What did you do in the garden today?

[BReeder!]

I'm using starter cells made of recycled paper (like the cup carriers you get at coffee shops or fast foods restaurants). I had no problems last year with the exact same product. However, I noticed today that there's white hairy mold on the sides of the cells. I have them in trays but I had the lids off after seeing just a few clumps of the same mold on the surface of a few cells. Underneath is much harder to keep dry than the surface. Any suggestions? I don't want to loose 100 starts (2 trays with 5 10-cell starters each) to a mold outbreak. Is there anything garden safe that will kill this white mold?

 

[vall]

I'm using starter cells made of recycled paper (like the cup carriers you get at coffee shops or fast foods restaurants). I had no problems last year with the exact same product. However, I noticed today that there's white hairy mold on the sides of the cells. I have them in trays but I had the lids off after seeing just a few clumps of the same mold on the surface of a few cells. Underneath is much harder to keep dry than the surface. Any suggestions? I don't want to loose 100 starts (2 trays with 5 10-cell starters each) to a mold outbreak. Is there anything garden safe that will kill this white mold?

Do you have liquicop or other copper fungicide? I've used that (diluted) before on starts with mold, it helps. Better airflow may prevent it from forming in the first place.

 

[BReeder!]

Do you have liquicop or other copper fungicide? I've used that (diluted) before on starts with mold, it helps. Better airflow may prevent it from forming in the first place.

Airflow versus moisture is certainly the dilemma. The seeds need moisture so I don't want to dry them out too much, but the mold likes the moisture too. I do have a fungicide in the gardening supplies, I'll have to read it and do some research to see if it's safe.

 

[WthrLady]

Interesting. I thought tomatoes were self-pollinating. To get unpollinated fruit would mean the flower must have short stamen and/or a long pistel. I guess it could lack stamen also, but I never heard of a tomato that was not hermaphroditic - I'm far from a botanist though.

There are situations where weather conditions can keep it from pollinating.

 

[NewBoots]

Whew, I think I'm caught up on the posts.

I made a shopping run today and Freds actually had some cold weather veg starts!

I got 2 trays each of kale, spinach, and chard, and I got them all planted as well! They had seeds out too and I'm weak so I got seed tape for lettuce, beets, carrots, and I think spinach. The tape is just so easy and I don't have to thin so much. Those will got out tomorrow and we're expecting rain on the 14th so I should have a good early start. Time to clean up the greenhouse to get ready for tomatoes, herbs, and assorted flowers. Much too early for peppers but I'll probably try some anyway. I'd sworn off peppers a couple years ago but last year they did so well and I used so many candied, pickled and added to salsa I am mad keen to plant more. It seems I just needed the right place in the yard to get decent production. I'm going to plant more of the banana and jimmy nardello types, they should be good for canning.

Ah and then there's this:

That is a ripe olive! it's the only one on the whole tree

 

[NewBoots]

Oh and Koraline (ee) Laid her first egg of the spring, a pretty pale turquoise.

 

[littledog]

Also, if you lose trees from Gurneys, call them and tell them. You could get replacements or money back. They have new owners now, but I think they still stand by their policy.

Thank you, good to know! I'll definitely give them a call, it can't hurt. I'd love to just get replacements.

Got one load of seeds today from Territorial - I take back what I said about them sometimes being slow to ship. It only took two days (they're in an adjacent State) definitely faster than the past couple years!

As it turns out, two of our three 5-month-old chicken babies are roosters, not just one Apparently I'm a big fail at sexing chicks, since I thought one was a pullet. Neither has started crowing, but they are starting to harass the hens, then the older rooster gets mad and punishes not the young roosters, but the poor hen!

So the plan for tomorrow is to set up rooster jail in the asparagus section of the garden, just T-posts with wire and netting over the top, with a covered section and gate at the end. It's a big area, about 5' x 75' so they have plenty of room to sort things out between themselves and all the hens can get a break.

We will eventually have to cull or give away one - Loki the big rooster is 7, so we're keeping one of the youngsters but not both. In the meantime, they can till my asparagus bed for me, since it's 15-20 years old and close to played out, and they will help me find where I need to fill in with new tubers.

 

[jerryse]

Interesting. I thought tomatoes were self-pollinating. To get unpollinated fruit would mean the flower must have short stamen and/or a long pistel. I guess it could lack stamen also, but I never heard of a tomato that was not hermaphroditic - I'm far from a botanist though.

I guess it is a temperature thing . Cool = poor pollination . So this trait helps fruit set in cool conditions .

 

[Sueby]

I guess it is a temperature thing . Cool = poor pollination . So this trait helps fruit set in cool conditions .

We will have poor tomato pollination when it's too humid here. Interesting, thanks for mentioning it.

I'm considering a different type of production bird, maybe I'll look into the BSL. I swore off the reds because they always die of reproductive issues early, but here I am with a bunch of birds & no eggs so what's the sense? So I'm rethinking it. We know the reds live about 3 years & then we have to cull when they start having problems, but dang, they lay just about every day till then, don't molt (hard) & don't go broody. Ideally I think I'd like to keep 3 or 4 at all times in the flock & something a little nicer to the other girls would be great. The reds are tough with integration, but love me. The only ones I can catch without a net!

Another warm one today, we may hit 50. Spring fever in full tilt now. I walked thru the garden store yesterday & was looking at seeds when work called & I had to leave. First time ever in that store not buying anything!

 

[Swiss]

The snow around the bases of the trees had been gone for a few days, but the ground disappeared last night. Apparently, it snowed and we got at least 4 inches. It's 35° out, so it melted and compacted a bit.

Thanks for mentioning all the places at which you all shop for seeds and plants. Especially Dollar Seed! They have a decent selection without being overwhelming, great prices, and I found my package in the mail yesterday (I ordered them on Saturday, Feb 5). There was even an extra packet of seeds in there! At first, I thought they sent me the wrong kind of lettuce, but I guess it was a bonus gift or something.

My leather gloves arrived yesterday, too. So, now I can go out and clean up the patch(es) of wild blackberries and wild raspberries.