It's been 3 weeks and a couple days since the sowing of seeds. Almost everything has come up well. The exceptions- absolutely NO Ancho chiles came up- I planted 16- and just a few- between 3 and 6- Thai round eggplant came up- planted 16 of those as well.The Red Kuri Squash are looking wonderful; they are getting true leaves. Everything else still has cotyledon leaves (the first leaves to show up when a seed sprouts.) I actually planted the squash a little too early, and hope that they don't outgrow my space before I can set them outside. Our average last frost date is April 15, still just over a month away.
We have 2 fluorescent fixtures, each with two 32 watt bulbs. The lights are on between 14 and 16 hours a day. I am thinking of getting another fixture and 2 more bulbs. I also have a small fan that I turn on and off at random- it helps keep molds down, and the air blowing against the small stems of the plants helps make them stockier. I also run a cool mist humidifier for a few hours every other day or so.
I am a little concerned about the electricity use. I do have a greenhouse window off the garage, and I may move them down to that when the weather warms up a little. It has a breach in it and too much cold air comes in. Alternatively, I may build some cold frames in the backyard. We have plenty of cinderblocks, and I think we have some old windows. I would actually like a permanent coldframe for to extend the harvest of lettuces.
Read more about The Growing Challenge on One Green Generation here
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