The Cheap Vegetable Gardener

Life in the growbox

14.1 years ago indoor growbox, peppers, tomato

Right about now the temperatures outside should be increasing and I should be thinking about start hardening off my summer plants over the next few weeks. 

Unfortunately we seeing hail the past few days along with some pretty cold nights.  Looks like even though I was fairly pessimistic about my last frost date I may have another battle of tomatoes/peppers over taking the growbox or bring them out into the elements a little too early…

To make a little room I did move my herbs (oregano/parsley) out to the cold frame with the basil struggling to survive in the growbox I will give it a little time to bounce back.

Tags: cheap, growbox, herb garden, outdoor plants, pepper plants, tomato plants, vegetables

Hydroponic Grow box update

14.2 years ago Uncategorized

Currently in the grow box I have some basil and more recently strawberries added as I was “weeding” my garden I found a bunch more starts.  Though I have seen basil do well in hydroponic systems mine is turning pretty leggy and quickly loosing lower leaves.  The strawberries on the other hand and thriving in the environment.  Probably will let them stay in there a little longer until the peppers get too big and make me move the hydroponic system outdoors. 

I also tried some peppers but unfortunately they got a little too much of a freeze from a previous machine failure and didn’t quite make it.

For those who can’t get enough of time lapse videos here is some interesting growth going on in the grow box.

Tags: cheap, growbox, pepper plants, strawberry plants, vegetables

Cheap Light Bar for Seedlings

14.2 years ago cheap, indoor seed starting

A couple months ago we replaced a couple of bathroom light fixtures and it didn’t take too long for me to find the old ones a new home.  An old extension code couple electrical connectors and I have a completely non-code light bar.  I used the smaller fixture and replaced my light bulbs hanging from sockets using zip ties.

When I have some more time I will plan on making a reflector to redirect more light on the plants but for now the little peppers/tomatoes look very happy.

Tags: cheap, garden seeds, outdoor plants, pepper plants, tomato plants, vegetables

Hometown seed giveaway #2 (Survival Seeds)

14.3 years ago free, giveaway, seed storing, seeds

Hometown Seeds has again graciously offered up a selection of their non-GMO non hybrid survival seeds.  These are advertised to keep in storage for 5-10 years but also are open pollinated so you can grow them this year, collect the seeds and create your own stockpile in preparation of any future catastrophic food shortage.

They include a selection of the following varieties:

• Lincoln Peas
• Detroit Dark Red Beets
• Kentucky Wonder Brown Pole Bean
• Yolo Wonder Pepper
• Champion Radish
• Lucullus Swiss Chard
• Black Beauty Zucchini
• Waltham Butternut Winter Squash
• Bloomsdale Longstanding Spinach
• Scarlet Nantes Carrots
• Long Green Improved Cucumber
• Rutgers Tomato
• Golden Acre Cabbage
• Romaine Paris Island Cos Lettuce
• Golden Bantem Sweet Corn
• Yellow Sweet Spanish Onion

They will be sending me the seeds to no restrictions on where these can be mailed to, so simply add a comment by 2/16/2010 2/19/2010 and I will randomly select a winner in one week.

Update — 2/16/2010

I got the seeds in the mail from Hometown Seeds and I was very surprised in the weight of these seeds.  Well over a lb of seeds in this package.  They come in a sealed lightproof wrapper as you can see below:

Though the seeds would last longer if I kept them in this packaging, though I just had to rip it open to see what was inside (winner’s package will not be opened):

As you can see there are quite a few seeds in this package so you may want to think about who you may want to share these with if you win.

Tags: cheap, garden seeds, led, pepper plants, tomato plants, vegetables

LED grow box gets an upgrade

14.3 years ago cheap, indoor growbox, indoor seed starting, LEDs, seeds

In our family we are not just cheap in the garden we also keep our house pretty cool to save on heating costs.  Unfortunately since the LEDs in my grow box do not put out very much heat the inside is only about 68 F degrees even placing it on top of my refrigerator.  For most seeds 77 F degrees is a great ball bark number to shoot for to get the best germination percentage as well as  quicker germination times.  This was the number I was shooting for, so I decided to add a string of mini incandescent bulbs to help bring up the temperature.

To do this I did exactly what I did for the LEDs just drill a hundred or so holes into the side of the box just slightly smaller than the bulb.  Then had the fun job of pushing them all through.

I first tried having all the lights on but that brought the temperature up to 85 degrees, next I tried only half the lights on…70 F degrees.  Then I got the idea of adding the blinker bulbs and tada 77 F degrees on the nose (ok technically 77.1 F).

So far everything is looking good have some onions, peppers, basil, and Swiss chard already sprouted and expecting more shortly.

Tags: cheap, garden seeds, grow lights, growbox, led, pepper plants, vegetables

pH needs of plants in soil or hydroponics

14.3 years ago hydroponics, pH, water

With the exception of some of my acid loving plants and flowers I normally do not have to worry much about the pH of my soil.  This is because I have amended my gardens with nutrient rich soils in raised beds over my alkaline clay I get naturally in my area.  This and the fact that due to natural and manmade causes the rainfall is slightly acidic and given the average range for the sweet spot of most edible vegetables (see table below) is 5.8 to 6.0 having your soil slightly acidic this is perfect.

Now when it comes to hydroponics this is entirely different.  My tap water has a pH of around 7.5 and the fluctuation of plant using nutrients and transpiration can cause great havoc on the pH on your hydroponic system.  Now this creates a challenge but also an opportunity to have control with great precision your pH and keep your plants growing in the sweet spot for the healthiest plants and the greatest yields.

So whether you are growing hydroponically, or simply trying to figure out why your Fennel didn’t do so well last year take a look at the table below, hopefully for some hints of what happened.

Recommended pH Ranges of Vegetables/Herbs

Tags: garlic bulbs, herb garden, outdoor plants, pepper plants, peppermint plant, tomato plants, vegetables