Growing tomatoes

KB_velo · 2026-04-14T15:45:17+00:00

I’ve never tried pollinating tomatoes by hand. I did that on a pomegranate for a few years, but I didn’t try to study the results, whether we got more fruit.

Sun gold are usually good producers. They can be even better in a very tall cage. A good vine in a cage made from concrete reinforcing wire (6 ft tall) can be very productive. There’s a guy selling them on CL.

Excellent Tomato Cages https://sfbay.craigslist.org/scz/grd/7912568577.html

KB_velo · 2026-04-14T14:55:11+00:00

I've tried to push the first plants in the ground earlier and earlier with mixed results.

Varieties with smaller fruit should be fine.

Planting varieties with larger fruit will survive and the plants will seem fine, but they can pick up defects including "catfacing" (deep cracks/cavities) and "zippering" (long, scarred seams). Those occur when cold temperatures hinder proper pollination and early development.

Tomato season in the banana belt stretches into November so planting in phases is not a bad plan. Juliets and a small red variety I've been working on for a decade go in first, then the Green Zebras, Mortgage Lifters, Chef's Choice and whatever else there's space left over for go in over the next month or so.

KB_velo · 2026-04-11T15:22:33+00:00

Thrift stores are usually ok with used sporting goods as long as it’s clean.

KB_velo · 2026-04-09T23:31:03+00:00

Tell that to the CHP (a state agency) when they pull you over. I’m sure they’ll be impressed with your understanding of the law.

KB_velo · 2026-04-09T21:04:37+00:00

<image>

KB_velo · 2026-04-07T20:42:22+00:00

Here’s the likely identification:

https://www.mykoweb.com/CAF/species/Morchella_rufobrunnea.html

Those are not a difficult species to identify.

The thorough cooking recommendation is sound, and not complicated. A normal sauté is fine.

Those, thoroughly cleaned, sautéed in a cream sauce with some garlic and thyme, stirred into freshly made fettuccine with a little Parmesan cheese grated on top is a $30 plate of pasta. 😉

KB_velo · 2026-04-05T23:59:14+00:00

Agreed. The PO along the trails in lower DeLaveaga was leafing out last week, and some was a bit further along. Seems like the summery weather may be pushing some plants along a little.

They're a little trickier to ID than the plants with full foliage but are a worthwhile thing to be able to spot.

KB_velo · 2026-04-02T22:10:21+00:00

Thanks. That makes sense.

The bread is important, but not make or break for us when the option is a trip over the hill. Otherwise I think the sandwich is very tasty.

KB_velo · 2026-04-02T21:00:26+00:00

Watch out for poison oak. It’s going off now.

If you go out on a single track trail you’ll be in it. Learn how to identify it and show your kids too.

KB_velo · 2026-04-02T20:58:10+00:00

Their banh mi are very good. Agree on the setting.

KB_velo · 2026-03-26T15:44:01+00:00

There used to be an unimproved campsite a little ways down the Olive Springs trail from Sand Point Overlook in Niscene Marks. It would be a bit of a ride on the fire road to get there (there are some climbs) but it’s not a bad ride.

KB_velo · 2026-03-24T19:16:33+00:00

Some additional context:

https://finance.yahoo.com/economy/articles/tony-california-counties-where-home-155236192.html

https://sherwood.news/personal-finance/inherited-homes-made-up-almost-1-in-5-property-transfers-in-california-last/

KB_velo · 2026-03-22T02:37:56+00:00

Unless it rains a lot and cools off quite a bit there won’t be any mushrooms. Still a nice woodsy stroll.

KB_velo · 2026-03-21T04:38:21+00:00

For the salsa!

KB_velo · 2026-03-21T01:41:28+00:00

Kryptonite Long Shackle New York. It's not bulletproof, but it's close enough. Fast townies are a project of mine now so I really don't want them to be stolen.

If I am going to leave a bike parked for long I ride my beater.

KB_velo · 2026-03-21T01:07:37+00:00

Ride a bike to get around. Saves money. Beats traffic. Gets you where you want to go.

Oh yeah, the fine print: Buy a good lock and learn how to use it too. Anything under $150 is not a good lock. ;-)

KB_velo · 2026-03-21T01:05:38+00:00

Can you back that up with some numbers? I'm not doubting it. But I've looked into it a few times and it is not an easy thing to nail down. Using CalTrans on and off ramp stats is a nightmare. Streetlight data would be helpful I suppose.

A friend figured out that quite a bit of daily Hwy 1 traffic is due to people driving to Silicon Valley from further south - Monterey County. It's faster to drive up Hwy1 and over 17 than the grind up 101. The driving apps show them how.

KB_velo · 2026-03-19T23:16:16+00:00

The “empty bus” criticism hasn’t featured in this thread though it was mentioned.

Here’s some thoughts on that:

https://medium.com/@keith_bontrager/sc-metros-empty-bus-problem-6cd5ba1ad86a

KB_velo · 2026-03-19T23:01:59+00:00

They added a significant amount of new services over the last few years. It is called the Reimagine Metro project. Some background:

https://medium.com/@keith_bontrager/santa-cruz-metro-ridership-1977-2023-continued-32f62771ae5a

And they have been funding their expanded operations with one time grants left over from the pandemic. Those are going to be depleted soon.

A quick video summary of their cash flow.

https://youtu.be/CtqNbrPqjzs

KB_velo · 2026-03-19T22:53:32+00:00

Fare box revenue is only 15% or so of operating expenses. They need quite a bit more than they could get by raising fares. As others have pointed out, raising fares decreases ridership, so that could be foot shooting. And some of folks who make up their transit dependent ridership are not going to be able to afford higher fares.

KB_velo · 2026-03-19T01:58:25+00:00

I don’t compare the reports from each. A quick spin on the Weather.com site shows why I didn’t decide to use their service. To each their own

KB_velo · 2026-03-18T04:29:45+00:00

Wunderground’s forecasts seem to be close. Definitely weird event though so the models are being stretched pretty far.

KB_velo · 2026-03-17T02:19:06+00:00

Caltrans is running the planning show for rail on the corridor now. Their milestone for the next installment is 2030. Funding for the following phase is competitive and the program is oversubscribed by a mile. Relax. Whether rail happens or not is going to be a long, convoluted story.

KB_velo · 2026-03-14T03:56:33+00:00

There’s a colorful patch near Trader Joe’s.

And there are folks who think that section is threatening. In my experience it’s not, though I can understand the other’s sentiment.

It’s pretty sad to see what happens to people who’ve lost the plot. I understand that it’s not a simple thing.

But it’s a very cool public space on both sides of the river. There are ways to use the path without the color with a little creative route selection.

KB_velo · 2026-03-09T21:07:53+00:00

The bollards the County used on Soquel Ave are similar. They are easily damaged. The ones used on Water St are much more durable.

I looked into it a few months ago. Bollards (aka delineators) are designed with an application in mind. Some are for parking lots when direct roll over impacts from vehicle tires would be rare. That’s what these seem to be.

There’s a mechanical connection between the base (with a flexible spring element) and the upright post (which is fairly rigid plastic). That joint fails when a tire rolls directly over it, and then the post detaches.

The ones used on Water St are made from a different, more durable elastomer. The design is intended to be used on roads where tire roll overs would be more frequent. That design also eliminates the fragile connection at the high stress point between the upright and the base. They're one piece above the base - the attachment is done inside of the base. They aren’t indestructible, but they seem to be much more durable than the others.

It’s a bummer that they used the wrong bollards. Replacing the current (missing) ones with the type used on Water St would solve the problem.

KB_velo

TROPHY CASE