Visted My Youtube Tomato and Vegetable Garden Video Channel: Videos About Everything Vegetable Gardening


Check out my latest video about using cell plants for growing transplants outdoors.

Introducing My Youtube Garden Video Channel: Any Requests?

Visted My Youtube Garden Video Channel: Videos About Everything Vegetable Gardening

I now have 6 garden videos hosted on Youtube: My Tomato and Vegetable Garden Channel. My goal this year is to create 50 HD gardening videos.

I am taking requests. Just leave your request on this page. I plan to cover everything associated with vegetable gardening. So please... if you have a video that would interest you - leave it here.

Thanks
Gary

Pak Choi! Is Not A War Cry: Chinese Cabbage, Greens & Raab Transplants

Click here to Tweet The Rusted Garden and This Article

I planted 'Black' kale, 'Vates' kale, 'Pak Choi' cabbage, broccoli raab, arugula and 'Broad London' leeks in cells. They should go into the ground as I write but I am holding them a few more days till the 30 degree nights are gone. These pictures are from about 5 days ago.

You can see I do over plant the cells. You can gently break them up, if you are careful not to damage the roots.  Or just pinch off the weakest plants and plant the plug with one plant per hole. The kales will get large as will all these plants. Make sure you only put 1 plant per hole, I know its tempting to plant more.

Vegetable Transplants - The Rusted Garden: Gary Pilarchik

The transplants are a good size. I have been putting them out in the sun over the last weeks.  A good way to deal with acclimating or 'hardening off' your transplants is to give them sun while in the cells. A combination of grow-lights and afternoon sun makes for strong plants that can go right in the garden when they are ready.

'Wild Italian' Arugula - The Rusted Garden: Gary Pilarchik

'Black' Kale - The Rusted Garden: Gary Pilarchik

'Vates' Kale - The Rusted Garden: Gary Pilarchik

'Pak Choi' Cabbage - The Rusted Garden: Gary Pilarchik

Broccoli Raab - The Rusted Garden: Gary Pilarchik

'Broad London' Leek - The Rusted Garden: Gary Pilarchik

What Causes Plant Legginess?: Tall Thin Tomatoes for Example

Click here to Tweet The Rusted Garden and This Article

I got a really good question about tomatoes being tall and thin. This typically occurs when seedlings don't get enough direct intense light. A tomato gets tall and thin or 'legginess' because it is growing as fast as it can to get closer to the light source. It is a response of the plant to reach the light.  It stops when the intensity is appropriate. How a plant knows this... hmm?

Legginess has to be prevented. Grow lights (depending or lumen intensity) should sit 3 to 6 inches above your plants. The closer the better without leaves touching the light tubes.

Light intensity prevents 'legginess'. The other issue is that if you have the right intensity, you also need the right amount of hours of light. For indoor growing systems that should be 10 to 14 hours.

Planting Beets in Rows

Click here to Tweet The Rusted Garden and This Article

Beets are a great vegetable for a garden. A fresh beet drips with flavor. There is nothing like a sweet fresh beet. By the time you buy them from market, they have lost a lot of moisture and simply aren't as sweet and delicious. Beet leaves are great in salads too!

Planting a beet is best done in rows. You can plant them around 1/2 inch down and 2 inches to 4 inches apart. At 2 inches you will have to pick some beets on the smaller end to allow other beets to get to full size and sometimes that is as big as a baseball. Your choice.

Beet Seeds - The Rusted Garden: Gary Pilarchik

Beet Rows and Spacing: Gary Pilarchik

I am plant a round variety of beet that gets large, so I space my seeds visualizing how mature beets would look or at the size I want to pick them. I plant my seeds accordingly. If you are planting cylindrical beets than you can plant them closer together.

Remember the beet seed in the picture is actually a pod or cluster of beet seeds. You will have to thin them to one plant per spot.

Beet Seed Spacing - The Rusted Garden: Gary Pilarchik