2000 Growers Log - April
April 1st is not the "usual" starting date for many growers, but due to the short growing season here in Medicine Hat I like to start early and protect my plants as best as possible until all danger of frost is past (around June 1st). This year I will have two plants. I tried growing 4 plants last year but I was only really able to focus on two. I am starting off this year with a Lloyd 935 (seed pictured above, next to a dime for size comparison). I sanded the edges and soaked it overnight (April 1st) in water then placed it in a ziplock bag (April 2nd) with some damp paper towels. I germinate the seed at 80- 85 degrees F using a small incubator I made from a small fan heater and a thermostat in one of my workshop cabinets.
I have not yet made a choice on the second plant since I'm awaiting seeds from this years seed draw from the Ottawa St. Lawrence Growers and from Shellie Cramer.
Meanwhile, out in the garden (below) my helpers are busy preparing the first pumpkin hill, digging out a 4 foot x 4 foot hole. The edge of the cold frame that will cover the hill can be seen at right. Bags of composted manure that are mixed in with the soil are in the front.
The soil that came out of the hole and the manure are sieved through hardware cloth and mixed up in a wheelbarrow before dumping it back into the hole.
Then the cold frame is place over the prepared soil awaiting the seedling.
The Lloyd 935 seed germinated 4 days ago on the 5th and is now a healthy seedling (seen above). Shellie Cramer sent me a fantastic selection of seeds from her collection and from that I've selected a second seed to try, the Mombert 800.5. Shellie thinks its been overlooked in the past so we'll both be giving it a shot this year. I'm sure she'll do really well with it , just a few pounds less than mine. The Mombert 800.5 seed is now soaking and hopefully will germinate in a few days. Speaking of Shellie, she just sent me a picture of her new toy. See the photo below.
The Lloyd 935 seedling is progressing nicely. The fist true leaf is now out. I will be transplanting it out into the heated coldframe in a few days. I have the heater running in the coldframe now to help equilibrate the temperature and make sure the lid lifter is adjusted properly.
The Mombert 800.5 seedling is also doing well and it will be at least 7-10 days before I'll be ready to transplant it outside. I will have to build a second coldframe for this one.
The Lloyd 935 seedling is out in the coldframe now. There is a heater in the coldframe to keep the temperature from falling too far at night, and an automatic lid lifter to keep the coldframe from getting too warm inside when the sun is shining.
The Mombert 800.5 could also go out any time now, but I need to build a second coldframe before I do so. For the time being its being kept company by some tomato plants and impatiens.