Thursday, March 11, 2010

Seedlings gone; collard plant-outs, toms

About 40 arugula and pac choi seedlings were taken from my front steps before dinner time yesterday, and that is that. Next week it looks likely that IF I have time, there may be some celery seedlings, germinating inside, and lettuce -- that I sowed in the cold frame many weeks ago! I guess they liked the warmer weather. I had thought that the moisture there wasn't enough for seeds. I had never before tried sowing seeds in a cold frame, where I don't water from above, but it seems they were just waiting for a better time. There are an atrocious number popping up now. I am, apparently, very wasteful with seeds. :(

I have now put out all my collard plants. I put out two on Sunday, and one was missing two leaves Monday morning. So I've put a floating cover over the whole collards bed, and they seem to like it.
Less confidently, I now have three tomato plants outside in wall-of-waters. They look very happy now. I do hope that the second week of March is okay in this new climate.
One of you asked how I keep the wall-of-waters from falling over. I don't always, but the tomato plants are amazingly tolerant of being crushed by a WOW. I try to make the soil as level as I can before I put it into place, and I try to even it around the plant so it doesn't lean in one direction. If you can't visualize a WOW, there are photos of them on both my website and my blog. I may be overly bold this year, but nothing ventured, nothing gained. Both early tomatoes and protected peas (because woodchucks don't like tomato plants and peas can climb up safely amid them) are worthy goals in my value system.

Pat

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