Re: Mark's first SFG

**sanderson** 12/4/2019, 4:18 pm

Yes, rain and more rain! bounce

Fresno has already received 1/5 of the normal annual rain (starting October).

Do the clamps work with 1/2" PVC and EMC?

markqz 12/4/2019, 4:53 pm

@sanderson wrote:Yes, rain and more rain! Fresno has already received 1/5 of the normal annual rain (starting October).

Do the clamps work with 1/2" PVC and EMC?

The PVC I'm using now is 1/2". I assume the clamps would work equally well with EMC if it was 1/2". Beyond 1/2", not so much. I suspect that they will photo-degrade. I'm thinking of giving them a light spray-paint coat at some point to slow that process.

**sanderson** 12/4/2019, 5:05 pm

Thanks.

PS: love your avatar

markqz 12/10/2019, 9:27 pm

SFG #3 in progress. This is a 2 x 8 box intended for the front lawn. Now that I'm becoming committed to the idea, I thought I should put on a primer layer, hopefully extending its life. The tulle makes such a difference ... but I'm reluctant to use it in the front. Anyone use covered garden beds in front of their homes?

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markqz 12/16/2019, 5:13 pm

@yolos wrote:... I sometime use white duct tape anywhere there is deterioration in the tulle.

I was just remembering this comment. In my experience (tents, cooking devices), duct tape is terrible outside. When exposed to the sun, it quickly becomes gooey and messy. And, of course, it's not transparent.

I've been using clear packing tape for a month to fix a hole where some animal tried to paw its way in. It seems to be working. During rains, it turns opaque, but then turns clear again when things dry up. I've had various packages and things that have been outside a long time, held together with packing tape.

**sanderson** 12/16/2019, 6:38 pm

Thanks for the tip of clear packaging tape. Regarding bridal tulle in the front yard, you could "gussie" it up with bridal tulle flower bunches, strings of beads from Joann's, Christmas lights, etc.

markqz 12/26/2019, 9:18 pm

SFG#1 now has tulle also. Hopefully this will give the kale, kohlrabi, and bok choy a chance to recover.

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**sanderson** 12/29/2019, 5:09 am

markqz 1/7/2020, 12:47 am

SFG#3. I tore out the existing planter and built this around the 2nd year Kale which have taken on new life now that we've gotten some rain. In another 6 months or so they'll start looking like trees from Dr. Seuss. The other plants are transplants are from SFG#2.

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countrynaturals 1/7/2020, 12:42 pm

Nice going, Mark! You'll be well established when the rest of the country is just waking up. alrighta

**sanderson** 1/7/2020, 1:08 pm

markqz 1/22/2020, 9:17 pm

The winter garden (SFG #2) was actually looking pretty good this morning. Unfortunately, I've been moving things around without keeping up my note-taking:

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**sanderson** 1/23/2020, 4:02 am

countrynaturals 1/23/2020, 10:42 am

@markqz wrote:The winter garden (SFG #2) was actually looking pretty good this morning.

GORGEOUS!

Unfortunately, I've been moving things around without keeping up my note-taking:

BEEN THERE, DONE THAT!

markqz 2/9/2020, 3:44 pm

Possibly first cauliflower I've ever grown, and certainly first purple one:

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markqz 2/9/2020, 3:50 pm

The plants in the photo on the left are Kohlrabi (what I thought I planted) and the plant on the right is a cauliflower. This is not the first time it's happened. It could be a mix-up in the seed packet, but it was probably me Embarassed

The problem is that you can grow 9 kohlrabi per square, but only one cauliflower. It was terribly unobservant of me not to realize earlier that a cauliflower was growing. Guess I'll have to try transplanting and see if it survives.

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**sanderson** 2/12/2020, 3:11 pm

Did the purple cauliflower even make it into the house? Wink

markqz 2/12/2020, 7:43 pm

@sanderson wrote:Did the purple cauliflower even make it into the house?

Oh, it's still growing. I assume it will form a flower 6 inches across or so?

markqz 2/19/2020, 12:33 pm

@sanderson wrote:Purple of Sicily Cauliflower!! This was my first attempt. Ate it as snacks in one day.

Did it have a hard outer surface, like white cauliflower? Or was it softer, more like broccoli ? I'm trying to figure out when to harvest mine. The outer surface seems softer, more like broccoli. All the sites tell me what to expect for white cauliflower, which I already know, but the images I see for purple cauliflower kind of look softer. Trying to figure out when it's time to harvest and when I've waited too long.

Thanks!

markqz 2/20/2020, 11:44 pm

Orange Hawaii French Marigold. Nowhere as massive as in the seed catalog. Then again, maybe it's taking a long time to bloom. Despite having "Hawaii" in the name, it seems to like our coolish temperatures more than the Crackerjack marigold I started at the same time.

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markqz 2/28/2020, 9:36 pm

SFG #4 -- front yard. Using green PVC clothesline to mark out squares. The objection to twine was that it gets dirty. The clothesline sheds dirt and is easy to clean. And, it doesn't provide hiding spots for earwigs, sow bugs, etc.

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**sanderson** 3/3/2020, 3:06 am

What are you planning for this bed? Getting addictive, isn't it?

markqz 3/7/2020, 12:11 am

@sanderson wrote:What are you planning for this bed? Getting addictive, isn't it?

The plan is to put vegetables in the back row. The front row may not be managed strictly as SFG, since I plan to put in flowers to hide the veggies. Here you can see that Mel's mix is so powerful that marigolds and vegetables popped up over night:

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Or maybe I transplanted them from SFG #2. Maybe.

**sanderson** 3/10/2020, 3:04 am

@markqz wrote:. . Here you can see that Mel's mix is so powerful that marigolds and vegetables popped up over night: . . . Or maybe I transplanted them from SFG #2. Maybe.

markqz 3/13/2020, 1:08 pm

Fourth and (probably) final large cauliflower/broccoli head

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Have to decide if it's worth keeping existing, smaller cauli's that haven't flowered.

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Mark's first SFG