planted more tomato seedlings and nursed along the ones I put out recently.  The windy weather with 30% humidity is hard on the little seedlings, and it seems to be in moments like this that I lose my wimpy seedlings.  So today I cut the bottoms off a few dozen yogurt and cottage cheese containers and put one around each vulnerable-looking transplant.  Now my garden looks like I'm growing cottage cheese!  I hope they create a more sheltered little micro-climate that helps the plants transition.  I put in a couple "mystery" tomato volunteers from friend Cathy's garden.  Thanks Cathy!  We'll see what they become - she's betting a cherry or roma.  I also planted into the Topsy Turvy that I got recently at a rummage sale with a tomato start that I actually bought.  It is an heirloom called "Mr. Stripey".  Love the name, as does 5 year old DS.  The other one I'm growing just for its name is "Mortgage Lifter."  Do you think it will work?

I thought I'd update on my seedling outcomes that I posted on February 14, 2010: "I planted TONS of seeds to start indoors.  Basil, peppers, eggplant, tomatoes (6 types - Black Krim, Brandywine, Yellow Pear, Cherokee Purple, Mortgage Lifter and Pineapple), cucumbers (lemon and gherkin), chard, squash (pattypan, portofino, zucchini - oops, no yellow crookneck?), lettuces and marigolds."  Of those planted the basil, eggplant, tomatoes, lettuces, and marigolds had a good success rate.  Of the peppers, only 25% took.  The cucumbers and squash sprouted but didn't survive long enough in their puny containers to get transplanted.  I recall it said something about "not recommended for starting indoors" on the label.  But, hey, what do they know?  They are just the experts, right?  Anyway, perhaps they have a point.  I have so many more seeds I want to get in the ground - actually wanted to get in the ground about 6 weeks ago.  I hope to have more updates soon.

2 comments:

  1. I got a Mr. Stripy start also and it's doing great :) My compost pile - the one formerly in my holey trashcan that I dumped out - is spouting TONS of tomatoes! I'm going to let them get bigger and then move them. I also have a bunch of cucumber? or melons? sprouting too, but I've heard those "hybridize" and I might get something like a cucalope :) Doesn't sound good so I guess I'll toss those. I've read that the squashes/melons don't transplant well because they send out a very long taproot and it's hard to pull it up w/out stressing it out.

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  2. As I recall, I've had some luck with volunteer squash. I think you should leave them and report back on what you get. It if is a scary cucalope, I'll be the guinea pig and try it! Ha!

    I wonder what type of tomatoes your volunteers turn out to be. I seem to have more volunteer cherry tomatoes than any other type. No idea why. I can't wait to EAT Mr. Stripy.

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