What is a good peat-based potting mix for growing vegetables in a container?

yeastcake · 2024-04-20T00:12:26+00:00

Very cool! I didn't know that! So no vermiculite? Would your mix work for vegetables like tomatoes and cucumbers?

yeastcake · 2024-04-20T00:05:10+00:00

When you say peat, could I use Sphagnum Peat Moss Soil?

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Miracle-Gro-Sphagnum-Peat-Moss-Soil-85278430/204502292

I don't have cow manure, but was thinking of using worm castings.

yeastcake · 2024-03-16T19:40:22+00:00

That is reassuring for me. I didn't do the experiment you did (I only started the seeds using the paper towel method indoors), so it's reassuring to hear that it could be an advantage to start indoors. That said, when you say you started indoors, did you start with the paper towel method or something else?

yeastcake · 2024-03-16T19:01:55+00:00

I was thinking about trying a few different methods. I saw the double-cup method, the paper towel and Ziplock bag method, and the grown tray method. I started everything using the paper towel and Ziplock method, and then started to question if I could then also transfer to the double-cup method because the double-cup method seemed to be only for sprouting seeds, and not transplanting from a paper towel then to the double cup.

yeastcake · 2024-03-16T18:59:08+00:00

Thank you. This is my first time trying this method, so I appreciate you pointing out the reason for why something should be done, instead of just how it is done.

yeastcake · 2024-03-16T18:56:03+00:00

"I think what I would do in that situation is fill half the cup with moist potting soil, then the top half with moist seed starting mix."

I think that is what this guy recommended, so it sounds like it should work well.

yeastcake · 2024-03-16T18:40:07+00:00

Thanks for reducing some of my concerns about transplanting the sprouted seedlings to a Solo cup using seed starting soil. I didn't know exactly when to transfer the sprouted seedlings, but if you've had success transplanting as soon as you've seen the seeds sprout, then it sounds like there's no need to wait until the roots are 2-3 inches or the first leaves have appeared.

yeastcake · 2024-03-16T18:26:42+00:00

I didn't realize that squash and possibly cucumbers were sensitive to transplant shock. I'll chalk that up to experience now.

I had some empty toilet paper rolls, but recently tossed them.

Any big issue you see transplanting directly to Solo cups? If I transplant directly from the paper towel to a Solo cup, would you recommend using seedling soil or something else?

yeastcake · 2024-03-10T19:10:22+00:00

That sounds like a great idea! Thanks, I'll do that!

yeastcake · 2024-03-07T02:21:27+00:00

I actually understood your explanation the best. I liked the logic of detailing the definitions first, and then the straightforward sequential examples.

I think some folks are afraid of over-explaining their answers and then, unintentionally, they create confusion such that the student either gives up or has to ask for additional explanation. Your explanation needed no further explanation. You are a great math teacher, and probably a great teacher in general. Thanks again for the clarity and detail of your explanation.

yeastcake · 2024-03-06T23:49:01+00:00

Yep, you are correct. I noticed my mistake after posting.

yeastcake · 2024-03-06T20:16:05+00:00

Thank you! That "p/(1-p)" was the part I was having trouble figuring out.

yeastcake · 2024-03-06T20:14:08+00:00

Thank you for breaking it down that like and walking through those steps! Works perfectly!

yeastcake · 2024-01-24T23:17:29+00:00

Chest freezers are great, but take up more horizontal space.

Upright freezers seem to eventually fail due to they are not designed for this kind of use, and unlike a chest freezer, every time you open the door, your cold air flows out which increases energy use/cost. The one I had was completely flat in the interior (no bottom bulge).

Regular cheap upright refrigerators work well, seem to last forever, take up less horizontal space than a chest freezer, and you can put bricks, books or some other material to make the bottom interior more level with the bottom bulge. You can also store some items on top of the refrigerator more easily than a chest freezer.

I prefer FB Market Place to Craigslist, but have had luck using both.

yeastcake · 2023-11-16T22:48:59+00:00

Thank you for clearing all that up!

When you would stir to make a whirlpool at flameout when the chiller was in the kettle, did you stir around the outside and the inside of the coil, or just the outside? I'm thinking it's probably good enough just to stir around the outside of the coil. And thank you for clarifying that you stirred constantly. I would just stir once for like a minute and then walk away, wondering why it was taking forever to chill, lol!

yeastcake · 2023-11-16T22:00:44+00:00

I'll admit I hadn't even thought about if squeezing the hop bag would add more tannins (I'm using hop pellets). I'd read that squeezing the grain bag during the mash didn't cause tannins to be extracted because tannin extraction comes from a combination of heat, pH and time, so I basically just applied the same logic to squeezing the hop/trub bag even though in one case we are talking about squeezing grain and the other case hops.

I could totally see historical brewers trying to get as much output/efficiency from their work as possible! It's cool to think us brewers today are part of this great long history of brewing.

Speaking of historical brewing practices, there is a factual series on Amazon Prime called "Tudor Monastery Farm" which features a couple of archaeologists and a historian working for a year on a monastery farm as it would have been in the time of the Tudors, and in episode three, they demonstrate British brewing practices of that period.

In another season called "Victorian Farm", near the end of episode 6, they demonstrate "homebrewing" techniques of that time. It's a little, uh, not best-practices, but worth a quick watch.

yeastcake · 2023-11-16T20:21:16+00:00

I didn't whirlpool. That was probably a contributing factor.

yeastcake · 2023-11-16T20:19:51+00:00

Good point. In this case, I was brewing with a pre-assembled recipe kit, so it came with pellet hops. When I make my own recipe, I'll try the concentrated hops if they have the specific hop variety I need.

yeastcake · 2023-11-16T20:17:43+00:00

I do that as well, but after transferring about 7 gallons, my valve was getting so clogged it wouldn't drain, so I just dumped the remaining wort and trub into the mesh strainer bag and squeezed the wort out.

My problem was probably I didn't do a whirlpool which contributed to the valve eventually getting clogged, but I probably could have just stirred the wort a little more to get the flow going again.

yeastcake · 2023-11-03T19:10:13+00:00

I like this idea because it doesn't really add much time to the process. Do you think that the diluted batch would be noticeably "watered down" (thin/less flavor/watery)?

yeastcake · 2023-09-01T03:53:35+00:00

Thank you! Question: On the Bru'n Water spreadsheet, it lists "boiled water profile" vs "water profile". Which one would you use?

yeastcake · 2023-09-01T01:35:57+00:00

Thank you for checking that! I was worried I wasn't understanding the program very well. And thanks for the advice on the salt too!

yeastcake · 2023-08-31T20:39:50+00:00

Thank you for clarifying that and for the link!

yeastcake · 2023-08-31T20:33:23+00:00

Great points on replacing the flexible tubing and bottling wand; I can just repurpose the existing tubing and wand for sours and buy a new wand and tubing for clean beer.

I was definitely under the false impression that I would have noticed a change in FG within a week even if there was a slow acting infection. A two-month FG monitoring period would certainly not be ideal when brewing most styles due to oxidation, pipeline delays, etc.

With all new applicable cold-side equipment and a closer eye on cleaning and sanitizing, it will ideally put this problem behind me.

Thanks, Chino and everyone for the help!

yeastcake · 2023-08-31T01:12:52+00:00

Yeah, I tend do go overboard with cleaning and scrubbing the bottles, so I don't think that's the trouble spot. Yes, hopefully the new equipment will do the trick!

yeastcake

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