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dcarch

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Posts posted by dcarch

  1.   On 6/4/2018 at 12:27 AM, KennethT said:

    Nutrient water is pumped into the left side - it flows like a river down the trough which is sloped at a 2% grade, and then drains out the right side into a sump underneath.  The sump then pumps the nutrient back into the main reservoir located outside the tent (for heat purposes - the nutrient is kept around 65degF, which is different from both the daytime and nighttime temps in the tent, plus it's big, so it frees up real estate inside).

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    It there a need to prevent slime buildup?

    dcarch

  2. SLUG IT OUT!

     

    Don't you hate it? You spend so much money and energy in planting your garden, then just when you are ready to harvest, come these slimy thieves to ruin everything for you.

    There are many popular "surefire" tricks on the internet to get rid of slugs. I have tried them all. None of them really work very well.

    After a lot of research, I decided to give the electric barrier a try for my strawberry patch. 

    This method is very easy and inexpensive to implement. It has the potential of being 100% effective, 100% nontoxic long lasting and maintenance free.

    For the electric tape, I used self-adhesive copper tape (for stained glass work)  and a 12v (old) battery for power. I expect one charge will last more than a season since it really is not powering anything.

    Two months later, so far so good. Have not lost one single strawberry yet.

     

    dcarch

     

    5b135eed35e03_slugbegone.thumb.JPG.4745b52d5c97d9abb0a3e6bfbd7a19f1.JPG5b135eeb5dc5d_slugbegone2.thumb.jpg.40f6dfbfcccf31c38c684eaec3f8fbc3.jpg5b135ee99db9a_slugbegone3.thumb.jpg.c6ea80b64cb80fd7416e85cf4166f74d.jpg5b135ee6f229b_slugbegone4.thumb.jpg.a5d53df4adfe79629e0f4389a057197a.jpg

     

     

    • Like 7
    • Thanks 1
  3. Hope you all had a great Memorial Day holiday (USA)

    SV & grilled prime sirloin steak, grilled pineapple, watermelon, snow peas from the garden.

     

    dcarch

    5b10c8ade1882_sirloinsteakgrilledpineapplewatermelon.thumb.JPG.b56ec1f2ba9844d8d2ee51e2f8bbe972.JPG5b10c8abaedbb_sirloinsteakgrilledpineapplewatermelon2.thumb.jpg.e4a503c83815ac5cc43e641262534517.jpg.

     

     

     

     

    • Like 13
  4.   On 5/25/2018 at 1:24 PM, HungryChris said:

    I also had to give the peonies a bit of structural support this morning, as I noticed they had started flopping over in the night.

    HC

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    Here is a little tip. Staking can be expensive and unsightly.

    You can get nice looking 36" long (yes, they do have 36" long) bamboo BBQ skewers cheaper. Check out Amazon, 100 skewer pack for less than $15.00.

     

    dcarch

    • Like 1
  5.   On 5/24/2018 at 3:08 PM, btbyrd said:

    A "point and shoot" rechargable LED (or something) light box would be ideal. Are these a thing? And if they are a thing, are they worth buying? 

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    Be careful with LED lights.

     

    Many LED lights flicker (strobe) which interferes with digital image sensor of your digital camera. They do sell special LED lights for photography.

     

    By the way, there is no such thing as "white" LEDs. The white is actually generated by a chemical on the LED.

     

    dcarch

     

  6.   On 5/24/2018 at 11:25 AM, Smokeydoke said:

    2. I got a tripod. Why did I wait so long? Again, this goes hand-in-hand with using the manual functions on the DSLR. And I can change settings on the same shot and see the differences and how I like some settings better for certain shots. And the overhead shots have improved 100%. 

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    Using the tripod:

    1. It allows you to shoot at very low light level by setting the exposure long.

    2. Try to use the self-timer for the sharpest image. Even on a tripod, the clicking by hand can introduce shaking.

     

    dcarch

    • Like 2
  7. A suggestion for you guys with a large garden:

     

    I don't have a huge garden, just big enough to be a pain to go from one end to the other, especially if I have to carry a lot of tools and garden supplies.

     

    So I got myself an electric mobility scooter and modified it for gardening use. So fast, even going up hill. 

     

    Completely silent, and instant start. A good time saver, no sweat.

     

    dcarch

     

    Mobile.JPG

    • Like 9
  8. Happy Mother's Day!!! :x

     

    Happy Mother's Day to all you mothers out there!

    I hope you all had a good one.

    It was not a day to go out for food. So I cooked.

    dcarch

     

    Salmon, morel mushrooms, roasted peppers.

    5af97926990c8_MorelSalmon.thumb.jpg.64091134692642367ab93f2c5b711074.jpg

     

    5af979251a39d_MorelSalmon2.thumb.jpg.4b912f7cadfc46d8d02f86be3f23e2a0.jpg

    • Like 14
    • Thanks 1
  9.   On 5/7/2018 at 7:55 PM, TicTac said:

    I like my hosta's too much to eat them!!

     

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    You don't eat the whole plant. Just like asparagus, you take a few shoots from each plant. The more you take, the more robust they grow.

     

    dcarch

    • Like 1
    • Thanks 1
  10. One of the excitement from your garden in early spring is to find things you can harvest for dinner, I don't have morel mushrooms in our area, but I have asparagus,  ramps and hosta.

    Yes, hosta.  Many of you have hosta in your garden, not realizing that in some countries, hosta is a vegetable. 

     

    dcarch

     

    Hosta and SV blade steaks

    5af0aca6d69b5_hosta2018.thumb.JPG.4376db833bebaf2ecc1368d2ef66e384.JPG5af0aca849000_hostabladesteak2.thumb.jpg.c5bfa1e5ac051c110f33a723b23d22f9.jpg5af0acaa00215_hostabladesteak.thumb.JPG.ebc83dc962c3109ca0fc1c365608109d.JPG

     

    • Like 19
  11.   On 5/6/2018 at 6:36 PM, Shelby said:

    I've been in the garden since 8:45 this morning.  It's now 1:30.  Like @kayb I am one tired, sore person.

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    Go take a  bath. You are filthy and stinky. I can smell you all the way here in NY. xD xD xD

    I just came in the house to change for some dry underwear, for the fourth time. Looking at the weather report, I need to get the work done as much as I can today.

     

    A couple more hours of digging, then call pizza. A long bath and many cold beers for me.

     

    dcarch

     

    • Like 3
  12. Frantically digging to get the garden started for this year. Found some more of these surprises from last winter. Nice reward for a hard day's work.

    dcarch5aea274eb211d_wintercarrots2.thumb.JPG.eff13d246f094ac6d32d4db6804c69de.JPG5aea27507f37b_wintercarrots3.thumb.jpg.3f61917f28e3ea234b5c92ddea6b098e.jpg

     

    SV blade steaks

    5aea274cb3c7f_gardencarrotbladesteak.thumb.JPG.5d4f256df96f4161c317f139fd9cd230.JPG5aea274b6bb74_gardencarrotbladesteak2.thumb.jpg.673e461b3dbe121b0ef1424f67c77e34.jpg

    • Like 15
    • Thanks 1
    • Delicious 1
  13. With rigid foiled insulation board, it is rigid enough to be structural. If you get 4' x 8' sheets (also come in 4' x 10'), 6 sheets will give you a 4' w x 4' D x 8' H reflective chamber. Using hot glue gun, you can create different interior setups. 

     

    I am concerned about health safety with fiberglass.

     

    dcarch

     

     

     

     

  14. Impressive setup!

    Did you start the strawberries from seeds? Good job!

     

    A suggestion for your next setup.

    Get rigid aluminum foiled insulation board. (4' x 8" x 1/2") for the chamber. Construction is easy. Cut with a knife, and use packing tape to make the box. Very strong. Comes with reflective surface. Handling fiberglass is tricky and ichy. 

     

    dcarch

     

     

    • Like 1
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