Zeuspaul's Container Garden zone 10a

[zeuspaul]

I used to be zone 9b but the latest map is 10a. Cutting way back. No more upper or lower inground gardens, I'm showing my age. Plan is for tomatoes, bell peppers, zucchini, bush green beans and basil.

Primary container size is 25 gal. Also three 40 gal and several 15 gal (actual 12 gal) and a few 5 gal (actual 3.8 gal) for basil.
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[zeuspaul]

Early February I started pre germination. So far Early Girl and Fordhook zucchini (good for saving seed) have pregerminated and transferred to starting pots but no emergence yet.

The blocks in the water which support the seeds are about one inch/2.5 cm cut from red clay brick using a tile saw. The ones shown in the photo are wood but have since been upgraded to clay brick.
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[zeuspaul]

Seedlings are coming along. Lights are standard 112 volt E26 LED grow light bulbs various wattages, no dimming, raise and lower to adjust intensity and/or switch bulbs. After pre germination seeds are placed in a variety of pots. My favorite is 2.25"W by 3.25"D commonly called a rose pot, nice depth and room for a lot of them under the lights. Trays are stainless steel chafing pans, full and half size.

As soon as I see the seedlings emerge they are transported outside to full sunlight. I have never seen any damage to young seedlings from full sun. And they are hardened off from day one.

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[zeuspaul]

Taking a bit of a risk with the zucchini. 41°F/5°C nights are too cold based on my research. 50°F/10°C should be the minimum temperature. The lower temps risk stunting them. So far they look ok but growth is definitely slow. Still plenty of time to replace them if needed. The intent is to do some succession planting. The transplants have been in since mid-February. Still several cold nights ahead.

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[Whwoz]

Do you have the means to create mini hot houses for your zucchini seedlings? Thinking about a clear heavy duty plastic bag over a couple of wire hoops. Have done similar myself before with a big improvement in growth.

[zeuspaul]

Maybe if I were younger. It would have to have opening vents and have to be larger than the container. I doubt it would give me more than two or three weeks. The zucchini would quickly outgrow it. I don't really *need* to have it three weeks earlier. I knew it was a gamble when I started them. I do have limited space in the garden and will yank these and replace them with new ones if needed.

I do have several large glass containers/jars that I use as clones. They involve a bit of maintenance so I don't use them often--remove and replace most days for daytime and nighttime use.



Two gallon Anchor Hocking Heritage Hill jar

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