Underground Gardener: March 2024

As usual I have procrastinated, but since I targeted starting so early, I'm actually right on track. I guess that counts as a life hack! Anyway, I have started quite a number of different tomatoes and peppers. I've got seven fiberglass tough planters (like a long window planter) under the fluorescents right now and they're doing very well so far. One planter has a ton of weeds in it, but the rest seem good so far. I used clear packing tape to stick labels written in sharpie on the side of the planters. Will they stay stuck on? Will they fade? Who can say!

Seeds starting under lights

Have I mentioned garlic? I have 55 garlic bulbs and they look great so far! I'm optimistic for a nice haul of garlic this year.

One of the hardneck garlic beds

Some tomato seedlings already putting on extra sets of leaves.

The soil I have the seedlings in is somewhat sandy and seems to dry out pretty quickly. I need to keep on top of watering.

Update from 6/23/2023 - My prep this year was decidedly lacking. Rather than beat myself up over it, I decided to just roll with it. Last year I was very aggressive about bringing in pepper plants - 28 of them made it into the basement. Whereas last year things went swimmingly, with almost all plants making it through, this year it looks like only 8 made it. And whereas last year they really took off within a week of being put outside, these 8 survivors seem to be a bit less vigorous. Last year the overwinter leaves kind of fell off and new leaves popped up everywhere. This year the regrowth seems much more subdued.

Today, 03/10/2024 - Last year was unimpressive. I got a few zucchini (planted late, did not keep up with them well). Tomatoes were pathetic. Definitely focusing on other things. This year, as I perpetually say, will be different. There is at least some hope that I may do a better job. I've already started some peppers and I'm working on tomatoes today. I've cleaned out some of the spider webs in the basement (lol, what a metaphor!), and I've got my first batch of peppers under lights.

The hot pepper selection was interesting. I dug through my last 12 years of seed packets and came up with the following that I started last weekend:

Poinsetta - None sprouted.
Hungarian Hot Wax - None sprouted.
Caperino - None sprouted.
Pablano - None sprouted.
Habanero - None sprouted.
Sweet Banana - None sprouted.
Pepperoncini - None sprouted.
Tabasco - None sprouted.
Buena Mulata
Cayenne
Datil
Korean Dark Green

So only the last four sprouted. Maaaaaybe I'll get some of those. I think my problem is that I have a lot of old seeds.

Today I also planted

Serrano
Jalapeno
Anaheim/Big Jim - a New Mexico type of chile

Went a lot heavier on these than the other types, these are the ones I enjoy the most. I really, really hope the New Mexican type of green chiles do well, I'd like to get a big enough harvest to justify getting a roaster. A hand cranked, propane fired roaster would be really fun, and a great way to prep them.

Spent some time today deciding which types of tomato to plant.

YES - Rutgers - These are reliable.
YES - Black Vernissage - See how they stack up to Cherokee Purple
YES - Brandywine - Low output but maybe do 1.
YES - Beefsteak - Low output but maybe do 1.
YES - Spoon - These are fun.
YES - Black Cherry - Pretty, good flavor. Get loads of tomatoes.
YES - Yellow Pear - Yes, looking for a nice range of cherry colors this year.
YES - Roma - Doing sauce mostly, so yes.
YES - A Grappoli D'Invierno - Got a lot of these.
YES - San Marzano - Mostly using them for sauce, so no brainer here.
YES - Cherokee Purple - My favorite!
YES - Napa chardonnay - Yeah, doing a rainbow of cherry tomatoes.
YES - Green Doctors - Yeah, doing a rainbow of cherry tomatoes.
YES - Red Cherry, Large Fruited - Yeah, doing a rainbow of cherry tomatoes.
YES - Sungold - A great cherry variety.

Decided against these.

NO - Brandywine Pink - Low output.
NO - Gezahnte - I don't think these fared well.
NO - Mortgage Lifter - Never get much from these

The two major themes this year are cherry tomatoes - I want a nice variety of colors, and tomato sauce, so somewhat of a preference for paste types. I also am being less tolerant of varieties that produced poorly. I want to make up for my lack of tomatoes last year and see if I can have a great year.

Other things on the agenda for... soonish... eggplant, ground cherries, and huckleberries.

Another big theme this year is berries. I had elderberries for a few years, but they got lost in the backyard jungle and never saw them again. The black raspberries that used to be everywhere in the back are largely gone. I think the jungle swallowed them up as well. Last fall I hired a landscaper to clear the back yard. Expensive, but the change is very dramatic. I will definitely have some extra space for plants.

Another berry project - I took cuttings from a blackberry bramble at the community garden and put them in water. They're sprouted nicely, I will see if I can start them in soil soon. I also put some blueberries and blackberries from work and put them in the freezer. Will defrost them soon and see if I can grow plants from the seeds. And finally will need to hit the nurseries in the area to see what else I can scrounge up. Strawberries would be awesome, but I think I will try a variety of things if I can find them.

Some scavenged photos of the mediocre attempt that was 2023...