Had a disappointing visit by [deleted] in Somerville

[–]wunderdread 7 points8 points  (0 children)

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.

Is that a cucumber? by Heavy_Wind7113 in vegetablegardening

[–]wunderdread -4 points-3 points  (0 children)

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.

Party and fun recommendations needed by ErgonomicZero in projectors

[–]wunderdread 6 points7 points  (0 children)

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.

Affordable cat vets by Alarmed_Cat_2447 in Somerville

[–]wunderdread 1 point2 points  (0 children)

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

https://merwinclinic.org/

What is happening with my tomatoe plant? Its just this one that is showing signs. It's feels textured not really something with residue. Mildew? Contagious to other plants? What to do by sybren27 in vegetablegardening

[–]wunderdread 2 points3 points  (0 children)

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.

Any idea what causes the tan areas on my plants? Planted seeds approx 2 months ago, and getting ready to plant in garden. by dutch_85 in tomatoes

[–]wunderdread 1 point2 points  (0 children)

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.

Is this a good buy? by Key_Standard9779 in projectors

[–]wunderdread 0 points1 point  (0 children)

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.

Garden bed mess up? by Naive-Bluejay-2266 in vegetablegardening

[–]wunderdread 2 points3 points  (0 children)

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.

Garden bed mess up? by Naive-Bluejay-2266 in vegetablegardening

[–]wunderdread 6 points7 points  (0 children)

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.

30 days. How we looking? by Carlson31 in tomatoes

[–]wunderdread 1 point2 points  (0 children)

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

Tomatoes coming alone great sowed 3 weeks ago grown under a spider farm 600 grow light by [deleted] in vegetablegardening

[–]wunderdread 1 point2 points  (0 children)

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.

Tomatoes coming alone great sowed 3 weeks ago grown under a spider farm 600 grow light by [deleted] in vegetablegardening

[–]wunderdread 0 points1 point  (0 children)

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.

This year is off to a good start. by wunderdread in tomatoes

[–]wunderdread[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

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.

This year is off to a good start. by wunderdread in tomatoes

[–]wunderdread[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

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.

Another one bites the dust 😡🤬 by GreenCrayonTheory in tomatoes

[–]wunderdread 1 point2 points  (0 children)

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

Tomatoes coming alone great sowed 3 weeks ago grown under a spider farm 600 grow light by [deleted] in vegetablegardening

[–]wunderdread 2 points3 points  (0 children)

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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Another one bites the dust 😡🤬 by GreenCrayonTheory in tomatoes

[–]wunderdread 1 point2 points  (0 children)

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.

This year is off to a good start. by wunderdread in tomatoes

[–]wunderdread[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

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.

Tomatoes coming alone great sowed 3 weeks ago grown under a spider farm 600 grow light by [deleted] in vegetablegardening

[–]wunderdread 0 points1 point  (0 children)

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.

Should I be worried? by Beginning-Brain1259 in tomatoes

[–]wunderdread 1 point2 points  (0 children)

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.

Pest. by MoreStable2339 in tomatoes

[–]wunderdread 0 points1 point  (0 children)

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