Grafting tomatoes and peppers onto Maxifort Rootstock

Grafting plants for your garden!! I love to learn new things and this is something that has thrilled me since I first heard about it last year. I have to admit I was a little nervous though. For some reason it seemed like a ridiculous amount of work for a few plants...but im beginning to be more and more excited! It really has not been that much work at all! We always start our garden from seed inside...so that wasn't a new step. Then this grafting process only took about an hour (which was with the help of all my kids, me taking pictures, and a few drop in guests that ended up attending the "party"). The research, on the other hand, has definitely taken a lot of time...but I LOVE research!! I also chose not to do my entire garden as grafted plants. I am doing 1 plant of each variety as a grafted plant and then the others are regular...this way I can see how vigorous and disease resistant the grafted tomatoes are (or aren't) in direct comparison to their ungrafted counterpart... don't worry, I will definitely be posting pictures throughout the season of their progress and my research!

Watch this video and he will show you 2 different methods of grafting...I went with Top Grafting. 

Supplies Needed:

• Rootstock plant - (the base and roots you want to keep. I used Maxifort Rootstock)
• Scion plant - (the top and fruit you want to keep. I used various heriloom plants)
• Grafting Clip (I used 2.00mm silicone grafting clips)
• Razor Blade
• Pots for post grafting planting

Grafting Clips:

Razor Blade: Make sure your razor blade is clean and sharp!

Cut off the first leaves from both plants. 

Find a rootstock and scion plant that have very close to the same size stem.

Oh my Oh my...I seriously hesitated several times and was VERY nervous before I took my first cut! It was quite amusing! But I was so nervous!! I kept thinking how odd it was that I grew all these little plants from seeds and now I was about to hack off the top of them all and stick 2 different plants together and hope they survive! 

Well deep breath folks cause we haven't come this far for nothin!

Cut off the top of each at a 60 degree angle. Slip the clip over the rootstock and then slide in the scion to match up. 

Slide them together gently to touching...dont cram them together forcefully

Gently repot your plant into the soil pot.

Once you have all your plants successfully grafted you will put them into a "healing chamber" for several days to give them an opportunity to fuse the graft. You don't have to buy fancy equipment to make a healing chamber, you just need humidity, darkness, and warmth. 

Water and Mist all your plants well: 

I put my plants into a plastic storage container with a cup of hot water: 

Then I misted the top of another storage container and set it on top to form a humid environment: 

I put a towel over my container to keep it dark.

Day 1-4 do nothing...just let them set in their warm, dark, humid place. Then the 4th evening just remove the top cover to let them slowly awake from the healing chamber. Keep them in a low to light area that night and next day. Then just begin hardening them off by introducing a bit more light each day till they are good with full sunlight!

This same process can also be done with eggplant, peppers, or whatever plant you desire to have a strong root system!!

Tip: Since all of my rootstocks and scion plants were not perfectly the same stem size, I chose to pull them out and match them up prior to cutting to make sure I had the best matches...and rearrange if necessary. Be VERY careful not to confuse the rootstock from the scion...that would be bad! I laid out all my scions first under their name on my tags...then matching up the best Maxifort was easy. 

Seedlings

This year our seedlings are getting their start in the laundry room on top of the warm washer and dryer! I started my seedlings alot later this year than I have in the past, but they are doing great in here! Bryan hooked our grow light from the ceiling and we set it up on a timer. The seedlings love the warmth from the dryer and it has helped them get going fast!

This year we are attempting tomato grafting! Im so excited to see the potential...or just learn from my failure, who knows :) They are MaxiFort Tomatoes and quite vigorous and disease resistant!

Oh it looks so cute and innocent right now, but I guess it will literally take over your garden if the top isnt chopped off and grated to a normal tomato plant. 

First Planting

My seedlings tables are overflowing with plants and I love it!! However, it is time for those seedlings to be planted. We started on Saturday by doing the final preparations on the beds and aerating (digging up to loosen) the soil one last time. On Saturday, We were able to plant 1 bed of tomatoes and planted 46 tomato plants. Then last night (Monday) we were able to plant our second bed of tomatoes and planted another 45 tomato plants! We still have a lot to plant, but I am moving quite slow...seeing as I'm over 8 months pregnant now.

I plant my tomatoes 2 feet apart on the drip of the dripper line...so they get water placed right at the roots. Some people say that this is too close to plant heirloom tomatoes, but this is the way I did it last year and they were extremely productive all the way to the last frost of the season!

We are also going to do the "wall of tomatoes" like we did last year instead of using tomato cages. (more info and pictures once we get our "wall" up). 

I have a tendency to obsess over the layout of the garden and waste a lot of time trying to decide exactly how and where to plant everything so it will be "perfect"...but the fact of the matter is that it always changes and it will never be "perfect". I was focused on the tomatoes on Saturday and wanted to get as many in the ground as I could.  I have 13 tomato varieties and well over 100 seedlings. I wasn't planning on using all these tomato plants but will sell the extras that we don't have space for in the garden. The varieties I planted are: Orange Kentucky Beefsteak, Red Beefsteak, Orange Fleshed Purple Smudge, Red Zebra, Big Zebra, Gold Medal, Mini Orange, Black Cherry, Violet Jasper, Red Fig, Egg Yolk, Besser, and Porter. All these will present a wide variety of colors and sizes! 

I couldn't decide which order to plant them in or which bed to put each variety. After Bryan and I sat laughing at how ridiculously obsessive I was being (I wasted well over an hour just staring at the plants)...we decided to have a "random wall of tomatoes". So we rotated the entire bed and didn't plant any varieties together! It will still be easy to identify which plant is which (based on the size and color of the fruit and it will be fun to pick  from all the random color and variety along the wall! This will help with disease prevention as well. 

Having drip irrigation really saves on time as well as water consumption. It places a drip of water at an exact root system for a designated amount of time. Bryan even installed shut off valves on each dripper line so we can only use water on the beds that are planted as well as regulate the amount of water that each bed receives.

Hardening off the seedlings...getting ready for planting!

 Its time to start hardening off the plants and getting them ready for the garden!!
The night before last Bryan built me a counter top out on our back deck. He used 2-12 foot treated planks (2"x12") and secured them to the railing, then braced it all up and trimmed it out! It has been nice to have a little extra  counter space...especially nice for the kids to eat outside! This counter has been perfect for bringing the plants outside! Yesterday was their first day outside and we had a slightly overcast day with nice misty rain coming down...and mild wind. All those factors made it perfect for their first day outside! They were only out for about 4 hours and then the hot sun came out and the winds picked up, so I brought them back inside.

The tomatoes are doing fantastic and will be ready to go in the ground in just a week or so!

 We have several varieties of lettuce and they are looking good as well, along with arugula, bok choy, spinach, celery, and a colorful array of peppers and flowers!

Im still trying to get my garden planned exactly how I want it to lay out...I keep changing my mind! The hardest part is the rotation! I dont want to plant my tomatoes all in the same place as last year (for soil reasons), but they worked SO good there last year so I am having a hard time seeing them be as fabulous anywhere else. We are also trying to utilize our beds better! Since our garden is on drip irrigation (which is awesome!!) I have to be careful not to have empty places in the garden that are being watered just because the rest of the bed is being watered. Planning and preparation is crucial. There are also a few plants that I am not planting again (broccoli, carrots, potatoes) and am going to try and focus on larger quantities of the tomatoes, beans, peas, leafy greens, peppers, and onions. This way I can utilize my beds and rotations better and barter my produce with someone who is actually good at growing the stuff that totally fails here :)
I am really excited for this gardening season and can not wait to see my little seedlings in the ground...and on my dinner plate!!!  

Starting Seeds in Egg Cartons

I have read a lot about egg cartons being an excellent way to start seeds so I thought this year I might as well give it a try!! The small slots seem like they are going to be a little small to hold the roots of some of the seedlings, but I can always transplant them into larger pots if necessary. Last year we use large round pots for all of our seedlings and it took up quite a bit of space as well as needing 2 grow lights to accommodate all the pots. This year we are doing more seeds in less space and only requiring 1 grow light! I filled up all my egg cartons with dirt outside and carried them all inside to a warm, well lit room to start adding the seeds. Some of the seeds I did choose to put 2 seeds per slot just to make sure we have something growing in each compartment...in case there is a low germination rate!

Within a few days the arugula and lettuce were starting to sneak through the soil and make their appearance! This is one of my favorite things to see! Every time I come in to see the plants, there is so much new life that has grown! Henry and Addie loved waking up each morning and running in to count how many new plants were coming up.

It is so rewarding to start your own seeds. It is definitely more work than just buying them the day you want to plant them, but there is so much enjoyment from watching them grow!

(these pictures were all from last week, Ill post an updated picture of the growth!)

Garden Planning!! My favorite time of year

Ive been working hard to get all my seeds organized and plan exactly what will be going into our garden this year! It has been so fun! I love sitting at my front window right beside my wood burning stove with a hot fire and looking out the window at snow on the ground while dreaming of a warm spring garden! But the planning is coming to an end because these plants are being started and we are getting a few nice days to get out and work the dirt! 

For my planning I have #1 "The Vegetable Gardeners Bible" (MUST HAVE book for gardening!!), as well as a diagram of my garden layout, and last but not least...a spreadsheet of all my seeds and how many plants I am wanting to start! I try to put as much information on my 2 sheets as possible so I can refer to them for all my information instead of having to look up info online or fumble through tons of seed packets. 

As the cold winter days come to an end, I will be spending the last few by my wood stove just dreaming of getting my hands dirty in the garden!

First Sign of Green

Today I woke up and eventually made it in to water the seedlings, and there were a few arugula seedlings starting to make their appearance! This is one of my favorite parts of starting our own seeds! As the next few days roll by we will hopefully see a lot more of these cute little green leaves peeking out through the soil to greet us.

Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.5

My New Toy!!!

Yes, mommies deserve new toys too! 

I started all my seeds and got into watering them daily and I am realizing how sore my hand is going to get using a spray bottle to "mist" all these seedlings twice a day! I did it last year, but I sure don't remember it being this frustrating. Bryan came home from work today with this delightful pump sprayer!! It was $7 at Lowes.  "GardenPlus Garden Sprayer". I am excited to water tomorrow!! It is so extremely easy to give these tiny seeds a good misting of water without disturbing the soil or making 10 trips to the sink to refill my water bottle while trying to avoid hand cramps!

I hate spending money, but this is $7 WELL spent! 

Getting Ready to Start Seeds!

Its time for seed starting and I couldn't be more excited! We have done some planning based on what we learned from last year and now its time to watch that planning grow!
This year we decided to try the seed starting with cardboard egg cartons. I have heard and read a lot lately where people are saying how great it works...so in about 2 months we will know for ourselves! I have 270 open slots for seeds, so now I'm going to lay out exactly what seed will be started in each slot and see what we end up with!
Last year we also did all out seed starting in our loft...since I am 6 months pregnant and only getting bigger, I thought it wouldn't be the best idea for me to be scampering around a small loft 10 feet off the ground in tight, confined spaces...so the seeds are being started in the baby's room. I know, I know that sounds terrible...but the baby isn't here yet and the seeds will all be moved out into the garden long before the baby arrives :) We have been trying to scale down on our space requirements since the baby will need extra space and it is really paying off now that we have a whole room empty for seedlings!
Very excited to see our 2011 garden take off!!!

Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.5