Fall Tomatoes

They are still going strong! Picked a good amount this week and there are plenty of green tomatoes on the vine! Most tomatoes I'm picking now are from my tip-rooted plants.

Pictured above are Arkansas Travelers, Cherokee Purple, and a few pasters.

Johnson's Backyard Garden CSA

This week was our first CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) pickup from Johnson's Backyard Garden - and it totally beat our expectations.

Pictured above is everything included. I'm excited that we're getting tasty, local, organic vegetables, and even more thrilled at trying new produce. I can't remember the last time I bought okra, but now we have to find a way to eat it.

One vegetable I wasn't familiar with. Without knowing what it was, we cooked it with some snap peas - and it was wonderful. After a long debate on what we thought it may be, we looked it up and discovered our new favorite crop: kohlrabi.

Are you part of a CSA?

Tobacco: Indoor Drying Time Lapse Video

My previous batch of tobacco caught mold drying outside when the humidity levels rose. For my next batch I moved the operation indoors.

This is my 2nd extended time lapse project, recorded using my iSight camera during a month.

Dry Wall Repair 101

Che decided to hang from our bathroom towel rack. His stunt ended with a premature dismount, which included Che on the floor with the towel rack in hand. Left behind, a hole in the dry wall and a chance for a DIY project.

I was talking to my dad about the best way to fix it. He sent the fantastic instructions above.

Here's the starting point - the hold left behind. There's nothing for the dry wall anchors to grab onto, just 4" of empty space.



I sized the piece of wood on the wall, and cut out the section. This left me with a mess on the floor, but also with a square hole for my square peg.


I drilled a hole through the block, and fed a piece of string through it. This was probably the most time consuming part of the entire project. I knotted it on one side, added my super strength wood glue, and slid the block into the hole until it pressed against the wall on the other side of the 4" of emptiness. The string was very helpful in hold the block tight and in place until the glue set.


The next day, a began adding layers of spackle, allowing each layer to dry before adding the next. After about 3 layers I had a consistent surface over the hole.


Next steps: Color match the paint and hope Gale doesn't notice the difference. I don't feel like repainting the entire bathroom.

Windows 7 Install

I did it, I installed Windows 7 on Snow Leopard! I know, treachery, right?

It's actually important that I learn Windows 7. My office is a Windows environment (except for me) and Windows 7 will be our upgrade from XP. I also provide customer support -the majority of our users are on Windows OS - although not as many as it used to be.

On my Mac, I've installed WIndows 7 x64 using VMWare Fusion3. (My Snow Leopard install is x64 as well). This is my first experience with VMWare and so far it's great. I started the Windows 7 install from an ISO, went for lunch, and when I returned I had a login screen. Total work: 5 minutes. Easy!

For our official office build, I'm installing Windows 7 in a virtual environment using Hyper-V. Using the Same ISO and the first difference was the Hyper-V asked a few questions to begin. Glad I didn't leave this one for lunch. Otherwise, installation was just as fast as the VMWare.

I haven't had much time to dive into WIndows 7 yet, but I look forward to the investigation. More to come.

Grandpa's Advice

A comment on my tobacco growing post, left by Grandpa. I had to share in case you didn't see.

To make a plug chew simply spread out leaves and cover with honey. Lots of honey. Stack leaves one on top of the other, about 20 high. Jack up corner of the house and place stacked leave between house frame and the corner block. Lower the house. Wait a couple of weeks and remove. Works every time.

Austin Garden Party

Join us Sunday November 15 from 6 to 10p in the backyard of The Liberty for a party to nurture the green thumb in all of us. Into growing your own food or just a plant lover? We will have lots of things to help you out with your horticultural adventures.

DJ Richard Gear will be spinning tunes to get you moving and the Liberty will be serving up their requisite brand of awesome to make sure all of your bocce, pinball, and washers needs are satisfied.

AND, we even have a few surprises up our sleeve and all for a $5 cover.

Come early to get entered into our door prize drawings. We have a lot of great items to give away, including: potted plants from Leslie Uppinghouse Gardener and Homegrown.org, herbs and veggie starter kits, a $50 gift certificate from Breed & Company, and lots more.

Bad Seed Promotions is a grass roots crew promoting urban gardening and sustainable living. Our goal is to get down and get dirty through patio gardening, back yard beds, and homegrown foods.

More info.