Some may notice I haven't posted anything new in a while. Fear not I have not given up on the site, I am merely preoccupied with getting a new project I am involved with up and running.
Some may not be aware but in my past I was involved with video game development, both professionally and as a hobby. I have hooked up again with my old development crew and we are starting work on a Mod for the game Neverwinter Nights 2. This is a hobby project, completely unfunded and non-profit in nature. I don't want to go into specifics about the Mod at this time, but I will say it is not your traditional hack and slash fantasy based fairy tale. Well, actually it has all that, but it also has AK-47's.
Anyways once things start running a little more smoothly and get into the groove I will be back with some fresh and tasty articles for your edification.
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Friday, November 6, 2009
Follow up to urban gardening pt 1
Hi all. Here is a little contribution to add to urban gardening. Most plastic containers are suitable for some type of food production. Small containers that most would think useless can be used for small rooted plants such as herbs, peppers etc. I myself live in the country with room enough for a regular garden, but this year I decided to try some container gardening. What I tried was Big Boy tomatoes in five gallon buckets.
From the start, I thought this would be a simple task, but it takes a lot of TLC to get a good production. I started with four five gallon buckets, holes drilled in the bottom for drainage. If there are no drainage holes it can cause the soil to retain too much water. I placed one inch wood strips under the front and back of the buckets so that they would actually drain, and not be blocked from sitting flat on the ground. I then added about two inches of large sized gravel so that the soil wouldn't clog the drainage holes. Next was the soil. I mixed top soil, potting soil, and manure. The buckets were filled to about three inches from the top. Tomato plants recommend planting the plants two thirds of the way into the soil, but I plant mine about three quarters deep. The more of the plant in the soil, the more the roots will develop. The stem of a tomato plant will produce roots up the entire stem that is beneath the soil. I then added cages to support the plants as they grew.
The hard part of this is the water. Tomatoes like water, but not over watering. (Hence the drain holes) I gave each plant one gallon of water every other day. This was great for a while. Once they started producing actual tomatoes they just weren't getting as large as they should. Big Boy tomatoes produce sixteen to thirty two ounce tomatoes. Mine were half that. I finally realized that Miracle-Gro works wonders. Since they are in containers the plants can only get nutrients from the soil in which they are planted. They can't absorb it from the surrounding soil like regularly planted plants. I used the Miracle-Gro once a week and they turned out great.
From the start, I thought this would be a simple task, but it takes a lot of TLC to get a good production. I started with four five gallon buckets, holes drilled in the bottom for drainage. If there are no drainage holes it can cause the soil to retain too much water. I placed one inch wood strips under the front and back of the buckets so that they would actually drain, and not be blocked from sitting flat on the ground. I then added about two inches of large sized gravel so that the soil wouldn't clog the drainage holes. Next was the soil. I mixed top soil, potting soil, and manure. The buckets were filled to about three inches from the top. Tomato plants recommend planting the plants two thirds of the way into the soil, but I plant mine about three quarters deep. The more of the plant in the soil, the more the roots will develop. The stem of a tomato plant will produce roots up the entire stem that is beneath the soil. I then added cages to support the plants as they grew.
The hard part of this is the water. Tomatoes like water, but not over watering. (Hence the drain holes) I gave each plant one gallon of water every other day. This was great for a while. Once they started producing actual tomatoes they just weren't getting as large as they should. Big Boy tomatoes produce sixteen to thirty two ounce tomatoes. Mine were half that. I finally realized that Miracle-Gro works wonders. Since they are in containers the plants can only get nutrients from the soil in which they are planted. They can't absorb it from the surrounding soil like regularly planted plants. I used the Miracle-Gro once a week and they turned out great.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
