Second Year SFG in Canada

TD, At least you have options for setting up the seedling areas, that's good.

What about stemming and cooking down the tomatoes for a sauce? Saute onions, garlic, add tomatoes and spices. I found one more small bag of frozen tomatoes and will be cooking them plus some I picked before ripping out the last plant.

Snow today ... gardens look clean and white. I still have not put up the Christmas lights on the SFG trellises and may not do it this year.

As some here know, one of my other hobbies is flight simulation. A few years ago I became interested in building a "cockpit" for my simulator following plans that I purchased. The plans call for the use of 1 inch PVC sched 40 pipe and fittings which are extremely expensive in Canada. That summer we visited friends in New Hampshire and we stopped in at HD so that I could buy the PVC components far cheaper. I never did do anything with the PVC after that. Mrs TD keeps telling me to use it for other things (e.g., when I built my grow lamp stand last winter). But I kept resisting, always thinking I would build the cockpit.

This evening I decided to inventory what I have in 1 inch PVC:
- 11 x 5 foot lengths of pipe
- 25 x T fittings
- 15 x 90 degree fittings
- 15 x 45 degree fittings
- 10 x end caps

There must be some SFG project to which I can apply this material. I'm thinking a "sanderson style" covering for shade cloth, insect protection or season extending which is the more likely in my area. 

Here are some photos including one of the never built cockpit.







Photo from Roger Dodger Aviation website:

Light Stand - 

http://www.tsflowers.com/plantstand.html



I started making this.  Got the bottom two shelves built but never finished it.  The one thing I discovered was there was not enough room between the shelves for the tomatoes just as they were ready to transplant.  If I ever finish it, I will space the shelves farther apart.

I also put those wire shelves on top of each shelf so I could put small pots directly on the shelves.

Nice idea yolos. Thanks.

My light stand isn't PVC, but I have three lights hanging under the shelves and ran into the same problem with tall tomatoes. My solution was a Jump Start type grow light on top of the top shelf. It has adjustable height. The tomatoes were only a little too tall for it at its highest point by the final transplant time... though short-me needed to keep a step stool by the plant stand to water things on the top shelf.

sanderson wrote:TD,  At least you have options for setting up the seedling areas, that's good.

What about stemming and cooking down the tomatoes for a sauce?  Saute onions, garlic, add tomatoes and spices.  I found one more small bag of frozen tomatoes and will be cooking them plus some I picked before ripping out the last plant.

Easy and delicious Crock Pot Marinara?  I did multiple batches of this!  All frozen.  Most were bare bones tomatoes and garlic.  So I could use it for anything.  First 2 versions were spaghetti sauce type.

Scorpio Rising wrote:

sanderson wrote:TD,  At least you have options for setting up the seedling areas, that's good.

What about stemming and cooking down the tomatoes for a sauce?  Saute onions, garlic, add tomatoes and spices.  I found one more small bag of frozen tomatoes and will be cooking them plus some I picked before ripping out the last plant.

Easy and delicious Crock Pot Marinara?  I did multiple batches of this!  All frozen.  Most were bare bones tomatoes and garlic.  So I could use it for anything.  First 2 versions were spaghetti sauce type.

I threw the cherry toms into the Vitamix for a quick blending and then put what came out into a container which then went into the freezer.

TD, What a score in PVC fittings! If you can pick up some 3-way and 4-way fittings, you could build anything your heart desires! http://www.snapclamp.com/

Yikes ... Where does the time go? I just checked the microgreens thread from 2015 and by this time in December I had been growing microgreens for a couple of months. I am way behind.

trolleydriver wrote:Yikes ... Where does the time go? I just checked the microgreens thread from 2015 and by this time in December I had been growing microgreens for a couple of months. I am way behind.

Yes, but look what you have been up to TD, compared to this time last year. Driving around the countryside, taking on duties with this Forum (thank you),  all the experiments you do etc. etc.  Your sore feet and other stuff.  Give yourself some slack.

Anyway, you must be having fun as that is why the time flies.

trolleydriver wrote:Yikes ... Where does the time go? I just checked the microgreens thread from 2015 and by this time in December I had been growing microgreens for a couple of months. I am way behind.

Yep, I just put soil in my micro-green tray.  Soaking my sunflower, peas and buckwheat seeds ready to plant in 24 hours or so.  This is the only thing my daughter keeps asking when I will start growing them.  This first time I will be planting 8 varieties.  I will be posting in the micro-green thread shortly.

I've placed 3 of my inexpensive digital thermometers in my basement workshop/furnace room where I start plants indoors. These are the same type of thermometers that I use for monitoring the temps in my compost bins.

The locations are as follows:

1. On the outside wall at the shelves where I have grow lights.

2. On the workbench which is located on an inside wall and below a large heating duct. This is where I have my DIY plastic pipe grow light stand.

3. A couple of inches above the large heating duct. 

Here are the temperature readings as of 8:45 am today:

1. At the outside wall:  22.7C (72.9F)

2. On the workbench:  24.1C (75.4F)

3. Above the heating duct:  32.4C (90.3F)

I need to set up some pots with damp growing mix and place them in those same locations. Then I'll measure the temperatures in the pots for comparison. I also need to measure the temperatures at different times during the day because I expect there are a few degrees fluctuation caused by the furnace cycling on and off. 

The other thing to take into consideration is the outside ambient temperature. The reason is that the furnace runs more frequently when it's really cold outside (as it is this weekend). So in the later winter and early spring the furnace will run much less and will provide less heat in the workshop/furnace room.

Last year, I did not use a heating mat for seed starting and still had very good results. I'll probably do the same this year and use the heating mat money to buy some other gardening toy instead.

Good idea to measure the temp in the growing area. I'm doing this tonight.

trolleydriver wrote:.... I'll probably do the same this year and use the heating mat money to buy some other gardening toy instead.

Didn't take long to find somewhere to spend the money! Last night I broke my eyeglasses. Estimated replacement cost for progressive crizal lenses in half decent frames = the cost of 30 heat mats (10"x20"). 

    

"All I want for Christmas is my two front eyes" (yes, I also have eyes on the back of my head).

TD, would insurance cover the broken eyeglasses?

Kelejan wrote:TD, would insurance cover the broken eyeglasses?

KJ ... what kind of insurance?  Do you mean homeowners insurance? I think our deductible is too high. As well, we don't have an extended medical care plan. So this one has to be self-insured. 

trolleydriver wrote:

Kelejan wrote:TD, would insurance cover the broken eyeglasses?

KJ ... what kind of insurance?  Do you mean homeowners insurance? I think our deductible is too high. As well, we don't have an extended medical care plan. So this one has to be self-insured. 

Yes, home owner's insurance can cover many things.  I could have claimed for my hearing aid except I was honest and told them the dog had damaged it. 

You should really read the small print in your instance contract.

TD,  Thank goodness you don't need heat mats for your seedling area.    The floor in my seedling area in the dining room measured 66*F this morning.

The good news is that my new eyeglasses are going to cost less than half of what I paid two years ago. I changed eye doctors and he sells eyeglasses way cheaper than anywhere else i have bought them from in the past. So I now have $$$ to spend on other things ... heating mat, compost thermometer, heirloom seeds, etc. 

trolleydriver wrote:The good news is that my new eyeglasses are going to cost less than half of what I paid two years ago. I changed eye doctors and he sells eyeglasses way cheaper than anywhere else i have bought them from in the past. So I now have $$$ to spend on other things ... heating mat, compost thermometer, heirloom seeds, etc. 

Good news!

Woo-hoo! That's great news!

Another snowy day here in Canada's capital.  Woke up to find a beautiful blanket of fresh white snow.

Snow is getting deeper at the SFG beds.




I used the snowblower to clear a path to the compost bins and shed.

Brrrr....
I need a snowblower. Is yours battery run by chance? If so, what brand?
CC

CapeCoddess wrote:Brrrr....
I need a snowblower.  Is yours battery run by chance?  If so, what brand?
CC

Nope, it's got a gasoline engine. Snowblower is an Ariens.