Journal October 10, 2012

The cucumbers are at the point that I had to give some thought to providing some sort of support.  To accomplish this I added a length of poly twine from the top of the tent to each plant, and began attaching the plants with vine clips.  As this variety sets most of its fruit on lateral branches, I strung twine from each of the four corners, attaching the twine with wire ties.  More support for lateral branches may be added as the vines grow and the light is raised.

My great tomato contest is progressing nicely, with the Burpee Super Beefsteak now firmly ahead of the expensive hybrid, Trust.  The Super Beefsteak, seen on the right, is larger, and has three trusses formed, two of which have already set fruit.  The Trust has one truss formed, with a few fruit ready to set, and one small truss beginning to form.  

The large LED is doing a fantastic job with these plants in the grow tent.  Growing conditions are ideal, with the daytime temperature averaging about 74 degrees, and the humidity in the mid 50s.  With the intense light level, the fruit seems to be growing larger, and faster, than it does in the greenhouse. 

Hydroponic gardening allows me to continue to garden indoors, when most gardeners are putting their tools away for the season, and dreaming of next spring.  My current projects include: tomatoes, cucumbers, lettuce, basil, chard, beets, carnations and asters. 

Ya gotta love it!