This Week 3/30

Just after the last blog post went live, I started moving flats into the greenhouse a couple at a time.  And, getting to know the temperature range in there, even on cold days, it can get over 120F if it's sunny and I don't open up the doors and windows. At night, with a couple of layers of row cover for protection, it tends to stay around 40, or around 10 degrees higher than outside.  So, luckily, it has mostly been warm enough for them, with only a few seedlings looking a bit sad from the shock of moving out of my apartment but recovering right away.


That was until Saturday night, when it got down below 20.  I knew it would be a colder night than usual, so I gave the seedlings an extra layer or two of cover and made sure the more sensitive seedlings were cuddled up next to the hay bales I recently picked up.  Even with all that, when I came back the next morning, a handful of tomatoes and most of the peppers were in serious trouble or completely dead.  Others were just fine though, which is great, but a bit curious.  I'm guessing the hay bales weren't as cozy as I thought and maybe a draft passed between them. Also, it was a flat that had more recently been put out that had the most problems, so it might not have been as adjusted to the temperature range as the others.

It's a bit sad that it happened, but it's one of those things you have to get used to, learn from, and then try and pick up the pieces.  It's looking like some of the pepper seedlings will recover, and the tomatoes aren't such a big loss as I grow way more tomatoes than is reasonable (what can I say, they're awesome and come in so many interesting varieties and colors!).  Things like this are why I only plant about half the seeds in a packet at a time, so that, just in case the first set have a mishap or just don't germinate as well as I want, I can try again.  Which is exactly what I'm doing now. Hopefully, the new pepper seeds will do awesome!

On a happier note, I checked on the plants I moved last fall and they're starting to green up!  And the bulbs have started to claw their way up out of the ground.  I can't wait for the soil to stop being cold mud so I can start working the soil again, and then just a few more weeks until the last frost.  Hope you've been having a great week!

Enjoy,
Amber