My Experiment Will Turn To Growth Next Fall

This is my experiment with growing some vegetables year round. I often wonder about the plants I can grow under certain conditions. This is especially true in the basement where I start all my spring plants. I usually start all my tomato varieties in the basement. I also grow a couple of plants for some neighbors, relatives, and friends. I do my bell peppers as well as my banana peppers and I will start cucumbers and pumpkins as well. This year I may add Okra but that is one to be read up on more.

So, from May until the next March nothing is done in the basement. Six to eight weeks of plant starting is it. This year, as seen in my last posting, I started three radish and two carrot varieties. I had a couple of objectives. One was to watch the root growth. The other was to see how they would do in the basement setting. I simply used store bought seed starting medium and after I saw some results I added some worm castings. Typically the radishes will have harvest times of 26 to 28 days. I planted mine on January 1. As you can see, they have a ways to go. But remember, they are not in true soil. There are three varieties, left to right; French Dressing, Cherry Bell and White Icicle. The White Icicle has the most fruit and roots. It seems to be about 1/2″ at its widest point with about a 3″ root. The other two are maybe half that size or less. In the other cup you can see one tall carrot, Scarlet Nantes. A second carrot is just popping out of the medium. This is a Danver’s Half Long and is a second start. I had planted two seeds. Neither one came up. About 5 days ago, I put more seeds in to see if I had a seed issue. The first carrot planting took place on January 10th. I believe I can see the handwriting on the wall. I realize I can grow more carrots and radishes year round. All I have to do is use deeper planting boxes and better material to grow them in. My choice on the carrots will be the Scarlet Nantes because they are sweeter. For the radishes, I prefer the White Icicle and French Dressing.

Radish and Carrot experiment

We’re Talking Cold

January is usually cold, but this year it’s been even colder. Recent nights were around zero, and tonight it will drop to -20 degrees with wind chill.

A week ago we had a snow storm come through. This isn’t all that strange. After all, it is January, but we generally get our heaviest snows in February. We got a foot but it was a really nice dry foot that was easy to get rid of. I used a corded leaf blower for the most part. The next day, after we got some rain and some melting, the snow wasn’t fluffy anymore. I used a snow blower. I had to redo everything but there was no wind so it wasn’t all that bad.

I have a wildlife issue. Our backyard borders a reserve, so we see deer, raccoons, birds, squirrels, and sometimes coyotes. I’ve been putting out feeders since we moved here. This year, I moved them to a corner with a Magnolia and two pine trees. I moved the Sheppard hooks and hung the feeder I made. I also hung a basket for the suet. Then, I made a platform feeder to hold the peanuts I got for the squirrels. I was surprised to learn that not only do cardinals and Blue Jays like peanuts. The Titmouse, sparrows, and Chickadees also enjoy them. What fooled me was that the birds, no matter how small, would come and take the nuts away. Meanwhile, the squirrels would plant themselves on the platform and never leave.

I haven’t taken the time to edit them as they definitely need some exposure help.

Winter Gardening: Starting Your 2025 Planting Season

January, a time to start making plans for the 2025 growing season. As I did last year I’m going to grow my plants in two plastic Dixie cups. The outer cup will be clear. I will put some small gravel in it. This will keep the inner cup up off the bottom. The inner cup will be a solid color, this year it’s green and last year they were red. The inner cups will have three small triangles cut around the bottom and up the side. This will allow two things, one is for bottom watering. Water is added to the outer cup up to the top of the triangle. The planting medium should absorb the water into the inner cup. It also draws the roots downward so they do not collect at the top. In the case of tomatoes, the seeds are started about half way down in the cup. As the plants grow and get taller, more medium is added. Tomatoes have what can be very fine hairs along their stems. These are simply roots looking for water and a place to get nutrients.

On the left is a cup from last year. The other two images are this year and they bring me to another point that has changed this year. The lighting and the tray. For the past couple of years I have been using fluorescent style LED’s. I had to lower them to the tops of the planting containers and raise them as needed. They were difficult to move upwards and I actually had to take two from my workshop to get enough light. I watched a video on what I have now. They can be raised all the way to the floor joist if need be and lowered to the table top. Each side has a pulley so I can even angle them left to right. One light can control both from on to 25%, 50%, 75% and 100%. You can look them up as they are VisioSun which makes a lot of gardening items. My heat mats are this brand. At this time I’m only using one so one is turned off and the remote tag line is unplugged. You will see why shortly. The cups are much larger than standard grow cups, except for the large square ones. I decided to make my own growing tray. I sprayed the inside with the Flex Seal you see advertised on TV with a guy in a boat. I applied several coats so any spillage should wipe up, dry up or basically not cause a problem.

I’ve never tried growing anything out of season but I did this year. I started three varieties of radishes, Cherry Belle, French Dressing and White Icicle. I put all three in a 6 oz or so plastic clear cup. I used this cup last year, so it had holes in the bottom. I placed it into a larger clear cup with some gravel. Planted on January 1 and had three seedlings up on the 5th. On January 10th I started carrots, one each Nantes and Danvers Half Long. They aren’t up yet but they are on the heat mat with a sandwich bag over them to keep moisture.

So now the only thing to do is to keep up with my experiment and maybe start some radishes….they are a 28 day plant. Carrots, something to consider indoors next fall. The grow lights are perfect. I have my seeds and most planting materials other than soil. I have Perlite, Worm Casting, two kinds of seed starter….come on spring.

HALF WAY THROUGH JUNE

April was a warm month but May seemed to take off early. Plants were held back, just waiting for the super surprise of a cool down. Well, it didn’t really happen. The end of May was above normal. Then we go into June and cooler nights showed up with rain and wind. Flip the switch and the rains stop, the temps go up but the winds persist. Now we are in a heat advisory until at least Friday and no real rain insight. Watering in the mornings and evenings is now a must with temps and some wind in the mid nineties.

I have taken a bush type cucumber and a vine cucumber already plus on California Bell but that is rare this early. Of the bush cuke it was the only one produced, all the others rotted on the vine. It was started indoors. I’ve sense, within the last 5 days, replanted this variety and all the seeds popped up so there will be a decision to make to thin out since I sowed at least 6 seeds in a 5 gallon bucket. I also have Tiny Tim’s growing in this same bucket. The other cucumber is a Straight 8 and is starting to climb a fence like crazy. Like I said, one cucumber so far but loaded with flowers.

I built a small crate and started some fingerling potatoes in it, filling it as the plants grew. About 1/2 way I found we had some regular potatoes that sprouted some eyes so I cut a couple in 1/2 and planted them in the crate as well. It will be interesting to see how this turns out.

In the past I have always tilled three sides outside the fence and planted flowers. the north side got sunflowers and the west and south sides got lower growing flowers. I did the same thing this year. I always collect my own sunflower and marigold seeds but for some reason everything struggles. A week ago I went to a garden center for perennials to plant and reduce some of the work. They were on sale so I bought Dwarf Phlox, Bee Balm, Catnip and Ice Ballet Milkweed. The northside is still being used for marigolds and sunflowers. I also have two butterfly bushes, one came from another point in the yard this spring and I divided a Anise Hyssop late last year. The bees love this plant and it appears they are so happy that they ignore you, I’ve never been stung and yet I have put my hands into the flowers to pull some leaves as they have a very good licorice aroma.

The Season is Underway

Like everyone else we have experienced some unusual weather but fortunately not as bad as some have had to deal with.

One thing I found this year is I need to wait a couple of weeks later than in the past. Mostly because of the way I start and maintain my seeds. I did the two Dixie method where you use a clear 16 or 18 oz cup on the outside and put some small marble size stones, or marbles if you have them, in the bottom. I used red cups for the inside that holds the plant. In the video I watched the guy cut three 1/2” by three sided triangles around the base. I found that this can be difficult as the plastic can let the knife cut quickly and you end up with a long cut side that you just have to deal with in cutting the sides connecting to it. I used an exact-o knife and a very sharp pocket knife as well as a very small set of scissors.

After getting the holes cut I marked the red cups and the clear cups with what the plant was to be in it. At this point you are ready to fill the cups with starter mix or whatever you do to sow seeds indoors. For the peppers the cups were filled to within a half inch of the top. I sowed the seeds and set aside for a bit. Next for the tomatoes I put about an inch and a half of media in the bottom and then sowed the seeds with just a thin layer of media or potting soil. Next I poured water into the cups and carefully put the red cup into the clear cup. You must try to not put no more water in than the top of the triangle. If you get too much out just pull the cup up and pour a bit out. The media should stay in place. When watering is needed you can see it so there is no guess work. In my case the tomatoes showed their roots out through the triangles pretty quickly. As they got taller I just added media to the cup. The peppers took a little long to show roots, in fact not all did but when I took them out of the cups there were plenty of good looking roots. One last bit of info on this is you can use non-zip sandwich bags or Saran Wrap to cover the red cups and holding this with a rubber band. I set my cups directly on a heat mat to get them to heat up and sweat. Once they sprout then the Saran Wrap comes off and the heat mat is put away.

On smaller planting I used smaller cups for the past and used a 3/16 drill bit to punch a bunch of holes in the inner cup. Some of these just went into planting trays so they could be bottom watered. I did Tiny Tim tomatoes, Basil and cucumbers this way.

Cups are cut and plants are installed

You can see the red cups, the smaller cups and a tray with the basil and cukes started.

Getting ready to plant

Carrot seeds in an egg carton

Two varieties of carrots for total of 48

Nearest where the chives are is the yellow, red and white onions then to the left is a row of banana peppers and then bell peppers. Next is green onions and moving towards the horse shoe is two varieties of radishes. Going to the left again in the open are will be Blue Lake green beans. On the other side of the horse shoe are 4 tomato plants with basil and cilantro seeds sewn. Crates have Tiny Tim tomatoes…left side and potatoes in the back left corner then more tomatoes, basil and cucumbers. Open space will have 4 rows of corn and the two white markers are two types of ornamental squash and pumpkins.

A garden aid but it costs….

This one was made by me out of all scrap wood with only one cut, the handle needed about 2” cut off.

Getting REady for the New Season

Seeds have been purchased and are now in my possession. I have already started planting some, including peppers, sweet and bell peppers, as well as various types of tomatoes such as Best Boy, Celebrity, Early Girl Bush Hybrid, Roma, and Tiny Tim. Additionally, I have started the process for two cucumber plants and two peat pots of basil.

These are the plants started in Dixie cups, with the seed and starter mix in red. I cut triangles in the bottom of the sides in three places, then put the cups with moistened mix and seeds into clear cups with a rock at the bottom. This method allows me to monitor the moisture level and feel the top of the plant. I only water when necessary, as the plants will seek water. The tomatoes were only filled halfway so that more mix can be added as they grow, allowing for a stronger root structure. This technique is specific to tomatoes; for all other plants, I fill the container and plant the seed. I started on March 6th and everything has sprouted. Planting two seeds per cup has paid off, as several cups have only produced one plant. I am still within the window for the second seed, and if it does come up, I will decide whether to remove the smaller one or separate the two and plant them in another container.

Yesterday and today, I dedicated myself to a significant task: reinforcing the area under my fencing. Achieving a meticulously maintained garden has always been a challenge due to difficulties in edging around the fence. To address this, I chose to lay down a 2 x 4 board with strategically drilled holes for the post rods. This improvement will allow me to effortlessly use a hoe or weed wacker to maintain the edge along the board without causing any damage to the fence. Even though it required considerable time and physical exertion, I managed to complete most of the work in a single day, and my wife assisted me in aligning the board with the gate. While I certainly feel the effects of the labor, I take great satisfaction in the belief that it will be an investment with long-term benefits.

As for the weather, we’re experiencing fluctuating temperatures in mid-March, with highs of 73 and 70 on consecutive days, and a forecast of rain and snow on Monday the 18th. I recall a similar pattern last year, with a warm April followed by unexpectedly cold and rainy days when it was time to set out the plants for hardening. This unfavorable weather, although not frosty, proved too cold for the plants. Hopefully, unlike last year, I will succeed in planting my carrots, radishes, and onions without facing such challenges. Stay tuned for updates.

It’s Been Almost Two Weeks

This year a watched a video on using the plastic party cups for seed starting instead of peat pots or the plastic small trays you set in the watering trays. This video mentions using 18 oz cups but I used a clear 16 oz and the red 16 oz cups. I cut the triangle holes in three sides of the red cup as shown but I do believe that is a waste of time. In the video they show cutting approximately a 1” high by a 1/2” or so bottom to remove the triangle. You then put a rock or marble in the bottom of the clear cup and add some water to the cup but not too much. I planted tomatoes and sweet banana and bell peppers. I also did as they suggested by making sure my seed starting medium was wet but not dripping. Again, following the video, I put less medium in the tomato cups so that I could add more medium as the plant grows but I filled the cups for the peppers. You then add the red cup to the clear cup and if the water is at the top of the triangle or it doesn’t get absorbed right away you should pour some off so that the water line is only at the 1/2 way mark on the triangle. I then cover the plants with Saharan wrap and a rubber band, planning the cups on heat mats. Germination was right on schedule. Four to six days on the tomatoes depending on the variety and 7 to 10 days on the peppers.

Now to something I discovered that makes the triangles a waste of time. I had some 6 oz cups that I used last year and I still needed to start my Tiny Tim cherry tomatoes. The cups I used the year before had holes in the bottoms, I used watering trays last year. I went ahead and made up some wet medium and planted the seeds like shown in the video with a little dry medium on top. Covered with Saharan wrap and put them on the heat mat.

As the plants grew, mainly the tomatoes since their seeds are closer to the bottom I started noticing the roots showing up. Plants reach for water so over watering can be an issue if you cannot see what’s going on.

Bottom line is that it is easier to poke holes in the plastic cups, use an awl or a small drill or whatever you have that makes it work. It is very easy to over cut the triangle in the plastic…I did that on a number of occasions. There is also less watering to this method. Even after the seeds pop up and you pull the Saharan wrap, or the sandwich bag as seen in the video the semi tightness of the cups helps hold the moisture.

Go to YouTube and in the search bar type “two cup planting”. Or you can check out this site to find it and a lot more.

https://www.youtube.com/@NextLevelGardening

Today Outside My Window

A brief look at the end of the year.

Today is a very common day in Ohio in the fall. Clouds, rain and a bit cooler than normal. We’ve had a very warm fall so far and a very very dry fall. Summer was much the same, it was like we were in a void with everything going around us. We have an area up north of us that is considered tornado alley but it didn’t materialize this year, thankfully. There were storms that did damage but nothing like the ones west, south and south west of us.

Seeing the red maple tree come to life in a sense is a welcomed sight and yet, with the way the climate has changed so much this year and last year for that matter, the anticipation of what is on the horizon is one of caution. The snowblower is ready….70’s are forecasted for a couple of days next week.

Rain drops still hanging on the fruit of this Crabapple tree.

The leaves of our non-fruit producing Cherry tree. As the leaves turn and get brighter and when they get wet they look leathery.

A broken tree in the woods behind us. It was a foggy morning, not real bad here but north of us the schools were on a delay due to fog.

The fog cleared and you could see into the woods and all their colors.

And finally the garden is pretty much put to bed. There are still the chives that will over winter there and the last of the green onion sets and radish seeds. Not sure if I’ll get any radishes as the weather turns possibly too cool but the onions are about ring finger size and we have been harvesting them,

Plans For This Day Went Well

As I said in my last post my plan was to increase the overall area of the garden by in closing it with some fencing. This past season had a rabbit and a younger one show up and eat some of my corn. They even ate the sunflowers. They would chew on the stalks about 8 to 10” up causing the stalk to get weak or the plant to die.

It wasn’t the easiest job but then again it wasn’t all that hard.Biggest issue was getting the new section lined up and straight and the tops level. I will rework the whole perimeter next spring because the new north south east end had to be dug out by about 3”. I would say that over time the first part has sunk some, changing the the overall height. Easiest way will be to pull all the poles, lay some 2×4’s and drill some hole for the posts. This would help with the grass along the sides being able to be weed whacked.

One thing for sure, today was a great day to be outside. Clear with some clouds, a very slight breeze that helped with the temperature in the afternoon and it was dry. I did notice that we still need more rain. Some of the digging I had to do was into some really hard ground.

Tomorrow I plan on pulling some Day Lillies to make room for some other flowers next year.

One other thing that I did was to clear some of the ever invasive Honey Suckle so that the parks district came get into an area that has shoots of The Tree To Heaven. They tried to get rid of it last year with a poison banding along with about 10 smaller ones. Problem is, I have it growing in my garden which is about 25’ away from the reserve behind us. It is a very invasive tree that looks like Sumac but as you you look at the leaf you notice a small thumb on the rounded corner of the leaf just past the stem. Produces a really nice looking seed pod.

Where Did This Garden Season Go?

This is going to be “A Time Line For 2023 Growing Season”. I’ll start with the April time frame since my previous posts are up to this point.

4/19. Found my Orange Paruche cherry tomatoes and Early Girl tomatoes have yellow, curling leaves with some looking a little leathery or having a purple bruise color. I went on FB and it’s garden sites like MIGardeners or Dayton Garden Club for remedies but didn’t find a real definitive answer. I ended up mixing a 1/4 strength of Miracle Grow and both watered the roots and sprayed the leaves. This was 2 days ago and now seems to have helped with the issue. Peppers are looking good as well. Tomatoes are about 5″ to 6″ high and the peppers are in the 3″ to 4″ range.

4/26. For some reason some tomato plants are still struggling, show a very droopy limbs and leaves with the yellowing. Four of the plants have been up planted into larger containers, this seems to have helped but the roots weren’t crowded. Controlling moisture at this point is the hardest part. The tomatoes range about 4″ for the Tiny Tim and Orange Paruche cherries and nearly 10″ for the Celebrity and Early Girls. One thing for sure, the bell and banana peppers as well as the cukes appear to doing real well.

5/4. Moved all the plants from the basement to the garage and setup a wagon to move the plants outside during the daylight. First day out was for only about an hour so as to not burn the leaves. Gave them a good soaking as well. They appear to have perked up so it appears the grow lights where holding them back.

5/13. Mid-May and warm so I planted the plants yesterday. For some reason I’m one pepper plant short. I had 4 banana, 4 Califonia Wonders and 4 Carnivals (red and yellow) bells. I also planted only on Tiny Tim but I came out one pepper short and 2 Tiny Tim’s short. Only explanation is that I also grow for others and may have given some away. Also, two of the banana peppers were HOT!, I only grow Sweet Bananas so some how some seed got mixed. I intermixed the cukes on the northside so they could climb and not block the sun from the south side. Still need to plant the squash and pumpkins. Haven’t picked a site yet.

5/18. Yesterday I tilled the area where the corn is to go and planted 6 rows with 4 seeds in each row. That should produce 48 ears of corn if everything comes out right. In 2 weeks or so I will plant the succession crop. Again, if everything comes out right we’ll have fresh corn and plenty to freeze for the winter. I also planted the pumpkins and squash on the north side outside the fence area.

5/24. Tomatoes are still struggling in all varieties and I don’t know why. May end up buying some plants as these just don’t look like they are going to make it.

5/25. Bought 3 tomato plants for the “just in case” failure of mine. They definitely look better that what I have been growing.

5/27. Corn is up, will definitely plant the succession crop in June. I’ve already decided on a different layout of the garden for next year.

5/29. Planted more radishes and green onions. Weather is weird, may be reason some plants are struggling, even the marigolds are having a tough time as well as the sunflowers. No rain is the biggest issue. Here we are at the end of May and it’s dry and in the 90’s.

6/21. Garden is coming along slowly. The weather is definitely having a negative impact. Tomatoes that I started are finally starting to grow and produce flowers. Onions are doing great but the three varieties of peppers have struggled. Very pale leaves. Lettuce and carrots are doing great. Eating fresh Romaine lettuce for lunch.

6/24. I planted 5 more rows of sweet corn 2 weeks ago and put 2 seeds in the holes. As of today none are showing. It’s either birds or a squirrel. I haven’t seen the birds that do this so it must be Mr. Squirrel. Also, in the previous planting something is eating corn stalks that are 10″ high or more. The squirrel has an accomplice, THE RABBIT!!!! A friend had some seeds left over so I will try again.

7/9. The garden has been rough this year, starting with April being too warm and dry thenMay being too cool and dry. June finally warmed up but in the beginning it was too dry. Now, in July, it has stayed warm and very wet, getting over 3″ of rain in just 36 hours. The plants for the most part are loving it. I’ve had to re-think the cucumbers support and replant the corn again. Rabbit, squirrels and the wet and dry all ad to the issue. Even the marigolds, which are usually in full bloom at this point are stunted to only 3 to 4″. There’s only 2 -2.5 months left in the growing season. 5 cherry tomatoes, 5 banana peppers and 2 cucumbers are all I’ve gotten so far. Things are coming on, there are flowers on the plants but it’s been a very very slow process. The radishes are slow to nothing but green tops. Changed variety which seems to have helped. Wasted time and space on the corn. All issues produced 2 ears….what a wasted.

7/19. Not sure how this happened but I have 2 banana peppers that are HO T ! The bells are coming on but very slowly. Not all bell plants are bells. I think the 2 HOT bananas were suppose to be bells but some seed got mixed at the supplier. I was suppose to have 4 sweet bananas, 4 California Wonder Bells and 4 Carnival Bells ( red and yellow). Ended up with 4 bells and7 bananas. Also, the plants got really tall, nearly 3″ tall. The tomatoes that I thought would be loosers turned around and outgrew the ones I purchased. They are loaded with flowers and little tomatoes. Onions have done very well, both the green and the keepers ( red, white and yellow). Cukes have not performed. Pumpkins and squash have lots of flowers and bees are active on them.

8/18. It’s been a month since I last posted anything about the garden. A lot has happened and mostly good. Tomatoes are thriving as well as the peppers. I was surprised that the Orange Paruche tomatoes did well but they are a very ugly plant to grow or at least mine were. The only Tiny Tim did finally start to produce. Onions did not bulb as they should have but I did get a good amount of smaller ones. The Basil was and is amazing. Cilantro was the same. Cucumbers have been nothing but disappointing.

9/5. It’s 90 degrees plus out today. I’m just waiting for an opportunity to start clearing more of the garden and to expand it to the east by 6′. Just too hot for someone my age to work in that kind of heat.

9/27. All but a half dozen tomatoes are left in the garden since last spring. The season went by very fast. There were some downs but by the most part there were many good days. Only one thing left to do, continue with the clean up of the marigolds on the north side and in the raised bed part. Pull the remaining tomatoes and prep the soil for the winter. I did just recently plant the last of the green onions and radishes. Onions are up 4 to 5″ and rads are into the second leaf stage. Old area of garden that wasn’t fenced will be fenced in again for the coming year. May put a small raised bed or a compost area in it. Need to move to shrubs out of the area at some point.

10/3. Day Lillies have been cut back in the opposite corner of the back yard. Newly planted radishes have been thinned but may need another thinning. Onions have had trenches put in the rows and dirt pulled up the shafts to make longer what parts for eating.

10/7. This past week, the surrounding part of the garden was cleaned of all flowers then this area was tilled with the big area. Waited until now to get some moisture in the dirt. The clods didn’t want to break up the first time but it rained some which helped. Actually I go caught in the rain but was nearly done. On the 6th I tilled all areas, the east end, the north, west and south sides outside the fencing and the the raised beds inside. My battery powered tiller worked on all this. The plan is on the 9th I will fence in the east end, throw down some cereal rye in the east end and plant some regular grass seed on the north side as the flower area grew somehow.

It’s Been Nearly a Month

Peppers, tomatoes and cucumber seeds were planted back on March 9th so nearly a month has gone by as of today. The plants have done quite well so far. I have had two containers that I have had some difficulty in getting the seeds to germinate and have no idea as to why. The seed is coming up in other containers using the same starting mix and the same method of watering along with the same heat map. Well, actually one thing is different. Most, if not all, of the seeds are in the 12oz plastic cups including one of these stubborn starts. The other one is a last try in a peat pot and not on a heating mat. The one in the plastic cup is actually showing 3 green stems looped up and back down into the mix which has been that way for over a week. This is a good argument for placing 2 or 3, 4 in my case, extra seeds when starting ones plants. All I have to do is to separate them when they get bigger and either plant up or just to the transplant thing directly into the garden. If they grow good then up planting will be required.

I’ve taken some pictures of the setup. Normally the lights are right down on the plants within 2″ or so. They are raised here for the photographing. As you can see the tomatoes are doing real well and are on the back row.

There are 5 varieties; Early Girl Bush, Celebrity, Roma, Tiny Tim and Orange Paruche. The later two are small cherry types. The first is a slicer then a large cherry type and lastly a paste tomato.

In front are the peppers; sweet banana, bells and multicolored bells called Carnivals.

Over on one side, in between the tomatoes and the peppers are some cucumbers. These are for family and friends. I like to start my seeds directly in the garden but I do have one plant for me. The varieties here are Straight 8 and Spacemaster 80.

Notice in the last picture that I used clear cups. The left is a Tiny Tim tomato and the one on the right is a Straight 8 cucumber. The good thing is you can see the roots which tells you a lot about how a plant is doing.