Picked My Last Purple Haze This AM - Planted My First Purple Haze This Afternoon

rnewste · February 21, 2009

Guess you can call it the "Circle of Life", or something. Picked my last Purple Haze F1 tomato this morning, with another 20 still left on the vine:

But I had to make room for the 2009 crop, so out they went into the compost pile.

I've been nursing cuttings in the window-box for the past 2 months and they were getting root-bound and leggy, so I decided they needed some fresh air:

One is even flowering, so hopefully, the bees will return soon:

I've got an electric blanket on stand-by in case we get another spell of cold weather - - but so far, we've been in the upper 60's, with nights in the upper 40's.

Ray

ContainerTed · February 21, 2009

With tongue in cheek, i would reply with what Daffy said to Bugs.

"You're dispicable".

Always showing off your good weather and .......... I can't stand it!!!!!!!!!

Hi, Ray.

Ted

rnewste · February 21, 2009

Yeah but Ted,

Look how terrible the Snow Peas are doing on February 21:

Ray

February 21, 2009

Just shaking my head on the Atlantic side. I gotta agree with the tears above

(Wiping them away)..Really, Nice tomato there Ray! You are arousing my dream of a very sophisticated greenhouse!

Steve

newatthiskat · February 21, 2009

Those look great Ray but I am with Ted. You keep rubbing the weather in our faces! SO I am coming back with Texas space!

I did get husband to till and add compost to a 765 sq foot garden. I have one 4X16 raised bed and 5 Smaller Earth Tainers. Well actually 6 but one has carrots in it. Will probably build more for fall crop. Also Hot peppers are going in 4 different flower beds. Are you getting jealous yet??

All this space and I live in a subdivision. I would have gone some bigger but am doing the gardening one armed. All this bragging and I am still jealous of your great weather and Purple Haze

but not the earthquakes.
Kat

ContainerTed · February 22, 2009

Now you done it.

My wife saw that garden window in your snowpeas picture and now she's on a rant. She's wanted one of those windows for "a while".

Ray, your cruelty knows no bounds.

Ted

BTW, I've over-wintered a plant started last summer. With the lights set up vertical, one on either side, it has done okay.

They're about 4 ounces each and "SWEEEEET"

newatthiskat · February 22, 2009

I have heard those greenhouse windows leak. How has it held up for you Ray?

rnewste · February 22, 2009

Kat,

We have been in this house for 12 years - - and no leaks. I am very happy to have this South facing garden window, not only for the view but also for seedling development.

I have to agree with ContainerTed's wife in wanting one (or two, or three....).

Ray

dice · February 23, 2009

[leaking garden windows]
If someone installs one with minimal caulking, it is possible
that the weight of the window jutting out like that with
plants inside it could pull the caulk loose at the top (it would
also have to loosen the fasteners, nails or whatever, for that
to happen). If the window was screwed into the window framing
at the top instead of nailed, it would probably stay put and not
leak.

If one does leak, you can always clean the seams around
the top and sides on the outside with rubbing alcohol and
then recaulk it using generous beads of caulk, tool it in there
with a wet fingertip, and that should do it.

If it is leaking where the glass meets the aluminum mullions
internally rather than around the outside edge, this is a
harder problem to fix, because there is so little surface area
there for caulk to grab onto (unless you don't care if it looks
messy, which is generally not the case).

When I was researching caulking a few years ago, one of the
tech sites that I was reading recommended butyl caulk for
sealing glass to aluminum in aluminum window mullions.
But the estimated useful life on butyl caulk is only about
10 years, so if an aluminum garden window originally caulked
with butyl at the factory is older than that, I would not be
surprised to hear that it leaks. (You can caulk aluminum and
glass with silicone, too, and it will last longer and be stronger,
but it is more of a pain to get the old silicone out if someone
breaks the window.)

rnewste · February 23, 2009

dice,

Where do you constantly come up with all this knowledge stuff?

Someday, if I am in the PNW, or you come down to Silicon Valley, let's go out for a beer!!

Ray

dice · February 23, 2009

Quote:

Where do you constantly come up with all this knowledge stuff?

Old jobs, odd jobs, Google, and Wikipedia. (The WWW is a
wonderful resource for people that only want to fix something
once and have it stay fixed.)

February 21, 2009	#1
rnewste Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Campbell, CA Posts: 4,064	Picked My Last Purple Haze This AM - Planted My First Purple Haze This Afternoon Guess you can call it the "Circle of Life", or something. Picked my last Purple Haze F1 tomato this morning, with another 20 still left on the vine: But I had to make room for the 2009 crop, so out they went into the compost pile. I've been nursing cuttings in the window-box for the past 2 months and they were getting root-bound and leggy, so I decided they needed some fresh air: One is even flowering, so hopefully, the bees will return soon: I've got an electric blanket on stand-by in case we get another spell of cold weather - - but so far, we've been in the upper 60's, with nights in the upper 40's. Ray

February 21, 2009	#2
ContainerTed Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: 6a - NE Tennessee Posts: 4,538	With tongue in cheek, i would reply with what Daffy said to Bugs. "You're dispicable". Always showing off your good weather and .......... I can't stand it!!!!!!!!! Hi, Ray. Ted __________________ Ted ________________________ Owner & Sole Operator Of The Muddy Bucket Farm and Tomato Ranch

February 21, 2009	#5
newatthiskat Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: texas Posts: 1,451	Reply Those look great Ray but I am with Ted. You keep rubbing the weather in our faces! SO I am coming back with Texas space! I did get husband to till and add compost to a 765 sq foot garden. I have one 4X16 raised bed and 5 Smaller Earth Tainers. Well actually 6 but one has carrots in it. Will probably build more for fall crop. Also Hot peppers are going in 4 different flower beds. Are you getting jealous yet?? All this space and I live in a subdivision. I would have gone some bigger but am doing the gardening one armed. All this bragging and I am still jealous of your great weather and Purple Haze but not the earthquakes. Kat

February 22, 2009	#7
newatthiskat Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: texas Posts: 1,451	Reply I have heard those greenhouse windows leak. How has it held up for you Ray?

February 23, 2009	#9
dice Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: PNW Posts: 4,743	[leaking garden windows] If someone installs one with minimal caulking, it is possible that the weight of the window jutting out like that with plants inside it could pull the caulk loose at the top (it would also have to loosen the fasteners, nails or whatever, for that to happen). If the window was screwed into the window framing at the top instead of nailed, it would probably stay put and not leak. If one does leak, you can always clean the seams around the top and sides on the outside with rubbing alcohol and then recaulk it using generous beads of caulk, tool it in there with a wet fingertip, and that should do it. If it is leaking where the glass meets the aluminum mullions internally rather than around the outside edge, this is a harder problem to fix, because there is so little surface area there for caulk to grab onto (unless you don't care if it looks messy, which is generally not the case). When I was researching caulking a few years ago, one of the tech sites that I was reading recommended butyl caulk for sealing glass to aluminum in aluminum window mullions. But the estimated useful life on butyl caulk is only about 10 years, so if an aluminum garden window originally caulked with butyl at the factory is older than that, I would not be surprised to hear that it leaks. (You can caulk aluminum and glass with silicone, too, and it will last longer and be stronger, but it is more of a pain to get the old silicone out if someone breaks the window.) __________________ -- alias

February 21, 2009	#4
red Guest Posts: n/a	Just shaking my head on the Atlantic side. I gotta agree with the tears above (Wiping them away)..Really, Nice tomato there Ray! You are arousing my dream of a very sophisticated greenhouse! Steve