Immensely successful day
Apr. 29th, 2006 05:30 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
zdashamberMwa-ha! In the last 24 hours I have concluded a plan forged more than a year ago!
I have created a structure to grow tomatoes upside-down.
Still can't be arsed to load a proper graphics program on, so you get the smallest-size photos my camera will take...
The idea is that the tomato plant needs no stakes etc to keep it from flopping all over the place, and the tomatos aren't dirty and wormbait when you fail to get enough scaffolding in. I saw it in the Gardener's Supply catalog and coveted it. As a renter, I'd feel bad about putting holes in the lovely 1905 woodwork you can see in the second photo: thus, structure. And again, I have only a hacksaw for cutting things, so I went to Home Depot yesterday to see what was precut that I could bolt together. Aha! I thought, wandering past the plumbing aisle...
I'm pretty sure that there isn't enough vertical space, but on the other hand, at the height of the afternoon on my porch the camera still wanted the flash, so we'll see how they grow. Blasted (pretty, granted) shade trees.
I have in bucket #1 ye olde basic early harvest tomato, and in bucket #2, cherry tomatoes! Mwa-ha! The whole purpose of the exercise is to have good tomatos to make salsa from, so I maybe should've held out for Romas instead of Early Girl, but again, we'll see.
So, at Home Depot I found the cheap galvanized buckets, and got a 5/16 bit for drilling. Today the Makita and I went to town on the buckets; it was remarkably easy to make a hole an inch across. I happen to have right here a rasp to smooth off the hole edges. So nice to have everything you need at hand. I added some drainage holes, and gently fed the tomato through: the smallest of the 3" diameter pot tomatos they had. Centered the tomato. Realized I'd have to take off one of the legs of the structure to hang the buckets, but fortunately the modular screwing structure made that simple. Hung the tomatos, centered them in their holes, filled the bucket with rose dirt and then a layer of chickenshit (left over from last year when I tried to make a strawberry patch, which was alas not near a hose and thus baked to death), then more rose dirt, then: return of the strawberry patch!
Hopefully, since it's at the front door, I will water it this time. I moved the hose near it. Soaked it but good.
Only thing I'd do differently: it was a pain to get the metal shavings from between the grout of the bricks of the front porch. Next time, I'd lay down some newspaper to catch those. (I used a rolled-up Sunday paper to drill into when making the holes in the bottom of the bucket, lacking scrap wood. Worked well.)
Other successes: got all the stuff necessary to put a basket on the back of my bike (I was putting on the rack this morning when the hex key snapped in my hand), located store credit at Pegasus Books and traded it for a copy of _A Deepness in the Sky_. Hurrah!
I have created a structure to grow tomatoes upside-down.
Still can't be arsed to load a proper graphics program on, so you get the smallest-size photos my camera will take...
The idea is that the tomato plant needs no stakes etc to keep it from flopping all over the place, and the tomatos aren't dirty and wormbait when you fail to get enough scaffolding in. I saw it in the Gardener's Supply catalog and coveted it. As a renter, I'd feel bad about putting holes in the lovely 1905 woodwork you can see in the second photo: thus, structure. And again, I have only a hacksaw for cutting things, so I went to Home Depot yesterday to see what was precut that I could bolt together. Aha! I thought, wandering past the plumbing aisle...
I'm pretty sure that there isn't enough vertical space, but on the other hand, at the height of the afternoon on my porch the camera still wanted the flash, so we'll see how they grow. Blasted (pretty, granted) shade trees.
I have in bucket #1 ye olde basic early harvest tomato, and in bucket #2, cherry tomatoes! Mwa-ha! The whole purpose of the exercise is to have good tomatos to make salsa from, so I maybe should've held out for Romas instead of Early Girl, but again, we'll see.
So, at Home Depot I found the cheap galvanized buckets, and got a 5/16 bit for drilling. Today the Makita and I went to town on the buckets; it was remarkably easy to make a hole an inch across. I happen to have right here a rasp to smooth off the hole edges. So nice to have everything you need at hand. I added some drainage holes, and gently fed the tomato through: the smallest of the 3" diameter pot tomatos they had. Centered the tomato. Realized I'd have to take off one of the legs of the structure to hang the buckets, but fortunately the modular screwing structure made that simple. Hung the tomatos, centered them in their holes, filled the bucket with rose dirt and then a layer of chickenshit (left over from last year when I tried to make a strawberry patch, which was alas not near a hose and thus baked to death), then more rose dirt, then: return of the strawberry patch!
Hopefully, since it's at the front door, I will water it this time. I moved the hose near it. Soaked it but good.
Only thing I'd do differently: it was a pain to get the metal shavings from between the grout of the bricks of the front porch. Next time, I'd lay down some newspaper to catch those. (I used a rolled-up Sunday paper to drill into when making the holes in the bottom of the bucket, lacking scrap wood. Worked well.)
Other successes: got all the stuff necessary to put a basket on the back of my bike (I was putting on the rack this morning when the hex key snapped in my hand), located store credit at Pegasus Books and traded it for a copy of _A Deepness in the Sky_. Hurrah!
no subject
Date: 2006-04-30 01:56 am (UTC)This might be a weird question ... but if the tomatoes get too heavy, will they potentially cause the vine they are on to either a) rip or b) uproot?
Inquiring minds want updates on this project as time goes on.
no subject
Date: 2006-05-01 07:07 am (UTC)Updates will be forthcoming, regardless...
no subject
Date: 2006-05-01 12:17 am (UTC)Only my mother grows tomatoes, and I don't like them very much especially when she gives me a kilo at a time.
But the concept? I want TWO!
no subject
Date: 2006-05-01 07:27 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-05-01 12:40 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-05-12 12:21 am (UTC)Um, what's with the Mac sitting outside? Any plans for that?
no subject
Date: 2006-05-12 05:00 am (UTC)I suspect its motility is due to the housemate of mine who has filled our spare room with ancient computer parts... I also suspect that if you wished to carry it away for a fishbowl or art project, no questions would be asked...
By the by, I appreciate that you went against the current with regard to rpgpundit's reaction to my "better including women" post! It takes unusual strength to offer a counter view to a rant backed by a cadre of fans.
no subject
Date: 2006-05-12 07:41 pm (UTC)(Linked off that site: illustrated uses for an old Mac.)
I sometimes wonder about the Macquarium. Do the fish like it? On the one hand you're partly protected from prying eyes; on the other hand, it might feel sort of claustophobic. Plus I worry that having a light might make the water too warm.
About the last: you're welcome. I really hope that they all gave it a second thought.