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applestar
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Persimmon total to date is 138 
I’ve been in a fierce battle all week to assemble required documents and send in by deadline of today - FedEx overnight shipped yesterday PM. So all I’ve had time for for the most part has been to go out, harvest persimmons, take some photos, and come back in.
Some seeds sprouted — I think these are the ones sown on 9/22 ....
While I was busy, insect screen cover, pipe clamps, long 12” U-stakes, etc. arrived, and I finally had the time today to assemble the hoop tunnel cover for all those cabbage-white butterfly vulnerable seedlings. Although temps had dipped down quite a bit before, we had 80’s high temps for the last couple of days, and I’ve been seeing those white menaces fluttering around in ones and twos, so I was getting really anxious for the seedlings that have already sprouted.
... there’s something wrong with the arrangement of the yellow tape — I’ll figure that out later.
Over on the VG bed side, the two cucumbers I’m saving for seeds are starting to yellow —
I’ve been in a fierce battle all week to assemble required documents and send in by deadline of today - FedEx overnight shipped yesterday PM. So all I’ve had time for for the most part has been to go out, harvest persimmons, take some photos, and come back in.
Some seeds sprouted — I think these are the ones sown on 9/22 ....
While I was busy, insect screen cover, pipe clamps, long 12” U-stakes, etc. arrived, and I finally had the time today to assemble the hoop tunnel cover for all those cabbage-white butterfly vulnerable seedlings. Although temps had dipped down quite a bit before, we had 80’s high temps for the last couple of days, and I’ve been seeing those white menaces fluttering around in ones and twos, so I was getting really anxious for the seedlings that have already sprouted.
... there’s something wrong with the arrangement of the yellow tape — I’ll figure that out later.
Over on the VG bed side, the two cucumbers I’m saving for seeds are starting to yellow —
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applestar
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- Location: Zone 6, NJ (3/M)4/E ~ 10/M(11/B)
- Cow’s Tit tomatoes had a last hurrah harvest today — the two plants are still maintaining the different fruit shapes
- Harvested 2nd Wessel’s Purple Pride (bottom right) — I didn’t made a big deal about the first one since it was in REALLY bad shape with heavily russeted blossom end from mite attack.
- I straightened out the yellow tape on the insect mesh tunnel over the Sunflower House bed — everything is growing well ... I’m going to have to get in there and weed and thin within the next week.
- Can you see the rain and wind shelter for the Hari eggplants? They have been pruned and side dressed according to the Japanese ag instructions. They are going through the “renewal resurgence” as predicted after the pruning. I think putting the insect mesh tunnel has also increased/moderated the temperatures for the eggplants as well. I intend to add another layer of protection before the end of the week.
- Not surprisingly, the last of the melons didn’t fully mature/ripen, and developed problems to boot. So much for this year’s melon attempts. But there’s always next year.
…Picked the last of the butternut as well.
- Harvested 2nd Wessel’s Purple Pride (bottom right) — I didn’t made a big deal about the first one since it was in REALLY bad shape with heavily russeted blossom end from mite attack.
- I straightened out the yellow tape on the insect mesh tunnel over the Sunflower House bed — everything is growing well ... I’m going to have to get in there and weed and thin within the next week.
- Can you see the rain and wind shelter for the Hari eggplants? They have been pruned and side dressed according to the Japanese ag instructions. They are going through the “renewal resurgence” as predicted after the pruning. I think putting the insect mesh tunnel has also increased/moderated the temperatures for the eggplants as well. I intend to add another layer of protection before the end of the week.
- Not surprisingly, the last of the melons didn’t fully mature/ripen, and developed problems to boot. So much for this year’s melon attempts. But there’s always next year.
…Picked the last of the butternut as well.-
applestar
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- Location: Zone 6, NJ (3/M)4/E ~ 10/M(11/B)
Made “nature’s gift” green/weed juice 天恵緑汁 (mostly) according to instructions on videos I’ve been watching recently.
His primary ingredient is mugwort, but I used the jewelweed going to seed. He also sometimes mixes in horsetail — since I don’t have the species he’s using but I do have the tall hollow stem bamboo-like species, I used that. I think it’s their high silica content that helps to create the plant tonic since it’s an essential micro-mineral for building strong cell walls. (I actually could not cut these with utility scissors and had to use the pruners as if they were thick branches instead of hollow stems)
...I emptied the bokashi fermenter and used half of the remains from last batch in the little “trench” compost I dug in a 24”x24” arc segment of the Kitchen Garden. Then I used this office floor mat to mix up the other half of the remains, newly chopped up weeds, and a 1 lb box of brown sugar. They were packed tightly into the fermenter bin, then weighed down with two bricks for pressing out the liquid that will hopefully be coming out in the next 3-4 days.
...He uses the resulting juice to inoculate a bokashi blend.
His primary ingredient is mugwort, but I used the jewelweed going to seed. He also sometimes mixes in horsetail — since I don’t have the species he’s using but I do have the tall hollow stem bamboo-like species, I used that. I think it’s their high silica content that helps to create the plant tonic since it’s an essential micro-mineral for building strong cell walls. (I actually could not cut these with utility scissors and had to use the pruners as if they were thick branches instead of hollow stems)
...I emptied the bokashi fermenter and used half of the remains from last batch in the little “trench” compost I dug in a 24”x24” arc segment of the Kitchen Garden. Then I used this office floor mat to mix up the other half of the remains, newly chopped up weeds, and a 1 lb box of brown sugar. They were packed tightly into the fermenter bin, then weighed down with two bricks for pressing out the liquid that will hopefully be coming out in the next 3-4 days.
...He uses the resulting juice to inoculate a bokashi blend.
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applestar
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I tried the modified double-digging in the VGC bed. After raking aside the debris and loose soil, VGC bed had rich dark soil to garden fork depth, but after that, it was hard blue-green clay subsoil. It was wet enough from the recent rain that I was able to *almost* get the fork full depth — short by 2-3 inches — IF I stood and balanced on it, then rocked back and forth. But after that second depth, it was impossible to dig down any further, although I tried to get the fork to sink even a little bit more in the bottom — I had to be satisfied at MY knee depth, which isn’t that deep — maybe 18 inches.
I filled the bottom with the debris from VGC, then a layer of drowned weeds/grass I had made in the compost tumbler left upside down to fill the lid with water. Poured some char/ash water, bokashi and nature’s gift fermented juice, trampled them and packed in well, then added aged branches and crumbling wood rounds (because I have to do my bit of mock hugelkultur as long as I have dug this deep), back filled with topsoil, then clay subsoil, raked smoothe with some Espoma chicken manure and Dolomitic lime, then poured some more bokashi juice —this one is a different one that has been fermenting with pasta cooking water — in two lines.
I’m planning on hilling two wide rows here and planting garlic along the edges, leaving space in the middle of each row to plant something else next season. As it turned out, the soil is a little too wet right now (the bottom of the trench started filling with water, and the clay subsoil from the bottom came out in lumps), so maybe in a couple of days, but I want to plant my garlic early this year — by mid-October at latest.
I posted about this alternative/less strenuous double-digging technique elsewhere —
Subject: Garden wishlists and ideas for next growing season?
Community Garden Diary 2012-02-11
Ten-Chi (Heaven-Earth/Top-Bottom) Reverse Repeated
ファミリー農園120211天地返し再び
I filled the bottom with the debris from VGC, then a layer of drowned weeds/grass I had made in the compost tumbler left upside down to fill the lid with water. Poured some char/ash water, bokashi and nature’s gift fermented juice, trampled them and packed in well, then added aged branches and crumbling wood rounds (because I have to do my bit of mock hugelkultur as long as I have dug this deep), back filled with topsoil, then clay subsoil, raked smoothe with some Espoma chicken manure and Dolomitic lime, then poured some more bokashi juice —this one is a different one that has been fermenting with pasta cooking water — in two lines.
I’m planning on hilling two wide rows here and planting garlic along the edges, leaving space in the middle of each row to plant something else next season. As it turned out, the soil is a little too wet right now (the bottom of the trench started filling with water, and the clay subsoil from the bottom came out in lumps), so maybe in a couple of days, but I want to plant my garlic early this year — by mid-October at latest.
I posted about this alternative/less strenuous double-digging technique elsewhere —
Subject: Garden wishlists and ideas for next growing season?
Found another video — he digs up to his hips, saying he has to pull his pant legs out of his boots so the dirt won’t fall in! He is digging a trench that is perpendicular to the last one, and when he Intersected the previous trench, he tried taking soil temperatures at different depths. You can clearly see the black rich soil in the previous trench where the rest of the subsoil is Kanto Red Clay Loam.applestar wrote:As mentioned earlier or elsewhere — have been binge-watching Japanese gardening YouTubes ... got tired of watching conventional market gardening with massive use of -cides, even though the crop growing/pruning techniques/supporting-trellising methods, and season extending structures have been informative and interesting.
...Then came across this one which has been much more in line with my own gardening philosophy:
天地返し Ten-Chi Gaeshi [loosely translated as “Double-digging”]
https://www.fukuberry.com/sa-tentigaesi.html
...This is an interesting example page about a no-till alternative for burying the season’s crop residue deep enough to avoid perpetuating diseases and possibly pests as well. (This is usually recommended in an agricultural setting — accomplished by tilling deeply with the heavy tractor). It’s a method adapted from/alternative to labor-intensive, soil structure destroying double-digging an entire bed, which was developed by 元農水省盛岡支場の新井先生 [Professor Arai, formerly of Morioka Branch, Ministry of Agriculture]
— It’s an intriguing combination of trench composting in a deeper than double-dug or possibly even deeper than a triple-dug trench and trampled anaerobic trench composting aided by bokashi microbes which is an old Japanese composting technique for building a hotbed.
— On a different page, he wrote that he experimented with EM microbes, but was unconvinced (became disenchanted?) and has been using his own simple fermented/cultured green juice and home-made bokashi (he blends in crab meal, fish meal, and I believe soybean meal to rice bran with the fermented/cultured green juice as inoculant rather than EM microbes).
He writes that for a new plot of 15 square meters, he digs 2 trenches every 2 years. He also cleans up a community garden plot at the end of the growing year in this way.
Community Garden Diary 2012-02-11
Ten-Chi (Heaven-Earth/Top-Bottom) Reverse Repeated
ファミリー農園120211天地返し再び
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applestar
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- Location: Zone 6, NJ (3/M)4/E ~ 10/M(11/B)
These are the eggplants I pruned and fertilized according to a rejuvenation technique. I do think they are looking really chipper right now, with multiple flower buds and set fruits and lush leaves.
With the impending 40’s temp drop, this Friday, I have to think about how I can build some more protection for this grouping, but I think I will also dig up one or two, pot them up and put them in the Garage V8 Nursery to see if I can keep them from getting too chilled and stopping growth.
I have been watering them from above with the fermented bokashi compost and weed/green juice using a watering can, and I do feel like the leaves have greened up and are showing less signs of fungal spots.
...They ARE getting some red aphid infestation on the tender new growths though.
With the impending 40’s temp drop, this Friday, I have to think about how I can build some more protection for this grouping, but I think I will also dig up one or two, pot them up and put them in the Garage V8 Nursery to see if I can keep them from getting too chilled and stopping growth.
I have been watering them from above with the fermented bokashi compost and weed/green juice using a watering can, and I do feel like the leaves have greened up and are showing less signs of fungal spots.
...They ARE getting some red aphid infestation on the tender new growths though.
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applestar
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The condition of the VGC bed subsoil is probably indicative of how long it’s been since I overhauled my garden beds. In fact VGC received a pseudo hugelkultur burial along the far short end last year I think? I broke through that when I was digging this trench, but didn’t think of it until I was reviewing my post. There were fair population of earthworms and night crawlers there. Practically none in the clay of course, but maybe 1 every square foot or so — pale clay-stuffed crawlers. This trench will give them a longitudinal buffet.
I want to empty all my compost bins and tumblers and do this with other beds — definitely Spiral Garden outer spiral and along the HaybaleRow.
I need to start another bonfire and make more ash. I think I have to use commercial organic fertilizer instead of home blended bokashi until I get some made — I might have a 4 gal bucket of old forgotten bokashi somewhere that I can revive.....
I want to empty all my compost bins and tumblers and do this with other beds — definitely Spiral Garden outer spiral and along the HaybaleRow.
I need to start another bonfire and make more ash. I think I have to use commercial organic fertilizer instead of home blended bokashi until I get some made — I might have a 4 gal bucket of old forgotten bokashi somewhere that I can revive.....
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applestar
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Seeds sown in the SFH and covered with the insect mesh tunnel have been sprouting. Not all, but enough now to take up most of the intended space. Even carrot seeds have come up. I think the mesh tunnel is helping to moderate temperatures.
On the other hand, seeds sown in the cell tray on the patio-side glass table have not been performing very well, though again, some of the seeds were pretty old. Hoping to look them over tomorrow (it was a rainy morning today, and I was tired, so I took a break).
- Lettuce mix and Goliath broccoli had been the first to sprout — those will likely need to be thinned and/or I think I noticed Valencia onions had started to come up a couple of days ago.
I suspect that the cell tray difficulty stems from the huge swings in day/night temperatures (= 2-3 weeks to sprout, generally slow growth). So I started some more seeds in Garage V8 Nursery today - some are very old so mass-seeded.... I’m not sure what I will do with them yet. If I manage to build some kind of sufficiently protective structure out in the garden, then maybe ...otherwise, I might try growing them in the Garage V8 Nursery. Hopefully they won’t go to waste.
- Cabbage, Late Flat Dutch gixx’12
- Onion, Yellow of Parma sese’12
- Cabbage, Brunswick bakersfree
- Cabbage, Early Jersey Wakefield gixx’12
- Onion, White wing F1 fedco’15
- Cabbage, Brunswick bakersfree
- Orach, aurora bountiful ‘12
- chives
- garden cress
- arugula ‘14
- Spinach Japanese, sharaku pinetree’14
- kale, red chicories F1 territorial’18
- kale, dazzling blue territorial’18
- mâche corn salad, big seeded botanical’08
- Celery, golden self-blanching sese’14
- coriander, dynamo ellie’16
- coriander, lemon scented tbug
- Lettuce, Iceberg A burpee’16
- Lettuce, salad mix burpee’09
- Lettuce, fine cut oak annapolis’
- Tomato microdwf, aztek ellie
On the other hand, seeds sown in the cell tray on the patio-side glass table have not been performing very well, though again, some of the seeds were pretty old. Hoping to look them over tomorrow (it was a rainy morning today, and I was tired, so I took a break).
- Lettuce mix and Goliath broccoli had been the first to sprout — those will likely need to be thinned and/or I think I noticed Valencia onions had started to come up a couple of days ago.
I suspect that the cell tray difficulty stems from the huge swings in day/night temperatures (= 2-3 weeks to sprout, generally slow growth). So I started some more seeds in Garage V8 Nursery today - some are very old so mass-seeded.... I’m not sure what I will do with them yet. If I manage to build some kind of sufficiently protective structure out in the garden, then maybe ...otherwise, I might try growing them in the Garage V8 Nursery. Hopefully they won’t go to waste.
- Cabbage, Late Flat Dutch gixx’12
- Onion, Yellow of Parma sese’12
- Cabbage, Brunswick bakersfree
- Cabbage, Early Jersey Wakefield gixx’12
- Onion, White wing F1 fedco’15
- Cabbage, Brunswick bakersfree
- Orach, aurora bountiful ‘12
- chives
- garden cress
- arugula ‘14
- Spinach Japanese, sharaku pinetree’14
- kale, red chicories F1 territorial’18
- kale, dazzling blue territorial’18
- mâche corn salad, big seeded botanical’08
- Celery, golden self-blanching sese’14
- coriander, dynamo ellie’16
- coriander, lemon scented tbug
- Lettuce, Iceberg A burpee’16
- Lettuce, salad mix burpee’09
- Lettuce, fine cut oak annapolis’
- Tomato microdwf, aztek ellie
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applestar
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- Location: Zone 6, NJ (3/M)4/E ~ 10/M(11/B)
Originally the overnight forecast low tonight was 42°F. Brought the orchids inside and some of the peppers. Moved some plants to the brick patio where the temperature is generally a couple of degrees to as much as 5 degrees warmer.
Built these around some plants that I am not ready to bring inside yet —
Added more protection for those eggplants in the HBR —
...but now I’m not sure if they will be worth saving. I’ve been noticing that they are looking odd ... kind of wilty... since a couple of days ago. I finally got the chance to go out in the garden and I’m seeing what might be a mosaic like geometric chlorosis in the leaves. I was running through the different possibilities when a spotted cucumber beetle clambered out from under a leaf. As soon as I squished that one another one and then a 3rd one crawled into view. I didn’t know they go after eggplants, but when they have been found on melon leaves, the entire vine that the leaf is on would wilt almost immediately. I’m sure they carry disease.
— they were looking so healthy just a few days ago, too.
...and as it turns out, there have been adjustments to the forecast, and now the “feels like” low overnight is 36°F
I’m not really sure if what I build will be enough but maybe there will be sufficient residual heat in the ground since it was so hot (in the 90’s) on Wednesday.
In the Kitchen Garden —
Also, I used a ProMix bale bag, which is white (printed) on the outside and black on the inside as black mulch for the section of Kitchen Garden I prepped the other day. I worked in Espoma chicken manure and Dolomitic lime and shaped the little raised mound bed, then tucked in the edges of the recycled bag mulch with soil.
- Since the "piece of a donut" shaped bed is not rectangular, the bag mulch didn’t cover the entire bed. So I tried transplanting tiny lettuce and broccoli seedlings in the unmulched shoulder. These needed to be thinned from the 6-pack cells on the glass patio table. The lettuce are Anuenue, and broccoli is Green Goliath.
- I cleaned up the neglected mini-cabbages under the insect mesh low tunnel in the HBR and used the hoops and the mesh cover for here.
Built these around some plants that I am not ready to bring inside yet —
Added more protection for those eggplants in the HBR —
...but now I’m not sure if they will be worth saving. I’ve been noticing that they are looking odd ... kind of wilty... since a couple of days ago. I finally got the chance to go out in the garden and I’m seeing what might be a mosaic like geometric chlorosis in the leaves. I was running through the different possibilities when a spotted cucumber beetle clambered out from under a leaf. As soon as I squished that one another one and then a 3rd one crawled into view. I didn’t know they go after eggplants, but when they have been found on melon leaves, the entire vine that the leaf is on would wilt almost immediately. I’m sure they carry disease.
— they were looking so healthy just a few days ago, too.
...and as it turns out, there have been adjustments to the forecast, and now the “feels like” low overnight is 36°F
I’m not really sure if what I build will be enough but maybe there will be sufficient residual heat in the ground since it was so hot (in the 90’s) on Wednesday.In the Kitchen Garden —
Also, I used a ProMix bale bag, which is white (printed) on the outside and black on the inside as black mulch for the section of Kitchen Garden I prepped the other day. I worked in Espoma chicken manure and Dolomitic lime and shaped the little raised mound bed, then tucked in the edges of the recycled bag mulch with soil.
- Since the "piece of a donut" shaped bed is not rectangular, the bag mulch didn’t cover the entire bed. So I tried transplanting tiny lettuce and broccoli seedlings in the unmulched shoulder. These needed to be thinned from the 6-pack cells on the glass patio table. The lettuce are Anuenue, and broccoli is Green Goliath.
- I cleaned up the neglected mini-cabbages under the insect mesh low tunnel in the HBR and used the hoops and the mesh cover for here.
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applestar
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- Location: Zone 6, NJ (3/M)4/E ~ 10/M(11/B)
As another baby step in exploring making fire and ash, and char, I built a little rocket stove. I set it up in the middle of the rice paddy since it was fallow this year and I had piled up pulled weeds in it to smother it down. I raked up the halfway composted pile to expose the still-moist ground and I put them in the recently emptied tumbler where the leacheate will feed the bed under it. (Collected earthworms as they turned up for the winter indoor vermicomposter) And then leveled and raked smooth the bottom of the rice paddy. I did pretty well — one of the two cement squares was off by -2° and needed to be adjusted, the other was 0° perfect, according to the iPhone level. 
I was going to start a charcoal in a starter chimney like @SQWIB recommended, but then decided to to test my skills (and the rocket stove), and pushed the charcoal in the back of the rocket stove, added the crumpled paper intended for the starter chimney, then used some dried grass and pinecones and twigs/sticks.
At first it smoked a lot but there was no flame, but I was encouraged that the smoke continued without going out, and tried using the charcoal starter chimney (up-side-down) as supplemental chimney. Smoke poured out, then after a while the rocket stove lit up and I could see the flames in the chimney, with accompanying noise, and I was nodding to myself that “THIS” was why they call this a “rocket” stove.... then, when I collected some of the embers in a flowerpot to see if I could smother them and turn them into char, the flame started shooting up from the top of the charcoal starter “chimney” — it was whooshing/roaring WOW!
I’m assuming it was because I “stirred up the fire”. I continued to alternate between feeding the stove and collecting embers and ash.
When I decided to call it quits, I had burned most of the pile of branches I was going to try. I blocked up the front of the stove with another brick, and put the flower pot of embers on its saucer on top of the chimney.
The stove smoked from the gaps in the Stacked bricks for a while, but quieted down.
Hopefully this is enough to leave until the fire and embers die down since I’m totally afraid of hosing it down with water.
Subject: Applestar’s 2019 Garden
Sat Sep 14, 2019
...eta...
After watching this —
Rocket Stove Construction Fire Science with Erica & Ernie Wisner
- I’m going to try to modify that into the J-design for cleaner burn and also so I don’t have to feed it from the chimney
- I’m also noodling a glimmer of an idea to build a refractory brick inner char chamber ... I could use the 1/2 bricks that are commonly sold at big box stores....
- I’m also going to start looking for full size fire bricks, but one YouTuber said you can still get 50-100 burns using red clay bricks. Concrete pavers will crumble quicker, which is also explained in this video
I was going to start a charcoal in a starter chimney like @SQWIB recommended, but then decided to to test my skills (and the rocket stove), and pushed the charcoal in the back of the rocket stove, added the crumpled paper intended for the starter chimney, then used some dried grass and pinecones and twigs/sticks.
At first it smoked a lot but there was no flame, but I was encouraged that the smoke continued without going out, and tried using the charcoal starter chimney (up-side-down) as supplemental chimney. Smoke poured out, then after a while the rocket stove lit up and I could see the flames in the chimney, with accompanying noise, and I was nodding to myself that “THIS” was why they call this a “rocket” stove.... then, when I collected some of the embers in a flowerpot to see if I could smother them and turn them into char, the flame started shooting up from the top of the charcoal starter “chimney” — it was whooshing/roaring
WOW!I’m assuming it was because I “stirred up the fire”. I continued to alternate between feeding the stove and collecting embers and ash.
When I decided to call it quits, I had burned most of the pile of branches I was going to try. I blocked up the front of the stove with another brick, and put the flower pot of embers on its saucer on top of the chimney.
The stove smoked from the gaps in the Stacked bricks for a while, but quieted down.
Hopefully this is enough to leave until the fire and embers die down since I’m totally afraid of hosing it down with water.
Subject: Applestar’s 2019 Garden
Sat Sep 14, 2019
applestar wrote: - I collected all of the mummified fruits and burned them as part of my on-going bio-char/ash-as-fertilizer experiment. (I know this isn’t bio-char — I realized I have to take baby steps and practice with open fire first.)
- Having gained a little more confidence from today’s tiny bon-fire in the chicken waterer tray, I’m going to drag the copper fire pit out to this spot and try to burn all of the diseased wood later. I piled them away from any stone fruit in an out of the way spot for now.... though if keeping those make me too nervous, I will bundle them up for municipal pick up.
- As you might be able to see, only thing that didn’t burn in my little bonfire was a little knob of “green” nectarine wood. So those branches will have to season for a while first. Do they burn even when green if you put them in those drum cans of hot fire?
...I made my little fire in the future STARDOME site (a.k.a. Sunflower & House) which stood untended all season — It’s currently green and lush (wet) with expendable weeds and in an open space with no overhead trees, and it doesn’t matter if the weeds get scorched a little or affected from the possible ash+water=lye. The entire circle needs to be eventually leveled out and the fence removed, so it will be helpful to start puttering around in here.
...eta...
After watching this —
Rocket Stove Construction Fire Science with Erica & Ernie Wisner
- I’m going to try to modify that into the J-design for cleaner burn and also so I don’t have to feed it from the chimney
- I’m also noodling a glimmer of an idea to build a refractory brick inner char chamber ... I could use the 1/2 bricks that are commonly sold at big box stores....
- I’m also going to start looking for full size fire bricks, but one YouTuber said you can still get 50-100 burns using red clay bricks. Concrete pavers will crumble quicker, which is also explained in this video
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applestar
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- Location: Zone 6, NJ (3/M)4/E ~ 10/M(11/B)
I haven’t had the chance to upload pictures, but I tried modifying the rocket stove to J-style — ran into trouble when I first built the fire in the chimney part, then realized I had to build the fire in the J-opening “fire pit” — I couldn’t get the fire going for a long time, then the chimney fire died (probably plugged up the passageway.) But the smoke from the attempted front fire was shooting through for a while.
Also, I was too impatient since original plan was to see if I could make some buckwheat hull char, and I buried the fire/embers too soon.
...question though... I was expecting mosquitoes — warmth, CO2...., but WHY did the rocket stove attract flies? Was it the warmth? Have they been somehow encoded to expect to find food when there is smoke? — BBQ, campfire.....?
...photos... you might be able to see the smoke from the firebox kindling shooting into the channel in the first two photos. In the last photo, I added a broken/half brick and moved the front bring and slotted one in so I can fiddle around with the kindlings when building in the firebox.
Also, I was too impatient since original plan was to see if I could make some buckwheat hull char, and I buried the fire/embers too soon.
...question though... I was expecting mosquitoes — warmth, CO2...., but WHY did the rocket stove attract flies? Was it the warmth? Have they been somehow encoded to expect to find food when there is smoke? — BBQ, campfire.....?
...photos... you might be able to see the smoke from the firebox kindling shooting into the channel in the first two photos. In the last photo, I added a broken/half brick and moved the front bring and slotted one in so I can fiddle around with the kindlings when building in the firebox.
Last edited by applestar on Tue Oct 08, 2019 3:16 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Reason: Added photo collage
Reason: Added photo collage
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applestar
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Gave myself a break today by doing something less strenuous, though tedious. I got under the SFH tunnel and weeded and thinned. There were some nice baby carrots that could be harvested as thinnings, and I transplanted and spread out the clustered Piracicaba broccoli seedlings.
- No sign of insect damage on the radishes, Daikon, turnips, and broccoli, though there were some minor signs of baby slug or snail damage. But there were ground beetles so I’m not too worried.
- lots and lots of earthworms so I collected some more for the winter indoor vermicomposter
- it was also a good thing I got in there because the dill that I had hoped to get one more harvest from were all eaten up by 5 huge black Swallowtail caterpillars. They extended their orange horns and stinked like crazy, but I insisted they move out to the Golden Alexander patch in the Wildflower Meadow. I was thinning the biggest carrots — probably Yaya — when another stinky assault wafted up... and sure enough, another big caterpillar was in the carrots. I would say they were all about the same age — 4th or 5th instar, so they must have all come from same day egg dumping.
I shudder to think what might have happened to all the carrots that are growing in so nicely if they had been allowed to go on to make crysali and somehow managed to grow up to be mature butterflies in the tunnel this fall.
...it wasn’t strenuous, but very awkward to squat and waddle around under the tunnel, and when I finished and tried to stand up, my knees were pretty insistent that they don’t “bend” that way
- No sign of insect damage on the radishes, Daikon, turnips, and broccoli, though there were some minor signs of baby slug or snail damage. But there were ground beetles so I’m not too worried.
- lots and lots of earthworms so I collected some more for the winter indoor vermicomposter
- it was also a good thing I got in there because the dill that I had hoped to get one more harvest from were all eaten up by 5 huge black Swallowtail caterpillars. They extended their orange horns and stinked like crazy, but I insisted they move out to the Golden Alexander patch in the Wildflower Meadow. I was thinning the biggest carrots — probably Yaya — when another stinky assault wafted up... and sure enough, another big caterpillar was in the carrots. I would say they were all about the same age — 4th or 5th instar, so they must have all come from same day egg dumping.
I shudder to think what might have happened to all the carrots that are growing in so nicely if they had been allowed to go on to make crysali and somehow managed to grow up to be mature butterflies in the tunnel this fall.
...it wasn’t strenuous, but very awkward to squat and waddle around under the tunnel, and when I finished and tried to stand up, my knees were pretty insistent that they don’t “bend” that way
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applestar
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I bought the growers select organic sampler 1 lbs from Keene. They sent Korean Red, Majestic Porcelain, and Romanian Red Porcelain. All of them are new to me so it will be fun to find out what they are like.
Reserved the smallest cloves to taste test. What’s a good way to do that? ...I suppose just slice and try raw, and maybe sweat down in butter or olive oil? Roast whole cloves with some potato cubes?
I used the pre-soak method described in the planting instructions that they included — peroxide, then liquid fert mixed with baking soda. I used the cultured bokashi compost leacheate and weed green juice, and for good measure aerated some more green juice and added to the pre-soaking mixture, and aerated them while they were soaking.
Ended up with 7 largest cloves of each variety in these raised black plastic mulched rows in VGC (Vegetable Gardenbed C), with 6 holes and 4 holes left over for something else (actually I will be cutting 2nd row of holes later). The holes are 6 inches on the center apart. I sowed the smaller 4 Korean Red and 2 Majestic Porcelain cloves in the Kitchen Garden. (Romanian Red Porcelain cloves were huge and numbered less per bulb, so no extras to sow after saving 2 or 3 smallest cloves for tasting).
…You can see the Shintokiwa cucumber I let mature to save seeds from have yellowed and is probably ready to harvest, but I was busy today and wouldn’t have had time to deal with it, so I decided to wait until tomorrow to harvest it. By the time I finished it was drizzling steadily enough that I was chilled through.
Reserved the smallest cloves to taste test. What’s a good way to do that? ...I suppose just slice and try raw, and maybe sweat down in butter or olive oil? Roast whole cloves with some potato cubes?
I used the pre-soak method described in the planting instructions that they included — peroxide, then liquid fert mixed with baking soda. I used the cultured bokashi compost leacheate and weed green juice, and for good measure aerated some more green juice and added to the pre-soaking mixture, and aerated them while they were soaking.
Ended up with 7 largest cloves of each variety in these raised black plastic mulched rows in VGC (Vegetable Gardenbed C), with 6 holes and 4 holes left over for something else (actually I will be cutting 2nd row of holes later). The holes are 6 inches on the center apart. I sowed the smaller 4 Korean Red and 2 Majestic Porcelain cloves in the Kitchen Garden. (Romanian Red Porcelain cloves were huge and numbered less per bulb, so no extras to sow after saving 2 or 3 smallest cloves for tasting).
…You can see the Shintokiwa cucumber I let mature to save seeds from have yellowed and is probably ready to harvest, but I was busy today and wouldn’t have had time to deal with it, so I decided to wait until tomorrow to harvest it. By the time I finished it was drizzling steadily enough that I was chilled through.
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SQWIB
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As usual, I am exhausted just looking at what you have done.
I go home, pick a pepper, pluck a rogue Rose of Sharon or two and call it a day. lol
I'll be doing some cosmetic work out front (pretty up the area for the fall/winter) I do not like letting the front get too "Natural" looking.
Apple, I finally had success with a Cantaloupe, this one was sweeter than any melon I have ever tried, wife and daughter agrees.
Pulled my last cantaloupe, this guy finally released from the vine, the plant is still motoring along.
I was contemplating putting in a cattle panel here for next season, this would give me and extra 8" width and I can go another foot or so up on the deck.
This is one plant.
The plant is still setting fruit, I don't expect this to ripen in time.
For Dinner today I cut open the cantaloupe for a taste test and was holding my breath!
Let me start by saying, "WOW"! This thing was sweet, it blew away any store-bought cantaloupe.
Why was this so sweet and the others hardly sweet at all? Could it be the Cultivar, were they over ripe, under ripe?
I think it was because of the powdery mildew that decimated the leaves, and/or too much water as the fruits were ripening.
September was fairly dry and I only watered this plant a few times a week.
Yes! I absolutely saved the seeds! They're labeled "Sweet Lope" lol
I'm thinking about a Humidistat switch with a few fans for the downy mildew, Overkill?
I go home, pick a pepper, pluck a rogue Rose of Sharon or two and call it a day. lol
I'll be doing some cosmetic work out front (pretty up the area for the fall/winter) I do not like letting the front get too "Natural" looking.
Apple, I finally had success with a Cantaloupe, this one was sweeter than any melon I have ever tried, wife and daughter agrees.
Pulled my last cantaloupe, this guy finally released from the vine, the plant is still motoring along.
I was contemplating putting in a cattle panel here for next season, this would give me and extra 8" width and I can go another foot or so up on the deck.
This is one plant.
The plant is still setting fruit, I don't expect this to ripen in time.
For Dinner today I cut open the cantaloupe for a taste test and was holding my breath!
Let me start by saying, "WOW"! This thing was sweet, it blew away any store-bought cantaloupe.
Why was this so sweet and the others hardly sweet at all? Could it be the Cultivar, were they over ripe, under ripe?
I think it was because of the powdery mildew that decimated the leaves, and/or too much water as the fruits were ripening.
September was fairly dry and I only watered this plant a few times a week.
Yes! I absolutely saved the seeds! They're labeled "Sweet Lope" lol
I'm thinking about a Humidistat switch with a few fans for the downy mildew, Overkill?
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applestar
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Congrats! Looking good. I think a cattle panel is a great idea. I’m still trying to figure out if I dare to try to get some.
I saw a YouTuber who managed it by securing one end behind the cab of a pick up, then bending them over one at a time and bungeeing them. I may have to rent a HD rental truck. Not really sure if I dare when thinking about how they would spring open on release....
I saw a YouTuber who managed it by securing one end behind the cab of a pick up, then bending them over one at a time and bungeeing them. I may have to rent a HD rental truck. Not really sure if I dare when thinking about how they would spring open on release....
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applestar
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I’ve been pre-occupied with administrative stuff at home, but the garden harvest since Oct 6 has dwindled — I did harvest that mature cucumber for seeds, last of the persimmons except one more that wouldn’t come off with a tug yesterday, and have been watching the weather and the last of the large tomatoes that are still green. The figs that are struggling to ripen in the cool temperatures....
The cherry tomatoes harvests have been sputtering, and I decided to finish them off yesterday and started removing them and disassembling the trellises — but I was interrupted....
In the Garage V8 Nursery, I’ve started this year’s Winter Indoor Tomatoes. My project for the winter is to experiment with automated drip and/or flood and drain irrigation and aquaponics, so I started some of the tomatoes as well as winter greens in hydro mesh pots and experimental hydro-style K-cups —
...I was NOT expecting this kind of germination from the 2015 packet Tokyo Bekana seeds...
So I tried rigging up an air-lift pump drip irrigation on a timer. I’m using 180° nozzles here because I found a bunch of them in the garage from DH’s aborted project, but with the absolute minimum airline tubing airlift, there isn’t enough water pressure so they only drip. Later on, when I expand the system with one or more of the proto-type turtle spitter airlift pumps from my Pond project earlier this year, there should be a little more oomph to the output
The cherry tomatoes harvests have been sputtering, and I decided to finish them off yesterday and started removing them and disassembling the trellises — but I was interrupted....
In the Garage V8 Nursery, I’ve started this year’s Winter Indoor Tomatoes. My project for the winter is to experiment with automated drip and/or flood and drain irrigation and aquaponics, so I started some of the tomatoes as well as winter greens in hydro mesh pots and experimental hydro-style K-cups —
...I was NOT expecting this kind of germination from the 2015 packet Tokyo Bekana seeds...
So I tried rigging up an air-lift pump drip irrigation on a timer. I’m using 180° nozzles here because I found a bunch of them in the garage from DH’s aborted project, but with the absolute minimum airline tubing airlift, there isn’t enough water pressure so they only drip. Later on, when I expand the system with one or more of the proto-type turtle spitter airlift pumps from my Pond project earlier this year, there should be a little more oomph to the output
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SQWIB
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applestar wrote:Congrats! Looking good. I think a cattle panel is a great idea. I’m still trying to figure out if I dare to try to get some.
I saw a YouTuber who managed it by securing one end behind the cab of a pick up, then bending them over one at a time and bungeeing them. I may have to rent a HD rental truck. Not really sure if I dare when thinking about how they would spring open on release....
Use 12' 2x4's on a roof rack, I used 10' because I was too cheap to spend an extra $2.00
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applestar
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Got the T-posts moved and pounded into place — 6 ft x 12 ft space secured. Now to figure out how to raise the roof. 
...Need to remove the arched concrete mesh and redesign that little bed because the entrance/doorway has to go there.
I already have aluminum channels and wiggle wires. That will add some structural support as well. I’m envisioning securing electrical conduits as roof frame to the T-posts in such a way that the sharp ends of the T-posts will not cause problems.
...Need to remove the arched concrete mesh and redesign that little bed because the entrance/doorway has to go there.
I already have aluminum channels and wiggle wires. That will add some structural support as well. I’m envisioning securing electrical conduits as roof frame to the T-posts in such a way that the sharp ends of the T-posts will not cause problems.
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applestar
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I felt really bad — this bumblebee and a honeybee earlier were trying to get at the buckwheat blossoms under the insect mesh. I watched them and they were licking through the mesh — some blossoms were pushed against the fabric and accessible it seemed. I think the bumblebee might have had more success than the honeybee — maybe they have longer proboscis.
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applestar
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I was going to take a nap earlier, but I had a “brilliant” idea, and had to go try it out. I had to fiddle with the design a bit, but I got the simple loop siphon set up to drain. So I started the blueberry cuttings I decided to try rooting. 
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applestar
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Like everyone else in this area, I’m pulling the plug on the summer garden and finishing up the last of the harvest while keeping one eye on the weather forecasts for the first frost.
- I dug up — actually simply tilted and lifted — the 4 inch pvc drain pipe in which I planted the sprouted long potato piece from H-mart. A long potato grew long but didn’t get the chance to fatten up, and there were three more that were wanting to grow. I can keep entire or vine-end part of these little ones as seed for next year.
- I harvested those green onions and beans that had wrapped up the kale stalks and were hanging above the pvc pipe since they were in the way
- harvested those leaf? celery stalks that were in the way when I partially covered the vgc garlic rows with emphasis on covering/protecting the unplanted end in which I will plant garage v8 started brassicas — probably cabbage.
- Found last of the short variety carrots in the patio containers
- two runty Hari segregate eggplants
- found this cabbage white caterpillar munching up the Piracicaba broccoli seedlings in the Sunflower house tunnel. I wasn’t up to ducking under there to search for more today — but "where there is one... " so probably more.....
- Since we were expecting — and got! — heavy rain today (nearly 2 inches), I cut down and harvested from 3 of the Pink and Purple Mexican corn stalks. It took some work since I had them all guy-tied down and tied to each other to keep from falling over.
I brought the stalks over to the backyard and rested them against the sagging Sunflower&House bed fence — that bed is 10 feet in diameter — then pulled off the cobs and shucked them. There were numerous “baby” cobs that never had the chance to grow up, and one of the three had turned into a sort of a tiller (except it had grown from 10 feet up in the stalk haha).
- not unexpectedly, their pollination was incomplete/sparse with such limited number of plants and no way to hand-pollinate. One had 4 kernels, another had 8. But the best of the three had 34 kernels that are maybe all good and 6 kernels near the tip that had spoiled when the cob got moldy. It should have been harvested earlier.
- I dug up — actually simply tilted and lifted — the 4 inch pvc drain pipe in which I planted the sprouted long potato piece from H-mart. A long potato grew long but didn’t get the chance to fatten up, and there were three more that were wanting to grow. I can keep entire or vine-end part of these little ones as seed for next year.
- I harvested those green onions and beans that had wrapped up the kale stalks and were hanging above the pvc pipe since they were in the way
- harvested those leaf? celery stalks that were in the way when I partially covered the vgc garlic rows with emphasis on covering/protecting the unplanted end in which I will plant garage v8 started brassicas — probably cabbage.
- Found last of the short variety carrots in the patio containers
- two runty Hari segregate eggplants
- found this cabbage white caterpillar munching up the Piracicaba broccoli seedlings in the Sunflower house tunnel. I wasn’t up to ducking under there to search for more today — but "where there is one... " so probably more.....
- Since we were expecting — and got! — heavy rain today (nearly 2 inches), I cut down and harvested from 3 of the Pink and Purple Mexican corn stalks. It took some work since I had them all guy-tied down and tied to each other to keep from falling over.
I brought the stalks over to the backyard and rested them against the sagging Sunflower&House bed fence — that bed is 10 feet in diameter — then pulled off the cobs and shucked them. There were numerous “baby” cobs that never had the chance to grow up, and one of the three had turned into a sort of a tiller (except it had grown from 10 feet up in the stalk haha).
- not unexpectedly, their pollination was incomplete/sparse with such limited number of plants and no way to hand-pollinate. One had 4 kernels, another had 8. But the best of the three had 34 kernels that are maybe all good and 6 kernels near the tip that had spoiled when the cob got moldy. It should have been harvested earlier.
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applestar
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For Winter Indoor Tomatoes, I’m growing
- 2 segregates of Shimofuri F7 that I’m hoping will be somewhat more compact with shorter internodes
- seeds from the Multiflora red tiny cherry/currant that may have been Hundreds and Thousands
- Micro Dwarf Aztek
- top-right photo is a small piece of turmeric I had been keeping on the counter that sprouted. I nestled it in some potting mix and the sprout is now growing into a shoot and roots have grown to about 2 inches
- and I had to take the bottom right last photo because none of those old seeds sprouted except for Yellow of Parma onions. Since these were old seeds, I sowed Brunswick Cabbage in a strict pattern as backup in both rectangular seed starting containers, and these are growing first true leaves.
...I’m keeping track of most of the seeds I’ve sown like this —
- 2 segregates of Shimofuri F7 that I’m hoping will be somewhat more compact with shorter internodes
- seeds from the Multiflora red tiny cherry/currant that may have been Hundreds and Thousands
- Micro Dwarf Aztek
- top-right photo is a small piece of turmeric I had been keeping on the counter that sprouted. I nestled it in some potting mix and the sprout is now growing into a shoot and roots have grown to about 2 inches
- and I had to take the bottom right last photo because none of those old seeds sprouted except for Yellow of Parma onions. Since these were old seeds, I sowed Brunswick Cabbage in a strict pattern as backup in both rectangular seed starting containers, and these are growing first true leaves.
...I’m keeping track of most of the seeds I’ve sown like this —
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applestar
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Subject: 2019 What's the weather like where you are?
Sat Oct 19, 2019 6:04 am
Sat Oct 19, 2019 6:04 am
...yep, frost in the North sector of front yard wide-open to the street where it always starts and ends — sheltered West sector and front next to the driveway and the backyard areas didn’t have any, I think. But to be sure, I sprayed water with the garden hose all over everything I wanted to stay strong since weather will warm up a bit again after this.applestar wrote:34°F outside... frost advisory in effect.
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applestar
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Yesterday, I planted these Brunswick Cabbage starts from the Garage V8 nursery on the other side of the Romanian Red Porcelain garlic row. It’s a bit of an experiment since they should have been planted at this size in late July or early August for fall harvest, and cabbages are not that freezing temperature hardy. But this is the path side to the 18” raised VGA bed to the NW so it is pretty protected, and I could possibly double-hoop with plastic film, though I don’t want to get things too warm or the garlic will suffer.... hmm.
- I also individually uppotted these seedlings that Had been growing very slowly on the glass patio-side table, and brought them in to grow in the Garage V8.
— Broccoli, Green Goliath
— Broccoli, LImba
— Lettuce, Anuenue or Rosemarry
— Cabbage Asian, Kyoto#3
— Augula?
— Onion, Valencia
- Then, since I enjoyed being able to harvest strawberries during the winter before, I planted some in a mesh lined daisy basket tray and gave it a VIP spot on The V8 upper shelf. The strawberries are only planted in the front 1/3 which hopefully will leave enough root room for them to grow.
- I also individually uppotted these seedlings that Had been growing very slowly on the glass patio-side table, and brought them in to grow in the Garage V8.
— Broccoli, Green Goliath
— Broccoli, LImba
— Lettuce, Anuenue or Rosemarry
— Cabbage Asian, Kyoto#3
— Augula?
— Onion, Valencia
- Then, since I enjoyed being able to harvest strawberries during the winter before, I planted some in a mesh lined daisy basket tray and gave it a VIP spot on The V8 upper shelf. The strawberries are only planted in the front 1/3 which hopefully will leave enough root room for them to grow.
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applestar
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When I was dismantling the tray of seedlings on the glass patio table, I came across 4 treefrogs hiding underneath the cell packs. 3 of them had climbed up between the cells, and I coaxed them on my hand and then released them in the garden beds and foundation plantings where I wasn’t likely to mess around much any more, but the 4th one stayed in the 1/2” or so water that remained in the tray and would not come out, struggling to return to the deepest part of the water.
So I began to wonder if this frog is not like the other ones, and poured it into a container of rainwater where it dove to the bottom and stayed. Later, I took the container inside to show my DD’s and it was so still I began to wonder if I had made a mistake and it had drowned, but when I touched its side with a stick, it frantically started to swim around — maybe it was sleeping?
I decided to keep it overnight and put it in my Marimo vase — at first it would not come out of the water, then climbed all around the vase rim. I had just about given up on it making use of my “fake lily pad” — something that would not sink where it could climb up to rest— but when I checked on it one more time before going to bed, it was perched on the “pad”.
...Marimo is the dark blob to the left. It grew some more this season outside. This vase stayed outside on the picnic-plant table under the mulberry tree all season, so the water is full of live organisms including baby snails. I suspect the frog will be able to find things to eat in there for now.
So I began to wonder if this frog is not like the other ones, and poured it into a container of rainwater where it dove to the bottom and stayed. Later, I took the container inside to show my DD’s and it was so still I began to wonder if I had made a mistake and it had drowned, but when I touched its side with a stick, it frantically started to swim around — maybe it was sleeping?
I decided to keep it overnight and put it in my Marimo vase — at first it would not come out of the water, then climbed all around the vase rim. I had just about given up on it making use of my “fake lily pad” — something that would not sink where it could climb up to rest— but when I checked on it one more time before going to bed, it was perched on the “pad”.
...Marimo is the dark blob to the left. It grew some more this season outside. This vase stayed outside on the picnic-plant table under the mulberry tree all season, so the water is full of live organisms including baby snails. I suspect the frog will be able to find things to eat in there for now.
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TomatoNut95
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I've come across frogs that will do that way, especially water-loving frogs such as Spring Peepers or leopard frogs. When I placed them in water, they swam to the bottom and stayed still. I figure it's their way of hiding from predators. Predators would less likely spot them if they are sitting still at the bottom of the water rather than zipping about near the top. I have even had toads do that way, bless their little warts. 
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TomatoNut95
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applestar
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Froggy seems to be doing OK. I see it hanging around the rim during the day, and sitting on the “pad” at night. I probably look in on it 4~5 times a day.... 
Some of the tiniest baby snails on the inside wall of the vase have disappeared — this may or may not mean the froggy has eaten them. 
...I have a friend who calls her rabbit ”Fweddy”. Maybe I will call this one “Fwoggy”...
Some of the tiniest baby snails on the inside wall of the vase have disappeared — this may or may not mean the froggy has eaten them. ...I have a friend who calls her rabbit ”Fweddy”. Maybe I will call this one “Fwoggy”...
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applestar
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It seems I HAVE been over-working — was feeling really tired yesterday and today, with scratchy throat. So decided to take it somewhat easy this weekend.
Today,
- I peeled the SFH 4mil plastic off and pushed to the north side before it started to rain, since the forecast for the remainder of the week is 60’s/40’s and since this plastic is not the green house clear and I was afraid it was blocking too much of the already diminishing sunlight.
- Harvested all of the Brussels Sprouts since we did have that first frost I was waiting for (cleaned up the KG.Patio SIP#2 and was going to refresh it and get it ready to plant some winter greens and make a protection hoop cover ... but all that seemed like a project in itself, so made myself put it aside and just cleaned up the patio area into a new configuration.... )
- Made holes between Korean Red and Majestic Porcelain in VGC (Vegetable Gardenbed C)
- Sowed
— spinach, merlo Nero 50d
— lettuce, joker 60d
— lettuce, red iceberg 60d
...pretty sure those new seedlings in the left 6 holes are Tokyo Bekana, but I failed to make a note when I sowed the seeds....
...did NOT prune and uppot some of the citruses to get them ready to bring inside for the winter after all... I do have reprieve but not that many days
Today,
- I peeled the SFH 4mil plastic off and pushed to the north side before it started to rain, since the forecast for the remainder of the week is 60’s/40’s and since this plastic is not the green house clear and I was afraid it was blocking too much of the already diminishing sunlight.
- Harvested all of the Brussels Sprouts since we did have that first frost I was waiting for (cleaned up the KG.Patio SIP#2 and was going to refresh it and get it ready to plant some winter greens and make a protection hoop cover ... but all that seemed like a project in itself, so made myself put it aside and just cleaned up the patio area into a new configuration....
)- Made holes between Korean Red and Majestic Porcelain in VGC (Vegetable Gardenbed C)
- Sowed
— spinach, merlo Nero 50d
— lettuce, joker 60d
— lettuce, red iceberg 60d
...pretty sure those new seedlings in the left 6 holes are Tokyo Bekana, but I failed to make a note when I sowed the seeds....
...did NOT prune and uppot some of the citruses to get them ready to bring inside for the winter after all... I do have reprieve but not that many days
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applestar
- Mod
- Posts: 31057
- Joined: Thu May 01, 2008 7:21 pm
- Location: Zone 6, NJ (3/M)4/E ~ 10/M(11/B)
I cleaned up the arcs of the Spiral Garden that had been covered with landscaping cloth, and discovered some overlooked garlic from last year that had sprouted. Two if them were in tight clusters of 8 and 4 where entire bulbs had been left in the ground. I dug them up and separated them into individual cloves.
I weeded and lightly fertilized the exposed arcs, then hilled and rebuilt them into mounded arcs, and sowed some covercrop seeds and a bunch of old brassica and lettuce seeds that are not really expected to grow. I’ll consider it a bonus if they do.
We had about an inch of rain yesterday, so there was no need to water.
...I peeked inside the SFH hoop tunnel again.
I’ve almost completely assembled the needed parts and am ready to build the support frame that hopefully will withstand wind and snow for a high tunnel/hoop house in its place.
Shiitake logs are still managing to grow some shiitake —
...in the meantime, inside in the Garage V8 nursery — new blueberries and a strawberry. I’m going to try overwintering them in the garage
I weeded and lightly fertilized the exposed arcs, then hilled and rebuilt them into mounded arcs, and sowed some covercrop seeds and a bunch of old brassica and lettuce seeds that are not really expected to grow. I’ll consider it a bonus if they do.
We had about an inch of rain yesterday, so there was no need to water.
...I peeked inside the SFH hoop tunnel again.
I’ve almost completely assembled the needed parts and am ready to build the support frame that hopefully will withstand wind and snow for a high tunnel/hoop house in its place.
Shiitake logs are still managing to grow some shiitake —
...in the meantime, inside in the Garage V8 nursery — new blueberries and a strawberry. I’m going to try overwintering them in the garage
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TomatoNut95
- Super Green Thumb
- Posts: 2069
- Joined: Sun May 26, 2019 11:11 am
- Location: Texas Zone 8
It's all good! Ah, strawberries! Another of my tried-and-can't-do's. Is it true that strawberries like sandy soil? Once I used cactus soil for a strawberry plant because it had the most sand in it for a store-bought soil. Plant died anyway later. Wait...or did I give it away?
Lol, sounds like Fwoggy likes his habitat!
Lol, sounds like Fwoggy likes his habitat!
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TomatoNut95
- Super Green Thumb
- Posts: 2069
- Joined: Sun May 26, 2019 11:11 am
- Location: Texas Zone 8
Ah, peat moss. Maybe that's what I do wrong, I never keep peat moss around. Ok, so I've already been thinking about stuff to grow next year and I was thinking about the Blue Berry cherry tomato. Then I started thinking of the Blue Helsing you lead me onto. I'm really thinking of getting some, so I went on the Heritage Seed Market link you provided me and almost drooled in my Lunchable at the marvelous stuff they have. So the Blue Helsing. It says has strong sweetness, strong acidity, and a rich flavor. What sweetness level would you give it? As sweet or sweeter than a regular red cherry? I also fell in love with a GORGEOUS orangey tomato with dark shoulders called Afternoon Delight, also a Brad Gates creation. Have you tried that one?
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applestar
- Mod
- Posts: 31057
- Joined: Thu May 01, 2008 7:21 pm
- Location: Zone 6, NJ (3/M)4/E ~ 10/M(11/B)
I would not really call Helsing Junction Blue “sweet”, though it has that “grapey” flavor from the antho ...but it might be different in hotter area than mine. The antho acts like sunscreen, so it should help them be more intense sun tolerant — maybe better than other sweet cherries that quickly ferment and turn sour?
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applestar
- Mod
- Posts: 31057
- Joined: Thu May 01, 2008 7:21 pm
- Location: Zone 6, NJ (3/M)4/E ~ 10/M(11/B)
...slowly taking shape...
- As usual, I have to do this the hard way, so I’m mentally assembling using cobbled together pieces — so far, I have T-posts, 1-1/2” pvc and slip fittings; chain link fence line posts and braces and carriage bolts.
- I have an idea for securing the metal conduit and pvc hoops that I’m going to try tomorrow
- I forgot to add tension braces to the back cross beam like I did with the front cross beam (which is intended to bolt on the treated 2x4 doorway frame) and have to disassemble to put that in, but may try using a single line post for the back wall support instead.... trying to weigh advantage of using the line post vs. wood — I do need to install a vent on the back wall somewhere so maybe wood structural support will serve better later.....
— but before all that — the view shown in bottom photo revealed that the T-posts are higher to the right and the metal line post roof support cross beams are not level, so I have to remove them and pound those down some more....
- As usual, I have to do this the hard way, so I’m mentally assembling using cobbled together pieces — so far, I have T-posts, 1-1/2” pvc and slip fittings; chain link fence line posts and braces and carriage bolts.
- I have an idea for securing the metal conduit and pvc hoops that I’m going to try tomorrow
- I forgot to add tension braces to the back cross beam like I did with the front cross beam (which is intended to bolt on the treated 2x4 doorway frame) and have to disassemble to put that in, but may try using a single line post for the back wall support instead.... trying to weigh advantage of using the line post vs. wood — I do need to install a vent on the back wall somewhere so maybe wood structural support will serve better later.....
— but before all that — the view shown in bottom photo revealed that the T-posts are higher to the right and the metal line post roof support cross beams are not level, so I have to remove them and pound those down some more....
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applestar
- Mod
- Posts: 31057
- Joined: Thu May 01, 2008 7:21 pm
- Location: Zone 6, NJ (3/M)4/E ~ 10/M(11/B)
I noticed today that the garlic have started to sprout. I think they are on track since we have possibly hard frost coming this weekend.
...between my own "design" cobbled together hoop house construction project, I’ve been harvesting —
- Buckwheat Takane Ruby
— stems and leaves removed
— hand picked and sorted into fully mature and immature seeds/blossoms
- Minicore carrots
- Shiitake — yes they are still producing
— top two photos are from yesterday, bottom photo is from today
- not pictured but also have been harvesting raspberries, thinnings of carrots, turnip greens, radish greens.
- figs
>> that plate of immature seeds and blossoms were cooked in a pot of brown sweet sticky rice with additional water. I was concerned that some of the seed hulls might be too hard, but they were no harder than popcorn hulls. Chewy and nutty. Yummy.
...between my own "design" cobbled together hoop house construction project, I’ve been harvesting —
- Buckwheat Takane Ruby
— stems and leaves removed
— hand picked and sorted into fully mature and immature seeds/blossoms
- Minicore carrots
- Shiitake — yes they are still producing
— top two photos are from yesterday, bottom photo is from today
- not pictured but also have been harvesting raspberries, thinnings of carrots, turnip greens, radish greens.
- figs
>> that plate of immature seeds and blossoms were cooked in a pot of brown sweet sticky rice with additional water. I was concerned that some of the seed hulls might be too hard, but they were no harder than popcorn hulls. Chewy and nutty. Yummy.