Sunday, January 26, 2020
Shop lights
Picked up some shop light housing and T8 bulbs 2600 lumens, 6500k a few weeks ago. Made more progress on setting them up today. This will be quite a bit cheaper than the lights I bought from Lee Valley a few years ago. Hopefully they all work well.
Tuberous begonias have been started
Started the tuberous begonias today. This is later than last year, when I started them on January 12th which I felt ended up being too early.
Wednesday, December 25, 2019
Lighting (reference)
Came across this excellent video to understanding what to look for when buying lights. Various notes while watching the video are below.
Website link: https://therustedgarden.blogspot.com/2019/12/starting-seeds-indoors-video-series-how.html
Direct video link: https://youtu.be/z1pM_JfLWhM
He recommends 6500K, with 2500 to 3000 lumens. "Try to get close to 6500K for daylight and well over 2000 lumens (2500-3000), you'll be good to go."
You want 5000 to 6500K. That's what daylight is.
The higher the lumens (3000, 4000, 5000), the 6500K can move down to 5000, 4000.
Lumens is the intensity/brightness of the light.
Make sure it has at least a 2-ft cord, maybe 4-ft cord (so they can be plugged into outlet). (Without a cord is meant to be hard-wired into ceiling.)
12, 14, 16 hours of daylight. Have at least 8 hours of darkness.
Get a fixture too.
A couple of specific examples from the video:
Hyper Tough, 4-foot led shop light, with pull chain switch, 250, 45, daylight, 5000 lumens, 45 years of life. This one doesn't give the kelvin, but it says daylight, which will be ~5000-6500.
Philips Deluxe Daylight High Color Rendering Lamps, 32 watts, 48 inch, T8, 2600 lumens, color temperature 6500k. Other Ts work too, but when you buy the bulbs, make sure you buy a T8 fixture.
Website link: https://therustedgarden.blogspot.com/2019/12/starting-seeds-indoors-video-series-how.html
Direct video link: https://youtu.be/z1pM_JfLWhM
He recommends 6500K, with 2500 to 3000 lumens. "Try to get close to 6500K for daylight and well over 2000 lumens (2500-3000), you'll be good to go."
You want 5000 to 6500K. That's what daylight is.
The higher the lumens (3000, 4000, 5000), the 6500K can move down to 5000, 4000.
Lumens is the intensity/brightness of the light.
Make sure it has at least a 2-ft cord, maybe 4-ft cord (so they can be plugged into outlet). (Without a cord is meant to be hard-wired into ceiling.)
12, 14, 16 hours of daylight. Have at least 8 hours of darkness.
Get a fixture too.
A couple of specific examples from the video:
Hyper Tough, 4-foot led shop light, with pull chain switch, 250, 45, daylight, 5000 lumens, 45 years of life. This one doesn't give the kelvin, but it says daylight, which will be ~5000-6500.
Philips Deluxe Daylight High Color Rendering Lamps, 32 watts, 48 inch, T8, 2600 lumens, color temperature 6500k. Other Ts work too, but when you buy the bulbs, make sure you buy a T8 fixture.
Tuesday, December 10, 2019
Peas self-sprouting
Noticed a bunch of peas have sprouted near where the peas were this summer. I wonder if they'll survive winter and grow fully next spring?
Monday, November 4, 2019
First frost was last night
Or at least, there was heavy frost on the grass and everything around. I pulled almost all the zinnias etc. already, so I don't know for sure but pretty sure.
Sunday, November 3, 2019
Planted garlic
Planted the garlic today. (Was a little late due to being busy with many OT hours at work)
Two kinds:
- German White. These cloves were nice and big, so I wonder if they'll produce nice big cloves. 13 cloves planted in total. All are along the front edge of the north wall.
- Duganski. These cloves were on the smaller size. ~19 cloves planted in total. They're in a few places: Most are along the back edge of the north wall; 2 behind the air conditioner; 1 in in the broken pot; and 3 in each of the terra cotta planters.
Also -- while doing this I found two cloves in the soil that appear (smell) to be garlic too. I split them apart and put then in the NW corner of the north wall, right next to the compost bin. They'll get zero sun, nothing else growing there so figured it could be a little experiment to see if they do anything.
Two kinds:
- German White. These cloves were nice and big, so I wonder if they'll produce nice big cloves. 13 cloves planted in total. All are along the front edge of the north wall.
- Duganski. These cloves were on the smaller size. ~19 cloves planted in total. They're in a few places: Most are along the back edge of the north wall; 2 behind the air conditioner; 1 in in the broken pot; and 3 in each of the terra cotta planters.
Also -- while doing this I found two cloves in the soil that appear (smell) to be garlic too. I split them apart and put then in the NW corner of the north wall, right next to the compost bin. They'll get zero sun, nothing else growing there so figured it could be a little experiment to see if they do anything.
Sunday, October 20, 2019
Malabar put away and didn't eat any of it :-(
The Malabar spinach grew very well but I never got around to eating any of it, and the leaves had those rusty specks all over them which was a bit off-putting. So, I removed it, to get ready to dig in the horse manure soon.
Just too much harvest of everything combined with not enough time to cook things due to working 25 hours a day, 8 days a week since late August.
Just too much harvest of everything combined with not enough time to cook things due to working 25 hours a day, 8 days a week since late August.
Still has not been frost yet (again) -- and saw praying mantis again today
More cold nights, but the zinnias are still intact so I know it hasn't been frost here yet.
Saw the praying mantis again today, still in that corner. By later in the afternoon she was hiding / out of sight again.
Also, my hopes are pretty guarded about her eggs hatching. It seems they lay eggs regardless whether they were fertilized or not. I would be surprised if she had run into a male to mate with.
Saw the praying mantis again today, still in that corner. By later in the afternoon she was hiding / out of sight again.
Also, my hopes are pretty guarded about her eggs hatching. It seems they lay eggs regardless whether they were fertilized or not. I would be surprised if she had run into a male to mate with.
Harvested all remaining beets and carrots
Harvested all the remaining beets and carrots, because I want to empty the beds so I can do this once-per-5-or-10-years injection of horse manure + grounded up dried leaves.
Carrots are usually a disappointing harvest, same as this year -- a lot of very short/stubby carrots. Some nice ones too though.
Beets were good, some huge ones, a lot of nice size and some teeny ones.
Carrots are usually a disappointing harvest, same as this year -- a lot of very short/stubby carrots. Some nice ones too though.
Beets were good, some huge ones, a lot of nice size and some teeny ones.
Pot potatoes = success!
Emptied out one of the container potatoes today (the experiment started August 4th with a mega-sprouted grocery store potato).
Wow! More potatoes than I thought! I nice double handful. I will definitely try this again next year, with an earlier start / longer season.
This might have been the one in which I put two potatoes. So, I won't be surprised if the remaining container produces fewer potatoes.
It's nice to not be poking holes into potatoes digging them out with a fork.
Wow! More potatoes than I thought! I nice double handful. I will definitely try this again next year, with an earlier start / longer season.
This might have been the one in which I put two potatoes. So, I won't be surprised if the remaining container produces fewer potatoes.
It's nice to not be poking holes into potatoes digging them out with a fork.
Sunday, October 13, 2019
I found the praying mantis AND her egg sac!!!!
While starting to put the garden to bed today, wonder of wonders, I found the praying mantis AND her egg sac!!!
First I spotted her, at the very top of the bamboo stake at the sorrel (NE corner). A few minutes later, I looked downward along the stake, and ------ voila!!!! The egg sac!
So cool.
I had been worried that in my cleaning up I would have accidentally removed her and/or her sac.
Now, I know exactly where the eggs are so can keep an eye on them next spring! Woo!
First I spotted her, at the very top of the bamboo stake at the sorrel (NE corner). A few minutes later, I looked downward along the stake, and ------ voila!!!! The egg sac!
So cool.
I had been worried that in my cleaning up I would have accidentally removed her and/or her sac.
Now, I know exactly where the eggs are so can keep an eye on them next spring! Woo!
Saturday, October 12, 2019
Still has not been frost yet
Some cold nights right down to around 0 degrees, but no frost yet. Zinnias, Malabar, etc., everything still un-touched by frost.
Monday, September 30, 2019
Has been warm fall; now some cold nights, but no frost yet
September was really nice, warm and sunny.
Lately we've had some cooler nights, single digits. And the forecast now is more seasonal, cooler.
No frost yet...
Lately we've had some cooler nights, single digits. And the forecast now is more seasonal, cooler.
No frost yet...
Sunday, September 29, 2019
Borers in a butternut and banana!!
Argh, a borer got into the top of one of the nice butternuts, right near the stem. Removed him/her; provided I eat the squash soon I think it will be fine.
And, a borer got into the stem of one of the banana squash (the stem close to the fruit). I think it was only one (removed). Will have to eat this one too sooner than later.
And, a borer got into the stem of one of the banana squash (the stem close to the fruit). I think it was only one (removed). Will have to eat this one too sooner than later.
All zucchini and almost all squash plants pulled
Pulled the two remaining zucchini because they were clearly not going to produce anything else.
Pulled the squash except for the vertical vine. The vines were dead in a lot of spots, including the butternut, not sure if because of the cold, or borers, or something else.
Pulled the squash except for the vertical vine. The vines were dead in a lot of spots, including the butternut, not sure if because of the cold, or borers, or something else.
Saturday, September 21, 2019
Apples at CM
Peak time for apples at CM!
Many varieties/trees had already fallen to the ground, but many others will still loaded up in the trees. I took almost exclusively from the trees, rather than the ground. A lot in really nice shape!
Brought home a big bag, for apple sauce.
Next year, try going a few weeks earlier than this, to try to catch the earlier ones that had already fallen to the ground today.
Many varieties/trees had already fallen to the ground, but many others will still loaded up in the trees. I took almost exclusively from the trees, rather than the ground. A lot in really nice shape!
Brought home a big bag, for apple sauce.
Next year, try going a few weeks earlier than this, to try to catch the earlier ones that had already fallen to the ground today.
Praying mantis in backyard!!!
Jasper found a praying mantis in the backyard!! He was standing on the back step looking into the window well. So, curious, I looked to see what might have caught his attention.
It was a huge, brown praying mantis, stuck in a spider web!!
Used a stick to retrieve the mantis, placed him/her on the zinnias. Took a bunch of photos. Later I moved him/her in the north back bed, just east of the cucumber trellis where I don't harvest anything and there's probably a nice diversity of critters.
I've only ever seen a praying mantis once before (while walking dogs in west greenbelt). So neat!
Hopefully I won't accidentally kill the mantis while moving about in the yard, harvesting, and putting things away...
It was a huge, brown praying mantis, stuck in a spider web!!
Used a stick to retrieve the mantis, placed him/her on the zinnias. Took a bunch of photos. Later I moved him/her in the north back bed, just east of the cucumber trellis where I don't harvest anything and there's probably a nice diversity of critters.
I've only ever seen a praying mantis once before (while walking dogs in west greenbelt). So neat!
Hopefully I won't accidentally kill the mantis while moving about in the yard, harvesting, and putting things away...
Monday, September 16, 2019
Harvested a zucchini today -- and more on the way (slower growing now)
Like the title says. Neat!
Weather has been really nice, warm sunny days. Nights go down to ~5 to 10 degrees.
Weather has been really nice, warm sunny days. Nights go down to ~5 to 10 degrees.
Sunday, September 8, 2019
Green zucchini succombed to SVB -- harvested its last zucchini today
Amazing it lasted so long, given I never used any btk or did any intervention at all on this plant. Harvested the last of its zucchinis today. I wonder if the ridiculous amount of leaves helped protect it, by making it harder for the moths to land closer to the stem? Who knows...
So, down to 2 zucchini plants now: The yellow by the air conditioner (harvested one from this today as well), and the last yellow in the west bed (some small ones on the way, we'll see if they make it).
So, down to 2 zucchini plants now: The yellow by the air conditioner (harvested one from this today as well), and the last yellow in the west bed (some small ones on the way, we'll see if they make it).
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