Daily Improvisations

  • Inside the Homestead
    • Sewing
    • crochet and knit
    • Playing House
    • In the Workshop
    • Cooking and Food
    • Helpless Female
  • Out in the Garden
    • In My Greenhouse
    • Gardening in Southwest Idaho
    • Straw Bale Garden Project
  • Out with Animals
    • Chickens
    • Goats
    • Horses
  • Around the Globe
    • Adventures with Wild Greg
    • Chocolate Shops Around the World
    • Life in Taipei
    • About Town
      • My Blogs
  • The DI Store
    • DI Gardener’s Shop
    • How to Build a Backyard Brick Oven From Scratch (Book)
    • Custom designs
  • DI Memberships
    • Log In
    • Sign up to be a DI Sewing Room Insider
    • Dream House Members Area
      • Dream House Eyewitness Login
      • Your Account
      • Dream House Project
    • Become a Dream House Eyewitness!

Stir Crazy Gardener Completes First Transplant of Greenhouse Tomato Seedlings

January 16, 2013 by Laura Blodgett 3 Comments

Maybe time-lapse photography would have shown growth, but I sure couldn't see any!
Maybe time-lapse photography would have shown growth, but I sure couldn’t see any!

I thought the directions said I should wait to transplant the greenhouse tomato seedlings.  I have waited and waited for the two true leaf stage.  The tomato seedlings seemed stuck in a timeless space that I walked into once in a while to mist them.  The lettuce is growing some, but this advised cold treatment has been testing my gardening-deprived mental state.  I should be grateful that I have the opportunity to even play around with greenhouse growing right now, but instead I have been stewing.

true leaves budding are just visible at the base of the first leaves
true leaves budding are just visible at the base of the first leaves

Finally, I spied some very small buds of the true leaves!  Aha!  No matter that I had to put on my reading glasses for them to materialize.  They were there.  I ignored any thoughts that I should wait until they were larger, and proceeded to happily transplant all 10 tomato seedlings.  There is no way I can raise all 10 tomato plants to maturity in my greenhouse, but I have to transplant them all at this point.  I am sure someone somewhere has diagnosed this condition…

curly tomato seedling root
curly tomato seedling root

The roots of the tomato seedlings were longer than the lettuce roots had been at transplant.  Most of them were close to 3 inches long.  Since the soil in the egg carton was only a smidge over one inch, I felt just fine about gently laying them in the egg shaped hole in their new pots.

When I was done, I re-read my information and saw that only the time for cold treatment was based on the appearance of the true leaves.  If I think I should keep them cold for a bit longer, I still can.  Meanwhile, the soil will hold a little more moisture and the roots can really grow down.

There is a caution against too much watering in the winter greenhouse.  I have been trying to evaluate that carefully.  I know from experience with normal spring seedlings that it is important to touch the soil and feel at least a little bit under the top layer.  Looks can be deceiving and the plants can suffer too much before there are enough visual clues about water levels.  However, even though a guideline of every 10 days was offered, in the  dry Idaho winter air, the small egg carton size was needing watering every 2-3 days.  It always pays to monitor it a couple of times a day.

All in all, things continue to look hopeful.  The leaves are a fuzzy healthy green.  The stems look strong.  I did pull the remains off of a seed off of the tips of one set of leaves, and they unfolded like it was all very natural.  I may have to advertise for adoptive gardeners.  Possibly, if I charge a small fee on Craigslist a few people will take a plant home?

Filed Under: Gardening in Southwest Idaho, In My Greenhouse, Inside the Homestead Tagged With: southwest Idaho gardening

If you want to read a heartwarming story about how a mother deals with a daughter's death, read this book.

If you have ever wanted to cook pizza in a brick oven in your own backyard, this book is for you!

Basic Facts Guides to Gardening in Southwest Idaho

a list of blog articles covering the basics to help you with your garden in southwest Idaho

My Other Blogs

  • Fun Fitness After 50
  • Fun Learning Chinese
  • LauraBlodgett.com
  • The Happy Homeschool

Blogroll

  • Anemone Flynn
  • Fine Gardening
  • Gourmet In The Field
  • Sew 4 Home

About me

 

 

Daily Improvisations is a project by Laura Blodgett

If you want to know more about what I’m up to and where to read about it, here is a summary!

Making sure you know that:

Some of the links on this site are affiliate links, including affiliate links to amazon.com. See disclosures here.

Contact Me

Contact Me
First

All pictures and content including the name and logo “Daily Improvisations” are Copyright (c) 2019 by Laura Blodgett, unless otherwise noted. Please contact the author with any questions or comments.

Tags

animals Backyard Oven backyard weeds book reviews Chef Betharoni chickens Cori Lou Costa Rica crochet and knit decorating even I can do dehydrating fabric stores around the world flowers flowers from seed Gardens Around the Globe helpless female homestead injuries insects interview Maui music organizing poems PVC Pipe Projects questioning the establishment recipes restaurant reviews sew sewing southwest Idaho gardening sprinklers stock market diaries Taipei Taiwan technology know-how The Best Little Chocolate Shops tools and equipment underground house unimpeded parenting Wild Greg Adventure

Copyright © 2023 · Beautiful Pro Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in