What did you do in the garden today?

[gtaus]

This got me thinking, I will need to set up a reservior and float valve to keep the level constant. Because when the solution drops it sets a new level standard. It would be a pain to fill it daily by hand.

I have been thinking about a watering system where I have one large water reservoir bucket with a fill line going down to any number of planters with individual float values on each planter. Each individual planter would draw water as needed from the reservoir bucket when the float value opens. That would allow a person to set different levels on different planters.

Another setup involves a water control bucket with a float value set at a certain height, and having all the planters on that same level. Since water will seek it's level in that system, each planter and the reservoir would have the same height. That involves only one float value for the main water control supply. You could supply water to the float valve on the control bucket from a much larger water reservoir bucket probably above the height of the control bucket.

Someday I'd love to get into hydroponics. I would love to grow food indoors in the winter where I live in northern Minnesota. The Kratky system sure looks interesting. But I would have to rig up water lines to keep the fluid at my desired level because I don't want to have to water stuff daily, either.

 

[littledog]

NO one wanted the old canning shelf, which blows my mind.

That seems insane to me, especially with the price of lumber. If I'd seen that on a curb, it's exactly the kind of thing I'd snap up in a second.

 

[littledog]

OK, so here's what I'm working around. Staked determinate tomatoes and indeterminate tomatoes climbing up ropes. I got the entire framework around the bed completed.

WOW! That looks amazing, and what a lot of work in a short time - super job!

 

[littledog]

Over the long weekend, I got my last 4 raised beds done, finally - cardboard, several trailer loads of wood chips, then leveled the beds, filled 1/3 with chips. I had enough easily-accessible dirt and compost to fill one of the old beds and one new bed so I planted basil in the new bed (it failed to sprout in it's original bed, need to find out why but in the meantime need to be sure to grow some basil.) In the other bed I put up tripod trellises and planted zucchini under one and my one sad melon under the other. The four new beds I put in last week have tomatoes - 3 beds look good but one is wilted - fortunately I had some seedlings to replace it.

I am so late with all of this, should have been done by spring. But the new beds should be OK to plant cabbages and leeks in August.

Today I built another compost bin, so I can dump the top half of the old compost bin into it and access the good compost on the bottom to fill the last 3 beds. The new one is made out of my last 5 "stackers" the hinged crate components I used for my most recent 8 beds. I stacked these 5 on top of each other for the compost bin, and the beauty of it is when I harvest the compost I can just unstack them.

The last thing I did today was not very successful - I need to make door to shut off the small chicken run from the large one, since the new chicks will be going out there in a few weeks. Right now it's just an opening with a wooden frame and I already had a door, so I was trying to cut up some metal pieces to make a track so the door could slide up and down. I thought it would be the simplest thing, but what a pain! Got blisters trying to hold the metal still so I could cut it, and trying to bend it square with pliers, clamps and a hammer, it came out so crappy. I think I'll cancel the plywood door and look for a piece of lighter, solid plastic to use for a door instead. The crappy metal tracks I sprayed with "flex seal" so there won't be sharp edges, and I think they'll work fine with a thinner, lighter door.

The weather service had us at 87, but thermometer in the shade said 90, and I was beat by the time I came back inside. No cooking was going to happen, so we had leftover lasagne and potato salad, while listening to boom-booms and not letting the cats outside.

 

[Charlie Wooster]

How do you make rabbit bacon must be a labor of love, not much there to work with, is there ?

Just keep the bellies and slice thin..

 

[Sally PB]

There are probably other power staplers from other brands

I' need to see if DeWalt has one...

 

[Sueby]

We have no power. Everything is so wet, we've had so much rain & the humidity is insane.

Took some jungle...errr, garden pics. Between the wildflowers that I way over planted & the weeds it's insane in there.
My bean trellis:

My volunteer sungold, I trimmed all the lower leaves on the 2 of them. They have some flowers that I'll let grow now that they're a little bigger.

A random volunteer in the middle of the yard. Not sure what it is, my guess is a gourd.

The crazy wildflowers that are all laid over from all the rain:

 

[Wee Farmer Sarah]

Good morning. I finally got to see the moon this morning thanks to "earth shine." I totally missed what was supposed to be a super moon because of the constant rain. I got up early this morning to try to beat some of the heat. It's still super humid. I picked another colander of peas then inspected the gardens. The tomato plants need magnesium. The lettuce and kale is doing well as are the butternut squash plants. I think I have a bean plant emerging in the corn patch. I put a plastic cup over it to keep the chipmunks from munching on it. I should fertilize the corn again. It is growing taller. I really hope things get dried out enough so I can mow and do some serious weed whacking. There's a lot of poison ivy growing in the back beyond the fence. Oh, and the slugs are going wild climbing on everything, edible or not. Icky! I caved and found some jalapeno and ancho chile plants for sale so they will be here Monday. It just doesn't feel normal not to be growing hot peppers. I use them more than bell peppers. I'm planning on picking one more colander full of peas tomorrow morning than shelling them all and freezing them. I think the pea plants are strangling my carrots so hopefully they will be fine after the peas are gone.

 

[CNJ]

I have been thinking about a watering system where I have one large water reservoir bucket with a fill line going down to any number of planters with individual float values on each planter. Each individual planter would draw water as needed from the reservoir bucket when the float value opens. That would allow a person to set different levels on different planters.

Another setup involves a water control bucket with a float value set at a certain height, and having all the planters on that same level. Since water will seek it's level in that system, each planter and the reservoir would have the same height. That involves only one float value for the main water control supply. You could supply water to the float valve on the control bucket from a much larger water reservoir bucket probably above the height of the control bucket.

Someday I'd love to get into hydroponics. I would love to grow food indoors in the winter where I live in northern Minnesota. The Kratky system sure looks interesting. But I would have to rig up water lines to keep the fluid at my desired level because I don't want to have to water stuff daily, either.

I have 4 wicking buckets strung together with a 3/8 poly tube and fittings. It is connected to a bucket with a float valve that is connected to a water reservior bucket. I fill the reservior water ounce a week.

I have another 4 kratky buckets strung together the same way on a different reservior bucket and float valve.

The tomato plants in the wicking buckets are doing better than the kratky buckets. Mainly because of its location, its hotter where its at. However, the tomato air prunning bucket that I drilled small holes on the bottom and 1 inch holes around the sides and lined with a Wakmart bag is performing the best. I think air prunning makes a difference.

In conclution, I think an air prunning double wicking bucket with potting mix, linned with weed fabric or Walmart bag conected to a solution reservior system would be the best option. However, it would cost more than a single bucket kratky system.

 

[Charlie Wooster]

This mornin I mowed inside the fence takes about 2 hours because I have to move all the electric net fence and then put it all back all while not letting any birds loose (it’s a half acre bird yard inside an acre of field fence and then the outside is equal to 2 acres although it’s spread out over 5 acres due to thick woods and a spring fed creek ((15 acres of dense thick undergrowth of poison ivy and briars I do not mow)) so it’s a major undertaking for a crippled fat boy), I’ll mow outside the fence tomorrow mornin.. already soakin wet with sweat, 90% humidity at 6 am.. just moved the last of the male quail chicks into their own grow outs, 8 in one and 7 in the other which leaves 18 hens so any hatch I have more girls than boys I call a success, even though I lost 17 eggs in incubator and 6 chicks at 2 days old due to power outage I’ll take it.. could have been much worse.. y’all have a good rest of the week and stay hydrated!!