lavender Posted March 9, 2017 Share Posted March 9, 2017 Starting to plant seeds today. I had to sterilize my medium as it came infested with fungus gnats. I have 500 celery seeds. Any takers? Germination rate is 60%. Germination rates on the packets are awfully low this year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steelnut Posted March 9, 2017 Author Share Posted March 9, 2017 can't wait until this is true I love this! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steelnut Posted March 9, 2017 Author Share Posted March 9, 2017 Stick them in now and you will have flowering vines to put in your pots. They flower rather quickly. I put them in 4 inch pots and they were blooming by the end of May. Thanks, I'm planning on next week, I can't wait 'til spring! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lavender Posted March 10, 2017 Share Posted March 10, 2017 If you have any trouble they can live in my greenhouse for awhile. I didn't plant any this year so the window ledge is open. I have another idea for those downtown pots. Last year the black-eyed-Susan vines grew up instead of down. The year before they vined beautifully. Mother Nature is quirky. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steelnut Posted March 10, 2017 Author Share Posted March 10, 2017 If you have any trouble they can live in my greenhouse for awhile. I didn't plant any this year so the window ledge is open. I have another idea for those downtown pots. Last year the black-eyed-Susan vines grew up instead of down. The year before they vined beautifully. Mother Nature is quirky. Thanks so much! I think I'll be okay, I have a big window with great sunlight. I'm thinking that if my seeds produce well, I want to plant some in the ground and put up a trellis so they can climb up it? I was reading some sights about them and it seems to work well for a lot of folks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lavender Posted March 10, 2017 Share Posted March 10, 2017 They climbed up all of the plants last year rather than making the nice hanging vines that they made two years ago. That is why I've banished them from the pots downtown. They don't show up well when they are climbing all over the other plants. They should do well on a trellis. They say the vines will get up to 8 feet. I'd say the ones in the pots the year they cascaded were abut 3 feet but those pots don't get all the water they should. steelnut 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Petee Posted March 10, 2017 Share Posted March 10, 2017 Excellent article on the Black Eyed Susan Vine: http://wimastergardener.org/article/black-eyed-susan-vine-thunbergia-alata/ If you want them to climb then give them something to climb on, if not then use plants with soft stems that they cannot twine on and they will trail. There's lots of good photography in this article. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steelnut Posted March 12, 2017 Author Share Posted March 12, 2017 They climbed up all of the plants last year rather than making the nice hanging vines that they made two years ago. That is why I've banished them from the pots downtown. They don't show up well when they are climbing all over the other plants. They should do well on a trellis. They say the vines will get up to 8 feet. I'd say the ones in the pots the year they cascaded were abut 3 feet but those pots don't get all the water they should. A few years ago I made two hanging basket of them and they were beautiful. They bloomed like crazy and hung down, a few tendrils climbed up. Since I'm trying to plant my own seeds this year, I'll still try a couple of baskets in addition to planting them in the ground to climb up a trellis. Here's hoping! I am soooo ready for spring. I also have some San Martzano seeds that came from Italy last year.. I so hope that they work out too! lavender 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pappy Posted March 12, 2017 Share Posted March 12, 2017 Starting to plant seeds today. I had to sterilize my medium as it came infested with fungus gnats. I have 500 celery seeds. Any takers? Germination rate is 60%. Germination rates on the packets are awfully low this year. good luck with the celery lavender and steelnut 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lavender Posted March 12, 2017 Share Posted March 12, 2017 A few years ago I made two hanging basket of them and they were beautiful. They bloomed like crazy and hung down, a few tendrils climbed up. Since I'm trying to plant my own seeds this year, I'll still try a couple of baskets in addition to planting them in the ground to climb up a trellis. Here's hoping! I am soooo ready for spring. I also have some San Martzano seeds that came from Italy last year.. I so hope that they work out too! San Marzano has been my tomato of choice for canning for many years. In a good year they can get as big as 5 inches. For a few years a hybrid San Marzano was available and they were even better but I can't find them any more. It will be interesting to see how the seeds from Italy do here. I think that most open pollinated tomatos change after growing a few years in a different region. steelnut 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lavender Posted March 12, 2017 Share Posted March 12, 2017 good luck with the celery Thanks! I'll let you know how it goes. My garden hasn't done particularly well the last few years. Too dry, too wet, not hot enough, too cold at the wrong time. Good thing we have a supermarket. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steelnut Posted March 23, 2017 Author Share Posted March 23, 2017 San Marzano has been my tomato of choice for canning for many years. In a good year they can get as big as 5 inches. For a few years a hybrid San Marzano was available and they were even better but I can't find them any more. It will be interesting to see how the seeds from Italy do here. I think that most open pollinated tomatos change after growing a few years in a different region. I only have like 30-40 seeds from two tomatoes, they are sooo meaty and sooo good. I'm so hoping that they do well for me. I've bought plants from various places over the last few years that were supposed to be San Marzano, but they weren't anything like what I got last year from a friend. Here's hoping for the best! lavender 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Petee Posted March 23, 2017 Share Posted March 23, 2017 There are various cultivars of San Marzano and some are much nicer but harder to get. They change annually as breeders change directions. This year we were gifted with the seeds of an heirloom Oxhart Tomato that came to the US in 1906 and has been grown by the same family locally ever since. It is supposed to be the best tomato you will ever choose to grow but it is a long season tomato, maybe 100 days. steelnut 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lavender Posted March 23, 2017 Share Posted March 23, 2017 I only have like 30-40 seeds from two tomatoes, they are sooo meaty and sooo good. I'm so hoping that they do well for me. I've bought plants from various places over the last few years that were supposed to be San Marzano, but they weren't anything like what I got last year from a friend. Here's hoping for the best! San Marzano is an open pollinated tomato so while you get a similar tomato each year they may not be exactly the same. The nice thing about open pollinated veggies is that they adapt to your growing conditions eventually. The bad part is that the fruit may not be identical each year. I think that I will start saving seed from my biggest and best San Marzano. Although to get straight San Marzano i should hand pollinate and cover the flowers so I don't get cross pollination. I grow different types so goodness knows what I'd get. I guess that is why I buy the seeds each year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steelnut Posted April 12, 2017 Author Share Posted April 12, 2017 San Marzano is an open pollinated tomato so while you get a similar tomato each year they may not be exactly the same. The nice thing about open pollinated veggies is that they adapt to your growing conditions eventually. The bad part is that the fruit may not be identical each year. I think that I will start saving seed from my biggest and best San Marzano. Although to get straight San Marzano i should hand pollinate and cover the flowers so I don't get cross pollination. I grow different types so goodness knows what I'd get. I guess that is why I buy the seeds each year. I planted 24 San Marzano seeds and every one has come up! I planted 24 San Marzano seeds and every one has come up and looking good, yeah! Now, to the Black Eyed Susan vines....not so good. I planted 45 and I have only one growing I've followed all instructions from every site and local advise too. UGH! I still have maybe 20 seeds left, so I'm going to try them tomorrow and see how it goes. If not good, please let me know if anyone has any for sale. I should know in a week or so. TIA. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sanibel Posted April 12, 2017 Share Posted April 12, 2017 Maybe try soaking a few in water overnight before planting? Don't give up on them yet! Sometimes they can take up to 3 weeks to germinate. steelnut 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Petee Posted April 12, 2017 Share Posted April 12, 2017 Dig one up and see if it is showing signs of swelling. If so then they may still be on their way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lavender Posted April 12, 2017 Share Posted April 12, 2017 I'm with soaking them. I wasn't going to grow any but I found a pack of the African Sunset and they are soaking now. I'll share if I get more than a half dozen. There weren't that many seeds in the pack. They can take 21 days to germinate. The last time I grew them the seeds stayed in the console of the truck overwinter and they still germinated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steelnut Posted April 12, 2017 Author Share Posted April 12, 2017 Lol, so after I posted last night how disappointed I was that only one had sprouted, I checked first thing this morning and four more came up, yeah!!!! I'll probably soak my remaining seeds in some water and plant them too, just in case. I have big plans for them this year and I'm hoping to get at least 40 plants. Here's hoping and thanks to all for your advice and assistance as always! I'm going to start a new thread for some more help, stay tuned. THANKS again!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lavender Posted April 12, 2017 Share Posted April 12, 2017 Forty plants! Sounds spectacular. Post pictures. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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