April 9, Friday

The true leaves are up for the eggplant and peppers, so it was time to thin and repot. On Wednesday I thinned 3 of the 4 pods for each; the sprouts in the remaining 2 pods were less developed.  Today I repotted the six thinned pods into my 3-in fiber pots.

I placed the pods near or above the top of the pots to bring the plant height as close to the height of the tomatoes as possible. Also, in order to place the pots 3 abreast beneath the plant light, I placed 2 pods of each variety at the edge in their pots. By turning those edges toward the center of the tray, the outer plants are no further from the light than the 2-abreast tomato plants. They're all still shorter than the tomatoes, so the plant light remains aslant. Here's a side view:

From the left we have 3 eggplants, 3 peppers, and 7 tomatoes. At the right I've tucked in the 2 pods not repotted, to replace any repotted plants that fail in the next week; eggplant near the wall, pepper at the front.

The light emits only 2000 lumens, about the same as a 125-watt incandescent. But because it creates little heat, it can be placed very near the tops of the plants. They appear to be thriving, so I guess it's sufficient.