Transplanted Eggplants and Peppers

I went to the grow store and they told me I need this stuff??  Was I sucker?  LOL  It's supposed to: (from website) increases plant biomass and yield by up to 300%. Xtreme Gardening® MYKOS (mycorrhizae) is a beneficial soil fungus that facilitates the breaking-down and transporting of nutrients to plant roots.

MYKOS increases the availability of both the moisture and nutrients required for plant growth and connects many of the microbes in healthy soil to host plants. With one application, MYKOS is capable of transforming an ordinary garden into something Xtreme! 


I also bought these 4-inch pots.

Then I bought roots organics. 


Here are the ingredients:


Coco fiber, peat moss, perlite, pumice, premium worm castings, bat guano, kelp, fish bone meal, soy bean meal, feather meal, greensand, leonardite, and alfalfa meal.                     

I'm not sure of my plants were ready transplant since they are just now (27 days since planted) growing their first set of true leaves.  I transplanted them because the roots were growing through the bottom of my rooter plugs.

I put the soil down, then the mykos, then set the plug on top of the mykos.

I placed all of the pots in a large plastic container which I poured water into.

I also had to add a second set of fluorescents (two additional 4-foot bulbs) since my indoor garden space is expanding.
The peppers and eggplants no longer have their heat mat since it's under the tomatoes and herbs.  I have an electric blanket which I might put under the plastic tub???
I have so many things plugged in.  I have two shop lights, fan, and a heat mat.  Do I really want to add an electric blanket?  I'll take their temperature tomorrow afternoon to see if they need it.

You can see my tomatoes and herbs next to the large plastic tray which holds the peppers and eggplants.

Half of the plugs were never used...total waste of space.  I'll know next year.

Here is a close up of the tomatoes and herbs.  These were planted on March 14th (12 days ago).

Second Wave of Planting - March 14, 2012

I had to remove all of my pepper and eggplant plants from the tray since it's time to plant my tomatoes,  basil, and oregano.  Like I said in my last post I made the fatal mistake of buying the 98 pack that goes in the mega dome...lol

As you can see they are all doing well.  None of the plants have their second set of leaves yet.  Once they get their second leaf, I think that's when I pinch the weaker plant down so that I'm left with one plant per plug.










Since I'm planting at different times and the plants come up at different times, I need a few smaller packs and domes.  I'll do buy them next year.

You can see that I have my peppers and eggplant up close to the light and the dome lower.

My peppers and eggplant have been so used to having the heat mat and now it doesn't have it.  I don't know if the plants will be affected by removing the mat??

Eggplants - March 6th

Well the eggplants took off and needed to get out of the dome while everything else has barely changed.  I  separated the two plugs and placed near the light.

I see the error of my ways.  I should not have bought such a big greenhouse with so many plugs since I'm planting all different things at different times.  

Some things need air while others need the humidity. Next year I will get two or three smaller kits.

Sprouting Seeds

It's March 5, 2012, and some of my seeds have started to sprout.  That's only five days.  Mostly they just have a white root but both of my eggplants actually have some green.

Some of the sprouts have a fuzz on them...is it mold?...is it root hairs?  I have no freaking idea.


(I took a photo with my camera instead of my phone so I could zoom in....I'll upload the photo later

 I also see a fine white powdery stuff on top of some of the rapid rooter surface.  I can take my finger and wipe it away.  I can't figure out if it is dry or molding.

I know it sounds like I'm crazy if I can't tell if something is dry or wet.  I have to say, this rapid rooter stuff is strange.  It's not like soil where you can just stick your finger in to test it..it's more like a sponge.  I pushed down on it and it feels moist. (ugh, I hate that word)


I did try to stick my finger in one of the holes which I haven't yet planted in, but that didn't work out to well.


Is the surface dry but everything else has moisture or is it too wet and molding?  You get the idea.


Well since I got my first bit of green, I cracked the dome lid with a canning lid and now I put a thin dish towel between the tray and the heat mat.   I read that the roots don't like it too hot.  I don't have a way of testing the temperature so I'm not sure the difference between using and not using a towel.  The guy at the grow store and many forums suggest it so I'm just doing it.

My 2012 Garden

I decided to blog so that I can keep track of what went right and what went wrong with my garden.  Last year was the first time I ever had a garden.  I traveled most of last summer so it wasn't as successful as it could have been.  This year I plan on being home so I'm really excited.

My plan is to start everything from seed, then take to the garden, then eat or can.

How cool would that be to can tomato sauce from a seed!

I don't know about you, but I'm up for the challenge.

I borrowed this light from a friend.  It's a basic shop light with T12 bulbs.  From what I've read, I really want T5s...maybe next year.