Svalli gardening 63° N

[svalli]

The ground is still white from the snow we got last week and the soil beneath it is frozen, but I transplanted most of my tomato plants to milk cartons and moved to the greenhouse yesterday.

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I do have my mini greenhouse built again inside the 10x12 greenhouse and a small heater in there keeping the temperature from dropping too low. This is the earliest I have done this, but the tallest plants were growing to the lamps indoors and I did not feel like keeping raising the lights all the time.

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I have not yet gone outside to check today how the plants are doing, but I have a remote thermometer for monitoring the temperature inside the greenhouse and it should be nice and cozy in there despite the freezing temperatures outside during the night.

Sari

[PlainJane]

Your plants are looking good. Nice that you have the greenhouse to get a jump on the season!

[Ginger2778]

Your property is gorgeous. Those plants look happy too. I think raising the light is a pain too.

[GoDawgs]

I love your set-up, Svalli. Lots of room for growth, both for the plants themselves and for increasing quantities! I'm looking forward to seeing more of your posts.

[bower]

Your plants are looking great, nice and big already too! Mine just went into cell packs without any true leaves yet. But I've been working at sorting out the greenhouse for the season for a couple of days, and it's lovely when the sun shines. Spring eventually!

[Whwoz]

Just Beautiful. Love that double green house idea

[MissS]

Sari your plants look great and I love that set up. I really like your starter pots. They look deep for good roots and so easy to transplant from. Where did you find them?

[rxkeith]

hi sari,

your outside looks like my outside.
your green house is the way to go in our short growing season.
i really need to get a greenhouse. my tomatoes are only just now coming up.

i don't speak finn, but those containers look like repurposed milk, creamer or juice
containers that had the tops cut off. about 1/2 liter size.



keith

[peebee]

What varieties are you growing this year Sari? Your plants look great!

[svalli]

Sari your plants look great and I love that set up. I really like your starter pots. They look deep for good roots and so easy to transplant from. Where did you find them?

The pots are called Rootrainers. I have two different sizes, which are sold here in Finland from two brands even the original brand is from UK.
https://www.rootrainers.co.uk/rootrainers/index.php
I grow tomatoes in the smaller ones and garlic transplants in the deeper ones. The plastic is quite thin, but when handling with care I have used same pots for many years.

i don't speak finn, but those containers look like repurposed milk, creamer or juice
containers that had the tops cut off. about 1/2 liter size.

You are correct Keith, those are milk cartons. I cut off tops of 1 liter cartons and make slits on the bottom corners. Since our son moved out our milk consumption has diminished and I had to start to collect the cartons in February.

What varieties are you growing this year Sari? Your plants look great!

This year I tried to limit varieties to only 14, but I found later 3 additional, which I wanted to sow.
Tomato varieties for 2020 are:
Black Cherry
Bärnsten
Cherry-mate
Jaune Flammee
Kenneth's Piennolo
Kibits
Momotaro House
Native Sun
New Big Dwarf
New Yorker
Orange King
Principe Borghese
Reika
Scoresby dwarf
Skorospelka
Unknown Purple Plum
Wild Sweetie

This unknown purple plum is a variety which I grew in Wisconsin summer 2005. The seeds were for a non plum shaped black tomato, so I do not know what it actually is. I should dig up, if I still have the original seed packs to check what it should have been.

Sari

[Whwoz]

Good to see you growing the old Scoresby Dwarf, brings back some memories seeing that one. The old development station where that was breed is now housing. Been thinking of growing it again myself

[svalli]

Good to see you growing the old Scoresby Dwarf, brings back some memories seeing that one. The old development station where that was breed is now housing. Been thinking of growing it again myself

I purchased the seeds for Scoresby Dwarf in 2013 from Tatiana and grew them that year. I was looking what determinates to grow this year and an noticed that my seeds for this one are getting old and decided to try to germinate them. There was no problems getting them sprouted and now I have four plants to grow.

Wild Sweetie seems to be an other Australian variety per the information what I found online. I got the seeds for it in Carolyn's seed offer in 2013. I had collected seed for it that same year, but none of them sprouted. Luckily I had still couple of the original seeds from Carolyn and I got one plant from those. I will now guard and pamper that one plant.

[svalli]

I noticed first buds on couple of tomato varieties today. First ones to make buds are Bärnsten and Scoresby Dwarf.

This is just 7 weeks from sowing the seeds.

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Scoresby Dwarf buds.jpg

Sari

[Ginger2778]

Coming along nicely!

[Whwoz]

Looking good and I will have to check out Wild Sweetie

[svalli]

Scoresby Dwarf started blooming.

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The nights are still too cool for dismantling the tent greenhouse and planting to the SWCs in the big greenhouse. Last week the night time temperature still kept dropping below freezing. It is slowly getting warmer, but I should wait at least two weeks before planting.

Sari

[svalli]

Nights are still cold, but I dismantled the tent from inside the greenhouse. It was getting too warm during sunny days and some of the tomatoes were growing too tall. I have couple of electric heaters there to keep the temperature at least at 10°C.

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Greenhouse is a mess with flower pots and all sorts of junk on top of the SWCs. I have to move all the stuff out before I can start planting.

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Sari

[GoDawgs]

It's that tough time of spring when days get warm but the nights are still cold. But I think you're almost over that hump!

[svalli]

Cold May changed to warm June and things are looking great now, except we desperately need rain. First tomato is just ripening in the greenhouse. Bärnsten was second to flower, but it is quicker to ripen than the Scoresby Dwarf, which bloomed first. So far this season looks quite promising.

Bärnsten.jpg

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Sari

[bower]

Fantastic to have ripe tomatoes by midsummer.
Hope you get some rain soon for the garlic.