So You Bought A Tomato Plant

 So you have bought yourself a tomato plant and now you need to know what to do with it to get it ready to plant in the garden, but what do you do to it, you may ask.

First thing is to look closely at your plant and see if there are any flowers visible, as this will determine your next step prior to planting. In the first photo you can see that there is a lot of lower growth, which you'll need to get up close and personal with. The lower foliage needs to be removed up the plant at least the depth of the pot it's in, I'll explain more in a minute.

Notice the leaves on the bottom of the stem, well these need to be cut off and the cotyledons and small leaves too.

With the lower leaves removed, a tall plant like this can be planted deeper in the soil than usual (at least the depth of the pot extra) as what will then happen, is the bare stem will actually form roots once planted and this will make you plant stronger as it grows. Once this is done, look for a forming flower truss and then you can side shoot the plant up to the flower truss but don't go above it. You will see these sideshoots growing in the leaf axis of the plant as these are what will form new leaders on your plant, but you don't want them forming below a flower truss. These next two photos will show you what the side shoots look like, so you can just nip out with your fingers. Note too the flower truss in this next photo.

So, this simple task will help when you're ready to plant. Happy gardening.

The Seedling Sale - Any Good?

Well, the morning of the Seedling Sale arrived with some fair weather considering what's on the radar, I started setting up about 6.45 a.m. then sat and waited for the rush. Over the next four hours we probably had about a dozen actual buyers, plus a few lookers.

I've done these sorts of sales in the past and the results have always been good, so I'll put today down to experience and tell myself not to do it again. Anyway, the end result is that I have still got plants left and will try and offload them to the Op Shops if I can't find a sale for them. The Op Shops like getting them, as I've done it a few times before, without a sale.

I've culled a few plants as I was packing up, so I didn't really empty the hothouse for very long. I can see a boot load going to the relatives after I get the next week over and done with.

 

 

Saving Seedlings From Damping Off

For new gardeners and old, keep an eye on your seedlings for damping off, a mildew problem associated with damp soil at the base of seedlings and below the soil level.

 

This year I was given a quantity of small square pots that fit in a 10 cell tray, but little did I know these would be a curse for me, losing almost everything grown in them as they don't drain well enough for seedlings.

 

I've dusted some remaining seedlings with Cinnamon to try and save a few.

 

 

 

Seedling Sale

I think I jumped when I should have stepped with a seedling sale that hasn't been good to me, as I have lost so many seedlings due to the cold nights and wrong selection.

Anyway, I have a seedling sale planned and advertised as I just hope it goes well enough to try and break even and be able to clear my stock. Time will tell,  The sale will consist of Tomatoes, Chillies, Capsicums, Eggplants, Rhubarb, Peppers, Pumpkin & Cucumbers.

I'll check in after Saturday and post a reply as to how things went, but on here and not Facebook. So much to do, so little time, plus trying to organise a couple of days away to see my sister who isn't well and with a six hour drive each way, it means we have to stay overnight, but then I have a couple of medical appointments I have to work around.

Anyway, the sale is all systems go for Saturday, so fingers crossed.

Murnong Misstep - Microseris walteri

I saw a post about Murnong (Microseris walteri) and thought I'd like to try and grow some, so I ordered some and got off on the wrong foot immediately. When the seed arrived it was labeled from the distributer as Microseris lanceolata a different species to what I'd ordered. I tried to inform the seller that I'd received the wrong seed, then eventually I was told I had the right seed in the wrong labeled packet.(Can you believe it)

I ended up planting a lot but not all of the seed, but keeping it damp enough on the heat mat was hard so I planted some in native tubes. Not expecting anything to grow, I eventually got some to germinate.

I had intended to buy more seeds but plants will give me a crop of plants now, rather than later, so I bought 20 tubes of young seedlings, some with flower buds. (last photo)

Goji Berry - Seed Germination

 

Not really the best germination rate, but from a seed packet of approx 150 seeds, I managed 77 seedlings, a lot of which are minuscule. I couldn't leave these Goji Berry seedlings on the heatmat any longer, so I pricked them out yesterday.

 

I have someone who'll take 50 seedlings, so now to see if I can get them to grow.

 

 In the pots not having a Goji Berry seedling, I managed to sow 24 Green (#4) Zucchini Cross seeds.

Late Seedlings

I ended up with some late seedlings, which will be ready mid-late October and consist of two types of Sweet Peppers - Corno di Toro & Jimmy Nardello and three types of Tomato plants, Totem Malakhitovaya Shkatulka & Red Currant.

I think I made a mistake planting them, but we'll see when the time comes.

 

*** Just on the off chance someone is after seedlings (as shown) to buy, then these could be for sale at the right price.

 

 

 

Deep Watering Your Plants

I know I've posted on this before, but it does work.

 

Here's something for your garden, it's the most effective way to water your plants, especially Tomatoes, as they feed close to the surface, but actually get water deeper down. This places it where its needed. You need to get the slotted aggie pipe as shown, the cut it about 45cm for a tomato or shorter for smaller plants.

Here's how the 50mm slotted aggi pipe looks when fitted beneath the tomato plant - a great idea for deep watering the tomato plants - which they absolutely love when it gets hotter.

The video shows how easy it is to fit these watering tubes. Also, these can be used every year without buying new ones, just store them in your shed,

Don't forget to get the 50mm slotted aggi pipe if you want to use this idea.

 

Then I got my new toy, but I had to go to three Bunning's Stores before I got it.

 

                                            For best results, open video in Full Screen Mode.

The Pointy End Of The Stick

It's almost impossible to buy plant stakes in the country with points on them, so to come up with a solution to these dull pointed stakes that are hard to push into potting mix.

 

 

I bought a packet of blades for my Stanley knife, but thought it would be a bit slow going to get the desired effect I wanted.

 

 

 

After a bit of thought, I came up with a pencil sharpener idea, as you can see in the video.

 

The end result is what I wanted.

 

Open this video in Full Screen Mode for best results.

 

Good Sign - Flowers

 Seeing flowers on new tomato seedlings while working with hydroponic semi commercial crops, was the indicator they could be placed on the slabs. The home gardener will see the same thing, that flowers are the indicator to make sure they are planted in the garden at this stage.

Assuming this variety of tomato will produce ripe fruit in 65 days, it's from the flowering stage to the ripe fruit stage that's called "Days to Maturity" stage.

All tomato seed packets will tell you how long until maturity, which is how you work out when to expect ripe fruit.

Growing Commercial Capsicums - Ten Years Ago

Just for something different, I'm posting some photos that came up in my Facebook Memories from 10 years ago. These photos were taken where I was working, Chisholm TAFE College in Cranbourne.. In the photos it shows a partial crop of Commercial Capsicums, which have recently had 3x strings attached to each plant. In this room in the Glasshouse are 5x rows of hydroponic growing gutters 40 metres long, so the 800x plants here, will now become 2400x plants, as each plant will grow 3x heads, or leaders, on strings 3.4 metres high. The plants are pruned when they first arrive to grow on strings and are twisted on as they grow.

In the next room were possibly 2000 tomato plants, also growing on strings, but on lowered set up.

 

Last Tomato Seedlings For The Year

Even though they're tiny, I pricked out the last tomato seedlings today in readiness to turn off the heatmat at the end of the week. The varieties were Totem and the green when ripe Russian variety Malakhitovaya Shkatulka. Because of the late sowing, these will be a bit later to go into the ground.

Both are nice tomatoes, the green when ripe Malakhitovaya Shkatulka gets a golden blush on the skin when ripe. Getting your brain around eating a green tomato is hard to get around, but they make a great sandwich.

 

New Seasons Tricot

 It had to happen, well it usually does, a tricot has shown up in the Totem variety of tomatoes. Tricot or three cotyledon leaves is not rare, but will show up from time to time in some varieties. These also show up a fair bit for me in Chillies and Capsicum seedlings too. These usually grow as a normal looking seedling, although at times a three leader plant will try and grow, but pruning will usually take care of the extra growth.

Genetic Mottling

Some varieties of Zucchini exhibit mottling on their leaves, Jade Numbat the pollen donor of our Zucchini cross is a great example.

Now in the newest generation, this genetic mottling is showing on the latest lot of seedlings, which will be interesting to watch as the plants develop. Stay tuned.

Seed Germination Coming To An End

 Finally, after a long cold Winter for germinating seeds, the last of the seed have almost finished germinating. I tried some seed for Totem & Malakhitovaya Shkatulka while the Goji Berries were germinating, so done and dusted on that front goes.

All small seedlings that will be too small for my plant sale will be sold off on Facebook Buy & Sell page, so hopefully they;ll go easily.

Here are some of the smaller stuff.

Our Zucchini Cross Planted

Today, we decided to plant our Zucchini cross seedlings, which is only a couple of weeks earlier than last season. The plants could have been allowed to get bigger, but the weather is changing and it is currently ideal for garden plants. As with the Sweet Corn we will have to monitor the weather closely for frosts, but it's easy to chuck a cover over them for a night or two.

 

Candy Cane Capsicums #1 & #2 Differences

For those that received seeds for Candy Cane Capsicum #1 & #2 from my seed offers will notice that the more variegated #2 plant is still variegated in the next generation. When these first hit the market, they are known to have some variegation, while last season one was more variegated than the other in it's F2 generation.

 

Here's a photo of one plant today, with the variegation showing.

 

Sweet Corn Planted

 This is more of a diary note than anything, but we sowed the Sweet Corn today, six rows across the bed to help with sunlight dispersion.The idea of sowing north/south will give all the plants sunlight as it passes the zenith each day.

We will have to monitor the weather closely for frosts, but it's easy to chuck a cover over them for a night or two.

 

Goji Berries

 Years ago I managed to grow Goji Berries from dried fruit from the Supermarket, but things have since changed, as I think the fruit is radiated. I bought a packet of seed from Ebay and they're starting to emerge, a whole 150 of them if they all come up.

Last time I grew them, I put them out to harden off, but the Sparrows stripped them bare.

 

Red Currant Tomato Seedlings

 Seedlings for Red Currant tomatoes, with small red fruit up to marble size. Very sweet, tall plants that need staking.

My New Cross - Two Colours

 Back in 2019 I crossed a tomato in my garden, using the pollen from an orange tomato, onto a red fruited Romanian tomato. From this union I got a nice yellow fruited tomato with great flavour, then last year something different happened. When I first got fruit showing on one of the two plants, I noticed it was going to be a pink fruited plant. So this year I have two plants to finish the grow out on, a pink and a yellow.

 

 

Attack on The Carrots

 We thought we had Rats eating our Carrots, but we were surprised when others also commented on garden damage, which turned out to be worse than Rats. Gardeners from around Gippsland commented that Satin Bower Birds were wreaking havoc on their gardens and only the day before I commented that the Bower birds were around again this year after hibernating elsewhere.

So the carrots and parsnips have now been pulled, taking away their food source - for now.

Zucchini Seed Sown

 September is just around the corner, so it's the perfect time to sow Zucchini seeds in readiness for Spring sowing.

The seed this year is F3 so another step closer to becoming stable, so with seed saved from three different plants from last year, I have the seedling at the opening cotyledon stage and should be in the ground in a couple of weeks. Sown by numbers, the yellow seeded plants from lat year are #1 & #6 while the green fruited plant is #4 as we are calling them.

More to come on these plants in the coming weeks, but hopefully we'll get them growing soon.