Mr Teddy Grows Indoors & Out In 2015

[Bapple]

I can't get Coriander here either, so got plenty on the go also.

Re Spring not showing up, I am getting nervous as I have no grow room and all the girls have to go out at 3 weeks irrespective of what the weather is doing. Hope my Photo girls don't hermie......

 

[Teddy Edwards]

Looking good MrTeddy. Maybe after you get all that non-420 stuff planted and growing vigorously you could share it on an off-topic thread. I have one up and a Rad had a sweet one as well. I for one would love to see how your flowers take to the Greek sunshine we all know will show its face again for longer than a peek.

Sue. It's always so good to have you pop in. I'll be delighted to share my garden on your off-topic thread. (And yes, Radogast's garden thread is wonderful). Last year's summer fruit and veg harvests were great, but this year I'm going perpetual. As soon as this lot of seedlings are out, I will use the tent for another round. We've got some olive trees which did OK for us too so we're hoping that all we'll have to buy for Greek salads is Feta. That's if I manage a cucumber this year. Tricky blighters. I'll go see your thread now, and maybe post my favourite flower from 2014.

Thanks for the CFL advice. I know, I need to order some Y adaptors.

I can't get Coriander here either, so got plenty on the go also.

Re Spring not showing up, I am getting nervous as I have no grow room and all the girls have to go out at 3 weeks irrespective of what the weather is doing. Hope my Photo girls don't hermie......

Bappie. I see you are in the Southern Mediterranean. It's miserable weather, isn't it? I believe that it's all about how you handle Plan B. Do you have a cold frame for the girls? I'll be building one this summer. Protect what tender perennials I can from the winter snow. Everything in the garden here was just coming back. Now the daffs and tulips are bent and the new shoots covered with snow again. "Ti na kanomay?" as they say here. "What can we do?"

 

[Bapple]

I think Lidl are doing a well priced mini greenhouse I might go and get one.

Let's keep our fingers crossed

 

[Teddy Edwards]

Hi Bappie. Thank you, thank you. I've just looked up Lidl's mini greenhouse. Perfect. And cheap as chips. Well, quite a few chips. But cheap. We have a Lidl about 50 miles away. I'll be there next week.

 

[Radogast]

As I huddle in the bus shelter in rain scheduled to go "wintry mix" I gladly send a week's worth of spring weather to you. I have new wolfsbane and paw-paw seeds that need a little more freeze time !

 

[Teddy Edwards]

Birdman. Sadly, that week's worth hasn't got here yet. As with my seeds, which must be stuck in the same sorting office, I'll let you know when it arrives.

And I know what seeds you have on the go. I adore your garden thread. I may not have time to post much, but believe me, I'm there.



Tent Note:
Mrs Teddy and I have had a tiny altercation. She unplugged the extractor fan for her second sewing machine. And forgot to plug it back in. Tent has been at 37C for a few hours.

Everyone has been misted and talked to calmly.

I will now go and do the same with Mrs T.

 

[420Brother]

i ordered some beans from barney yesterday, needless to say that im really scared about when i'm going to get them

damn you relaxed post office

i harvest around mid to late May so right on time for when my seeds arrive

 

[Bapple]

Hello Mr T!

I trust you have smooth talked your way out of altercation city.......Happy wife happy life.....

Here is a not very good photo of my newly acquired Lidl mini greenhouse

I bet Murphys Law will now kick in and weather will go back to normal

 

[Bapple]

Oops senior moment - forgot the photo

 

[Radogast]

Nice. Like a cold frame.

 

[PeeJay]

Hola Mr. Teddy. I have been absent for some time. I needed to reference some information today so I am wandering through a few gardens. Of course I had to wander through yours. Regarding moving plants started early in a tent outdoors; there are some points of concern.

These plants have an age of sexual maturity - typically five-six weeks. Any non-auto seed that is planted and raised under 12/12 conditions will start flowering around that time. The problem you must avoid is keeping plants in a tent under 18/6 until they have reached the age of sexual maturity and then moving them outside where they suddenly get many less hours of light. This will cause the plants to go into flower from the sudden drop in light hours. Because the days are still getting longer they will realise that something is wrong and revert to a vegetative state. This hormonal turmoil is very hard on the plant. I reference you to gardenfarie's journal from last year for an example of this. She started her plants early indoors, moved them outside around the first of May, and they promptly decided to flower before freaking out on the lengthening days. Bad juju.

There are tools online where you can put in your location and generate a chart for your sunrise/sunset times and determine the hours of light the plant gets. You are at ~ 36 degrees North by my reckoning. I am ~35 degrees North. Where I am the sun will rise at 6:41 this morning and will set at 7:35 tonight for just shy of 13 hours of sunlight. If I have plants at the age of sexual maturity in a tent and put them outside now they will go into flower. Twelve hours of light is not a magic number that makes plants flower. Last year my outdoor plants began to flower around the 25th of July when there was roughly 14.5 hours of daylight.

Plants started early inside that have not reached the age of sexual maturity will be ok. They will recognize the days are getting longer before they reach the age of sexual maturity and continue to veg. Conversely, if the plants have reached the age of sexual maturity or are appreciably close to it the sudden drop in light hours will induce disastrous sexual fervor when they are moved outside into anything less than about 15 hours of light.

The take-away is this; move those babies in the tent outside well before they become sexually mature. If you anticipate an overnight freeze bring them in and put them in a dark closet overnight. The hothouse against the wall should be fine for preventing freeze giving you several degrees of wiggle room compared to ambient outside air. Just keep an eye on the weather.

Alternatively, you can leave those plants in the tent and put them outside around the 1st week in June. By then the days are long enough that you will not induce flowering when they are moved outside.

I hope that this post was useful and answers your question. I'll check back in a day or two if you have any questions.

Give my best to Mrs. Teddy

Pee Jay

 

[Radogast]

Great info Peejay!

This explains what happened to my basil last spring. And I was running 14/10 for the garden herbs !

 

[JadeLotus]

Did your special package ever arrive? I would go crazy waiting on the mail!!

 

[420]

Mr. Teddy has lost internet service as a result of the snow storm, however is doing fine and will be back as soon as possible.

 

[SweetSue]

Thank you 420.

 

[MaxYields]

Poor Mr Teddy!!!!

Thanks for the update 420!

 

[Jaga]

420 The Boss ,, so cool thanx for the info
A snow storm in Greece at this time of year just dont seem right to me ,,best wishes Mr Teddy keep the girls warm
Give Mr Teddy a bit of fuss for me an Ms P ,, love to you and your wife

 

[420Brother]

Weather got better today, still chilly outside tho but it's getting there. Kinda surprised that it's still so cold here mid April

 

[GrizzWald]

Weird weather.... Any other year I would have burnt half a ton of wood so far.. My fires been on twice and I was In t-shirt and shorts yesterday... Allows the outdoors to finish off though hope all are safe and well... Stay warm...

 

[Teddy Edwards]

Hello Playmates!

Internet service is back and normal green-based service here will be resumed later today.