Gardening: (2016– )

[heidih]

1 hour ago, blue_dolphin said:

Also in Southern California, Tomatomania has begun its annual round of tomato seedling sales events.  I should get me some.

 

Yes they have nice plants. Also consider Laurel's Heirloom Tomatoes http://www.heirloomtomatoplants.com/

 

I think Kenneth has ordered from her. She is just down the road from me. The Berkeley Tie Dye  is stunning. Field trip???

 

 

 

Edited March 10, 2017 by heidih (log)

[KennethT]

Yep, I definitely got plants from Laurel in the past... nothing but good things to say...

[dcarch]

23 hours ago, KennethT said:

-------------Whynter ARC-12SD--------------

 

An air conditioner always need to drain away condensate water from dehumidification. Some drain it out side, some splash on condensing coil to cool the coil and gain efficiency. 

There may be a hole for water to go from the cooling side to the hot side.

 

dcarch

[KennethT]

Right - this model supposedly uses the condensate to help cool the compressor, and even though it has a drain plug, according to the manual, unless it's being used in extremely high humidity, it should evaporate all the condensate and vent it out of the exhaust tube...

 

I checked it out - it only seems like 6 screws are holding the case together - I'm going to take it apart this weekend... shouldn't be a big deal to play around with....

[Thanks for the Crepes]

13 hours ago, Smithy said:

@shain, do the lupines have food value? They're beautiful flowers (we have many varieties in the USA) but I don't know anything about growing them for other than ornamentation.

 

These reminded me of the state flower of Texas, lupinsis texensis, better known as the Texas Bluebonnet. They are blooming early this year, and this species is considered toxic. Like acorns and quinoa, though, with the right knowledge and treatment, they might be rendered nutritious and edible, but I don't know. I do know that they are very beautiful. 

[HungryChris]

The cukes are up!!! We have a big snowstorm coming in the next few days, but after that, I hope to be able to put these guys out in the protected area on the south side of the house and be ready to cover them when frost threatens.

HC

Edited March 11, 2017 by HungryChris (log)

[KennethT]

For those of you following along with my controlled environment saga, I opened up the A/C and it looks promising that I will be able to solve my problem.  I neglected to mention that I got this A/C on Ebay, remanufactured - for about half the price of a new one, shipping included - which is saying something since the box it came in weighed 96 pounds, so the shipping costs are not so trivial....  Anyway, in the remanufacturing process, both the evaporator and condenser coils look great and brand new, as does the compressor motor itself - but the foam that seals off the area is either slightly damaged or missing entirely....  a short trip to the home depot should relatively short work of fixing my airflow problems, I assume.... until I try it and find that I have created more problems.... ha!

Edited March 12, 2017 by KennethT
add photo (log)

[dcarch]

No wonder it is so big and heavy.

A typical window unit has only two motors. the cooling and heat ejection fans use the same motor and the compressor uses another motor.

This thing has at least 5 motors. One for the compressor, two for heat ejection, at least one for cooling and the small thing on the bottom is a shaded pole water ejection motor.

 

dcarch

[HungryChris]

Pickling cukes are up. I just finished planting lettuce. I hope to putty and paint the cold frame windows today. In the meantime, Mother Nature is doing her best to discourage me. Twelve to eighteen inches of snow expected tomorrow! Stop the madness!

HC

 

[Okanagancook]

We are far behind last year's early start to spring.  DH is having shoulder surgery on Friday.....8 WEEKS IN A SLING....he will be useless for most things....heck can't even open a bottle of wine with one wing can ya?

So I am getting out into the garden for three or four 3/4 hr to 1 hour sessions at a time...I have a bad back from playing way, way too much squash in my early days.  I have two more rows of grape vines to prune and shlep the cut up vines to a central pick up area I am using for when my garden help comes with a big truck to haul all the trimmings away. 

 

Roses are pruned...I have about 25 plants.  

 

After the vineyard, I am making list of stuff this gardener fellow can help me with...grasses need cutting, etc., etc.  I just can't do it myself.   My back is about to give it up...gotta go get the heating pad.  Sheesh.

[Toliver]

15 hours ago, Okanagancook said:

We are far behind last year's early start to spring.  DH is having shoulder surgery on Friday.....8 WEEKS IN A SLING....he will be useless for most things....heck can't even open a bottle of wine with one wing can ya?

If it's a screw-top bottle, then he shouldn't have any problem at all.   

[HungryChris]

It is 40 F and sunny here today so I decided to bring out the pickling cucumber and lettuce seedlings for a little fun in the sun.

HC

[KennethT]

I love pruning my lime tree because I always get a flush of this a few days later:

[KennethT]

I'm frustrated...  I spent the better part of the day working on my A/C unit, trying to keep it from venting the tent air outside...  several hours, a half roll of duct tape, and two bloodied knuckles later, it's still venting -albeit slightly more slowly...  tomorrow I'll get back at it to see where else the air can be slipping through.... 

[dcarch]

55 minutes ago, KennethT said:

tomorrow I'll get back at it to see where else the air can be slipping through.... 

 

Time to take a look at youtube on "How to make your own smoke bomb"

 

dcarch

 

[dcarch]

Components for my DIY solar electric fence charger:

 

12v 5 watt solar panel $10.00

solar charger controller $8.00

high voltage generator $5.00

Used Apple computer rechargeable lithium batteries, two, $6.00

 

I intend to win the battle.

 

dcarch

 

 

[kayb]

Ok. I have played in the dirt today. In these trays:

I have lettuce, carrots, radishes, cabbage, and sweet peas. I topped each with about a teaspoon of potting mix, as it seemed to me the seeds should be covered. I have never worked with rock wool before. It was damp when I opened the trays. How often should I water? How much?

 

Below are five kinds of tomatoes,  and  two kinds of peppers. They will come indoors at night and outside in the daytime, or take a turn under the grow light.

 

 

Tomorrow, particularly if I don't get my computer back from the shop, there will be herbs, squash, fennel, asparagus, and maybe green beans.

 

Guy is coming Friday to till up my plots. I have 16 40-pound bags of compost for him to till in. And today I built a compost bin from pallets.

 

One can get a lot done outside when ones computer is on the fritz.

 

Edited March 21, 2017 by kayb
To fix typo. (log)

[dcarch]

15 minutes ago, kayb said:

Ok. I have played in the dirt today. In these trays:

I have lettuce, carrots, radishes, cabbage, and sweet peas. I topped each with about a teaspoon of potting mix, as it seemed to me the seeds should be covered. I have never worked with rock wool before. It was damp when I opened the trays. How often should I water? How much?

Below are five kinds of tomatoes,  and  two kinds of peppers. They will come indoors at night and outside in the daytime, or take a turn under the grow light.

Tomorrow, particularly if I don't get my computer back from the shop, there will be herbs, squash, fennel, asparagus, and maybe green beans.

Guy is coming Friday to till up my plots. I have 16 40-pound bags of compost for him to till in. And today I built a compost bin from pallets.

 

One can get a lot done outside when ones computer is on the fritz.

 

So when will dinner be ready? 

 

dcarch 

[kayb]

Hopefully, by July! Maybe late June.

[ElainaA]

@kayb  @HungryChris  I have always started my lettuce directly in the ground. Lettuce germinates so quickly in cool soil and grows so quickly that in a couple of weeks I am harvesting baby lettuce for salad and thus thinning the rows.And I grow A LOT of lettuce.  Is there a reason that I am not aware of for starting it inside? I only start a few things inside - tomatoes, basil, radicchio, this year artichokes. Everything else goes directly into the garden once the soil is warm enough

I often see flats of lettuce seedlings at garden centers. They usually look ready to harvest for salad. I always wonder why anyone would buy them to put in the ground. 

Edited March 21, 2017 by ElainaA (log)

[kayb]

Have always planted it directly in the ground before. Experimenting with an eye toward using these trays year-round for microgreens.

 

 

Edited March 21, 2017 by kayb (log)

[shain]

Garden tour (warning, many pics):

 

And this is from today, they ripen quickly  

 

 

[HungryChris]

On 3/20/2017 at 8:51 PM, ElainaA said:

@kayb  @HungryChris  I have always started my lettuce directly in the ground. Lettuce germinates so quickly in cool soil and grows so quickly that in a couple of weeks I am harvesting baby lettuce for salad and thus thinning the rows.And I grow A LOT of lettuce.  Is there a reason that I am not aware of for starting it inside? I only start a few things inside - tomatoes, basil, radicchio, this year artichokes. Everything else goes directly into the garden once the soil is warm enough

I often see flats of lettuce seedlings at garden centers. They usually look ready to harvest for salad. I always wonder why anyone would buy them to put in the ground. 

 

A few years ago a friend was having replacement windows installed and I asked if I could have the old ones. I slapped together a cold frame on a whim and was amazed at how much it extended the season. I wish I had taken the time to do a better job and taken better care of the windows. They should have been stripped down and painted. This winter, I took the windows off and brought them inside and scraped, sanded, reglazed, primed and painted them. The process has taken so long that the cold frame is not back in place  as early as I had hoped. I planted lettuce indoors in the hopes that I can put it back together and have lettuce growing in it soon. Here is the hastily slapped together cold frame last season with a lettuce crop.

HC

 

[KennethT]

1 hour ago, shain said:

@shainWhat are these?  Are they peppercorns?

[shain]

@KennethT Those are mulberries. I found a ripe ones today, there are going to be a lot more in the next few weeks.