The Walden Effect: Farming, simple living, permaculture, and invention.

Potting up the nightshades

Tomato seedlings

Monday was potting-up day for the nightshade family. Tomatoes, of course...

Baby pepper plants

...our favorite lunchbox peppers...

Eggplant seedling

...and even a few eggplants. I'm not sure I'll be able to prevent flea beetle depredations organically (the reason I usually skip this crop), but I saw a guy selling heirloom seeds at the farmer's market and couldn't resist.

Double decker seed starting station

Aaaand now we need a fourth shop light.



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About us: Anna Hess and Mark Hamilton spent over a decade living self-sufficiently in the mountains of Virginia before moving north to start over from scratch in the foothills of Ohio. They've experimented with permaculture, no-till gardening, trailersteading, home-based microbusinesses and much more, writing about their adventures in both blogs and books.



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I have big flea beetle issues here. I find that sprinkling the ground around the plants with ash works very well. I also use diatomaceous earth when I have it. I powder that on the leaves and on the ground around the plants, too. I make a giant 'salt shaker' from an old coffee can or such. Poke big holes in the lid and go for it.
Comment by Tim Inman Thu Apr 19 08:51:02 2018
Hi Anna, I’m looking for advice. I moved from the SF Bay Area to OR (USDA zone 6) last fall. I tried to gauge when to start tomato seeds this spring, but I think I started them too early. Now temps are 60-65 with lows in the 40s usually. My plants are already 8” tall! Should I keep them indoors, indoors at night, or just surround them with a cold frame to keep them cozy outdoors until temps are warmer at night?
Comment by Jennifer Fri Apr 20 10:15:00 2018





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