Hardcover cheaper
Posted on 09/23/2023 6:03:30 AM PDT by Diana in Wisconsin
The Weekly Gardening Thread is a weekly gathering of folks that love soil, seeds and plants of all kinds. From complete newbies that are looking to start that first potted plant, to gardeners with some acreage, to Master Gardener level and beyond, we would love to hear from you.
If you have specific question about a plant/problem you are having, please remember to state the Growing Zone where you are located.
This thread is a non-political respite. No matter what, you won’t be flamed, and the only dumb question is the one that isn’t asked.
It is impossible to hijack the Weekly Gardening Thread. Planting, Harvest to Table Recipes, Preserving, Good Living - there is no telling where it will go - and that is part of the fun and interest. Jump in and join us! Send a Private Message to Diana in Wisconsin if you'd like to be added to our New & Improved Ping List.
NOTE: This is a once a week Ping List. We do post to the thread during the week. Links to related articles and discussions which might be of interest to Gardeners are welcomed any time!
True but I just use a little and no other added salt.
Good to know. I never ‘salt the soup’ either. I leave that up to the individual tastes of whoever is eating it - but I am going to try your suggestion as it should be Prime Soup Eating Season before we know it.
We had a short cool spell a few weeks ago and I couldn’t help myself and made ‘Saint Basil Soup’ (it has no ‘basil in it!) Am I the only one who likes to have soup for breakfast on cold winter mornings? ;)
If you don’t have ‘Twelve Months of Monastery Soups’ consider borrowing it from your library, or paperback copies can be had for cheap on amazon; it’s been around a while. Terrific recipes with simple (Home/Monastery grown) ingredients.
“Of soup and love, the first is best.” ~ Spanish Proverb
https://www.amazon.com/Twelve-Months-Monastery-Victor-DAvila-Latourrette/dp/0767901800
Johnny’s has a lot of stuff on sale right now.
https://www.johnnyseeds.com/sale/
https://www.johnnyseeds.com/sale/sale-tools-supplies/
https://www.johnnyseeds.com/sale/sale-vegetables/
Tons of row cover.
Of specific interest to me: Greenhouse/tunnel vents and vent openers & Greenhouse/tunnel plastic film.
Hardcover cheaper
Thank you! Their prices have skyrocketed in the past five years. I’ll take a look. :)
Ebay - 5 bucks and up
I cut off a bunch of top growth, and pinched out new “crotch” growth to try and get more to ripen. Hopefully it works.
"Greenhouses aren’t just for plants—they make comfortable homes, too. Now on the market near Gothenburg, Sweden, an A-frame greenhouse encloses a three-bedroom, two-bath residence, protecting inhabitants from the region’s frigid winters and keeping the energy bills low. Energy-efficient technology and solar panels further increase the ecological value of this home, which was built in 2015. As a bonus for gardeners, the greenhouse insulation creates a pleasant climate that’s perfect for growing apricots, tomatoes, kiwis, and grapes all throughout the year."
$864,000.00 ;)
I've added stuff to my car there before but never made the purchase. I did learn that you do not want to buy one packet of seeds because shipping will cost as much as, if not more than the seeds. I forget how many packets I made it up to before shipping took a big jump. Seems like 3-4 packets was the best deal but it could be 5-6 or something.
Been thinking about this pulse watering thing in my clayey loam.
https://pndcdahlia.com/Bulletins/PulseWateringforDahlias.pdf
I like the idea of watering overnight but will need a pressure sensor to automatically shut it down if the pressure drops out indicating a leak. Not a problem since I'm using industrial automation components. I don't see the need to wait for 3 hours between pulse sessions though.
My clayey soil takes up water a little slow but I think an hour would be fine. This soil has trouble taking in water before runoff occurs so I think less water, more often will be best. Maybe 2 minutes every hour for 10 hours. Seems like a better starting point for me. Maybe even 1-2 minutes every half hour for five hours. I could do that after the sun gets down behind the trees in the afternoon. Half an hour should be plenty of time for a cup or two of water to disperse.
My economy drip system doesn't have true emitters. It has small holes and they call it a soaker drip system. My little garden is on a slight grade and I've seen the drippers turn into a bunch of tiny streams running downhill. My big garden also has a slight grade and all gardens have little mounds and low spots and the rows tend to be higher than the aisles, even if you didn't try to hill the rows.
I'm off to town to do food shopping and grab an automotive relay which is the final thing I need to run the water pump on the controller(by day for now). Need to do daytime so I can observe the results of the pulse timings too. As noisy as this little pump is and as close to the house and my bedroom as my little garden is, no way I can run it at night anyway.
I've got one cheap soil moisture sensor that I'm going to stick in the ground and check the readings on. A shovel or trowel will be the real indicator though. Might make a core sampler from some conduit. If the sensor seems to be consistent and inline with observation, it might be worth using to shut down the drip system.
The goal is a 2 foot wide band of evenly moist soil with the drip line centered in it and the moisture going at least 6 inches down in the soil. The soil moisture sensor is almost 4 inches long so a change in readings out at the edge of the band should mean watering is pretty much done.
eg - I'm in Texas. Your root cellar in WI would be what? 10 feet deep to be effective?
Would I have to go 20 feet deep here?
I know there has to be a reference somewhere because I've read about 'passive heating/cooling' by digging (x amount deep depending on latitude) & venting the cooler/warmer air into the home...that kind of thing...
I’ve seen those monastery soups before. I never salt soup I am making. Hubby likes way more than I do and I go more for a complex rich broth so I don’t need the salt. I already have 15 bean with smoked hamhock, split pea, and potato leek in the freezer in 2 serving containers. I ver freeze chicken soup or any soup with noodles. Lately I have been using super fine noodles sometimes rice noodles. I have been buying frozen natural chicken backs from a guy up the road who had a whole organic business. I use those for soup and may add a chicken breast cut up for ore meat if I have one. Also add a dash of soy sauce and some better then boullion , not much just a teaspoonful per pot. I also got these online a couple of times and really like them to add some to chicken soup. A one pound bag make a lot of pots. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001VNKZQY?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details
I’m not sure that Root Cellars are a ‘thing’ in hot climates.
The space I want to use for ours is under the house, in the field stone basement which stays about 50 degrees year round.
I would say it’s 10 feet under the first floor of the house. The basement and the separate room I want to use, has field stone walls, built with local rock back in 1900. I’m 100% certain it was built as a Root Cellar when the house was first built. BUT - getting all of his ‘Boy Stuff’ out is where the problem lies!
Our basement is very, ‘Silence of the Lambs’ so I want MUCH brighter lighting down there, LOL!
I found this for you for starters:
https://journeywithjill.net/gardening/2016/07/04/store-potatoes-hot-humid-climate/
My Dad was a Prepper since for-ever. When I was moving him to Assisted Living and cleaning out his apartment, he had the second bedroom FULL of dried and condensed foods; CRATES of the stuff!
I am still going through his stash (too good to give up!) and have TONS of dehydrated veggies that I’m STILL adding to soups and stews...and will be for at least another year to come.
Thanks, Dad! ;)
Well that and after a few hours of pulling my hair out, I figured out my 12 volt house wiring has some bad wires. Yes, we have 12 vdc house wiring from when this place was off grid.
I'm using this controller instead of the square one with the backlit LCD screen.
I grabbed some old red LED lights that I had and have those turning on for 10 seconds and off for 10 seconds. Took a little bit to figure out how to that. You can turn things on/off or pulse them on/off. I found the pulse time duration setting. The LEDs are pulsing on for 10 seconds and is set to repeat every 20 seconds.
Now I can set it to pulse on for 2 minutes and repeat every 30 minutes. The settings also allow for time of day and start/end dates.
I'd been thinking of pulse as something that lasts for a second or so because in automation, it often simulates someone pushing a momentary button or pressing a key on a keypad.
Wow what a gift.
It's still just running LED lights instead of the pump. Gotta crawl under the house here shortly and run new wiring to the pump. Then I can reset the start/end times on this schedule and it's watering time.
The setup page above is accessed through a browser and the connection is Ethernet but it's strictly a local network. The controller has it's own mini web server software built in to serve the setup/control pages.
No one can hack into my home/industrial automation gadgets. Connecting to them requires being physically plugged into the network via Ethernet cable. The network hub I bought is an industrial unit and has an operating temperature range of -40 to +175 F and will live in the high tunnel. Controller, power supply, network hub and automotive relay will get mounted on the wall in the house for now since the little garden is right here.
This ControlByWeb controller doesn't have analog input capabilities so I can't connect the soil moisture sensor to it. I can read it with a multimeter for now. The other controller does have two analog inputs but requires writing ladder logic code. That will be an ongoing learning curve/project. I did figure out timers well enough to do the above irrigation schedule with it but for now, will use the easy one to keep the difficult one freed up for learning/programming.
Done with coffee. Time for socks, shoes and a crawl under the house.
Basements in old farmhouses are the worst. Crumbling stone or nitre on the walls...coal cinders on the dirt floor. You knew they kept roots and canning down there...you wondered if they kept their insane aunt down there as well! Brrr!
Crazy Aunties needed to eat, too, LOL!
The house foundation is solid...but we’ve been re-pouring foundation walls in the barn that have crumbled/shifted. One more section to go, but that entails digging out a bunch of dirt and Beau hasn’t gotten to that yet.
The original barn - built before the house - German priorities - burned to the ground in the 50’s, which weakened the foundation. It’s amazing that it’s lasted this long...it’s 123 years old. Cannot WAIT to get her ship-shape again. :)
1980-1990s There was a made for TV movie about a Farmer who had promised his wife a new house, but built a new barn instead. She was deeply hurt and with the children moved the household into the barn one day when he went into town.
In any case, in the old days (Middle Ages) The cattle and animals lived on the first floor and you lived on the 2nd! They produced some heat that helped warm your house and it was easier to go down to check on them, milk them etc.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.
