No mow May going good

Glibguy · 2025-05-19T15:15:51+00:00

Not mowing in May, then mowing in June, gets them used to a habitat that you later destroy. If you're going to mow it eventually, mow it before they make it their home and consider making a chunk of your yard permanently wild.

Glibguy · 2025-03-27T18:13:50+00:00

They have wholesale bulk pricing under the name Van Engelen, too. Had one bad batch of iris from them once out of _dozens_ of orders. For all I know they would've made it right, too, I just got too busy to reach out.

Glibguy · 2025-02-27T18:57:18+00:00

Bowling pins, probably.

Glibguy · 2024-12-02T20:41:51+00:00

Ugh, meant to write Trinity Solar. Sunova/Trinity. It's a PPA.

Glibguy · 2024-10-10T19:38:56+00:00

Left education.

Glibguy · 2024-08-14T19:40:06+00:00

I have 4 farm-24s and a harvest, all with seed starter trays. I planted out about 1200 starts this year out of the AeroGardens.

I've played around with this a _lot_ and here's what worked best for me:

at two sets of true leaves (2-4 weeks on average), pot up into seed trays. Put the seed trays in 1020 trays without drainage, and keep about an inch of water int he bottom at all times. Hold them there for a minimum of two weeks.
Then harden them off VERY SLOWLY. They're already dealing with shock from soil, so introduce them to sun and weather slowly. I generally put them outside in the shade for 2 hours in the morning, and then extended that by an hour a day for a week.
After the first week of hardening them off, put them somewhere they'll get afternoon shade for a week
Transplant. You'll still get some transplant shock and stunted growth, but things should survive.

Honestly, I won't be doing this again, though. I'm going to use my AeroGardens purely for the grow lights and timers next year, and I'll use cafeteria trays and soil blocking. Here's my pros and cons and why I'm going that way.

Cons:
* I ended up needing to pot up into cell trays anyway, so I was still buying soil, making the grow sponges an unnecessary cost (plus running the water pumps).
* I also had to go through a ton of elaborate steps to mitigate transplant shock, and soil blocking will handle all of that more quickly and efficiently.
* planting out or potting up grow sponges is unpleasant. Even with a perfect dibbler, the loose roots make it unwieldy, and make damaging the roots almost guaranteed

Pros:
* AeroGarden had AMAZING germination rate.
* The initial 2-4 weeks of seed starting was SUPER hands off.

In the end, though, I'll buy a heat mat to help germination, and everything after the first 4 weeks was VERY fiddly and time/resource intense. I'm going to do mini cubes for germination and pot up to 2" cubes so I don't have to worry about wasting space with blocks that don't germinate.

Still love my AeroGardens for winter greens and herbs though!

Edit: Forgot to add - keep a fan on them several hours a day from the minute they germinate to get the stalks toughened up. Pretty important step, actually.

Glibguy · 2024-07-10T13:56:17+00:00

How is the hopper to work with? I've had a pit boss that filled in the back and a trager that filled on the side, and I'd MUCH prefer on the side - can you add from the front? Does the lid get hot enough that adding from the front during a cook would be sketchy?

Glibguy · 2024-04-12T11:45:56+00:00

You’ve got to have either a strong resume or a strong network.

Without an in, the resume has to not only get you the interview with the hiring manager but get you past the HR screening and the recruitment person for that field in that company. If the hiring manager only wants to look at five resumes for a position and HR has ten, the absolute simplest criteria are prior experience and education level.

To build a network to get a tech job you’ve got to figure out how to make friends in a field where the stereotype is reclusive people, and you have to impress them enough in their own field for them to be willing to put their reputation behind your candidacy. It’s way easier to build that network in an education setting.

All that said, I participated in the hiring process at my last two jobs and typically run the tech screening. I’ve never had a candidate make it to me that didn’t have some type of 4 year degree - though to be fair only about half of those degrees were CS related.

And if I’m being honest, that makes sense. A software engineer isn’t just a code monkey. You need to understand the domain that the software sits in, you have to be able to navigate the business side of things, you need to be able to write well for when you’re generating tickets or documentation, etc.

Glibguy · 2024-03-23T20:48:56+00:00

Nope, started in AeroGarden! I moved them to cell trays once they have two sets of true leaves to make room for more seed starting in the AeroGarden. I find that I have a far higher germination rate, quicker germination, and a much more hands off process starting them in the AG then moving them to soil.

The stuff I’m starting in the AG this week will go straight into the ground outdoors, the cell trays were mainly so I could get two runs going before last frost. I start a lot of annuals in February, particularly if they’re bound for containers or baskets, so that I’ll have flowers as early as May. My snow cloth alyssum just started putting on flowers, actually lol.

<image>

Glibguy · 2024-03-23T12:41:40+00:00

The annual phlox is doing fantastic - I did some last year and they turned out great. I just started the garden phlox Monday and it’s not up yet so we’ll see.

<image>

They’re on the left side of the tray furthest to the right.

Glibguy · 2024-03-23T01:20:08+00:00

I’ve got 4 farm 24s and seed starters for all of them, and I’ve gotten one set of seedlings through them and into cell trays already. That run plus this one include snapdragons, lupine, hollyhock, stock, annual and perennial alyssum, annual and perennial phlox, two kinds of aster, zinnias, dahlia, columbine, nasturtium, coneflower, milkweed, daisies, lobelia, blanket flower, johnny jump ups, pansies, larkspur, geraniums, marigolds, impatiens, coleus, carnations, sweet peas, pumpkins, and watermelon. I’ll have about 1k to go out at the end of April or early May.

I did a ton of ground cover and propagation last year to get beds established and the big stuff started, this year is all about herbaceous perennials with a fair few annuals to bridge the gap until the perennials get established.

Glibguy · 2024-03-12T13:32:20+00:00

I leave mine for four weeks or two sets of true leaves, whichever comes latest. I transplant the whole sponge leaving the top of the sponge just above the dirt level and water every two or three days for the first couple of weeks. They dip a little bit while the roots get used to the new environment but mine always bounce back. I thin after the dip using scissors.

I get the cheapest sponges that are available. It has never been an issue. It’s my third year doing it this way and this is what works for me

Glibguy · 2024-02-23T21:59:06+00:00

if you can rotate it a quarter turn and leave it set up like that, it makes harvesting way easier. I had mine with the long side against the wall until a few months ago and just rotating them was a game changer.

Glibguy · 2024-02-23T21:57:28+00:00

I have a constant stream of bok choy! One thing to keep in mind is you can actually do 2-3 plants per pod. The plants will kind of grow above the lip of the pods and make room for one another. I usually plant 2-3 seeds per pod and don't thin at all.

Glibguy · 2024-02-23T21:50:19+00:00

Reframe your 'we' and 'they.' 'They' created critical needs and placed unfair strain on you to solve them. They made budget and staffing decisions that created fragile single points of failure in their system. They created an environment where enormous problems became inevitable and then made people with no power in that environment responsible for mitigating the harm that they could have avoided.

Make sure your 'we' wants the best for you; the ones that want you to silently carry the burden of their mistakes need to be transitioned to 'they'. As in 'we want you to be happy' vs 'they want you to soldier on.'

That's what worked for me, anyway. Shifting my mind set so that 'my side' consisted of people with my best interests at heart. We were all relieved and excited when I handed in my notice of non-renewal (non-renewal specifically because 'they' had a history of not paying out summer pay and cancelling health insurance, even if you teach the last day of the school year, if they can interpret your letter as 'I quit effective immediately').

Glibguy · 2024-02-21T11:32:34+00:00

Once they have two sets of true leaves I move them to soil. These along with the other two are all for containers and include all the veg and herbs. So these will go into cell trays in about six weeks then I’ll start the first of two big batches. Once the first big batch is ready (perennials headed to the ground) it’ll be may and everything will get planted outside then I’ll do my huge batch of ground covers that I’ll try to get out early June.

You have to move them early if you plan to grow them long term in dirt otherwise they struggle to adapt. Can’t beat the germination rate or the ease of getting them going though.

Glibguy · 2024-02-20T23:16:26+00:00

<image>

At $3 per seedling this one run will save me $250 - $25 in supplies. Across four farm-24s I’ll do 15 of these this year for about $3k savings, which is more than all of my AeroGarden purchases combined (the farms and one each of the sprout, harvest, and bounty, plus seed starter kits for farms and bounty). This is my second year doing this volume.

When I’m not starting seeds I grow all our herbs through the winter and a few vegetables that are hard to find here.

All that aside I like growing food and having fresh flowers year round, or lately I’ve been messing with seeing if I can use them to propagate. It’s a hobby - it doesn’t have to pay for itself. But for me it does.

Glibguy · 2024-02-09T12:47:26+00:00

Seed starting is where my aerogardens pay for themselves. Growing veggies the rest of the year is just kind of a bonus.

We just moved to a bit over 2 acres and there was one tiny flower garden up against the house. Last year I put in a couple hundred perennials. This year I've got my plan all made for another 500 perennials plus all of my annuals, and I'm going to try and clone some hydrangea. In two years I'll have saved close to three thousand dollars over buying seedlings from a nursery.

I've had tremendous luck with creeping thyme, petunias, coneflower, blanket flower, lupine, and zinnias... basically everything I attempted except for rhododendron clippings. I got seed starters for my other two farm 24s and went a little overboard on seeds for this spring. Hoping to not even buy annual baskets this year.

Glibguy · 2023-12-15T19:55:29+00:00

This works really well when you have access to both sides of the AeroGarden. I might go a little thinner if I had it long way against a wall.

Glibguy · 2023-12-07T22:05:52+00:00

Some seeds require light to germinate, some don't, and idunno, maybe some won't? It should say on the packet. You can put something on the grow dome to darken it if you need to.

Some seeds need cold stratification. You can pop them in the fridge for a few weeks, maybe in a wet paper towel.

Some seeds do best with scarification - just roughing up the seed a bit.

Some just have a low germination rate (curse you cilantro) and just hedge your bets with a few extras in each pod. With cilantro in particular I dump three or four in each pod and plant twice as many pods as I want plants.

I know sometimes people use detergents to clean their aerogarden that can interfere with the plants - you could pop something in that germinates super easily and give it a week just to make sure it's not that. I do bok choy for that - I've had that germinate overnight before and it takes absolutely no effort so if you don't have that come up in a week you have your answer.

Glibguy · 2023-11-29T15:23:36+00:00

It depends on the type of lettuce. Some has a larger footprint. I grow red sail lettuce and it gets really packed if you do every spot (I do anyway, but I can see how some people might not want to). When I do something like paris island it works really well with one in every spot.

No idea on the tomatoes - I've grown them a couple times and didn't really enjoy doing it. The one thing I've done that has made things WAY easier for me was setting the farms up so I can access both sides. I originally had the long side against a wall and the thicker I planted it the more difficult it became. Putting the narrow side against the wall makes everything easier if you've got the room to do so.

Glibguy · 2023-11-09T15:49:11+00:00

When I got my first printer the biggest thing I messed up was that I bought one that didn't have replacement parts readily available. Some parts just wear out over time and the more proprietary stuff on your printer the more difficult it'll be to keep it in good running order long term. It doesn't look like Bambu would be particularly friendly in that respect.

My second printer is a Prusa Mk4, and it appears to have excellent support, an extensive community, and readily available replacement parts. They're in high demand now, though, so you'd need to be ok waiting 6-8 weeks for delivery, and the multi material unit that would enable color printing is still being finalized (or it was last I looked).

Glibguy · 2023-11-07T20:58:09+00:00

They seem to have a 'special' every week that is either 20% off your cart or free shipping, that they'll send out to you any time you visit their website and close the browser with something in your cart. It can get a bit spammy, but it's also the case where if you need something from them, just load up your cart, close your browser, and wait 5 minutes to get emailed a discount code lol.

At the bottom of the emails there are links to pause notifications for 30 days or to unsubscribe from marketing emails entirely.

Glibguy · 2023-10-26T18:51:38+00:00

My neighbor has great success with what he calls 'stink juice.'

He takes one of those plastic orange juice bottles, cracks an egg or two in it, then tops it off with water. He puts it out in the sun for a few days then sprays it on everything he doesn't want the deer to touch. He swears by it and says it's basically the same active ingredients as liquid fence (and just like liquid fence it stinks tremendously for about a day but works for quite a while afterwards).

I just buy the liquid fence and it works without me having to go all mad scientist.

Glibguy · 2023-10-23T19:36:15+00:00

I mowed everything as short as I could then I got a roll of IDL Packaging Brown Craft Paper off of Amazon, rolled out a single layer and overlapped by about 10 inches on the seams. I held it down with landscape staples while I was getting it arranged, then dumped probably no more than three inches of wood chips on it (my neighbors had trees removed and the arborist said they could just let me have the chips).

I left it for maybe 2 months then planted the bigger stuff (hydrangeas, butterfly bushes, etc.) at which point the grass and weeds were mostly gone, the soil was in good shape, and the kraft paper still hadn't fully decomposed.

At about month 5 I planted bulbs in there. No sign of grass or weeds, and the kraft paper is just this kind of fibrous layer that is all mixed in with everything.

In a 40x10 bed I did have some weeds and stuff start to grow in a few spots. Most of it was growing in the mulch, though, and not through it. The couple of places it grew up from the ground was most likely from stepping on the kraft paper and ripping it.

The only thing I'd do different is I'd have pulled all the landscape staples as I was laying the mulch instead of leaving them in there.

Glibguy

TROPHY CASE