One Alaskans greenhouse

[flowerbug]

if you want to clear out a draft that has been saved click on the menu at the top of the post (when first editing) and one of the items looks like a little camera. clear out the text and then hit that image and click on save and that should get rid of anything that was previously saved.

note that drafts doesn't appear when editing a post, just in the edit box (at the bottom of the screen) when first used.

and as another note (while i'm at it ) drafts are autosaved at some interval (i'm not sure what it is but i'd guess a minute or five )...

 

[Alasgun]

With over 60 tomato plants showing we’re getting to the fun part! Some of the seed cells were double seeded but in all there’s still going to be 40’ish after i whack the orphans.

Today im focused on Judy’s Wonder which is the results of crossing the Celebrity with a Bison last year. This whole project was detailed somewhere on here allready but basically, it’s an entertainment effort for my Odessa S.I.L.
After sending her some of the nicest tomatoes off the Big Celebrity last year, i became a hero of sorts and decided to keep it going. Having never crossed tomatoes previously i went on line and got the general idea then armed with a straight razor, proceeded with trepadation!

within a couple weeks those flowers set fruit and i saved seed for this years project. The Celebrity is a vigorous determinate which grew to 14 ft tall by 12 ft wide and 8 ft from front to back. (pictures back a couple pages)
The Bison is a lanky low growing vine that was advertised as suitable for a hanging basket. Kind of both ends of the spectrum actually.

i’ve got room and will see how it does, ones a hybrid, the other an heirloom

i’ve read of others efforts to de-hybridize and stabilize various strains so it’s with continuing trepidation (and my straight razor) that i venture forth.

i have grand illusions of a huge tomato wreath setting up in the rafter of the greenhouse and draping down each side of the door. Loaded with fruit of course! And at the end of the day, im a realest and able to come to grips with total failure if it ends up looking like something from another planet! At this point they are more uniform and have greater stem girth than any of the rest, so im pumped And it’s fun to facetime the results with Judy occasionally.

 

[digitS']

I'm impressed, Alasgun ! I tried crossing tomatoes one season. Like yours, they were quite different and I thought that it would be possible to separate characteristics in the following generations by selection.

It turned out that I couldn't make it to 1st base. The flowers were almost impossibly small for me to handle with my clumsy digitS'. Additionally, they didn't tend to be what I thought was at the proper stage of maturity from both plants at the same time. They were potted plants in my backyard.

Imagining that I might have a cross, one plant was moved to the greenhouse so as to allow it to ripen fruit over several Fall weeks. Saved seed. The next year, the offspring were exactly the same as the mother plant so ... no cross.

Steve

 

[flowerbug]

...
Imagining that I might have a cross, one plant was moved to the greenhouse so as to allow it to ripen fruit over several Fall weeks. Saved seed. The next year, the offspring were exactly the same as the mother plant so ... no cross.

Steve

well you could have had a cross but didn't know it because of how dominant and recessive genes can work...

 

[digitS']

Not likely, @flowerbug

It was one of those regular leaf/potato leaf crosses. An attempt, anyway.

Steve

 

[Alasgun]

Yesterday i fired up the “White House” and moved a bunch of the tub garden over there. Once i root thru the Tomato’s and determine the keepers, they’ll go over there as well.

Everything’s out of starter cells and into #35’s now which makes things easier. In another couple weeks i’ll take after the Cukes, pea’s and beans.

Some of the big squash can be seen emerging in the foreground of the second picture, these are 2 varieties of Kobacha and some pie pumpkins. I‘ve learned not to start these too early as they have the nasty habit of “knitting sweaters” and tangling themselves into a huge mess. Each year i tweek the various start times to improve going out the other end.

 

[Alasgun]

Tomorrow i’ll get out there and knock the Glacier off the roof And dig out the door again. It’s getting to the part where i’ll want to spend some time in there real soon!
Along the sides where it sheds, that snow is 4 ft deep but inside on a day like today, 20 deg ambient WITH full sun shine; it will be over 70 inside

 

[Alasgun]

Finished moving starts into the white house and got all the bean and cuke seeds in dirt today. In about 3 weeks, peas will end the seed planting for us, for now.
I’ll be opening the greenhouse later in the week and finishing the few fall chores that remain.

That crossbred-mongrel “Judy’s Wonder”, is still my best overall tomato plant!

 

[Alasgun]

About the time you start really longing for warm and dry this happens. With the latest 4 inches, we now have more snow than any year since building the greenhouse.
i guess that’s the price we pay for life in Alaska?

i try not to be too whinny about our weather and can easily look in any direction around here and count numerous blessings!

 

[Alasgun]

We’re in a happy place right now. After planting peas and up-potting the comfrey and tomatoes it’s just water and wait!
Now that the Rabbitry is functioning, i have an abundance of “secret sauce” and have been using rabbit piss (sparingly) in with my watering once a week.