What did you do in the garden today?

[WthrLady]

Yes, & yes, I had them like 8 years ago. Didn't know you could get them a 2nd time till WthrLady told me so I had planned to ask the doc about the shot when I go in for my physical this year (I turned 50). Too late for that!

& thanks, the festival will be a great time.

I'm so sad I didn't make my appt right after we discussed this!

Well on the UPSIDE, right after the rash clears out, you can get your shingles shot. So....silver lining?!

 

[WthrLady]

Mr. Dog was a technical designer/troubleshooting supervisor for several electronics companies many years ago, before his last company shut their doors and sent his job to Taiwan with no notice, back in the early 00's.
He still has all his tools though, builds various devices out of ancient computer parts for fun (our 3rd bedroom is his electronic project "hoarder room" - I don't even go in there to vacuum)
He repaired our dryer by re-soldering things on the circuit board, after figuring out what mechanical parts needed replacing from getting ruined by the faulty circuit board - also cleaning out the mouse nests from the outlet pipe.
But hey, I did my part too, found and replaced the correct lint trap that had a hole!

I agree completely. Our water bill has improved noticeably since buying the new washer.

Our new one is a top-loader - Because of cost, but also with a top-loader, you can hit "pause" in the early part of the cycle to throw in that sock you dropped or kitchen towels you forgot about, which you can't do once a front-loader is full of water.

What I like best about it, instead of a big agitator that sticks up in the middle and twists all your laundry around it, it has a small agitator that turns in one direction, while the barrel turns in the opposite direction.
Not only does our normal laundry get cleaner with less water and the same amount of soap, It cleans large, dirty, hairy things like my horse blankets! Like, it really cleans them, instead of just swishing soapy water through the parts that weren't wrapped around the agitator, leaving a bunch of dirt in the middle of the blanket and another bunch of dirt to infect the next load. The best thing is, after I remove a clean horse blanket and hang it on the clothesline, I run the "clean out the washer" cycle, so our next loads are normal.

Mine you can. In fact, this one, which is a year old, and the one it replaced which was pftt I think 5 when the surge protector failed on the wall and lightning ate it, could be stopped mid cycle. They are SUPER high water efficiency and are never "full of water. The water stays in the lower portion of the tipped drum and the clothes are cycled and agitated in and out of the water and against each other with internal drum fins.

My first front load about 15 years ago (moving is hard on washers) wouldn't even open after a power outtage or the machine dying. Once it was locked it was locked. After it died, we had to bread the front door off to get the laundry out to get the machine to the dump.

 

[WthrLady]

Anybody use jars like this one?
This is not my pic. I just have seen these non-threaded jars in a lot of recipe photos and decided to hunt them down with some googling. I really like the glass lid and it seems like the rubber seals are reusable too.


View attachment 2826532

I love my weck. I only have a few. There's a learning curve, but not anything more difficult that we already manage.

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Watered the garden last night.
COOL today and dry air, so I'll slide the dehumidifier outside and do onions, drive the neighbors insane.
Several of the irrigation heads in the garden need replaced as they have degraded in the UV. Cheap crap I could only get online last year.
I'm prepping to trim the grape back a little and trying to figure out when to pull my peppers for over winter. Soon, but not too soon.

 

[Sally PB]

Our new one is a top-loader - Because of cost, but also with a top-loader, you can hit "pause" in the early part of the cycle to throw in that sock you dropped or kitchen towels you forgot about, which you can't do once a front-loader is full of water.

When we replaced our washer, I got a front loader. The ONLY downside to it that I have ever seen is not being able to toss in the sock you dropped once the cycle starts. I can live with that. Love that machine.

trying to figure out when to pull my peppers for over winter

I want to try over wintering a habanero plant for DH. Going by this article

https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/vegetables/pepper/overwintering-peppers.htm

it is possible. Is that what you do, @WthrLady? How much success have you had with it?

My peppers are not in pots, so I'm sure there will be a lot of root disturbance. Any suggestions on how to minimize that? DH sent me the link to this article and is excited by the possibilities of this!

 

[WthrLady]

When we replaced our washer, I got a front loader. The ONLY downside to it that I have ever seen is not being able to toss in the sock you dropped once the cycle starts. I can live with that. Love that machine.

I want to try over wintering a habanero plant for DH. Going by this article

https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/vegetables/pepper/overwintering-peppers.htm

it is possible. Is that what you do, @WthrLady? How much success have you had with it?

My peppers are not in pots, so I'm sure there will be a lot of root disturbance. Any suggestions on how to minimize that? DH sent me the link to this article and is excited by the possibilities of this!

I take off all the leaves and then trim down to about 8ish inches tall, leaving the main stem 'Y' and trim right above two good nodes. Then I dig it up and pot it. I keep mine in the garage potting shed when stays above freezing and has grow lights. I pot them in at least a 2 gallon size pot and only water after they go dry. I also let them stay in the darkish garage with only the windows for indirect light for two weeks, and then I start adding light back until they are getting about 10 hours a day.
In spring, I keep the light levels up and slowly condition them to the real sun. Then plant like normal.
Yes, it works amazingly well, but the last few years disease took my plants before I could move them. This year they look good, and produced well, so I'll watch them.

 

[Sally PB]

Thank you! I'm copying this to keep for future reference.

 

[WthrLady]

Thank you! I'm copying this to keep for future reference.

Sure!

 

[NewBoots]

Remember this a few months ago @WthrLady? Yea, well guess what I have!

I'm so sorry, I hope it doesn't mess too much with your trip.

The best thing is, after I remove a clean horse blanket and hang it on the clothesline, I run the "clean out the washer" cycle, so our next loads are normal.

What make and model do you have?

Anybody use jars like this one?

I've watched a few videos about them. I hear they're a lot more expensive and I shudder at the thought of giving jam out as gifts.

It misted a little bit last night, not enough to measure but still better than nothing. The days are shorter and it's getting a little cooler at night. It was down to 48 one night last week. I have so many green tomatoes, especially my paste varieties, that I worry they won't get ripe. I checked my records (can lids ) and I was still canning sauce into October so I'm trying not to freak myself out. I am going to cut back a couple of plants with fruit I don't care about (yellow pear cherries) and that'll give me a test to see if that hurries production.

Shopping day today and the farmer's market too! I will NOT buy more than 1 giant mutant cinnamon roll. Even though the leftovers make the best bread pudding in the world. Well, maybe 2.

 

[BReeder!]

I've watched a few videos about them. I hear they're a lot more expensive and I shudder at the thought of giving jam out as gifts.

I went to Weck's website and their 1L jars are $24 for 6 jars, lids, seals and sets of clamps. At $4 per jar it is certainly a bit pricy considering I can get a dozen mason jars, lids and rings for $10-$13. It's a good 4x the price for the Weck jars. However, they are reusable without a need to invest in lids. Lids are cheap though at ~$0.10-$0.20 each. It would take 15-30 years for the Wecks to make financial sense over mason jars.

Maybe not worth it... Or maybe I'll get a few just.

 

[vall]

I never shop at walmart and try to shop locally as much as I can. The walmart we have is always packed and very dangerous to park at. I prefer our meijer because it is close to home but I have been struck in that lot. I swear the woman was on something because she acted like she had no clue that she hit my car. In actuality based on our convo I perceived she was high as a kite and had no idea where she was or what she did.

Scary! I go to walmart first thing in the morning or not at all.. just too much chaos later.