Author: Richard

what’s growing

Tomato season is peaking and I am doling out bags to neighbors, friends and my running group.  A few weeks ago I was plagued with blossom rot but that has disappeared with changes to my watering methods.  The best producer is still the Parks Whopper which a neighbor gave me in exchange for 6 of my varieties.  It has outperformed the rest, though interesting my neighbor has not done as well with her Parks but is enjoying my Juliet and Cherokee Purple. The daily vegetable harvest  is tomatoes, Read more [...]

quick fix with a farm jack

We always access the house through the kitchen door since this is most convenient to the carport.  The steps to the porch to the front door are neglected and have sagged miserably as the concrete base on which they rest settled into the ground. My neighbor is a builder and his suggestion was to remove the stairs and then level the concrete base and then re-attach the stairs.  I notice  professionals prefer to remove what is defective and begin from the beginning, which is logical since Read more [...]

experience makes smart – rainwater harvesting

My rainwater harvesting system (elsewhere described) includes a 2,500 gal storage tank which takes water from the carport roof.  Rain has been sparse but on Saturday we had a short heavy deluge and I noticed that both gutters which feed the tank were overflowing.  I was surprised since a month previously I had connected a hose to the gutters and each had drained into the storage tank. The drawback with testing for a blockage with a hose is if a pipe is partly blocked the water will still flow Read more [...]

unwelcome visitor & apples, squash and tomatoes +2-1

  I affectionately refer to the large non venomous snakes around our place.  But out here good goes with bad and the copperhead in the header photo, thick of body and (to me) ugly and close to the house, was an unwelcome sight. In north Georgia it is hot and dry.  Blackberry and blueberry season is over and now it's time for fruit and crops such as squash, cucumbers and tomatoes.  And this year my apples and squash are great yet many of my tomatoes have blossom rot.  Usually my tomatoes Read more [...]

Sears Scroll Saw circuit board repair

I have an old Sears Scroll Saw: The manual is dated October '92 so I must have purchased the scroll saw in the early 90's.  It worked fine though I did not use it much.  Recently I had need for it but there was no response when I plugged it in. Notice: If you are not competent with electricity do no attempt anything mentioned below - serious harm or death can result - instead seek professional assistance for your electrical problem. I removed the base plate to expose the circuit board Read more [...]

fogging controversy & some local pests

It all began when Bill, a club member with several hives 600 feet from the local school, learned that Zika inspired pesticide applications had occurred and would continue.  It was little consolation to Bill that the fogging occurred when school was out, since Bill's bees do not observe the school's calendar. The April club meeting was, as usual, well attended and our eyes swiveled to the young man (when you are 66 most look young), Max, who stood uncertainly at the front of the room while the Read more [...]

yellowing blueberry leaves

I showed M. the berry laden blueberry plants and ventured they would be ready for picking within a few weeks.  But why are the leaves yellow? she asked and drew my attention, as she usually does, to what I had missed.  Yellow leaves with green veins can indicate the plant is not receiving enough iron (iron chlorosis) since iron produces cholorphyll which makes the leaves green which enables photosynthesis, sugar production and growth.  Blueberries thrive on acid soil (between 4 and 5) and if the Read more [...]

additional thoughts on airlocks

I harvest rainwater and when I need to irrigate I pump the water to a tank at the top of a hill (right hand tank in the picture) and use gravity to move the water from the tank to its final destination.  See my description of the system and airlocks at airlock problems I use a 1.25" pipe to take the water from the top of the hill to the base of the hill and then I use a manifold to direct the water into four 1" pipes, three of which irrigate the orchard with positioned bubblers and the fourth Read more [...]

measuring soil pH – not that easy

The pH (acidity/alkilinity) is an important must know for growing vegetables, fruits and berries.  Blueberries notoriously love acid conditions.  Tomatoes like a pH range between 5.5 to 7.5.  Since pH can range from 1 (very acid) to 14 (very alkaline) it follows that 7 is neutral.  I have tried over the years to independently determine my soil's pH, with little success.  I have sent samples to the extension service for general soil analysis but have always wanted to determine pH myself. The Read more [...]

pollinators busy

Last week (April 21) I was at the top of the hill watering the blueberries when I saw the busy bumblebees and honey bees. This year I added sulfur powder to lower the ph and also Starbuck coffee grounds and I am hoping for an even better blueberry yield. I mentioned to my neighbor a Southern saying that came my way - don't plant before tax day (April 15) and he replied that where we live which is in the foothills of Appalachia the last cold is when the blackberries flower.  And he Read more [...]