New Crops

Sorry for the rapid-fire updates today, but I've done a lot. I started some new crops this evening. I have decided to try Rapid Rooter plugs instead of starting my seeds in pure perlite. Rapid Rooter plugs are strong, spongy plugs of bark and peat infused with some micro-nutrients. They're compatible for transfer into hydroponic systems of all sorts and supposedly contain microbes that colonize quickly in the developing plant roots. We'll see!

The new crops are:
-Butternut Squash (Lilly Miller Seeds)
-Cucumber (Babylon Cucumber) (Territorial Seed Co)
-Miniature Bell Pepper (Territorial Seed Co)

Right now there are three plugs of each type of seed germinating on a seedling mat (basically a low-grade heater) under a 42 watt compact fluorescent bulb @ 6500k (full spectrum).

All three of these plants are of a climbing, viny sort, so I have prepared the grow area by building a lattice of jute twine that covers on entire wall of the grow area. I will train the plants to climb this lattice. You'll see photos of the lattice when I move the plants into the grow area.