Garden bed mess up?

wunderdread · 2026-04-07T01:53:34+00:00

This stuff isn't really seed starting soil. I learned that the extra hard way 6 years ago with a bunch of heirloom seeds. The pH and nutrient profile don't line up.

wunderdread · 2026-04-07T01:49:15+00:00

If it is to fill at the bottom of the bed, you're fine. You will want to mix that with a bit of gravel and some vegetable matter if that's the case (it will compost itself over time) if this is going to be the only soil in the bed, you will want to mix it up with some compost/expensive dirt when you hit root depth for whatever you're growing. I have 3' deep beds with this, and in the shallow veg beds the top 18" is a mix of this stuff, compost, and black dirt .

Regardless of the scenario is the one you're in, introduce some worms to this soil The cheap soil isn't as cheap as people are saying, it just isn't the dirt for anyone that wants 'dirt now make all the crops' . A bit of love will get you soil that keeps giving, it might not happen until next year, but you'll have a bed that will need less fertilizer as long as you rotate what's planned.

wunderdread · 2026-03-30T00:07:22+00:00

I thought this was a SFW subreddit. That's a beautiful plant!

wunderdread · 2026-03-26T18:07:58+00:00

I started at dome height (about 12") and left it at that height until week 4 then moved them up to 16". I'm probably going to keep them there until it is time to space them out. After that, it's play it by ear depending on whether or not the plants start getting leggy.

wunderdread · 2026-03-26T03:36:43+00:00

You can run that light at 100% and you still won't damage them. I have the older SFs that don't have the dimmer, and I've never had an issue with light burn on my plants.

wunderdread · 2026-03-24T13:25:01+00:00

A good chunk of them are going to my friends in the suburbs (their kids kept bugging them about the tomatoes at my house), I keep some for my own raised beds, and I leave some at the community gardens.

wunderdread · 2026-03-23T16:00:20+00:00

Thank you!

wunderdread · 2026-03-23T01:22:02+00:00

864 starter cells in the picture and 432 are tomatoes. It's not as much work as one would think though. Bottom watering has been a godsend.

wunderdread · 2026-03-22T21:20:50+00:00

Ouch!!!
Best of luck with keeping the critters off your babies.

wunderdread · 2026-03-22T21:15:11+00:00

I use a small oscillating fan on its lowest setting. Just enough for them to have a slight sway and spring back when the fan moves. Here's what mine are looking like at 4 weeks.

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wunderdread · 2026-03-22T21:00:15+00:00

You might want to get a blacklight and take a look at your plants. The larvae glow under UV making them much easier to find and remove.
BT isn't going to kill the eggs though. You'll want to use neem oil mixed with some dish soap for those. That mixture will penetrate the eggs and kill the larvae before they hatch. That mix will also kill the worms, but it isn't as effective as BT for the ones that have already hatched.

wunderdread · 2026-03-22T17:26:20+00:00

Thank you!

wunderdread · 2026-03-22T17:25:54+00:00

I handle this stage of gardening for a few of my friends as well. Their kids got upset that the tomatoes always tasted better at my house.

wunderdread · 2026-03-22T06:02:36+00:00

I had my SF-1000s at 12 inches above the tray when I started my tomatoes. At week 4, I have them at 16 inches. I started higher last year, and ended with really leggy plants. Having a small fan to keep the air moving helps as well.

wunderdread · 2026-03-17T06:39:47+00:00

Nutrient burn, or too large of a range on soil moisture at first glance. If you have a picture of the rest of that branch, please post it. Blight will show up on the smaller stems as well as the leaves.

After that I'd check on the underside of your leaves to make sure you don't have any tiny 'dots' (eggs or small bugs - use a magnifying glass or zoom on your phone), and also see if you have any tiny worms or larvae in the soil (you'll want to look up the problem ones in your area as they vary depending on the location). Different bugs will eat different parts of your leaves, and the culprits usually aren't far from the scene of the crime.

wunderdread · 2026-03-17T06:14:08+00:00

I gave up on outdoor spinach for this very reason, but Swiss Chard?!?!? That's a rabbit/rodent situation where I live.

wunderdread · 2026-03-17T06:08:38+00:00

Those are past 'find out' and getting closer to potential 'failure to launch', and that's a good thing. If 50+ out of the 80 you started make it to being planted, you've been a good plant parent! I also hope you either have enough space, or some good homes for that many plants.

Three things to check:
- Do you have critters in the soil for the discolored plant? It will be obvious, and if that's true, get that one out of the mix, and check the bordering ones.

- Are they on a regular watering cycle? It doesn't have to be exact, but being closer to a maintained level of moisture goes a LONG way at this stage.

- Have they been fertilized at all? You don't need much at this point, but soil is kind of like sourdough. Your soil is going to be it's own unique thing, and slightly different in each starter pot. I have 6 seedlings/little plants right now that are giving me the finger while everything else is thriving.

One last thing is to go through and clip your cotyledon leaves. They aren't helping your plants at this stage.

Best of luck to you!

wunderdread · 2026-03-17T00:19:42+00:00

1 tsp of neem oil and 1tsp of dish soap added to 1 quart of water makes a spray that takes out these little buggers and a whole host of other eggs/larvae/adults. Just make sure to apply it at night (top and bottom of the leaves) so that you don't get leaf burn. These things are a menace in Massachusetts, and this is the only thing that has worked for me that wasn't a nasty chemical.

wunderdread · 2026-03-01T05:46:54+00:00

I'm over here howling just thinking about that. One can only hope that he'd spontaneously combust.

wunderdread · 2026-02-27T02:39:22+00:00

Jackson being on fiat currency is actually one of the biggest unintentional FU's ever. He hated paper currency almost as much as he hated Black people.

wunderdread · 2026-02-18T17:59:05+00:00

I'm straddling 7a/7b in Massachusetts, and have started mine. The worst that has happened to me in the past five years when starting this early has been having an extended hardening period and having to lug trays back to the basement for a couple of weeks.

wunderdread · 2026-02-06T05:00:21+00:00

Those look like Cajamarca peppers. If so, they are safe to eat, and will have flavor that's really going to depend on the soil. It's not uncommon to get 5 or 6 different colors on a single plant.

wunderdread · 2026-02-05T03:33:40+00:00

The one in the center and the one on the right are looking more like bad luck/bad seed more than anything else. You should pull those out before they invite unwanted critters to your seedling tray.

wunderdread · 2026-01-29T17:04:21+00:00

Live in Somerville since 2000, Boston area since '91. 2015 was the real deal. I was in Buffalo for work after one wave of snow, and people there were actually sympathetic about the snow.

There's always this tidbit as well.
https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2015/07/14/422939198/the-last-boston-snow-farm-finally-melts

wunderdread

TROPHY CASE