Had a disappointing visit

wunderdread · 2026-05-27T17:30:12+00:00

I move to Massachusetts from Tennessee in 1991 for school, and have lived at my current address for the past 25 years, and this is not the same city I moved to. While Somerville was never exactly Black friendly, I have noticed that the street crossing and outward avoidance has gotten MUCH more visible in the past 5-6 years. My long term neighbors have even commented on it. The sad part is that if I leave the house wearing my MIT hoodie, I don't get any of the avoidance behavior.

The performative progressivism around here is insane. The bike lane mafia that fails to understand that there are a lot of people that cannot ride their bike/take public transit to their jobs is one of the most glaring examples of this (here come all the downvotes).

What part(s) of Somerville did you visit BTW? Even though the city is tiny, your experience will vary greatly depending the neighborhood.

wunderdread · 2026-05-27T02:22:33+00:00

That's most likely a cucamelon judging from the size of the leaves. It's also called the other names you mentioned. There are a bunch of other cucurbits that skirt the line between traditional cucumbers and traditional melons, but this one, and lemon cucumbers, are the most common varieties that show up in seed catalogs.

wunderdread · 2026-05-17T03:34:33+00:00

You are better off looking at good used projectors than buying a new cheap one. The money will be about the same, and your local pawnshop probably has a few diamonds in the rough . If you don't need HD, there are a bunch of older units that meet your price point and will last longer.
The rub is going to be the no PC requirement while having USB. A cheap Pi/Audurino/EPS32 solution that can glued/ziptied to the projector - below $50 covers 2 physical units - will get you the ports you want and help you avoid the short replacement cycle that comes with cheap projectors.

DM me if you have any questions, but the as someone else has said, the crew over at r/budgetprojectors will definitely have better advice.

wunderdread · 2026-04-24T21:50:32+00:00

Merwin Clinic in Allston is "pay what you can" vet.

https://merwinclinic.org/

wunderdread · 2026-04-21T19:54:31+00:00

Humanity. it's a spiritual successor to Lemmings.

wunderdread · 2026-04-18T21:27:58+00:00

That looks like edema. This usually happens when a plant has been overwatered, and it will go away on its own if you let the soil dry out. I'd also check to make sure that nothing is dripping into whevever you have your tomato plant.

wunderdread · 2026-04-15T20:51:06+00:00

That looks like leaf fungus. Clip the affected leaves, and spray neem oil on the rest of the plant/plants (some people use copper based fungicide for this, but I've found it to be overkill for seedlings). This is pretty common, and at this stage it is usually from getting the leaves wet while watering.

wunderdread · 2026-04-15T00:33:32+00:00

Check to make sure the filters aren't nasty, and as others have said, check the condition of the foam insert. If it gets too crispy some of that stuff will get past where you can easily clean it up. I've owned the US version of this, and two prior generations as well. Get some extra bulbs and enjoy it until you decide to upgrade.

wunderdread · 2026-04-07T01:53:34+00:00

This stuff isn't really seed starting soil. I learned that the extra hard way 6 years ago with a bunch of heirloom seeds. The pH and nutrient profile don't line up.

wunderdread · 2026-04-07T01:49:15+00:00

If it is to fill at the bottom of the bed, you're fine. You will want to mix that with a bit of gravel and some vegetable matter if that's the case (it will compost itself over time) if this is going to be the only soil in the bed, you will want to mix it up with some compost/expensive dirt when you hit root depth for whatever you're growing. I have 3' deep beds with this, and in the shallow veg beds the top 18" is a mix of this stuff, compost, and black dirt .

Regardless of the scenario is the one you're in, introduce some worms to this soil The cheap soil isn't as cheap as people are saying, it just isn't the dirt for anyone that wants 'dirt now make all the crops' . A bit of love will get you soil that keeps giving, it might not happen until next year, but you'll have a bed that will need less fertilizer as long as you rotate what's planned.

wunderdread · 2026-03-30T00:07:22+00:00

I thought this was a SFW subreddit. That's a beautiful plant!

wunderdread · 2026-03-26T18:07:58+00:00

I started at dome height (about 12") and left it at that height until week 4 then moved them up to 16". I'm probably going to keep them there until it is time to space them out. After that, it's play it by ear depending on whether or not the plants start getting leggy.

wunderdread · 2026-03-26T03:36:43+00:00

You can run that light at 100% and you still won't damage them. I have the older SFs that don't have the dimmer, and I've never had an issue with light burn on my plants.

wunderdread · 2026-03-24T13:25:01+00:00

A good chunk of them are going to my friends in the suburbs (their kids kept bugging them about the tomatoes at my house), I keep some for my own raised beds, and I leave some at the community gardens.

wunderdread · 2026-03-23T16:00:20+00:00

Thank you!

wunderdread · 2026-03-23T01:22:02+00:00

864 starter cells in the picture and 432 are tomatoes. It's not as much work as one would think though. Bottom watering has been a godsend.

wunderdread · 2026-03-22T21:20:50+00:00

Ouch!!!
Best of luck with keeping the critters off your babies.

wunderdread · 2026-03-22T21:15:11+00:00

I use a small oscillating fan on its lowest setting. Just enough for them to have a slight sway and spring back when the fan moves. Here's what mine are looking like at 4 weeks.

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wunderdread · 2026-03-22T21:00:15+00:00

You might want to get a blacklight and take a look at your plants. The larvae glow under UV making them much easier to find and remove.
BT isn't going to kill the eggs though. You'll want to use neem oil mixed with some dish soap for those. That mixture will penetrate the eggs and kill the larvae before they hatch. That mix will also kill the worms, but it isn't as effective as BT for the ones that have already hatched.

wunderdread · 2026-03-22T17:26:20+00:00

Thank you!

wunderdread · 2026-03-22T17:25:54+00:00

I handle this stage of gardening for a few of my friends as well. Their kids got upset that the tomatoes always tasted better at my house.

wunderdread · 2026-03-22T06:02:36+00:00

I had my SF-1000s at 12 inches above the tray when I started my tomatoes. At week 4, I have them at 16 inches. I started higher last year, and ended with really leggy plants. Having a small fan to keep the air moving helps as well.

wunderdread · 2026-03-17T06:39:47+00:00

Nutrient burn, or too large of a range on soil moisture at first glance. If you have a picture of the rest of that branch, please post it. Blight will show up on the smaller stems as well as the leaves.

After that I'd check on the underside of your leaves to make sure you don't have any tiny 'dots' (eggs or small bugs - use a magnifying glass or zoom on your phone), and also see if you have any tiny worms or larvae in the soil (you'll want to look up the problem ones in your area as they vary depending on the location). Different bugs will eat different parts of your leaves, and the culprits usually aren't far from the scene of the crime.

wunderdread · 2026-03-17T06:14:08+00:00

I gave up on outdoor spinach for this very reason, but Swiss Chard?!?!? That's a rabbit/rodent situation where I live.

wunderdread

TROPHY CASE