February 18, 2009: I'm a Quadmom!

I have four new babies this morning. No, I'm not quite as good as "Octomom" but, unlike that new mother of eight, I'm not planning on hawking a reality show to TV, and I'm not going to use my blog to ask for donations to raise my four.

They left their "incubator" this morning and went under the light with their four Tumbling Tom siblings.




It took these California Wonder 300 TMR (bell) peppers eleven days to sprout. They were kept in their mini-greenhouse at 80-85F, sitting on an old heating pad that was turned to low. I planted six seeds, and if the other two sprout it will be a really tight fit under my single 2-foot light.

I'm also trying to pre-sprout six more pepper seeds, placed on a damp paper towel and sealed in a ZipLoc bag. I hope we get some warm, sunny days so the tomatoes can go outside to make room for all the peppers!


22 comments:

  1. Your seedlings are well underway, The tomatoes look great. 11 days for peppers is pretty fast, they can take ages to germinate. I was just reading a ladies blog that germinates pepper seeds just like you are with the paper towel and zip lock bags. She placed them on the heat mat as well.

    How did the pepper seeds do that you save from that large pepper?

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  2. Dan, nothing at all from the saved pepper seeds. I didn't have room for them on the heating pad, I'll move them there now, but I think they just were not viable seeds. I'll give them until the end of the month, I guess, before I give up on them.

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  3. Still looking good, Granny! I'll be posting some pics of the seedlings in the chamber in a few days. The ones on the shelf system aren't doing as good. BTW, you about ready for the anticipated part 3 ?

    EG

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  4. You bet I'm ready, EG!

    I put all the babies outside in the sun today. It's 74F, and I put them where I don't think they will get too hot and they are protected from the wind (fingers crossed). I'm worried about one of the tomato seedlings, as it looks to be getting purplish veins. I isolated it from the others.

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  5. I don't see a soil blocker yet. What's up with that.

    John

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  6. John, remember, I'm not home yet! You know how much I pack into that Ford Ranger (you said it couldn't be done), there won't even be room for a soil blocker in there!

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  7. OK I'm new to all this veggie stuff.... Purplish veins? Isolated it from the others?

    What does this all mean?

    Liisa

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  8. I planted my seeds yesterday, I'm SO excited! Every time I walk by them I check their water and look for anything green. Nothing yet (of course!). Hubs keeps making comments about how I have no patience. lol

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  9. Liisa, sometimes the purplish color comes from the plant getting frostbitten. However, these babies have been kept at 80-85F 24 hours a day, so I'm afraid it could be a tomato virus. I moved it away from the others, just in case. These seeds were from saved seed, so no guarantee on their health, I guess. Maybe it's just suffered transplant shock. I hope it's nothing, as it's my biggest seedling.

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  10. Mommyamy, I commented on Sinfonian's blog this morning that none of my peppers had germinated yet. Ten minutes later I went to check them for moisture and three had popped up. I looked again before I sent the comment and a fourth was showing! A few hours later the fifth popped up..only one to go now (maybe I should look again !)

    I looked, I think I only got 5 of the six, but that's pretty good germination.

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  11. Granny, I have the parts for a round or square but I will need an address.

    John

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  12. Thank you, John...Email on the way :-)

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  13. part 3 is up, Granny.

    EG

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  14. Oh Baby Bells! Congrats Mama! ;^)
    The last of my peppers germinated today so I know that excited feeling!

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  15. Thank you, Just Jenn...I feel like a proud mama!

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  16. I'm just getting around to my toms and you know how I like to study up before I do anything... ;^) Anyway I just read that "Purple leaved tomato seedlings are most likely to be suffering from a phosphorus deficiency. Dig in rock phosphate and bone meal before the final transplanting. A seedling that develops purple leaves just before it is planted out often returns to normal when transplanted to the garden row, if the soil is adequate. Avoid giving too much nitrogen during early growth; it will promote vining at the expense of fruiting. The tomato's nitrogen requirements rise a blossoming time, though, and that's when you can give the plants a boost of manure tea or diluted fish emulsion."

    You can always check in for the rest of tomatology at my blog later tonight... ;^) Hope that helps with your little purple tomato seedling!

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  17. Thanks, Just Jenn. Maybe that addition of potting soil to the seed starting mix will take care of the problem. I tried to get to your blog last night, but lost my WIFI connection, so I'm on my way right now. I've copied you, in a way, and begun another blog at http://whatsgrowinginanniesgarden.blogspot.com/
    I hope I can keep it up throughout the year! That's two blogs, a daily journal and a cardfile on each plant...sheesh, I won't have time to plant the garden!

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  18. I hope the saved bell peppers come up for you, it sounded like a spectacular pepper.

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  19. Dan, I gave up on them and dug around in the seeding mix...nothing. So that experiment was a bummer. I might try to pre-sprout a few of the seeds just to see if they are viable. I may have killed these when I had them in the hot sun the first few days.

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  20. Lol... I feel your pain. I actually have five blogs and sometimes it's a real pain keeping them all up. 0.o

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  21. Just Jenn...five blogs? I don't know how you manage!

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