Deluxestogie Grow Log 2026

[deluxestogie]

well and pump service, and they will be out by this evening

Oh well...the well and pump guy arrived at about 9 am today. (I had left my lights on all night, and even slept in my clothes for half the night.)

$200 later, I now have water again. Since the massive service truck drove right up my driveway, I'll work at further lowering the snow plow berm of concrete-like ice from my driveway entrance, and perhaps be able to drive my low-clearance car out onto the road—like the good old days.

Bob

 

[deluxestogie]

This was my outdoor temp when I awoke this morning. It was also the overnight low. The forecast was for a low of 9°F.

The good news:

1. I actually awoke this morning
2. the temp wasn't even lower
3. I still have water and electricity
4. no wind
5. sun is shining

Bob

 

[deluxestogie]

By yesterday afternoon, my driveway was still covered in 4 inches of ice, plus snow on top. And I was simply unable to clear the constantly recreated berm at the entrance. I had resigned myself to remaining at home for another week, for it to melt on its own.

Just before sunset, a neighbor unexpectedly drove his 3½ ton pickup truck into my driveway. On its front was a massive, V-shape plow. For over 20 minutes, he drove back and forth, scraping away more and more of the ice and snow. The fact that it took that commercial-grade plow so long is a testament to how solid and thick the ice had been. Then he got out with a coal shovel, and cleared the little path to my porch steps.

Bob

 

[Redleaf]

Now that is a real neighbour.

 

[deluxestogie]

For my first automotive excursion in many days, I drove to the nearest grocery. Most of their perishable groceries were out of stock—bare shelves. Many of their non-perishables were also out of stock. I bought a loaf of whole wheat sandwich bread.

I drove to the gas station nearby. Their large canopy above the gasoline pumps had collapsed from the heavy weight of the ice storm plus snow storm, and was roped-off. Fortunately their convenience store was open, where I was able to purchase milk.

Rain expected tonight. More snow tomorrow.

Bob

 

[StoneCarver]

Nice neighbor. We got about 8inches snow last weekend. I think the lowest temp it got here was around 15F. The roads are all pretty well melted off already. I still have water and electricity but my water heater decided to die last weekend. That was a very cold bath. I've called every plumber in the phone book who advertises for repairing water heaters. No one has called me back yet. I'm about to start watching youtube videos for water heater repair. That's what a did a few years ago to fix my clothes dryer- $20 for a heater coil, a couple hours of twisting screws (and vacuuming lint), and it continues to work fine. Let me share some advice, if you've had a drier for some years, its not a bad idea to open it up and clean out the lint particularly out of the fan. Mine was completely clogged with lint. I'm surprised it was even pulling air through it.

 

[StoneCarver]

I ended up fixing my hot water heater. I'm not sure how. I think there was a loose electrical connection. I tested the thermostats and heater coils with my multimeter and in so doing must have re-established the loose electrical connection. That's the theory I have for now about why its working again. There still hasn't been any plumbers to call me back. It would be useless now. They missed their chance to get some easy money out of me. Yay youtube videos. Having a multimeter has been very useful. I originally got it to test some of my astronomy gear but its so useful for testing household appliances and electrical outlets. This is the one I have: https://www.astroai.com/digital-multimeter-6000-counts-m6k0r/ap/10001178
It takes some doing to learn how to use a multimeter and I can't say I have full mastery of mine but its been worth it.

 

[deluxestogie]

An ancient Greek resident, Sisyphus, was punished by the gods. Each time he attempted to shovel the snow berm from the end of his driveway, a huge, Greek snow plow would immediately pass along the road, and recreate the berm, sometimes before Sisyphus had even returned to his house from shoveling. This was scheduled by the gods to repeat for eternity. Even Sisyphus' roadside mailbox was blocked by a berm three feet high, nearly reaching the box itself.

A friendly goddess took pity upon Sisyphus. Although she could do nothing about the ordeal enacted by the gods, she generously provided his home with electricity and water.

Bob

 

[deluxestogie]

The costs of my basics for growing:

I'm too old. I remember what I've paid in the past. The price of small bags of

• Miracle-Gro sphagnum moss
• Micacle-Gro Perlite
• Vermiculite

have tripled over the past 10 years. They are each now about $9. (Coffee has tripled, but not much else has gone up by that much.) I searched for ordinary 10-10-10 granular fertilizer. What I saw on the shelves were tiny, boutique bags of "organic" fertilizers with no specifications of the N-P-K. They were beautiful, full-color bags of fluffy stuff intended for use in a watering system (also available for sale). And these tiny bags of vague fertilizer were around $10 each.

I asked an employee about common old, granular 10-10-10 fertilizer. He reluctantly pointed out the front door. "Forty-pound bag of 10-10-10 for $14.95."

I suppose that, since the Covid-19 pandemic, "back yard farming" has become a cash cow for providers of the basic supplies.

Bob

 

[StoneCarver]

The best fertilizer I've ever used in my garden is algae from my pond. The difference in garden productivity is on a factor of 10. I've often thought that, if a person could economically harvest algae out of a body of water, dry it, then pulverize it into a powder, they'd have a sustainable business. There's a lot of ponds, lakes, rivers and such that are choked out with algae.

 

[MadFarmer]

The best fertilizer I've ever used in my garden is algae from my pond. The difference in garden productivity is on a factor of 10. I've often thought that, if a person could economically harvest algae out of a body of water, dry it, then pulverize it into a powder, they'd have a sustainable business. There's a lot of ponds, lakes, rivers and such that are choked out with algae.

Now I want a pond.

 

[deluxestogie]

Now I want a pond.

You want a eutrophied pond.

Eutrophication - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Bob

 

[MadFarmer]

You want a eutrophied pond.

Eutrophication - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Bob

I keep the eutrophied stuff around my house out of frame.

 

[StoneCarver]

My pond probably would get eutrophied if I didn't scoop some of the algae out of it each spring. That's why I started taking algae out of it. It just turned out that the algae really bumped up my garden. I do have the fortune that its a spring fed pond. So it can't go stagnate but it can get really choked up with algae when the temperature is right and that usually occurs in spring.

 

[deluxestogie]

I consider these labeled sticks (marked on both sides) to be an important step in maintaining the identities of the tobacco varieties I grow. Since the 48-cell inserts for my 1020 trays will divide into 4-packs, I mark one stick for each 4-pack that will hold seedlings. I always place the seedlings of only one variety into each 4-pack. The sticks are marked on both sides, because sunlight on the trays will tend to bleach-away the marking on the side facing the sun.

The large sticks are to mark the variety in the ground, once they have been transplanted. For good measure, I also place the smaller sticks alongside their transplants in the garden bed. Outdoors, I position each large stick so that one of its surfaces faces North, assuring that I will always have a readable marker.

Every growing season—every one—we have at least a few FTT members distressed over mixing up their varieties.

I purchase the sticks in the craft section of Walmart, and mark them with Sharpie markers. Even though it is a tedious thing to mark all the sticks for a large grow (this one is a little grow), that task removes one worry from the long list of other stuff that can go wrong.

Bob

 

[WillQuantrill]

I suppose that, since the Covid-19 pandemic, "back yard farming" has become a cash cow for providers of the basic supplies.

This and while looking for supplies I feel like I am sifting through gimmicky crap marketed to the at-home "hemp" growers as there seems to be a lot of them out there these days.

 

[deluxestogie]

I sat on my front porch, in 80°F temp yesterday, enjoying a couple of cigars. This morning, peeking out the window of my study, I see heavy, blowing snow falling, and accumulating over my garden.

Bob

 

[deluxestogie]

 

[StoneCarver]

Down here in NC we're getting pounded hard by rain. Very interesting to know you are getting snow.

 

[Wombat_smokes]

I would appreciate you returning my mercurial, tempermental early spring weather to me, if you please!

But seriously, I never thought those kinds of extreme would ever happen on the east cost. I'm aquainted with Montana's Chinooks and Utah's 50-60°F days followed by a week of freezing cold Feb-May.