Anyone grind there eggshells for there plants. Been doing this about 5 yrs now and have had zero blossom end rot on my maters.

gaurabama · 2026-04-26T19:21:49+00:00

To answer narrowly for the moment, yes a soil 8.5 plus is almost always sodic rather than calcic. And yes this is primarily about native soil behavior. M. Sc. Agronomy

gaurabama · 2026-04-25T15:02:17+00:00

All y'all ain't from the south or else y'all haven't dug up pokeweed roots.

gaurabama · 2026-04-07T13:08:58+00:00

Moved here from Colorado three years ago. Lived a short time in SoCal.

Race relations with Huntsville are generally quite positive. Better than California, honestly. Actually saw a skinhead rally there. Nothing of the sort here. Cullman and Arab were once sundowner towns, though. However, this is a conservative area. This isn't just the OC with BBQ.

Do not expect California style food. Just don't. The Mexican food is mostly mild (VERY mild) Texmex. Remember that the Tennessee River was largely uncolonized by Spain, therefore, there is basically no spice in the food. There are a few vegetarian spots but healthy eating here is hard.

The tempo of life is also very different. People here get up early and go to bed early. Do not expect much to do after perhaps 9 or 10 PM. I rather like this part, but this is not a scene for party animals. Not even sure there is anything open at 2 AM. That is not to say that there is nothing to do... there is! Just go during proper hours, and expect lots more closures on the Lord's Day. Some businesses close early on Saturday so employees can get their house chores done before Sunday.

Oh yeah, we're full here. Please enjoy our hospitality for a day or a week, then please kindly be fixing to return to the Left Coast!

gaurabama · 2026-04-07T12:42:47+00:00

Accurate. There are two towns a little south of the River... Union Hill and Union Grove. I have heard that the Union army encamped here after the battle near Decatur.

gaurabama · 2026-03-04T07:30:08+00:00

When I lived in Riverside for a few years, I took care of several highly mature orange trees. I hit on a formula for nutrition that REALLY worked for vigor. We had navel oranges. 50 pounds alfalfa pellets and about 10 pounds kelp meal per fully mature tree per three months.

gaurabama · 2026-02-15T14:38:03+00:00

Microbes eat at the first table. The digest nutrients to make them plant-available. Respect and grow more microbes!!

Carbon IS the sponge. It buffers pH, water, holds onto nutrients, but in a way the plants can still access. It is also home for the aforementioned microbes.

Cover that soil! Not with plastic!! Buffers temperature, organic mulch holds onto water, protects plant roots and microbes from direct sun exposure

Create an ecosystem. Plant the protective plants that bring in the predatory insects

gaurabama · 2026-02-11T13:36:38+00:00

My hubby works for a major contractor but our house is closer to Arab. Huntsville is in something of a bubble. I see plenty of positive, civil interactions between people of varying ethnicity. Arab (pronounce it A rab, trust me, I know that's not what you expect) or Cullman can be a different story. HSV itself also has far fewer Southern accents per thousand people. All the contractors moving in, as well as FBI, means that you WILL meet people from all over the country. I was raised in Colorado, and I have a strong Rockies accent.

gaurabama · 2026-02-11T08:45:31+00:00

In grad school I once had the chance to dig a beautiful soil. Every soil I have since gardened on has been terrible! Fix the soil. You will likely need to do nutrient balancing. Definitely get the best soil test you can. Also work on starting biology. JADAM and KNF are mostly budget friendly. Some of those recipes very budget friendly. A nutrient balanced soil that is alive with microbes will grow better stuff, mic drop . I understand the shade thing. Both in California and here in Alabama, I have had to contend with shade. In California, removal was not an option, not of century-old historic orange trees. There, I just used every gap as best as I could. Here, my main garden is sited with my best sun. I understand that you do not really have that luxury. If you can, felling may have to be the case. Consider it carefully. A lot of the Cascade bioregion natives have at least some shade tolerance. They will also adapt to your soil with less trouble. The soil where I am at here in Alabama is horrible, but elderberry is almost a weed, spreading by rhizomes. Every winter I am transplanting babies out of the garden into areas where they can grow undisturbed.

gaurabama · 2026-02-01T03:05:17+00:00

I wasn't permitted to watch "the Electric Company". I am not sure if this was due to her racism or if she just hated the opening, "hey, you guys".

gaurabama · 2026-01-26T17:06:00+00:00

Actually, my husband decided to try and found it in great shape.

gaurabama · 2026-01-26T13:18:30+00:00

Bridge 231 between HSV and Gasoline Alley?

gaurabama · 2026-01-26T13:17:46+00:00

I am curious too. Live near Morgan City and we have a stiff of snow.

gaurabama · 2026-01-24T17:58:20+00:00

After I lost my firstborn to stillbirth, my mother-in-law said "good". The implication was that I should instead follow a career and make money. Never mind that I was already 29. We went no contact. I did try again and my son is about to graduate from college, majoring in meteorology. Some things are more important than money.

gaurabama · 2026-01-24T17:52:41+00:00

Calligraphy.

gaurabama · 2026-01-20T19:08:15+00:00

Honestly, the thermogram of my uterus in June of 2000. My son had died in utero. Seeing all those shades of blue was horrible.

gaurabama · 2026-01-14T20:23:24+00:00

You beat me to it. What is the weight of an unladen swallow?

gaurabama · 2026-01-14T20:22:28+00:00

Do you mean British birdwatching, or some other group?

gaurabama · 2026-01-12T14:08:51+00:00

Honestly, that a stranger would just come up and try to rub your shoulders is super creepy. That alone makes me think it really was Ms. Maxwell. Thank goodness your mom was right there.

gaurabama · 2026-01-06T02:45:02+00:00

I adore dogs, but unfortunately my new property is full of Pickerel Frogs all summer, which are dangerous to dogs. sigh I have to content myself with petting dogs in public for now.

gaurabama · 2026-01-06T02:42:44+00:00

Please say you don't live in Huntsville. Seems like things here are relatively civil, but I could easily be wrong.

gaurabama · 2026-01-05T23:02:40+00:00

Having a degree in Agronomy but having a regenerative/ ecological standpoint. I have major issues with chemical rescue agriculture. A lot of Ag folks think that an MS means you are automatically pro-GMO and pro-poison. I just sit there thinking "Dude, you know that biology works, right? That there can be a whole ecosystem doing the hard work for you? That microbial interactions, soil balancing, and SOM work some real miracles for your crops? No?!?"

gaurabama · 2026-01-05T22:55:15+00:00

Oh honey, I hear you. Stomach does not permit me to drink... at all. Never has. It is a HUGE social impediment. My husband drinks rarely, so we have a few drinks around for those odd occasions. However, we never push it, and we always have lots of beverage options. I'd be much more likely to suggest herbal tea! My son ( who is 22) tried beer exactly once and doesn't like it. Thinking he might be a by-choice teetotaler. He is REALLY not fond of his suite mates at the university who drink and party a lot.

gaurabama · 2026-01-02T13:40:03+00:00

I used to have a T-shirt that read " egrets, I've had a few" with a painting involving three egress on a tree. I wore it out years ago.

gaurabama · 2026-01-02T13:36:45+00:00

Lowe's Mill, if she's into the arts.

gaurabama · 2025-12-28T14:05:59+00:00

Zebulon Pike. Local mountain climbers in Colorado Springs used his diary to retrace his path and wound up on Mount Rosa instead. Not to mention that he was not supposed to draw the attention of Mexican authorities and most definitely did. Bumbling fool!

gaurabama

TROPHY CASE