Varieties of Tomatoes

I began growing tomatoes from seeds in my greenhouse last year around the middle of the month of April.   I grew six different varieties of tomatoes in seedling pots.   The variety of tomatoes were:
1.  Giant Beef Steak
2.   Giant Dotto
3.   Cherry Roma
4.   Manitoba
5.   Tom Thumbs
6.   Large Roma

The problem with starting tomatoes too early in the greenhouse is that there is not enough light and the plants will get too leggy or spindly.   If one were to add some grow lights to a couple of shelves, the plants in the first three weeks would grow thicker stems.

My seedlings when planted outside were 8 to 12 inches in height.. When transplanting the tomatoes outside be sure to plant them deep into the soil.  A good rule of thumb is to plant the tomato up to the first two leaves.  A little peat moss around the root ball or some seaweed will help retain the moisture, fertilize and aerate the roots of the young tomato.  When planting the tomato outside on the May long weekend, the temperature is still too cool, so one should place a plastic dome over the plant until June 15.     I experimented with eight different watering systems and used a fertilizing  program to promote vegetative growth with maximum water intake.  Providing micronutrients such as calcium, magnesium and iron prevented blossom end rot.

By the end of August, I was harvesting tomatoes from all my tomato plants. I had planted 40 plants.
1.  Beefsteak tomatoes---produced four or five tomatoes per plant but they weighed one to two pounds each.
2.   The cherry romas grew to a height of  12 feet and produced  40 walnut sized tomatoes per plant.
3.   The Manitoba's grew about two feet tall and produced 30 to 40 tomatoes that be the size of a half-cup measuring cup.   I found these tomatoes the nicest size for cooking and eating.
4.  The small tom thumbs were like little sugar candies , the size of a dime or nickel.
5. The large Romas and Giant Dotto's were the size of my fist and exceptionally juicy

When September arrived and I still had green tomatoes,  I pruned off most of the tomato leaves and just left the green tomatoes to photosynthesize and moved the potted tomatoes into my greenhouse where the tomatoes ripened on the vine and I was eating tomatoes well into November.

Greenhouse Microclimates

I just placed metal shelving in my greenhouse at different levels and place plants on shelves according to their need for light. For example, I place Catteleya Orchids on the top shelf because they need direct sunlight. In the winter, I place five 50 gallon water barrels in the greenhouse to keep up the humidity and to heat the greenhouse during the night by releasing the latent heat of water. I also have tropical fish tanks in the greenhouse and use the fish water to water the orchids. Click on this GREENHOUSE LINK TO VIEW MY GREENHOUSE

Vermiculture

In my greenhouse, I have a plastic tub, that I used to make a vermiculture composter also known as worm composting. Take a plastic tub and drill holes in the bottom of the tub and in the lid top. Place a another lid under the bottom to catch the moisture run-off known as compost tea which is the liquid that escapes from the vegetable material. By combining the proper mixture of shredded paper (carbon) with green material (phosphorus and nitrogen) one will get a soft fluffy soil made from worm castings. You should turn the compost pile once a week to get the compost worms moving through all the vegetable matter. If you do not get the right mix of paper ( carbon) and green material ( phosphorus and nitrogen), the compost will take on the odour of rotting vegetation. Carbon adds sweetness to the compost and removes any odour.

Seaweed

Seaweed is a fairly generic term that refers to aquatic plants that grow in the ocean, lakes or  ponds. In the fresh water lakes or man made lakes there is an accumulation of phosphates and fertilizers   from the run-off of farmers fields or the fertilized lawns of residents along the lakeside that allows the aquatic weeds to grow quickly and clog the lakeshore.  For example, at Chestermere Lake the municipality has a machine that cuts out the weed beds so the residents can water ski and boat. Residents who have property along the lakeshore periodically rake off the seaweed around their docks so they can launch their boats without getting the propellers of their boats fouled with weeds. The residents pile up the seaweed on their front lawn for garbage pick up. I realize that seaweed is rich in nitrates and is therefore a good natural fertilizer. I am experimenting with using seaweed as a natural fertilizer by chopping the weed into small pieces and burying the weed next to my garden plants as a slow natural releasing fertilizer. As the seaweed slowly decomposes it releases the nitrates that provide nitrogen for the plants. Moreover, the seaweed by its nature absorbs water and keeps the soil moist and helps retain water so the soil does not dry out.

Marine Science Institute

Marine Science Institute
The Marine Science Institute (MSI) is a series of training opportunities and tours that combine SCUBA Diving, Snorkeling, Sea Kayaking, and Hiking together within the contexts of marine and mountain ecology. It is a combination of adventure tourism and science.

Participants must be at least 15 years of age and meet the physical requirements of the PADI Open Water Diver certification program. One of the main goals of MSI is to allow individuals to participate in building and monitoring the life and health of artificial reefs on the Canadian West Coast.

In order to help these young people have the opportunity to study marine life in its natural setting, Mountain Tide Aquatics is importing greenhouses for the participants to sell. Each greenhouse sold will provide approximately $300 toward their training, equipment, and travel. Additionally, should the purchasers of these greenhouses wish to pay to have them installed then they will also have the chance for additional earnings by helping with that installation.

To order a greenhouse, email info@mtaquatics.ca and state which of the two models you would prefer. Sales in general will be handled through the Internet and PayPal. During your PayPal transaction remember to state which MSI participant you want to credit with the sale.

It is our hope that with every greenhouse sold that there will be a steady increase in the amount of organic produce grown. This is not only healthier for those eating this food but it will also result in fewer chemicals in our oceans such as pesticides and fertilizers. We hope that with all of our activities we can understand and improve reef ecology.











SP 812 $1000

 



SIZE(W*L*H)                       （All height exclude base) 2560*3746*2190MM
8'5"* 12'3"* 7'2"


SP610  $850

 


SIZE(W*L*H)                       （All height exclude base) 1950*3136*1950MM
6'5"*10'3"* 6'5"






Basic Info.

Cover Material: Polycarbonate Panels and Aluminum Frame
Layer: Double
Type: Production Greenhouse
Color: Mill Silver, Green Coated, Anodized
Door and Window: Sliding Door and Adjustable Window
Base: Aluminum Base or Galvanized Base
Parts: All Stainless Steel Bolts and Nuts
Warranty: Free of 10year Guarantee
Certification: CE



Main Features:

1. Panel: 4mm twin-wall UV-Protected new polycarbonate panels
2. Frame: 1.0mm thickness strong aluminum frame with gutter system
3. Peak roof design provides plenty of head room
4. Door & window: Sliding door with magnetic door lock and adjustable window.
5. Base: Aluminum base or Galvanized steel base for your option
6. Flat package with all parts, easy assembly


MSI participants will have access to a variety of opportunities including:


Open Water SCUBA Certification
Advanced Open Water SCUBA Certification
Snorkeling and Freediving Training
Sea Kayaking
Coastal and Mountain Hiking

West Coast Eco Camp and Reef Pod Placement
Quadra Island Marine Biology Dive Tour
Shuswap Lake Salmon Run Dive
Van Isle South Marine Eco Tour
Cabo San Lucas Marine Eco Tour
Surveyors Lake – Turtles and Bass


If you are interested in learning more about the Marine Science Institute and the related courses and tours, email info@mtaquatics.ca.

Cheers,

Dave Hartley
www.mtaquatics.ca
“So much fun you’ll wet yourself!”

Micro-climates

To grow plants successfully one has to find the climates that specific plants like to inhabit.

Growing Potatoes

In the third week in April, i noticed the found was warm enough to grow potatoes in the school courtyard so I chose the best microclimate in the courtyard conducive to growing potatoes.  I purchased some Yukon Gold seed potatoes.    Potatoes like to grow in mounds, so you should build a hill around your potato.  You can cut a potato in half in you need more potatoes to plant but just make sure there are one or two eyes on the potato.  The eye is actually a leaf bud.  Potatoes send out tubers into the ground so if you have a soft fluffy mound the potato will quickly send out tubers in all directions and grow potatoes.   It is now June 17 and look how big the potatoes have grown in just over a month.