Tomato Seedlings Arrived!!

[digitS']

Thanks for sharing pictures and your experiences, Joz.

We have just gotta get you back to seed-starting. I am always ready to talk tomatoes but, you know, some plants that aren't America's #1 garden vegetable can be a real problem to find locally. That goes for seed, too.

The local garden center has a dozen seed companies to tap but 99% of their bell pepper selection is California Wonder in a dozen different packets. I gave up on California Wonder 30 years ago! Maybe I was wrong in thinking it doesn't do well here . . . Believe it or not, I actually bought 3 packets of seed that I didn't really need so that I could get an envelop of Keystone pepper seeds they were giving away free! I believe it was on the Burpee or Thompson & Morgan rack . . .

Steve

 

[joz]

Looks nice! Is yours one of those houses with two front doors?

Yep... it's a double shotgun. Or, as I suppose the rest of y'all might call it, a duplex. The footprint is approx. 25' x 100'. So all my rooms (12' wide) are on the left side, and my tenant has all the rooms on the right side. Front porch, room, room, room, little-hall-and-bathroom, room, kitchen, back porch.

 

[joz]

We have just gotta get you back to seed-starting. I am always ready to talk tomatoes but, you know, some plants that aren't America's #1 garden vegetable can be a real problem to find locally. That goes for seed, too.
Steve

I've been buying my seeds online also. Much cheaper than buying plants online. But all the varieties are there, and available from Seed Savers or Baker Creek or Sample Seeds or whoever. And I feel like, with a website, there's more information about the provider available. Or they're prompted to provide more information. Or, the ones who are trying to avoid the Monsanto Globalization are inclined to be very vocal about their efforts.

Whatever the case, this year I'd ordered seeds from a few different places to get all the varieties I was after. But then everything went to hell. I've got more seed left tho (except the tomatoes), and as soon as the Very Expensive Traveling Tomato Transplants go out I'm'a direct sow some peppers and cukes and squashes and okra and get it all together. We've had a particularly lingering chilly spring, but it'll be summer in a couple weeks, and everything else does fine with our heat.

 

[897tgigvib]

Your place is special beautiful!

 

[joz]

Holy Cow!

I've never seen anything packaged like this.

Great Big Box with lots of little boxes inside

Each plant (4" pot) in its own box ...

... in a bag ...

... with a "lid" ... (these were the most useful part of the packaging)

... with some bubblewrap ...

8 plants, no substitute varieties. Still nice and damp, looking fairly good. So far it looks like Laurel is trying very dilligently to justify her prices.

I used the notched bits of cardboard to "mulch" the pots where the roots had poked up under the bubblewrap, or to cushion/absorb a bit of water for the roots that were poking out the bottom. They'll go into the garden on Saturday.

 

[thistlebloom]

Those plants look really good Joz, especially for being boxed and shipped!

I always feel mine are at risk just traveling in and out of the house when I'm hardening them off, much less traveling cross country. I hope they do really well for you. I've started some Paul Robeson also. First time for me, so I'm hoping they are as good as I anticipate from the catalog description.

 

[canesisters]

Joz they look wonderful!!!!!

 

[joz]

Those plants look really good Joz, especially for being boxed and shipped!

They'd darn well better.... ::grumble::

I'm excited about the Paul Robesons also. All the catalog descriptions I've read have been enticing, as is the percentage of individual suppliers who list it in their top 10 when they're selling nigh unto a hundred (or more) different varieties. I just hope they produce before summer gets too hot.

 

[digitS']

I used to work where plants were shipped.

Sometimes, I'd get in on that.

Often, what held the soil in the pot was only the roots :/. We could put them in a plastic or paper bag and gather that around - then, things got more serious . The pot & plants would be wedged into a box and cleates (boards) would lay across the top of the pot. These boards were stapled thru the box. The pot wouldn't go anywhere but whether the carrier observed the "this end up" printing was anyone's guess.

Worst situation was allowing the plants to freeze. Yeah, we shipped right thru the year and Montana was an important destination. Cold country! We'd have so much insulation around boxes of plants & cut flowers - they'd be paying more for shipping packaging than product! Then the box would pass right thru the little town on the train, or whatever . . . or , sit on a loading dock for 12 hours because someone thought it was car parts or something.

Here is wishing the best of luck with those, Joz! I've heard Laurel has a good reputation.

Steve

 

[thistlebloom]

Those plants look really good Joz, especially for being boxed and shipped!

They'd darn well better.... ::grumble::

I'm excited about the Paul Robesons also. All the catalog descriptions I've read have been enticing, as is the percentage of individual suppliers who list it in their top 10 when they're selling nigh unto a hundred (or more) different varieties. I just hope they produce before summer gets too hot.

Haha! I just hope mine produce before summer ends!

It will be interesting to compare notes on that one.