Tony I think you are the one with mental issues. The US has the most cases on earth because morons refused to put stricter stay at home orders. Why the hell do you think we have more cases than China? My god do you think that is just a coincidence? We have more cases than China. China has a billion and a half people and we has 300 million yet we have 130,000+ cases. I guess 2100 dead is just a joke to you. I wish you would just shut up and keep your ignorant opinions to yourself. I am getting sick and tired of you. Someone in our group will likely be directly affected by this nightmare-how funny are your little comments going to be then? I thought we were supposed to keep our political opinions to ourselves especially when it is dangerous to others. Why don’t you follow those rules?

Sweet Tangerine and Jaune Flamme

Sweet Tangerine-3 types of strawberries

Chef's Choice Orange Hybrid and Jaune Flamme

Artichoke

Prime Ark blackberries

Now having hailstorm...small pellets but lots of them. Have to ask Rockie the poodle puppy for forgiveness, I found the basil sprouts just now so his dirt escapade was harmless after all.

Chef's Choice Orange Hybrid

Nectar

Big Beef

Bloody Butcher

Berkeley Tie Dye

Sugar Rush

Big Beef

Druzba

Dwarf Iditarod

The Centiflor Red that Jamie convinced be to buy has the most blooms I have ever seen on a tomato plant-there are 40 or 50 in a cluster

I am excited to hear how many of those flowers produce fruit, Richard! My centiflors are still seedlings

Norm and Richard... Red Strawberries!!! Yay! I can't wait, but I guess I'll have to. My plants are starting to wake up. In another 4-6 weeks (I think) I'll see some strawberry flowers.

Jack, spring turkey season is already open here-sure wish I had a place here locally to hunt them

Cherokee Purple

Centiflor Red blooms on a 3 foot plant

Bloody Butcher

Cindy - My wife is out running deliveries today while I stay home with the kids. So far so good! People are really excited to get their hands on the spring mix!
We slightly increased cost of salad to make up for delivery cost/time/gas (~6 oz bag for $5, when our normal price would be one 4 oz bag for $3 or two for $5). We are also upselling honey pints and microgreens to try to increase transaction amounts.

Once we have a wider variety I think the effort will be more profitable but its a good way to get rid of some extra salad now and it also lets her get out of the house. She said she is becoming nauseated from all the hand sanitizer she's been squirting lol!

Customers have all been very accommodating and thoughtful of virus - minimal cash (using paypal, venmo, invoicing), and leaving product at the door or on porch for minimal P2P contact. It's strange but its what needs to be done, and the social distancing actually cuts down on chit chatting and lets her be efficient.

RD -- I've never insulted anyone on this forum, if so interpreted my apologies. It's just when it comes to Authority I'm allergic....

Len, nothing quite like blaming the dog and having to make it up to him :) Glad you found your basil. I need to get some started along with a few other herbs.

RD, your tomato farm is fun to see while we still have cool days here in the north. We dodged the possible snow that was in some weather models recently. Today was rainy and dark, so double fun to see your plants. DH and I started on a walk when we thought the rain was stopped briefly. We made it 4 houses from home and had to turn around and head back. Only got a little wet.

Kevin, good to hear you have customers for your produce. I can understand your wife, or anyone, wanting to get out. We can go out for "exercise" in our state. On Saturday we hiked part of the North Country Trail. The days was dreary and it rained some. But it was so good to be out, and our rain gear kept us mostly dry. We did not expect to see anyone along the trail, and we didn't. Even in good times and nice weather that section sees few hikers.

Kevin it is fabulous that you have clients for delivery and so good for them to have fresh vegetables too.

Rich I put my little tomato plants outside for the first time this morning; they will go in hoop house in about a week. Seeing yours gives me hope.

Weather has been weird and unsettled today...hard rain, then periods of sun, then very cold wind. During a sunny break I harvested spinach, chard, and lettuce this afternoon for supper. Spinach outside is doing better than in the hoop house? It is only getting into the mid 60's in there most days though. Lettuce is at prime production stage for cut and come again. Gave beds some water, then came in and potted up a dozen Chinese pink celery plugs that can't go outside until at least the 15th and were getting root bound.

Naturegirl, I have a lot more tomatoes on plants but some are hard to uncover and I have tons of cherry tomatoes that look very similar, so it is hard to keep up with the varieties. I will have to take the pictures and write down on a pad what variety is in each picture. It will take some time but I have plenty of that now. Lol 😆 I think I would lose my mind without the garden. None of my new pepper plants have any peppers yet despite numerous blooms-so hopefully that will happen soon. Chocolate Stripes is the best overall tomatoes this year and the Persimmon is the best sweet tomato so far. I have a lot of Honeycomb and Honeybee cherry tomatoes which were by far the sweetest of the year last year, but you can’t really compare a cherry tomato with big tomatoes like Persimmon which has 8-12 ounce tomatoes on it.

Well, well, well ... it's the lat day of March already! Where did this month go? It's raining here (again) and supposed to be cooler tonight.

Bye, bye, March!

It's a bread dough making day here, to be baked tomorrow.

I was just comparing photos of my tomato starts a week ago to how they look today. Already put on their first true leaves and are working on their second. I'm glad I waited to start these! They'll be ready for the outdoors in a blink.

I forget, Lyla .. where in the US are you? Which zone?

Cindy - What recipe are you using for your bread? Is it a King Arthur Flour recipe? They are so good.

We had rain overnight. I peered out the window to see the garden this morning. It always looks so nice with a fresh drink for everything. The dark brown soil somehow looks better to me than the lighter color dry soil.

Margi - I kind of made the recipe up after looking at a few. I do use King Authur flour plus some other flours. Flax seed, almond, buckwheat, etc.

I start with 1/2 cup of warm water, a teaspoon of yeast, and a half tablespoon or so of honey that I stir in until it is not longer sitting on the bottom of the bowl. I let that sit for a few minutes then start adding a number of flours. I kneed if with my mixer while adding more flour until it is just about thick enough. Take it off the mixer and continue to add whatever amount of flour it needs to be fairly firm.

Then, if it's "good" I add some oil to it and mix most of it in and let the dough rise. After about an hour of rising on the counter, I put it in the fridge, covered with plastic, for one or two days depending on how soon we are looking for more bread. I rarely add salt, sometimes I'll add it just before baking. I read somewhere that salt can affect how well it rises.

Just recently I got some powdered milk and will probably add a small amount of it like Jamie's recipe called for.

Jamie, I'm outside DC in Zone 7. Not sure why that disappeared from my display name, actually... our last frost date is April 15 and we're supposed to wait for May to plant out tomatoes, but I have a few overgrown pepper seedlings I might plant out early next month as a sacrifice to clear the grow shelves indoors. Nightly lows are creeping above 50 degrees so I don't think they'll suffer too much.

Cindy - the bread sounds good. The slow rise helps to develop the flavor, I've learned. I have recently purchased some Diastatic Malt Powder from KAF. I've used it a few times since I've had it. I supposed I'd have to do a side-by-side bake-off to really be able to tell if it makes a difference or not. They've roped me in on a few purchases like that, but, hey...the family doesn't mind when I try new things.

Ten days ago I went hunting for my Yellow Pink Pong seeds and found them. These seeds are from 2005! So I planted a few to see if they would grow. So far, three have germinated, though one is still just a loop.

Jamie - Lyla isn't too far from me though I think her geographic area is slightly warmer than we are here.

My zone information comes and goes also, Lyla. I never know if it’s going to show up or not haha

I was confusing you with yolos, who is in Georgia and zone 7 or 8.

Margi - Did you ever make malted milk! Could what you purchased be used for it?
Love malted milk!

Yes, we are technically Zone 7A, but with the way it gets warmer every year and the heat sink effect from DC, my town behaves more like Zone 7B or 8A on the front end of the season, and it's properly humid and gross all summer long. I think last frost was super early the last two years as well, around or before April 1. We still get our first frost in mid-October as the USDA predicts, though.

Casper has germinated!!! Thanks for the comments everyone!

I have about 5/10 that germinated in two weeks using a plastic bag on top of a tv box for additional heat. Also had a few that were started in potting mix that germinated after three weeks :)

I am not familiar with starting from seed. What's the best way to get them from wee tiny seedlings to out in the garden. Would half-strength diluted fertilizer be helpful?

I usually don't start fertilizing until they have their second of third set of true leaves, and I use about 1/4 strength liquid fertilizer. The seedling won't really need much fertilizer until it puts on size- and if you over-fertilize them too early, you can cause some damage. After about 4 weeks, I move them to a larger container- like a 3-4" diameter pot. A week or two before setting them outside, I start the hardening-off process. I'll take them out into a shady spot in the early morning of afternoon and leave them out for an hour or two. After a few days, I'll allow them to have some more sun- in the morning, but not mid-day or afternoon when the light can be too in tense. After about a week, I'll start leaving them outside all day- increasing the amount of sunlight they get each day.

I think everyone has their own way of hardening them off, but you do need to do something to get them used to being outside and in the sunlight.

Soooooooooo bored (and disgusted by the non-stop Corona virus hysteria coverage on all TV) that now I'm watching old Charlie Chan movies on youtube...LOL

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_DTTXnKZgvM&list=PLSw44_vYFutvJJbYrZZ-SW8QecgSehGIj&index=11

Have been under the weather, extreme fatigue. I felt better last night when I came up with a 2 degree fever. Never had a fever with a lupus flare, and didn't have a dry cough so not coronavirus. My PCP must have agreed as he put me on Tylenol for two days. Found out yesterday that out of the five vials of blood taken for testing on March 10 the only thing reported to the Dr was the INR for the blood thinner. Had trouble refilling my Hydroxychloroquine prescription; so they apparently sent it all to NY.

Tony - I'm just grateful to be alive. In NY a person dies every six minutes from this virus. (World News Tonight). It's just plain frightening.

This is 'our' plague.

Yeah John some moron told the entire country that your Lupus medication works to kill the corona virus, so idiots that believed his bs went out and bought up all of the supply, so I am sure that is why you are having trouble obtaining it.

I agree with Cindy and feel lucky to be avoiding the nightmare virus. In one hospital in New York 13 people died from the corona virus in one night. Doctors are 4-5 times more likely to contract the virus as regular citizens. They are the real heroes in “our plague“ and just as brave as the 9-11 responders. We should all be thankful we have heroes like that here.

Uajeremy, I agree with Jamie about the fertilizer and a half strength mix would probably kill them or at least retard their growth. I will give them an even weaker mix around 15% when they are about 3 weeks old, then the same at 4 weeks and 5 weeks, then I switch to Tomato Tone or Plant Tone and add about a quarter cup directly to the soil and mix it in so it doesn’t burn the stem. Tomato Tone lasts close to a month, but you do use way more of it than other types of fertilizer. It stinks pretty bad too like sh*t but it works like a dream. I also grow almost everything in containers, so when something is in the ground the amount varies but not that much. I think you could pour in a pound of it and as long as you mix it into the soil I don’t think it would hurt the plants

It's baking day here, too. It's a good activity for a cool overcast day. Peanut butter cookies and corn bread are done. I have more cornmeal than flour so cornbread will be our go-to starch for awhile. We do have "regular" bread around yet and a loaf in the freezer so we can have "normal" sandwiches, too.

I plan to put my lettuce and pea transplants in the ground soon with protection. They were intended for a childrens' plot at a community center but it is doubtful that garden will happen. It will be good to have some early produce here at home. I'm looking forward to the asparagus and rhubarb. It should be ready in 4 weeks or less. Overwintered kale looks like it will be sending out flower stalks soon. I enjoy eating those a lot.

John, take care. I hope you are feeling better soon.

John - I do hope you get to feeling better soon. Good luck getting the meds you need for the Lupis.

I've been inside all day. Sitting at the computer or sewing machine too long. I think I'll go admire my garden and ponder what's next out there.

Cindy - Not sure about your malted milk idea. My gut tells me that this stuff is different, but I sure don't know.

RD - Have you noticed a difference between using Tomato Tone vs Plant Tone? I’ve always wondered what the real difference is between all of the “tones” I use.

John - I hope you get your meds soon, that’s tough.

I think everyone needs to take a deep breath (not while standing too close to anyone in public), thank our medical professionals and be compassionate and kind. There is no playbook for this situation so everyone’s doing the best they can.

All of my first round tomatoes have been potted up to their final containers, and the second round will follow in a week or two. Potting up peppers will happen this weekend because of my outrageously busy social calendar this week. :-) I have a virtual game night, Zoom happy hours, 6 ft apart social distance walks around the neighborhood....etc.

I hope I didn't offend anyone with my talk about the drug. It wasn't my intention. My pharmacy suggested we find another pharmacy that had it. They said they didn't know when they'd get it. They said to tell the pharmacy that had it to ship it to them. We started out calling pharmacies in areas up to 75 miles away assuming an area without coronavirus cases might still have it. It wound up the pharmacy closest to mine had it! My pharmacy transferred the script to them and we picked it up today.

I started out talking about this drug here because I thought it was very positive knowing there was a possible treatment. My mother had malaria in the 1920's in Louisiana or East Texas. My grandparents bought 40 acres in East Texas. They were there for 3 years and sharecropped cotton to learn how to grow it. My aunt also got it. My mothers story was that she spent the entire summer shivering.They came back to Pittsburgh because of it. It's also said that we won WWII because of this drug.

As I see it the problem is that we don't make prescriptions in America anymore. There was a big drug operation here in Pittsburgh, Moon Twp., near the airport. It closed a few years ago, I don't know why it closed or if it could make this drug. Assuming it could, I could drive 1200 doses, 4 pills a day, in about 7 or 8 hours to NY.

They are beginning to discuss who gets to live and who gets to die. Some get a respirator; some don't. And now we learn some need this drug more than others. They haven't lowered the price of prescriptions because they decided they'd rather pay 10¢ an hour than pay Americans. We haven't benefited, we'll likely die because of it.

edited

Chelsea, I learned from Cindy that they are all about the same and just buy the one that is on sale. Some have a higher nitrogen content. Plant Tone is 5-3-3, Tomato Tone is 3-4-6, Holly Tone is 4-3-4, Berry Tone is 4-3-4, Flower Tone is 3-4-5 and Citrus Tone is 5-3-6. I like the Tomato Tone best, followed by Plant Tone, but if one is one a great sale, I just buy that Tone. The Citrus Tone sounds like it would work for almost anything. I think tomato plants grow a little better with Tomato Tone and Plant Tone works a little better for leafy vegetables. I am using Flower Tone now and it is very similar to Tomato Tone and it stinks just as bad, so I will see how it goes-just fertilized this morning with it on my younger plants and a blooming mix for the older plants.

Like Len's, our weather is "unsettled"! Sun breaks and then pouring rain and hail so I worked in my greenhouse. The peppers were sitting there unsuspecting of what was planned-need it or not, potted up out of the starter cells. I dug most of my leeks, still have some wild (self sown) ones in various places in the garden.

John I understand your concern about getting your medication, my DIL has RA and takes that too. She is worried that she may not be able to get what she needs.

Tony, your comment about doctors made me think about two I have had. My Orthopedic surgeon was a Mechanical Engineer first and my Oncologist was a Chemical Engineer before turning to medicine.

My companion in the greenhouse

Lea -- what a sweet cat (we have 3 that patrol the garden..lol). You've lucked out with the 1% of intelligent doctors who can do Math, too...lol

When will this nasty month finally end?!

So we can start the Thirty Days of April Imprisonment....

My goal this year is to grow more Fresh Tomatoes -- so I can throw them at Rotten Politicians!

Tony

p.s. Jamie -- just start the April thread now (put us out of our current misery...lol)

It is already April on the east coast so I guess I may have the last word in March. Stay safe everyone and keep head down

Happy April, all

https://www.houzz.com/discussions/5889191/veggie-tales-april-2020

John (and others who haven't yet...) - Hop on over to the April tread as created by Jamie and linked above.

The near term forecast shows no nights below 40F here, so all the tomatoes and peppers (along with the rest of the plants) are going out in the nursery hoophouse. It will be nice to have them all in one place so they can be watered efficiently.

Theres still about 10 trays of tomatoes and 10 trays of peppers to move. I have a similar shelf on the right hand side of the nursery so should have plenty of space.

I can hear my electric company sighing as I shut off all these lights for a while.

Shooting for planting some hoophouse tomatoes out into the ground this weekend. Will probably plant a quarter to a half of them to hedge against any late F words. These are the biggest ones that have been getting hardened off for about a week now.