Today I'm cutting up the rest of that roll of rewire I bought last week and
making tomato cages . I'm cutting them so I can overlap the wires leaving
about 2" between verts . The overlap gets MIGged to the verts , two tacks
per horizontal wire . If my calculations are correct , I'll have about 20
feet of wire left to use for supporting the pole beans .
Might make those into zigzags so they'll stand without support . Once the
beans start climbing they're not going anywhere ...
--
Snag

On 1/27/2015 11:39 AM, Terry Coombs wrote:
Today I'm cutting up the rest of that roll of rewire I bought last week and
making tomato cages . I'm cutting them so I can overlap the wires leaving
about 2" between verts . The overlap gets MIGged to the verts , two tacks
per horizontal wire . If my calculations are correct , I'll have about 20
feet of wire left to use for supporting the pole beans .
Might make those into zigzags so they'll stand without support . Once the
beans start climbing they're not going anywhere ...



I've used cages for years, often without satisfaction. This year, I'm
going to try to "string train" my tomatoes. I saw a friend do it and it
worked out well for her and not too much work. I tried Shallots last
year and all, of them failed miserably. Maybe I will try Cannabis...

"Terry Coombs" wrote in message
...
Today I'm cutting up the rest of that roll of rewire I bought last
week and making tomato cages . I'm cutting them so I can overlap the
wires leaving about 2" between verts . The overlap gets MIGged to
the verts , two tacks per horizontal wire . If my calculations are
correct , I'll have about 20 feet of wire left to use for supporting
the pole beans .
Might make those into zigzags so they'll stand without support .
Once the beans start climbing they're not going anywhere ...
--
Snag

There's no thought of growing plants here until the Ice Age ends.

My metalworking has been shearing and bending sheet steel from a
scrapped above-ground pool liner into U channel for a generator
noise-reducing enclosure made from 2' x 4' fireproof ceiling tiles,
which need the channel to protect their crumbly edges.

The pool steel is easily within the capacity of my cheap 3-in-1
machine, of a decent hardness and stiffness, and the coating doesn't
rub off in the brake. It's really pretty good stuff for the price of
taking the pool down with an air shear.

The thicker top rails and vertical columns are too much for the 3-in-1
but within range of hammer forming, and this 24 TPI blade cuts them.
http://www.amazon.com/Bosch-BS6412-2.../dp/B0062IBH6A

-jsw

Tom Gardner wrote:
On 1/27/2015 11:39 AM, Terry Coombs wrote:
Today I'm cutting up the rest of that roll of rewire I bought last
week and making tomato cages . I'm cutting them so I can overlap the
wires leaving about 2" between verts . The overlap gets MIGged to
the verts , two tacks per horizontal wire . If my calculations are
correct , I'll have about 20 feet of wire left to use for supporting
the pole beans . Might make those into zigzags so they'll stand
without support . Once the beans start climbing they're not going
anywhere ...


I've used cages for years, often without satisfaction. This year, I'm
going to try to "string train" my tomatoes. I saw a friend do it and
it worked out well for her and not too much work. I tried Shallots
last year and all, of them failed miserably. Maybe I will try
Cannabis...

Plant it in the cages with the tomatoes ... or so I've been told . Last
year my tomatoes were easily 2 feet over the tops of the 5' cages . My
biggest mistake was planting the pole beans too close to the 'maters . They
ended up sharing several of the cages and both suffered .

--
Snag

On Tue, 27 Jan 2015 11:50:29 -0500, Tom Gardner
wrote:

On 1/27/2015 11:39 AM, Terry Coombs wrote:
Today I'm cutting up the rest of that roll of rewire I bought last week and
making tomato cages . I'm cutting them so I can overlap the wires leaving
about 2" between verts . The overlap gets MIGged to the verts , two tacks
per horizontal wire . If my calculations are correct , I'll have about 20
feet of wire left to use for supporting the pole beans .
Might make those into zigzags so they'll stand without support . Once the
beans start climbing they're not going anywhere ...


I've used cages for years, often without satisfaction. This year, I'm
going to try to "string train" my tomatoes. I saw a friend do it and it
worked out well for her and not too much work. I tried Shallots last
year and all, of them failed miserably. Maybe I will try Cannabis...
======================
In cased you missed these, here are some YouTube videos on
tomato single vine pruning and string training.
http://tinyurl.com/lvaz2wk
http://tinyurl.com/mtbpbpb


--
Unka' George

"Gold is the money of kings,
silver is the money of gentlemen,
barter is the money of peasants,
but debt is the money of slaves"

-Norm Franz, "Money and Wealth in the New Millenium"

F. George McDuffee wrote:
On Tue, 27 Jan 2015 11:50:29 -0500, Tom Gardner
wrote:

On 1/27/2015 11:39 AM, Terry Coombs wrote:
Today I'm cutting up the rest of that roll of rewire I bought last
week and making tomato cages . I'm cutting them so I can overlap
the wires leaving about 2" between verts . The overlap gets MIGged
to the verts , two tacks per horizontal wire . If my calculations
are correct , I'll have about 20 feet of wire left to use for
supporting the pole beans . Might make those into zigzags so
they'll stand without support . Once the beans start climbing
they're not going anywhere ...


I've used cages for years, often without satisfaction. This year,
I'm going to try to "string train" my tomatoes. I saw a friend do
it and it worked out well for her and not too much work. I tried
Shallots last year and all, of them failed miserably. Maybe I will
try Cannabis...
======================
In cased you missed these, here are some YouTube videos on
tomato single vine pruning and string training.
http://tinyurl.com/lvaz2wk
http://tinyurl.com/mtbpbpb

NO , NO , NO ! I have cages , EVERYBODY has to use cages ! grin I'll
look at the videos after the wife goes to bed , when I interrupt her TV
programs she gets ... well I'll wait until she goes to bed .
All the tomatoes and peppers I want to grow this year are planted in
starter cells now , as soon as they sprout they'll go under a grow light and
other stuff (flowers mostly , because she likes them) will go into the
covered germination trays .
Hey Tom , we're going to get some strawberries this year , I recall you
grow some too . Ours are Ozark Beauty , and looks like we'll have close to a
hundres plants this year - we didn't take any fruit last year so they'd
multiply . They did , we started with 14 .

Snag
Kinnardly wait .

On 1/27/2015 5:44 PM, F. George McDuffee wrote:
======================
In cased you missed these, here are some YouTube videos on
tomato single vine pruning and string training.
http://tinyurl.com/lvaz2wk
http://tinyurl.com/mtbpbpb



Excellent!

On 1/27/2015 6:52 PM, Terry Coombs wrote:
Hey Tom , we're going to get some strawberries this year , I recall you
grow some too . Ours are Ozark Beauty , and looks like we'll have close to a
hundres plants this year - we didn't take any fruit last year so they'd
multiply . They did , we started with 14 .

Snag
Kinnardly wait .



The strawberries took over a huge patch of river stone. I can't believe
anything would grow there. We didn't get any fruit, maybe the critters
did. I don't know how much trouble they will be worth, around here they
go for $2/qt and they are big and sweet. The corn is great here too,
this year I will fill the freezer.

On Wed, 28 Jan 2015 04:45:47 -0500, Tom Gardner
wrote:

On 1/27/2015 6:52 PM, Terry Coombs wrote:
Hey Tom , we're going to get some strawberries this year , I recall you
grow some too . Ours are Ozark Beauty , and looks like we'll have close to a
hundres plants this year - we didn't take any fruit last year so they'd
multiply . They did , we started with 14 .

Snag
Kinnardly wait .

The strawberries took over a huge patch of river stone. I can't believe
anything would grow there. We didn't get any fruit, maybe the critters
did. I don't know how much trouble they will be worth, around here they
go for $2/qt and they are big and sweet. The corn is great here too,
this year I will fill the freezer.

Berries sound good, so maybe I'll join you guys this year. I usually
plant lettuce, radishes, basil, zucchini, and cantaloupe. Last year,
I planted some Japanese eggplant too late and the fingerlings caught
the first frost. It's time to double my planting area and get in some
beans, some potatoes, and maybe some more broccoli. I like the larger
-established- commercial plant output more than what I get from a
yearly crop, though.

So much of commercial plantings are all GMOs that I'm developing an
allergy to corn. It's in everything. Too much corn in my diet
weakens my grip by half and makes my wrists ache badly. (It was hell
figuring that one out.) Anyway, I plant all heritage seed and mulch
with compost for a good, healthy crop. I'm a NO TILL kind of guy, a
fact which makes Spring a whole lot easier. Oh, I was given a kilo of
mycorrhiza when I took the 2009 Oregon Master Gardener course and it
works great. The company is local so we received a wonderful gift.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wFjJ844YeDo their video

That class burned me out from gardening for a long time. Talk about a
cram course! Highly recommended, though. If you have one near you,
take it! We filled a 3" binder and covered every word in the syllabus
in 11 weeks. Perhaps it's time to go back through it again to finish
comprehending what was taught.

--
If more sane people were armed,
crazy people would get off fewer shots.
Support the 2nd Amendment

Larry Jaques wrote:

So much of commercial plantings are all GMOs that I'm developing an
allergy to corn. It's in everything. Too much corn in my diet
weakens my grip by half and makes my wrists ache badly. (It was hell
figuring that one out.)

I'm betting if you really investigated , it's not the corn itself but the
glyphosate they apply to it . "They" say it has no effect , but my wife
developed a severe sensitivity to corn products around the same time they
started using Roundup heavily in RR crops and I've seen studies that bear
this out . And it's in EVERYTHING as you say . Corn syrup , so many people
started avoiding HFCS that now they're labeling it as "fructose" or other
misleading label . Don't be fooled , it's still there . And it's a major
reason I grow as much of our food as I can .
This year we're growing 5 varieties of tomatoes , 4 peppers , cukes and
zukes and summer squash , pole beans and garlic and onions and , and ...
even some okra . Taters and corn weren't worth the effort for what I got ,
and grains are a bit out of my reach - for now . I'd love to find a source
for non-GMO hard red wheat , I've been told the GMO stuff is no longer as
nutritious as what we had in the past .
OK , off my soapbox ...
--
Snag

On 1/28/2015 9:40 AM, Larry Jaques wrote:
I planted some Japanese eggplant too late and the fingerlings caught
the first frost.

I used to like egplant until I found out they have absolutely no
nutritional value, just a vehicle for cheese and tomato sauce.


So much of commercial plantings are all GMOs that I'm developing an
allergy to corn. It's in everything. Too much corn in my diet
weakens my grip by half and makes my wrists ache badly. (It was hell
figuring that one out.)

So much for your love life!


Dad had a green thumb and never seemed to actually do any work in his
gardens. Us kids must have the gene, we all garden and don't work hard
at it. I think I'm the black sheep as I have had more failures than my
sibs.

On 1/28/2015 11:07 AM, Terry Coombs wrote:
Larry Jaques wrote:

So much of commercial plantings are all GMOs that I'm developing an
allergy to corn. It's in everything. Too much corn in my diet
weakens my grip by half and makes my wrists ache badly. (It was hell
figuring that one out.)

I'm betting if you really investigated , it's not the corn itself but the
glyphosate they apply to it . "They" say it has no effect , but my wife
developed a severe sensitivity to corn products around the same time they
started using Roundup heavily in RR crops and I've seen studies that bear
this out . And it's in EVERYTHING as you say . Corn syrup , so many people
started avoiding HFCS that now they're labeling it as "fructose" or other
misleading label . Don't be fooled , it's still there . And it's a major
reason I grow as much of our food as I can .
This year we're growing 5 varieties of tomatoes , 4 peppers , cukes and
zukes and summer squash , pole beans and garlic and onions and , and ...
even some okra . Taters and corn weren't worth the effort for what I got ,
and grains are a bit out of my reach - for now . I'd love to find a source
for non-GMO hard red wheat , I've been told the GMO stuff is no longer as
nutritious as what we had in the past .
OK , off my soapbox ...



Ambitious!

On 01/28/2015 8:40 AM, Larry Jaques wrote:
....

So much of commercial plantings are all GMOs that I'm developing an
allergy to corn. It's in everything. Too much corn in my diet
weakens my grip by half and makes my wrists ache badly. (It was hell
figuring that one out.) ...

_Many_ people have (particularly) yellow corn allergies and it has
nothing to do with GMOs. Try restricting to white corn instead albeit
it's harder to find.

--

On Wed, 28 Jan 2015 10:44:11 -0600, dpb wrote:

On 01/28/2015 8:40 AM, Larry Jaques wrote:
...

So much of commercial plantings are all GMOs that I'm developing an
allergy to corn. It's in everything. Too much corn in my diet
weakens my grip by half and makes my wrists ache badly. (It was hell
figuring that one out.) ...

_Many_ people have (particularly) yellow corn allergies and it has
nothing to do with GMOs. Try restricting to white corn instead albeit
it's harder to find.

Larry's symptoms sound more like hyperkalemia -- a reaction to
potassium -- than a corn allergy. Does he use a salt substitute? Does
he get the same symptoms from eating a lot of potatoes?

--
Ed Huntress

On 01/28/2015 10:07 AM, Terry Coombs wrote:
....

... I'd love to find a source
for non-GMO hard red wheat , I've been told the GMO stuff is no longer as
nutritious as what we had in the past .

You've been told a pile of malarkey. There's a tremendous
counter-culture arising that has virtually no knowledge of actual real
plant genetics or production practices that thrives on emotionalism and
sensationalism.

Any and all hard red wheat is "non-GMO". There are _NO_ GMO-altered
wheat varieties, red, white, or durum.

Commercial wheat varieties are conventional hybrids produced the same
way as wheat has been bred for hundreds/thousands of years.

KS wheat producer...

--

On 01/28/2015 10:30 AM, Tom Gardner wrote:
....

Dad had a green thumb and never seemed to actually do any work in his
gardens. Us kids must have the gene, we all garden and don't work hard
at it. I think I'm the black sheep as I have had more failures than my
sibs.

I'd guess there's far more of that attributable to "location, location,
location" than any human trait or gene...

Come try gardening in SW KS and see how little work you can get away
with and have anything...

--

On 01/28/2015 10:53 AM, dpb wrote:
....

You've been told a pile of malarkey. There's a tremendous
counter-culture arising that has virtually no knowledge of actual real
plant genetics or production practices that thrives on emotionalism and
sensationalism.

....

Much like the other bunch that have started the "no-vaccination"
movement out of an unwarranted fear. So now after 50+ years of no cases
of measles, whooping cough and other childhood (primarily) diseases we
have outbreaks popping up all around these yuppie havens primarily which
are the centers of the cults.

When there's too much affluence and too little needed to have to do to
survive, combined with an appalling lack of real education even in these
areas, then there's time for such nonsense to flourish when, for the
most part, folks are insulated from the negative effects of poor choices
and superstition and rumor replace scientific evidence.

--

dpb wrote:
On 01/28/2015 10:07 AM, Terry Coombs wrote:
...

... I'd love to find a source
for non-GMO hard red wheat , I've been told the GMO stuff is no
longer as nutritious as what we had in the past .

You've been told a pile of malarkey. There's a tremendous
counter-culture arising that has virtually no knowledge of actual real
plant genetics or production practices that thrives on emotionalism
and sensationalism.

Any and all hard red wheat is "non-GMO". There are _NO_ GMO-altered
wheat varieties, red, white, or durum.

Commercial wheat varieties are conventional hybrids produced the same
way as wheat has been bred for hundreds/thousands of years.

KS wheat producer...

OK , I was misinformed . It happens .

--
Snag

Tom Gardner wrote:
On 1/28/2015 11:07 AM, Terry Coombs wrote:
Larry Jaques wrote:

So much of commercial plantings are all GMOs that I'm developing an
allergy to corn. It's in everything. Too much corn in my diet
weakens my grip by half and makes my wrists ache badly. (It was hell
figuring that one out.)

I'm betting if you really investigated , it's not the corn itself
but the glyphosate they apply to it . "They" say it has no effect ,
but my wife developed a severe sensitivity to corn products around
the same time they started using Roundup heavily in RR crops and
I've seen studies that bear this out . And it's in EVERYTHING as you
say . Corn syrup , so many people started avoiding HFCS that now
they're labeling it as "fructose" or other misleading label . Don't
be fooled , it's still there . And it's a major reason I grow as
much of our food as I can . This year we're growing 5 varieties
of tomatoes , 4 peppers , cukes and zukes and summer squash , pole
beans and garlic and onions and , and ... even some okra . Taters
and corn weren't worth the effort for what I got , and grains are a
bit out of my reach - for now . I'd love to find a source for
non-GMO hard red wheat , I've been told the GMO stuff is no longer
as nutritious as what we had in the past . OK , off my soapbox ...



Ambitious!

Well , maybe . But I'm retired now and have the time . Actually , after
it's all in and growing I do little but monitor plant health and pull
weeds/grasses . I have just over 500 SF in my garden , and am practicing
some pretty intensive cropping . Stuff is close together , makes it easier
to keep weeds down as the crops shade them .

--
Snag

On Wed, 28 Jan 2015 16:39:44 -0600, "Terry Coombs"
wrote:

Tom Gardner wrote:
On 1/28/2015 11:07 AM, Terry Coombs wrote:
Larry Jaques wrote:

So much of commercial plantings are all GMOs that I'm developing an
allergy to corn. It's in everything. Too much corn in my diet
weakens my grip by half and makes my wrists ache badly. (It was hell
figuring that one out.)

I'm betting if you really investigated , it's not the corn itself
but the glyphosate they apply to it . "They" say it has no effect ,
but my wife developed a severe sensitivity to corn products around
the same time they started using Roundup heavily in RR crops and
I've seen studies that bear this out . And it's in EVERYTHING as you
say . Corn syrup , so many people started avoiding HFCS that now
they're labeling it as "fructose" or other misleading label . Don't
be fooled , it's still there . And it's a major reason I grow as
much of our food as I can . This year we're growing 5 varieties
of tomatoes , 4 peppers , cukes and zukes and summer squash , pole
beans and garlic and onions and , and ... even some okra . Taters
and corn weren't worth the effort for what I got , and grains are a
bit out of my reach - for now . I'd love to find a source for
non-GMO hard red wheat , I've been told the GMO stuff is no longer
as nutritious as what we had in the past . OK , off my soapbox ...



Ambitious!

Well , maybe . But I'm retired now and have the time . Actually , after
it's all in and growing I do little but monitor plant health and pull
weeds/grasses . I have just over 500 SF in my garden , and am practicing
some pretty intensive cropping . Stuff is close together , makes it easier
to keep weeds down as the crops shade them .
================

You may want to take a look at the Dutch/Barto bucket
outdoor hydroponics, as you are doing intensive cropping.
It eliminates weeding and eliminates all but the airborne
pests.

http://tinyurl.com/p69whdk
http://tinyurl.com/kvllq2t


--
Unka' George

"Gold is the money of kings,
silver is the money of gentlemen,
barter is the money of peasants,
but debt is the money of slaves"

-Norm Franz, "Money and Wealth in the New Millenium"

On Wed, 28 Jan 2015 10:07:44 -0600, "Terry Coombs"
wrote:

Larry Jaques wrote:

So much of commercial plantings are all GMOs that I'm developing an
allergy to corn. It's in everything. Too much corn in my diet
weakens my grip by half and makes my wrists ache badly. (It was hell
figuring that one out.)

I'm betting if you really investigated , it's not the corn itself but the
glyphosate they apply to it . "They" say it has no effect , but my wife
developed a severe sensitivity to corn products around the same time they
started using Roundup heavily in RR crops and I've seen studies that bear
this out . And it's in EVERYTHING as you say . Corn syrup , so many people
started avoiding HFCS that now they're labeling it as "fructose" or other
misleading label . Don't be fooled , it's still there . And it's a major
reason I grow as much of our food as I can .

Yeah, I need to grow more of my own food NOW.


This year we're growing 5 varieties of tomatoes , 4 peppers , cukes and
zukes and summer squash , pole beans and garlic and onions and , and ...
even some okra .

I picked up a 6-pack of tomatoes one year, and just about the time the
little guys were globing, I noticed that two of them were putting out
darker green pentagonal tubes instead of globes. A week later, I
realized that it was two okra plants. They looked absolutely
identical except for the fruit. It turned out to be extremely tasty.
I hadn't had any fresh okra since growing up in Arkansas.


Taters and corn weren't worth the effort for what I got ,

What? Taters are so easy, and fresh taste better than store-bought
crap. I remember the difference between ancient corn in the store vs
a cob ripped from my own hand-raised stalk. Worlds apart.


and grains are a bit out of my reach - for now . I'd love to find a source
for non-GMO hard red wheat , I've been told the GMO stuff is no longer as
nutritious as what we had in the past .
OK , off my soapbox ...

Bob's Red Mill has tons of non-GMO stuff, and it's often cheaper than
health food store sourcing. I just ordered some Bob's date pieces
from Amazon. It's very good in cereal in the morning.

Non-GMO wheat abounds, for now.
https://www.google.com/search?q=non-...utf-8&oe=utf-8

--
If more sane people were armed,
crazy people would get off fewer shots.
Support the 2nd Amendment

On Wed, 28 Jan 2015 16:39:44 -0600, "Terry Coombs"
wrote:

Tom Gardner wrote:
On 1/28/2015 11:07 AM, Terry Coombs wrote:
Larry Jaques wrote:

So much of commercial plantings are all GMOs that I'm developing an
allergy to corn. It's in everything. Too much corn in my diet
weakens my grip by half and makes my wrists ache badly. (It was hell
figuring that one out.)

I'm betting if you really investigated , it's not the corn itself
but the glyphosate they apply to it . "They" say it has no effect ,
but my wife developed a severe sensitivity to corn products around
the same time they started using Roundup heavily in RR crops and
I've seen studies that bear this out . And it's in EVERYTHING as you
say . Corn syrup , so many people started avoiding HFCS that now
they're labeling it as "fructose" or other misleading label . Don't
be fooled , it's still there . And it's a major reason I grow as
much of our food as I can . This year we're growing 5 varieties
of tomatoes , 4 peppers , cukes and zukes and summer squash , pole
beans and garlic and onions and , and ... even some okra . Taters
and corn weren't worth the effort for what I got , and grains are a
bit out of my reach - for now . I'd love to find a source for
non-GMO hard red wheat , I've been told the GMO stuff is no longer
as nutritious as what we had in the past . OK , off my soapbox ...



Ambitious!

Well , maybe . But I'm retired now and have the time . Actually , after
it's all in and growing I do little but monitor plant health and pull
weeds/grasses . I have just over 500 SF in my garden , and am practicing

500s/f is a lot of garden, Terry! Are you (I almost said "Is the old
lady...") canning it?


some pretty intensive cropping . Stuff is close together , makes it easier
to keep weeds down as the crops shade them .

Intensive is good. BUT, it can be interesting finding plants which
will grow well in the shade of other plants. I found out this year
that Japanese eggplant wants FULL HARD SUN. The arrogant bastids must
think they're tomatoes, or something.

--
If more sane people were armed,
crazy people would get off fewer shots.
Support the 2nd Amendment

On Wed, 28 Jan 2015 11:30:33 -0500, Tom Gardner
wrote:

On 1/28/2015 9:40 AM, Larry Jaques wrote:
I planted some Japanese eggplant too late and the fingerlings caught
the first frost.

I used to like egplant until I found out they have absolutely no
nutritional value, just a vehicle for cheese and tomato sauce.

That's enough of a reason for me. You?
I miss the 3# of eggplant parmigiana I got from a little Eyetalyun
restaurant in Vista for $2 way back when. It was priced that way for
a decade, at least. I got 3 full meals out of one tin.


So much of commercial plantings are all GMOs that I'm developing an
allergy to corn. It's in everything. Too much corn in my diet
weakens my grip by half and makes my wrists ache badly. (It was hell
figuring that one out.)

So much for your love life!

Indeed, and it hit me even though I'm ambidextrous!


Dad had a green thumb and never seemed to actually do any work in his
gardens. Us kids must have the gene, we all garden and don't work hard
at it. I think I'm the black sheep as I have had more failures than my
sibs.

I have various black and green thumb experiences behind me. I never
know which until the end. shrug

--
If more sane people were armed,
crazy people would get off fewer shots.
Support the 2nd Amendment

Larry Jaques wrote:
On Wed, 28 Jan 2015 16:39:44 -0600, "Terry Coombs"
wrote:

But I'm retired now and have the time . Actually ,
after it's all in and growing I do little but monitor plant health
and pull weeds/grasses . I have just over 500 SF in my garden , and
am practicing

500s/f is a lot of garden, Terry! Are you (I almost said "Is the old
lady...") canning it?


The agreement was that I'd grow and pick , she'd can or freeze . Didn't
exactly work out that way ... she does most of the canning except for the
actual processing , I do most of the freezer stuff . And she'll do jam , but
I do jelly - and wine ... I need to start another batch of muscadine wine ,
there's still like 5 gallons in the freezer and 3 of blackberries .


some pretty intensive cropping . Stuff is close together , makes it
easier to keep weeds down as the crops shade them .

Intensive is good. BUT, it can be interesting finding plants which
will grow well in the shade of other plants. I found out this year
that Japanese eggplant wants FULL HARD SUN. The arrogant bastids must
think they're tomatoes, or something.

I tried eggplants last year , they didn't do well . The way I've got it
laid out everything that needs full sun gets at least 6-8 hours a day .
Tallest stuff is closer to the northeast tree line (except strawberries and
by the time they're shaded they'll be done producing) , so by about 10 AM
it's all in the sun . Rows are oriented nw to se , and the land slopes down
slightly to the west . Most everything will get at least decent sunlight
until just before sundown , the trees to the west are smaller in addition to
being downhill . My biggest mistake last year was to let the beans grow over
onto the tomato cages , both suffered decreased yields .
It's been a learning curve the first couple of years , but last year was
better than the first and I expect this year to better yet . Well , the
strawberries alone will make it better .

Snag

Got tomatoes , basil , and oregano sprouting already , just planted them
on Saturday . Tomorrow I hang the grow lights .

On Wed, 28 Jan 2015 11:36:45 -0600, dpb wrote:

On 01/28/2015 10:53 AM, dpb wrote:
...

You've been told a pile of malarkey. There's a tremendous
counter-culture arising that has virtually no knowledge of actual real
plant genetics or production practices that thrives on emotionalism and
sensationalism.

...

Much like the other bunch that have started the "no-vaccination"
movement out of an unwarranted fear. So now after 50+ years of no cases
of measles, whooping cough and other childhood (primarily) diseases we
have outbreaks popping up all around these yuppie havens primarily which
are the centers of the cults.

When there's too much affluence and too little needed to have to do to
survive, combined with an appalling lack of real education even in these
areas, then there's time for such nonsense to flourish when, for the
most part, folks are insulated from the negative effects of poor choices
and superstition and rumor replace scientific evidence.

Particularly when the concept of vaccination came from seeing that
those who caught cow pox, a milder form of small pox did not catch the
more virulent disease. It was said that while Jenner was studying cow
pox a Milkmaid told him that she couldn't catch small pox because she
had had cow pox, so apparently the peasant knew about this before the
Rich Folk in the Big House did :-)


--
Cheers,

John B.