Comments for Urban Hayseed

Comment on Transplanting Carrots and Garbage Planters by Supercharge Cuttings Growth With Vermiculite and Peat Moss Mixture

Supercharge Cuttings Growth With Vermiculite and Peat Moss Mixture — Fri, 30 Sep 2011 04:49:43 +0000

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I approved this comment this only because… I think these things are funny. I used to work in the SEO business. It’s so… gross.

Comment on Grafted Tomatoes by Rian

Rian — Tue, 06 Sep 2011 18:16:04 +0000

Hi Alice,

Well, in answer to your questions, it’s growing like nuts, fruit has set (abundantly), and I’ve pruned a bit to give it some air but not as religiously as in years past when I’ve limited growth to a couple of stems. The fact is, I’ve got a new “job” that requires me to be out of town several days every week. That started, not coincidentally, right about the time I stopped blogging again. Hopefully, I’ll get back to the garden to take some pictures at least of the difference between the grafted and regular tomatoes.

One thing I learned pretty quickly is that my experiment would have made a hell of a lot more sense if I’d done it with the same varieties. I’m growing some Romas on their own roots and some beefsteaky varieties on the grafted. Apples and oranges, if you will. Last I was there, though, the tomatoes on the grafted roots were getting quite large and beginning to ripen. Assuming this weather holds, we may have something to taste test soon.

Rian

Comment on Grafted Tomatoes by Alice

Alice — Sat, 03 Sep 2011 01:08:47 +0000

Hi there, Rian!
So how’s your grafted tomato growing?
Fruit set?
Have you pruned?
Thanks for all you do on this blog!
Interesting stuff!
Alice

Comment on Rant From The Past: The Bee Geek Learns a Lesson by Rian

Rian — Wed, 15 Jun 2011 06:15:02 +0000

Best. Comment. Ever.

Comment on Controlling Leaf Miners by Lauren P

Lauren P — Wed, 15 Jun 2011 03:12:01 +0000

Hi Rian, I just discovered my leaf miners (in my chard and my arugula – gasp!). I came across your site in my online research. I thoroughly enjoyed reading your post on the matter and will seek out the neem if necessary.

Comment on Rant From The Past: The Bee Geek Learns a Lesson by bec

bec — Wed, 15 Jun 2011 02:58:21 +0000

Lies! All lies! Everyone is interested in your minutiae – and if they aren’t then they damned well should be. In a world of Jiffy Lube, fast food drive thrus and 9,000 cable channels (each with absolute dreck for programming) – some educated, thoughtful observations should not only be welcomed – they should be mandatory. I, for one, agree with you on all points of Mason Bee Nest construction. Heck, I’d never put much thought into it and now that you mention it, I’ll be changing out my nests at the next opportunity. During my daily interactions with the human race, I’m subjected to their religious beliefs, political alignment, thoughts on American Idol and 90% of the cell phone calls around me. Were any of those to actually impart some sort of useful information my way, I’d consider it a red-letter day. So you keep on keepin’ on, Rian. The world needs what you call minutia more than you think.

Comment on It’s only June, and it’s already SUNNY?! by Farmer Jen

Farmer Jen — Mon, 06 Jun 2011 00:29:40 +0000

Beautiful lettuce!

Comment on Columbine… but the not the shooting kind… by Farmer Jen

Farmer Jen — Mon, 06 Jun 2011 00:26:48 +0000

Nice flower photo, by the way.

Comment on Columbine… but the not the shooting kind… by Farmer Jen

Farmer Jen — Mon, 06 Jun 2011 00:26:23 +0000

What is the iPhone app called??

Comment on Mythology in Gardening: Compost Tea by Rian

Rian — Sun, 29 May 2011 18:15:34 +0000

Just to be clear, I’m a BIG fan of compost for several reasons, including the notable benefits to the tilth of the soil and the retention of all kinds of mass from the waste stream. I grant you that composting in Wisconsin (I’m from Minnesota, originally, by the by) presents some challenges, but in general, I just put the stuff out there, and if it freezes, so be it. In the spring, it fires right back up. The real trick to keeping a useful pile going, I think, is getting that carbon/nitrogen balance halfway right. A “big fail” in composting is when the thing goes anaerobic and starts to get stinky and gooey. Too much green waste, and it lives up to all the fears that people have. On the other hand, too much brown (and/or not enough water) and it just sits there, doing nothing.

I really only do the official “hot compost” a couple of times a year, when I have a lot of material available at once (spring and fall). Otherwise, I just keep a running pile that’s as often filled with soldier fly larvae or red wiggler worms as it is “hot”. Still, guess what, it all breaks down into a lovely, crumbly, black material (dotted with avocado pits) that pretty much obviates the need for buying soil amendments.

I’ll still fertilize with seed meal, bone meal, lime, etc. when I think the plants need a little extra love (particularly spring), but if I didn’t, I’d still have big, bushy veggies, I bet. I think the compost has a lot to do with the soil not getting tapped out.

It’s the whole “tea” thing that just gets thrown around like it’s a given. Yet, yeah, the more one researches the topic, the more obvious it seems that it’s more of a religious fixation than a scientific one. Worse than that, it’s actually potentially dangerous, especially to kids out there picking stuff off the vines and eating it.