Mountain Biking: Rubber side down- Time for a TurnaroundWell, my friends, things are finally looking up, and good timing, too, since I’m sure you’re all sick of me bitching. Recent bike build, including wheels… fun! In what feels like a fairly short time, I’ve come from sitting around … Continue reading → […]
- This Raised My PulseHey, baby… wanna ride? I may be injured, but I’m not dead yet. I can still have racy thoughts. Here’s more info. In other news, UBI was an awesome success! I had a blast. I highly recommend it. Overhaul day…. … Continue reading → […]
- Time for a Turnaround
- Edgy Veggie
DIY Garden: transplanting tomatoes
Need a little help ensuring that your green tomato plants grow into juicy, red balls of deliciousness?
Turn these little greenies ... (Photo from Flickr on Graibeard's photostream)
Here are a couple of key tips from Emily Oaksford of Grown in the City.
Roots: It is very beneficial to re-pot tomato starts at least once before transplanting them into their final outdoor location.
The first transplant: Once the start has two sets of leaves and the plant is 3-4 inches tall, re-plant the start just under the lowest set of leaves.
More transplants: You can transplant your tomato again (and again) once it reaches 8-10 inches in height, before you plant your tomato outside.
The final transplant: The transplanting of your tomato into it’s outdoor growing location should be done using a similar method of burying the stem above the current soil level.
Read the rest of Oaksford’s suggestions at DIY: Transplanting tomatoes (again and again).
Into these yummy, ripe tomatoes! Photo by Marty Caivano.
Vegetarian recipe: I choo-choo-choose chorizo tomato taco soup
The tomato soup and an accompanying lemonade.
There’s really no better way to save money on food than a slow cooker, and I’m a firm believer that crock pots can result in food with a lot of flavor and heft. Combine that with a desire to cut way, way back on meat consumption for environmental reasons (boy, I’ve come a long way) and you’ve got yourself an easy urban challenge: What’s the tastiest thing I can make in the magic money-saving machine? Read more
Colorado square-foot gardener answers beginner’s questions
A great post for veggie garden daydreamers over at Jacqueline’s Journey. Go check it out and find at least one nugget of information that’ll make your local veggie garden better this year!
7. What are good crops to grow for Colorado’s climate? Colorado has cool, wet springs and hot, dry summers which is pretty annoying to the vegetable gardener. Cool weather crops like lettuce and radish will do great if you get them going early enough but by the time late June’s heat and lack of humidity come along they will require intensive watering and may even stop producing edible leaves. I found that Collards and Kale are cool weather crops that also do very well during the summer months. Other excellent crops are raspberries, onions, garlic, chives, shallots, tomatoes, tomatillos, potatoes, and squash.
8.What was the most difficult thing for you to grow? I have had particular problems growing peppers, eggplant, and okra. These plants require steady warm temperatures or they will drop their flowers and/or fruit or not grow. Depending on your Colorado micro-climate these plants may work great for you or may never get enough heat to be productive.
Found via Tall Tara!
Tomato troubleshooting — and the NatureSweet Homegrown Tomato challenge
Saturday, Saturday, Saturday!
Hide your children and tighten your chinstraps because in just under a week it’s time for the NatureSweet Homegrown Tomato challenge!
Colorado tomatoes | flickr user StacyK
The event, whose Colorado portion takes place at a King Soopers in Arvada, pits home gardeners against one another to see who grows the best tomatoes (or “love apples” — why? Well, the Internet says “Probably translation of French pomme d’amour from the former belief in the tomato’s aphrodisiacal powers,” but we still think it sounds funny).
And in case you’re not fully confident in the aphrodisiacal powers of your own love apples, might we suggest gardening columnist Carol O’Meara’s tomato-growing tips? Read more
