Author: Richard

tomato seedlings

Now is the time I focus on my tomato growing.  As discussed in the growing organic tab, I start with tomato seeds in .75" blocks on a heating pad and fluorescent lighting.  For the first few days the tomato seeds are covered in plastic to raise the humidity and temperature. The tomato seeds are individually located in .75" seed blocks and there are 20 seed blocks in each of the 6 bigger blocks - so there are 120 seeds germinating in this tray.  On the right is my summary of which seeds Read more [...]

cuddling a peach tree

I have 2 peach trees and last year their blossoms were freeze damaged and I had no fruit.  I really shouldn't have any peach trees because they are difficult to produce fruit using organic methods and they blossom very early in the spring.  But Georgia is known as the "Peach state" and Peachtree is a very popular street name in Georgia, and the Peachtree 10K Road Race is the world's largest 10k race (I have run it 20 times), so my enthusiasm got the better of prudence. Freeze damage occurs differently Read more [...]

Is meat good for you? – the Finnish debate and Mummies

An examination of post mortem records of Finnish hospitals before and after the 2nd World War shows that deaths from heart disease declined significantly during the war years.  Some researchers have concluded that the decrease was because of reduced consumption of fats (meat, eggs, dairy and butter) as a result of shortages during the war years.  Apparently deaths from atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries) did not decline as much in the United States and this is attributed to more severe Read more [...]

locating a buried 4″ drainage pipe

About 20 years ago I dug a 100 ft trench for a 4" drain pipe, which led from a concave area of the yard where the rainwater gathered, to a nearby creek.  Over the years I planted many trees and shrubs in this area.  The pipe worked well until the past few months when it completely ceased functioning.  With downpours seemingly more intense than ever, I decided I had to fix the problem. I have a 50 ft plumber's snake and I inserted it in the hole and it moved along easily for 45 ft and then hit Read more [...]

the traditional Okinawan diet and the sweet potato

My root crops (carrots, turnips and beets) are growing better as my soil has improved with time and I am now planning for the sweet potato.  There are several vogue diets circulating - the Mediterranean diet; the Esselstyn vegan diet I posted a few weeks ago, and the new Nordic diet (a free Coursera MOOC starts September 2013).  So why go back in time to the traditional Okinawan diet with its reliance on the sweet potato? I was pointed to the Journal of the American College of Nutrition 2009 Read more [...]

Down Under takes a stand – almost

Hurricane Sandy late last year hammered the northeast.  I read the articles and listened carefully to NPR for a consensus from the scientific community attributing the cause of the hurricane to global warming (I use "global warming" and "climate change" interchangeably). There was no consensus nor did I hear a scientific expert unequivocally say that global warming caused Hurricane Sandy.  No shortage of laypeople expressing their views, including Mayor Bloomberg, but it seemed the scientific community Read more [...]

raised beds for growing vegetables

One of my takeaways from the recent GO conference (see two previous posts) is that a raised bed can be constructed from untreated pine and will last a number of years.  I have previously constructed my raised beds from composite decking planks. On the first day of the conference we visited local farms and the small farm I visited was on 2.5 acres of mainly granite and therefore made extensive use of raised beds.  The composite decking planks I used for my raised beds cost $21.97 for 1.25"x6"x12' Read more [...]

a silver lining to faltering memory, also BMSB and IPM

I find that my memory does not work as well as in the past.  As a student I could easily memorize hundreds of law cases, now the labels I read one day are gone the next.  So where is the silver lining consolation? I believe we have different skill sets and we compensate for those we lack.  The kid who can analytically unravel and reassemble complicated concepts  tends to be independent and does not require and consequently does not develop, good social skills.  The ambitious kid, who does Read more [...]

Georgia Organics conference – importance of nutrition

This weekend (Fed 22 -23) I attended the 15th annual conference of Georgia Organics ("GO"), which emphasized the importance of nutrition.  This was my 8th conference and each time I wonder if I will learn anything new and the result is always a resounding "yes".  The organization has grown robustly.  Lots of young food activists.  I asked one last evening at the concluding Farmers Feast dinner why Atlanta has such a strong movement and he said "leadership".  Atlanta has growing ethnic populations Read more [...]