American Seed's Roma VF Tomato Seeds

Hello, Darlings

While I was looking through my seed container for another seed pack, I came across a pack of  Roma VF American seeds nearly two years old. I bought these seeds when my gardening interested centered on growing outdoor container plants. Whether it was my planting skills, or a third hand at work, the plants did not thrive. However, now that I have become an indoor gardener, growing and caring for soil based potted houseplants and water based ones in my hydroponic systems, I am also learning that there is possibility of more choices in what I can grow as well, so when I found these Roma seeds, I decided to experiment and give them a try in one of my countertop hydroponic system, regardless of the seeds age.

Roma VF Tomatoes are semi-determinate in their growth habit - In beans, this is commonly referred to a "half-runner" type beans. Plants with this growth habit are usually short, compact bushes and meet the main definition of being  determinate, but along with producing a primary main crop, they will usually produce short runners and depending on the location, additional fruit. 

That was on April 04, 2026 and today I am happy to share the fact that the seeds are still good and like their smaller cousins, the cherry tomatoes, they have germinated into healthy sprouts.  See photos below.

 

 

 

This is a good start for these tomato sprouts, and I will be charting and posting their progress out their growth cycle. 

  

So, stay tuned.

P.S. I  have also seeded a couple more California Wonder Pepper seeds, and in the strainer are K2 Tomatoes that were picked for tonight's salad. In addition, the Parris Romaine Lettuce plants have doubled in size since I raised the middle light bars. 

Roots!!!

This may have happened to you, but for those just starting out with hydroponic tower systems, this is an article you should read.  

In the photo below is a bundle of two-foot long roots from from the collard and mustard greens I have been growing for half a year. 

Why is this article focus on them? They are just roots, right?

Yes, they are very long and healthy roots, but herein is the problem. These roots are so large and aggressive that they can kill the entire plant by wrapping themselves around the water pump, which supplies the upward flow of water to all the plants in the tower, and the aerator pump, which oxygenates the water. 

Twice I have had to cut these aggressive roots away, and you should too before they kill the plants. Cutting them will not kill the plants. However, what cutting the roots does do is encourage the plants to produce more greens.

So, don't freak out when you find large roots that are mummy wrapping the water and air pumps (essentially shutting off everything vital to the plants continual growth) for themselves.

 Just nip, nip, and you will prolong the life of your plants 

  

A Widescreen Online Review Plus Article@2025

 

 

Raising of the Center Light Tubes

Because the lettuce plants have grown so tall that they grew up and around the 7 inch height area of the light tubes, I raised the center light tubes on the homemade hydroponic light center that I created last month. While the plants has already grown enough to supply us with two salads and topping for sandwiches, they are still quite young and will grow fuller and taller in time. At the same time though, some of the onions and chives plants are growing; however, they look weak and thin. Even so, they are said to mature in 85 to 90 days. Perhaps by then they will look like the effort of planing and nurturing the seeds.

This bottom photo is of a small planter of grass for cats. It is super easy to grow and Sam (our cat) loves it. I am happy with it too because this Cat Grss Plus stops Sam from chewing on my other plants and then voniting. The sense of the grass draws him to it like magnet, and he eats some each morning without vomiting. He has already learned that he can eat without being shouted at.

Cat Grss Plus controls hairballs, has wheat that acts an anti-inflammatory, and improves cats digestion and metabsm systems.

 A Widescreen Online Review Plus Article@2026

Why I chose the name Malawi for the Mother on my Statue

 Hellos, Darlings,

Some of you might be wondering why I chose the African city of Malawi as the name for the mother on the statue of the “Global Mother and Child Fountain” in my sunroom, (Sunroom Complete … Maybe). Some years ago, while attending mass, I was given a missionary card of the statue that was used as a dedication for the consecration of Malawi to the Mother of God by Catholic Missionaries in 1901, Pope John Paul II in 1989 and again by the Malawi Conference of Catholic Bishops in 2024.

I have always liked the name Malawi as well as the sound of it, and I thought back then that if I were still of the childbearing age, I would have named a daughter (a second daughter) after the city; but, alas, that never came to pass.

Below is a scanned of that missionary card and its inscription, it is quite old and a little hard to see from being in my wallet for so many years. However, I found another image of it online as well as the website of its historical origins.  

FRONT OF CARD

BACK OF CARD

The scription: Question: "Who consecrated Malawi to The Mother of God?" Andswer: Catholic Missionaries and Pope John Paul II?

 

Our Lady of Africa

 Related: Our Lady of Africa, or Madame l’Afrique, Our Lady of Algiers

Until next time,

          Keep growing.

A Widescreen Online Review Plus Article@2026 

Sunroom Complete … Maybe

 Spring is here, so my attention to the plants on the sunroom must increase. Because with the sunroom surrounded by windows on three sides the sun floods it at least 10 hours a day. While the artificial lights used to supplement the natural sunlight are cool lights, it might be 85^O F outside on any given summer day, the temperature in the sunroom can easily be 95^o F plus. This direct sunlight for so long makes the room, blazing hot, so an air conditioner, frequent watering, adequate ventilation with fresh air, as well as a humidifier for moisture is necessary to maintain the room between 70^o F and 75^o F.

However, more than this, constant attention must be paid to the plants health, whether their leaves feel dry, the feeder bottles are full (wholesale wine bottles held in by terracotta clay cones) or preventing insect infection, the spring and the summer months are the most care giving months for any sunroom

I found that my decades of knowledge in caring for houseplants very helpful when I transition my plants from the living room to the sunroom last summer, so I only needed to learn all there was to know about sunrooms, like how to adjust the artificial lights so to compliment the natural sunlight, when to ventilate the room with fresh air and maintain the right temperature and humidity, and what other plants I could grow in the sunroom, like using my hydroponic systems to grow vegetables to supplement those I  buy at the store, and the results so far has been rewarding.

My sunroom is not only a place that allows me to be creative, it is a working space for growing and caring for plants, and its cool pastel colors are pleasing to look upon while I sit sipping from a nice cup of tea.

In closing this article I have attached a new video of how the sunroom looks today. In it is my new fountain of a mother and her daughter filling water jugs. There is quite a beautiful representation of the motherland, Africa, from centuries ago. 

 

I chose to name the mother and daughter filling water jugs. I named the mother, Malawi, for the Malawian African Catholic city of the same name, and meaning, “The Lake", and her daughter, Kamuzu meaning "Little Root".

 A Widescreen Online Review Plus Article@2026 

Evelyn's DIY T8 LED LIght Center Upgrade

 Saturday, March 21, 2026

Last night, I upgraded my DIY T8 LED light center by added two additional light tubes as pictured below. These additional lights are illuminating the shadow areas on the three grow planters. However, even without them the seeds are spouting. 

 

 

These additional light tubes can also be raised as needed.

 Although from this photo the additional lights looks a couple inches apart in height from the center lights. they are really ten inches higher.

A Widescreen Online Review Plus Article@2026  

How I Created My Own Hydroponic Light Center, an Article

Hello, Darlings,

As you know on Friday, January 9, 2026, I posted a video about repurposing unused countertop hydroponic system boxes. Well, for that makeover I used three full spectrum grow lights panels for indoor plants. However, I soon discovered that these light panels were not strong enough to support the full grow cycle of the vegetables that I wanted to grow. They did, however, prove to be excellence for starting seeds. Panel Grow Lights for Indoor Plants, FECiDA 2026 LED Plant Grow Light for Under Cabinet Plants, Full Spectrum Growing Lamp. .

Therefore,  and having learned this, I did some research on plant  lights, and I came across a video in which the host had done his own research, and then created his video detailing the most popular LED grow lights and T5 and T8 grow light for growing any type of plants from  regular houseplants and year-round vegetables indoors. After viewing the video, I learned what I already suspected, and that was my three little grow light panels were great for maintaining small houseplants. However, and great for me, I also learned the my spare 2ft. T8 LED grow light tubes could be used to grow vegetables with my three countertop boxes. All I needed to do was figure out how to utilize the grow tubes with the hydroponic boxes.

After some thought, I came up with the idea of creating a horizontal light center, and with some further thought and re-thought, I came up with, “How I created my own two-tier hydroponic light center for the use with three unused Scentalis Vita Indoor Hydroponic Grow Boxes”. It looks great but was not a simple to make as it appears. At first I thought of creating it with three tiers, but after creating the initial design and gathering of the needed parts, I soon discovered that my first idea was too large for my needs, and (as the old saying goes) that sent me back to the drawing board.

I had to redesign the light center by shortening it by height, length, and width. I thought gathering all the needed parts would drive me batty, but no, having to redesign the light center raised my blood pressure a couple spikes. Just joking, I adjusted to the changes like a trooper. Nevertheless, I got it done and below is the proof of a job well done.

 

As well as, the video of the sunroom and photos of the light center, I have attached a pdf of my design with its instructions, just in case there are other folks out there like me, who have stacked away their nonworking old countertop hydroponic boxes in the garage or in a closet, just waiting for the day they can be put to use again growing their favorite indoor vegetables and fruits.

Added non-slip Chair Leg Tips Caps this morning, updated PDF to show the light center correction dimensions.

HYDROPONIC LIGHT CENTER DESIGN AND INSTRUCTIONS, PDF. 

Keep in mind, I am no Da Vinci, but this design work for me. 

Until next time,

              Chow, Darlings