I've lost ten pounds. (so far)
11 years ago
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A summary to everything i've grown so far
Comments (7)Anthony, "...the soil im using is Pro-Mix BX but it dries out very fast." Premier's Pro-Mix BX is good stuff and I would be using it myself if I could find it here in this area of Kansas. I used a lot of it when we lived in Maine. It retains water better than the bark-based stuff I am using here. However, BX has a very limited amount of nutrients, and is designed to nourish seedlings for only a few weeks. I am treating my fast-draining medium as if it were a hydroponic substrate and watering it with a dilute solution containing a complete hydroponic diet. Since my operation is quite small compared to yours, I can afford to use premium quality urea-free nutrients like Better-Gro's Orchid Plus and Better-Gro's Orchid Bloom Booster, but that stuff costs about $7 a pound, so for greenhouse quantities you would probably be looking for a cheaper source of nutrients. My hand-pollinated zinnias love the orchid food. There are a lot of commercial-sized hydroponic operations, so there are hydroponic nutrients that cost much less per pound. Most "complete" nutrient formulas, like Miracle-Gro and Better-Gro, don't have calcium, because if they did it would precipitate with the phosphates and sulfates in the solution. Both calcium phosphate and calcium sulfate are relatively insoluble in water. I discovered the need for calcium nutrition the hard way a few years ago, after my indoor zinnia plants developed severe calcium deficiency symptoms growing in Pro-Mix BX, even though BX does have enough calcium for a few weeks. I ordered a pound of calcium nitrate from EveryBody's Garden Center and, by feeding calcium nitrate solution separately, I solved the calcium deficiency problem. With the added calcium nitrate, my zinnias became quite healthy and went on to produce big blooms indoors under my fluorescent lights. Since I dilute the calcium nitrate to one-half teaspoon per gallon, a pound of it goes a long way. Plants use a lot of calcium, and it is classified as a macronutrient instead of as a micronutrient. I later learned that if you predilute the calcium nitrate and predilute the other nutrients, that you can combine the solutions without precipitation. But it is OK to apply them separately, too. ZM...See MoreThank you and what I've learned (so far) - Pics
Comments (12)Thanks for all the positive feedback, it's nice to hear. :) Well, I have now started in on the pressure canning. I did get 12 pts. of Katie's Roasted Tomato and Garlic soup last week and 8 pts. of beef stock yesterday. Today/tomorrow it's chicken stock and chicken soup, then next week apple sauce and apple pie filling. It's kind of a relief to be away from the tomatoes for a while. :) And I am getting more comfortable with the pressure canning. I got the Presto 23 Qt. and the optional weighted pressure regulator. My gauge seems pretty darn accurate so far, but I love the ease and consistency of using the weights; I'm glad I spent the extra $20. I probably will can more tomatoes next year - I'm just a glutton for punishment! :) But I will probably spread it out and not do it all 6 or 7 days in a row. Since I don't really grow enough tomatoes to can, I buy them when I want to can. There's a great organic farm the other side of town (Petaluma, CA) that has been selling tomatoes $1/lb or $12/crate; I've gotten over 20 lbs. in a crate! They also sell the overripe tomatoes as "sauce tomatoes" for $5/box (about 20 lbs). So it's very reasonable cost-wise. I don't get the satisfaction some of you do by starting from seed, but it's still pretty darn satisfying. And as several of you have commented, it sure is all pretty to look at too. We're just wrapping up a kitchen remodel; my husband is about to start on the shelves in our small walk-in pantry. I can't wait to see all my jars and jars on my new shelves!!!! Kathy...See MoreWindstorm #6? 8? 50? I've lost count....
Comments (19)The soil is fairly nutrient rich, heavy clay with varying degrees of 'hardpan' about 8-12 inches down. None of it has great drainage, but it is not a permanent swamp. In summer it all dries up and turns brown, even most of that lush looking stuff. We'll see what that means in the next 10 years, maybe most of my eucs will fall over during that time period. But so far, those that have had problems are in the minority. The E. viminalis did hit the fence, but the fence wasn't damaged. Thanks for the thoughts... it was a beautiful tree. It had a better than usual weeping habit for E. viminalis, and narrower than usual leaves and smooth white bark. This winter has been stormier than usual.... one of the stormiest I can remember, in fact. 1996-97 was pretty bad but I think this winter has been worse. Now whose ready for a nice arctic blast? Actually, it doesn't look too apocalyptic at this point.... just another moderate blast, not enough to make this the next landmark winter. On another note... I went and visited the Chrysolepis population near Hood Canal in early November. I found a lot more trees than I had managed to discover previously, including some that can be viewed from Highway 101 if you know just where too look, and some growing deep in the forest far away from salt water. This is a very interesting area in that it is very wet, receiving 80-100" of rain annually, but still dries out sufficiently in summer to support extensive populations of manzanita, madrona and Ceanothus velutinus....See MoreI 've made it to day 4 so far, but...
Comments (5)I lived on mousse the first few weeks. Ok maybe it wasn't legal in the beginning but I'm still on Atkins almost a year later and 38 pounds lost so it didn't hurt. 1 small box sugar free jello (chocolate fudge of course) 2 small cartons of whipping cream 1 block of cream cheese soften the cream cheese, add whipping cream, mix then add pudding. When it gets too thick add 1/2 cup of cold water....See More
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11 years agoCongratulations on that accomplishment! I am diabetic so I understand your desire to try to delay the disease. Remember that carbs are as big a problem for diabetics as sugar. I try to maintain a healthy balanced diet which is what the ADA advises. I see my numbers jump much higher if I eat carbs than when I eat sugar. Every one has their triggers that's where testing frequently after eating certain things can give you a better idea of what makes your numbers jump.
Any kind of soda is the devil to diabetes. In my diabetes education classes they show you what happens to your blood with a visual effects tool, it is enough to make people stop. I don't drink anything besides water and unsweetened tea and my morning coffee and I don't miss them at all never really cared for sodas.
Keep up the good work!
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