Dense Planting Illustrated - WARNING - Pic Heavy! Latest video 3/17 - transplanting

[pacmanJohn]

Thanks Craig. Very helpful.

On watering, how often (and how much) will you water the tomatoes from 'pot up' to going in the ground?

[Jackster]

Craig - I'm hoping when the time comes you could possibly do a short video on how you go about with harvesting seeds from your tomatoes/peppers? Again, these videos are really above and beyond the call of duty, and it would complete the whole cycle from seeds - plants - vegetable - seeds.



Thanks!

[nctomatoman]

John, since they are outside, mother nature kind of determines that - though when it gets into warm stretches, I will give them a good watering each late afternoon - I use a gentle nozzle and water overhead.

Jackster, I plan to keep them going throughout the season - though mostly on my blog...I will post only the pertinent ones here in this thread (such as seed saving, as you suggest)

[wmontanez]

Awesome job! I am very impressed on the dense planting and how well they do at the end. I was only sowing 3-4 seeds per cell to avoid overcrowding and ran out of space quickly. But really like your technique and will try it for next season for tomatoes and peppers. Not near the numbers you start but it's a space saver for sure.

I am in zone 6 and no greenhouse just a sunny window and 2 shoplights. I am trying this the dense planting this weekend for the brassicas! Thanks Craig for showing all this. Very good blog too!

[nctomatoman]

I just did a retake of the transplanting - more close ups, slower pace - check the first post in this thread, the last video link.

Enjoy!

[salix]

Craig, the amazing one-handed transplanter - videomeister! It worked very well, thanks for the update. It is almost scary how similar our techniques are; as far as I can tell the only difference is the phenomenal number of seedlings you do (I probably only do ~150 tomatoes) and the fact that I use dampened potting mix. I even re-pot the smaller ones "in bulk" to pot on for later. AND I HAVE THE VERY SAME LITTLE WATERING CAN...

[nctomatoman]

One thing I found out today - with Sue and Sara both pitching in and writing out my tags, I was zooming through transplanting at the rate of 12-15 trays of 15 plants per hour. I find that having my iPod with speakers going with great music makes it go pretty fast also!

Same watering can..."uncanny" (ouch...I love bad puns!)

[wmontanez]

great video! Love the thumb transplanting technique. Thank you for sharing. Can't wait to try it next year the extra plants i will donate or give to friends. No more running out of space so early.

[keeptherepublic]

Thanks so much for the videos. I'm working on indoor seed starting (in my basement under lights and on heat pads) for the first time. Your videos are very helpful, and I will be using some of your techniques.

keeptherepublic

[happydog]

Originally Posted by nctomatoman

I find that having my iPod with speakers going with great music makes it go pretty fast also!

I've had the best time planting this week! I turn up the music and go into my *happy place* with my seeds.

I used this method to sow around 2000 tomato seeds. Today I planted a bunch more flats. Sure saves space under the lights. And I've avoided scaring dh with how much is being planted too. 8 flats doesn't look like much. He doesn't know each one has potentially 1000 plants. Bwahahaha.

[tnpeppers]

This is amazing video...I am trying a couple of cells with some saved seed; 'Olde Italian Red Pear', 'Yellow Trifele', and a few others. They have all come up; they are under the lights while I wait for true leaves to appear. You can add me to the other posters who would like to see a brief video re: lettuce/spinach. I noticed a flat of beets in your video, as well...there appeared to be one plant per cell. Is this how you started them? No dense planting involved with beets; I imagine.

[Gobig_or_Gohome_toms]

Thanks Craig!! Do you do anything different with peppers when potting up?

Craig

[nctomatoman]

Beets were thick planted and separated into those individual cells. Lettuce, peppers, eggplant, herbs, flowers - you name it!

I am now through my hot peppers, tomatillos and eggplant, 1/3 through tomatoes and 1/2 way through sweet peppers....having a blast!

[John3]

Craig
We sometimes here start a second crop of tomatoes July 4th - my question is when starting in warm weather do you have to use the grow lights on the seedlings or can they be left outside?

[nctomatoman]

Hey John - I've not had the need (or energy!) to start a second crop, since the first one goes through to frost just fine. But even given that, if I were to do so, and this is just off the top of my head....would probably not need the sunny window (indoor/heat mat start) or the garage grow lights, since the ambient temp would be quite warm - so probably just use a garage workbench to germinate (light is not necessary), then move them out to the shade after them germinate, but quickly ease them into full sun pretty quickly. I've actually found that, through the years, I've used the grow lights for far less time and ease them into the sun much more quickly.