Quadgrow and Octogrow Blog
Welcome to the weekly Quadgrow and Octogrow Blog
this season we have planted two Quadgrows, the first with Costoluto Firenze tomaotoes, Foridity tomatoes, Eves Apple Chilli plant, and Lemon Drop Chilli Plant. A few weeks later in the second Quadgrow we planted some Bean plants. You will be able to see the progress the plants make week-by-week and we will be sharing tips along the way, and see how much you can expect to harvest using one of the Quadgrow or Octogrow kits.
Entry 1- 26/03/2010- 03/04/2010
Tallest Tomato Plant- 93 cm
This week our tomato plants are really beginning to bloom. With each plant growing around 20cm from 75cm to 93cm and showing about four flowers, the first truss is just beginning to show so they are well on their way to producing a delicious harvest. The sun has been shining but the danger of frost still isn’t fully over, so we are keeping lids on the Quadgrows for now whilst our plants are still young, to give them the greenhouse style protection they offer. The chilli plants are both really coming along nicely, with both plants growing 3cm taking them to 19cm in one week. It shouldn’t be long until we start seeing some flowers.
Entry 2- 04/04/2010- 13/04/2010
Tallest Tomato Plant- 126 cm
The tomato plants are shooting up, with both plants growing 40cm in one week! Taking them from around 93 cm to 126cm. They are both also showing 12 flowers each with the second truss beginning to show and the first truss growing strong and healthy stems which will soon ripen into tasty tomatoes. The weather is also getting warmer now, with all warnings of frost out of the way, so we have taken the lids off the Quadgrows. The pepper plants are also growing really well, with each plant growing around 8cm in one week, taking them to 30cm. There are no flowers just yet, but these should begin to show in the next couple of weeks.
Entry 3- 16/04/2010-29/04/2010
Tallest Tomato Plant- 169 cm
This week we planted four pots in the Quadgrow with young Dwarf Beans. The plants are about 4inches tall at the moment. We are looking forward to them growing big and strong with plenty of flowers. The floridity tomatoes are beginning to show their third truss. The young tomatoes on each tomato plant are swelling up well and increasing in size each day, especially on the first truss which will soon be ripening. The Lemon Drop plant has produced 5 flowers in the past week.
Entry 4- 29/04/2010-10/05/2010
Tallest plant- 210 cm
Our tomatoes are really coming along lovely now, with the third truss on the Floridity variety at a cherry olive size, and the first truss starting to swell to a good size. The Eves Apple chilli plant is now quite bushy with a few flowers, over taking the Lemon Drop chilli plant which does not have any flowers as of yet, but the leaves are big and healthy. The French beans are now starting to grow, even though we are still experiencing especially cold nights and frosts! But as the weather starts to warm up we should see them growing nicely. Some leaves of the French Bean plant have fallen off, however this is to be expected because the weather has gone from being warm, to cold and windy. The beans do this to retain their moisture, so do not worry if this has happened to your bean plant too.
Entry 5 - 10/05/2010- 17/05/2010
Tallest Plant- 225 cm
This week we have been surprised by night frosts, which are usually rare in May. This has affected the Bean plants the most, as they are still quite young, with them struggling to get started due to the cold night temperatures. However because our plants have the protection of the Quadgrow with the benefits of the perfect watering and nutrients, they have survived through this cold snap extremely well, we have put the lids back on the Quadgrow to offer the extra greenhouse-style protection for the plants. The tomato plants are coming along nicely, with both setting their fifth truss this week. We are hope the first of the Floridity fruits will ripen next week if we get some sunny weather. We have also been keeping on top of side shooting on the tomato plants to make sure that they are as strong as it can be. The Chilli plants are also growing really well with the Eves apple variety showing 25 flowers. These plants have been tied to a frame for more support as they grow bigger.
Entry 6- 17/05/2010- 25/05/2010
Tallest Plant- 246cm (Costoluto)
Well what a change in the weather we have had this week. With it getting a lot warmer we have had to top up our systems a lot more than usual as everything is growing quick and using a lot of water. The Tomato and Chilli Quadgrow is doing great, with the Costoluto Tomatoes up to 246cm. The Floridity plant has 10 ripe fruit this week which we have picked up and thoroughly enjoyed on our sandwiches! Both tomato plants are setting their 7th truss. The Chilli plants are also growing healthily, with the Eves apple variety showing 15 tine peppers this week and the Lemon drop plant has shown its 1st flower.
Entry 7- 3.06.2010
Tallest Plant- 276cm (Costoluto)
It’s been a pleasure to grow this week with the weather being lovely and giving us plenty of sunshine, which has lead to a rapid growth of our all our plants. However, it is important in weather this warm to make sure your kits are topped up regularly as use a lot more water in these warmer climes. You might also want to think about shading your greenhouse to avoid overheating your plants, depending on the position of your greenhouse.
This week our tomatoes have shot up due to the hot weather, with record growths of 32cm in just one week. Both plants have flowers opening up on their 9th truss and the floridity plant has 29 ripe fruit ready for the picking! The peppers are also showing great progress with lots of small fruit set on the Eves apple and a couple more flowers opened on the Lemon Drop plant.
Entry 8- 11.06.2010
Tallest Plant- 298cm Floridity
This week we were pleased to see our beans are growing really well after their cold frost a few weeks ago and have now started sprouting their first flowers.
As you can see in our photo, the tomatoes in our Quadgrow are coming along marvelous with 17 delicious fruit being picked this week and the flowers opening on the 11th truss. The peppers are also growing great, and even though we have picked no peppers as of yet, we have 45 small fruits developing on the Eves Apple plant and the Lemon drop has grown a mega 22cm in one week!
Entry 9 - 20.06.2010
Tallest Plant- 328cm (Floridity)
This week our bean plant is now 38cm tall. There are plenty of new flowers opening and the first tiny beans are starting to set. Our Eaves Apple and Lemon Drop chilli plants are also growing nicely with the Lemon drop at 175cm tall! Lots of small fruit are now starting to ripen. Meanwhile, our tomato plants have been harvested with fruits picked from the first truss, and the truss has been cut back to stem to keep everything tidy. There are also flowers now opening on the 12th truss.
Entry 10 - 30.06.2010
Tallest Plant- 361 cm floridity
The plants in our Quadgrows are now bursting with fruits and growing quickly developing a new truss each week. 26 tomato fruits have been harvested this week and the first few ripe peppers have been picked. it is really amazing to think that just 5 weeks ago our beans experienced those late May frosts, they are really growing fantastically now are growing taller, up to 10cm this week!
Entry 11- 08.07.2010
Tallest Plant- 382cm Floridity
The tomato plants in our Quadgrow have grown up to 30cm this week in the lovely weather and we are still harvesting lots of tasty fruits.
The peppers are also growing tall with the Lemon Drop plant up to 205cm and both plants are now getting heavy, laden with fruit.
Entry 12- 16.07.2010
Tallest Plant- 390cm Floridity
The tomato plants in our Quadgrow are now starting to settle at the height they are at. This means that all the plants energies are concentrating on creating tasty fruit, which we can not wait to harvest and eat.
We are continuing to tie up the plants to support them and side shoot to keep the plants energy and nutrients in the main stem.
And as you can see from this weeks photographs the Sweet Peppers are also starting to ripen and grow well and will soon be ready for the picking
Entry 13- 23.07.2010
Tallest Plant- 421cm Floridity
The tomato plants growing in the Quadgrow are now up to their 16th truss and we are still harvesting some delicious fruits.
We continue to side shoot and tie in the plants as they grow to keep them strong and healthy.
There are plenty of fruits ready to pick now on the Eves Apple chill plant in the Quadgrow. The first two very hot chilli peppers are also are now also starting to ripen on the Lemon Drop plant.
Entry 14- 04.08.2010
We are up to an amazing 18th truss on our tomatoes so it has been even more important to check they are well supported as we wouldn’t want any stem breaks at this stage. The chillis are producing masses of fruit. I counted at least 25 ripe Lemon drops which will all pack a punch and in excess of 30 ripe Eves Apple