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Post by oldmobie on May 25, 2015 20:22:13 GMT -5
After planting cucumbers, gherkins and zuchini today, I took a little walk around the garden with my camera. First up was my "grab-bag" brassicas. They were sown from a collection of seeds that included Michihili Cabbage, Pak Choi, and either broccoli, cauliflower or romanesco (which all bloomed together). So I don't know what I have. It ain't bolting, though, so I'll let it grow.  Next is my first little sweetcorn patch, growing well. The second patch is out now, but nothing's up in it yet.  Most of my WinterSown tomatoes are overcoming the bad soil and growing up above the straw. They've had a little help. I found a Miracle Grow product made for tomatoes and fruits. It's low(ish) in phosphorous, so we tried it.  My pepper transplants are in the straw in the foreground. We put out 34. It looks like about 30 should make it. In the background is where the cukes, gherkins and zukes went in today.  A volunteer orach among the potatoes. It's volunteered so well I haven't actually sown any yet this year.  Some of the wheat and barley I got from steev . Pity I don't know yet how to tell its seedlings from any other young grass. I put it in containers so I'd know not to pull it.  Joseph Lofthouse 's landrace peas just coming into bloom.  Asparagus. Just put in this year. Looks like 5 out of 6 plants made it.  Ground zero for what I hope is the upcoming beanpocalypse. Pole beans nearest the trellis, bush outside of them. All for eating green. Dry beans will be a seperate planting in another bed.  Finally, my spuds from seed. (TPS) I managed to save one berry last year. Don't know if any of its seeds survived. Anthing else here is Joseph Lofthouse 's Bountiful.  |
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Post by templeton on May 25, 2015 21:12:46 GMT -5
trellis-o-rama!
Love the inverted parabolic arbor. Nice!
...maybe it's actually hyperbolic...
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Post by steev on May 26, 2015 1:09:10 GMT -5
Good thing you got some seed; the patches I put in look to have utterly failed and been eaten by weeds. Some of the other ~dozen I planted are looking like seed replacement/small increase; I kept small reserves of those I sent, so I look to better luck in them all next year, when the rain will doubtless return, or not, as Nature wills.
If I remember Physics 1A accurately, hyperbolic means non-bilateral, so goes up, but doesn't come down; the CD of quantum physics I listen to in my pump-house has two half-hour lectures; I've yet to make it through the first; I wake hours later when the player is off, remove the ear-phones, hit the composter, and rack out until >dawn; that stuff is as soporific as any of the math I ever took, more restful than edifying.
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Post by Al on May 26, 2015 15:56:10 GMT -5
A catenary curve is the shape assumed by a hanging chain or cable. A catenary arch is that catenary curve, inverted. Quite difficult to keep any kind of arch from sagging. My brassica cage is made from an old trampoline frame with plastic hoops forming supports for the netting roof. But wind & gravity are making it look a little sorry just now.
Can't quite remember what a parabola is, does a parabolic mirror focus any light that hits it on to a single point? Like the fancy new building in London popularly known as the Walkie Talkie, its curved frontage refects sunlight scorching paint & melting car dashboards across the street!
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Post by oldmobie on May 26, 2015 16:27:44 GMT -5
Can't quite remember what a parabola is... My main familiarity with the term comes from scientists trying to classify primate fossils. Human jaws are said to have a parabolic shape, apes having a more "boxy" shape. Based on that, I infer it's constantly curving, with no parallel parts. |
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Post by steev on May 26, 2015 17:45:11 GMT -5
Think Saint Louis Arch.
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Post by oldmobie on May 26, 2015 19:19:15 GMT -5
I'd probably get in trouble for growing pole beans up that, but the elevator for picking the top ones would be pretty cool! I could put the BUSH beans in the stadium next door... |
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Post by sevenmile on May 27, 2015 2:00:12 GMT -5
I'd probably get in trouble for growing pole beans up that, but the elevator for picking the top ones would be pretty cool! I could put the BUSH beans in the stadium next door... nice one!  |
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Post by oldmobie on May 28, 2015 21:08:15 GMT -5
Planted out most of the dry beans today under the old swing set. Joseph Lofthouse's landrace (bush beans) mostly, with Anasazi, Cherokee Trail of Tears and Rattlesnake pole beans placed to climb up the A frame posts. Next comes tepary beans in the old garden, hopefully tomorrow. |
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Post by templeton on May 28, 2015 23:49:58 GMT -5
oldmobie, rattlesnake bean, V Nice. Al, catenary, probably. I assume the limbs of a catenary approach parallel...just this side of infinty... t
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Post by oldmobie on May 28, 2015 23:59:14 GMT -5
Loved 'em as green beans last year. Heard they're good dry, but only had 5 seeds. I made sure to save some, plus reed sent some in a trade. This year they go in the green patch and the dry patch. |
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Post by oldmobie on Jun 4, 2015 15:29:22 GMT -5
Since last posting, we've planted tepary beans, watermelons, moschata squash, a spagetti squash, maxima squash, straightneck (pepo?), red/ white/ blue popcorn. (Since last year, I've gotten strawberry popcorn in a trade. I'm no longer trying to breed red coloration into a popcorn.)
With the exception of zucchini, which are in another garden 100-150ish feet away, all my squash are close together. Rows are 6 feet apart. I know crosses within the same species are more likely than between species, but maybe something of interest will come out of it.
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Post by flowerweaver on Jun 4, 2015 16:03:50 GMT -5
Looks very nice. I like your homemade spacing frame, too.
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Post by oldmobie on Jun 5, 2015 14:53:11 GMT -5
 I'm probably going to save seed from the smooth-leafed cabbage in the foreground. Unfortunately, I waited too long to taste it. It's bitter now, but I hope it was tasty before bolting. I like the looks of it, and it grew better for me than it's parents did.↑  Teparies germinating nicely.↑  Joseph Lofthouse 's landrace dry beans and reed 's rattlesnake catching up.↑  First signs of reproduction in steev 's wheat and barley!↑ |
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Post by oldmobie on Jun 5, 2015 15:45:50 GMT -5
Looks very nice. I like your homemade spacing frame, too. Then you oughta love this: quite possibly the redneckest garden tool in the history of ever!  Planting alone, I push the point of the stick into the ground until I can't see the taper. That's an inch to an inch and a half. Then flip it over, putting the end of the pipe into the hole. Drop the seed down the pipe. Planting with help is the same procedure, but I pull the pipe out of the clamps. One pokes, one drops.  Hats off to Joseph Lofthouse , who did the R&D to develop his (earlier) version. I started by making one similar to his, but I didn't like using it. It hurt my feet. Could be because I don't till, so my ground tends to be harder. Could be because I used too large diameter pipe. Could be because my bunions make my feet sensitive and I'm a wuss. At any rate, mine works well for me. It's an old fork or hoe handle, sharpened, and 3/4" PVC. The clamps are 1" PVC with a narrow section cut from the side, so that they're open, not a full cylindar. They're screwed to the handle. |
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