Click on a thumbnail picture below to see the full size version. 27 Entries. Monday, January 5 View Page Testing 123... How many of these might relate to this sport? (Credit: someone's Reddit post) As the new year approaches, I remind myself to face the truths I've been avoiding. These reflections are inspired by Jordan Peterson's 12 Rules for Life. When was the last time I fully took responsibility for my own life instead of blaming circumstances or others? What lies do I tell myself to avoid uncomfortable truths? How often do I undermine myself through bad habits I know are destructive? What would happen if I stopped ignoring the problems I know I need to confront? In which areas of my life am I living below my full potential? Which relationships drain me, and why do I continue to tolerate them? When was the last time I truly faced fear or uncertainty without running away? Which of my actions are driven by pride rather than truth? What is the hard truth about myself that I've been avoiding for years? How often do I sabotage myself to avoid responsibility or risk? What compromises have I made with my values just to fit in or be accepted? What would happen if I consistently spoke the truth, even when it's uncomfortable? Which fears are holding me back from growing into the person I should be? How often do I take care of myself with the same care I give to others? What patterns in my life keep repeating, and what do they say about me? How much of my life is guided by impulses rather than conscious choices? When was the last time I confronted someone with an uncomfortable truth that needed to be said? Which illusions am I living in to avoid pain or guilt? What would happen if I stopped running from difficulties and faced them head-on? Which responsibilities have I ignored that, if I took them seriously, could radically change my life? Thursday, January 8 View Page Welcome to 2026. Just 2 days of winter this year** Warm December & things are supposed to warm up again. Sunday, January 18 View Page I want to try some new things but without losing track of what has worked in the past. I want to really leverage soil moisture in my favor this year. I want to try keeping soil moisture high except during blossom set. I'm going to be lazy and fail English class here sorry, the rest of this post is really only going meant for myself. I want to boost the amount of straw and maybe chitin (but does fungus convert to chitin*) and basically do everything to the tomatoes that would help.... if they were potatoes. I mean potatoes are not fruit so there is really no comparison. A potato is a stem and it doesnt get pollinated or anything. So I dont know what the connection is but I feel like there's a connection. Some area where I can improve. Indeed. And a large storebought potato is perhaps the goal. I often get relatively skimpy potatoes and rarely get them to plump up like the biggest storebought ones. There's so much room for improvement. Grafting. Getting rid of verticillium. Soil moisture (maximizing potato production is all about having no water stress*) I dont mean they want wet ground either though. Verticillium if I read correctly wont be worsened by more moisture, the way phytophthora or fusarium might be. Better plant spacing is critical to my goal of getting better results. I always fall into the trap of "if I planted them closer then I could have more plants." But really... if I think I need more plants then I just need to work harder and prep more ground. Thats the correct solution to having more plants. Why is idaho so good at growing potatoes* "Extremely volcanic" soil* Good soil moisture/climate during the growing season (not too much)* Freedom from pests/diseases* Due to few host species/ favorable local ecology. What is it. Hmm. Well, last of all, I want a new mulch barrier. I might try straw (and keep it dry unless we get extreme heat) but what would be better than straw* The plastic fabric stuff could work (I used it to grow a 10 lb tomato but also a bunch of more shrinky dinky ones) but how could it work* Tons of mulch mixed into the dirt beneath the plastic mulch* Use drip lines, with careful moisture monitoring* The addiction emerges like the Loch Ness monster, from its winter hibernation/stratification. Sunday, January 18 View Page Large mullein plant growing in the magic soil zone of Washington. Wednesday, January 28 View Page 9.5 Clayton tomato grew the 10.06.... 10 packs of 10 seeds ea. is the last of these seeds. Lets set something up for the silent auction pnwgpg! Sorry cant access my email right now, but will be able to tomorrow. These are goooood seeds! I think there are 12-13 lbers in this lot of seeds. Friday, February 6 View Page Lemon tree, avocado tree, and ginger... The ginger was the first to go down, but the bulb should still be alive. A warm winter so far. No heat keeping these alive except the black barrel and loose plastic coverings. Thursday, February 12 View Page Loving my new GWG hat! Now I just need to earn it. Tuesday, February 17 View Page Trying some tomato grafting. I bought the smallest clips I could find which was like 1.2 mm. It's difficult. There must be some trick to very small grafts. Perhaps starting with a magnifying glass. Monday, February 23 View Page Washington state's gemstone is petrified wood. I think this piece may be 15 million years old. The tree itself about 400 years old about 2 ft across. Not sure how to tell the species. The rings are closely spaced no more than 1/16 inch. I'm going to be working on a wide ranging (200+ mile) geology project that relates to this. But this came from just 2 miles from my house. Tuesday, February 24 View Page "Li Jiawan Grand Ginkgo" Wednesday, February 25 View Page Living remnants of an original tree which is estimated to be thousands of years old. Wednesday, February 25 View Page While some of you are snowed in... Over here, the quixotic effort has begun. My soil is good. But I am not exempt from thinking I can make it better. (I may be affected by the usual early season hopium?) This is some free river sediment from a flooded roadway. I've been adding a few hundred pounds at a time to my patches in the hope of getting better results someday. Wednesday, March 4 View Page First dandelions spotted. I'm looking forward to growing in 2026... soil is waking up. Still a couple weeks away from anything really happening. I won't be starting too early this year. Thursday, March 5 View Page At my moms house, the soil has remained loose and aerated, its has not been pounded down by multiple feet of rain like the soil at my house. Also noticed some big areas of fungal decay that also make me think the soil is different over here. She is on the dry side of Washington state, in the warmest driest area. My soil is sandy loam, hers is loamy sand. Its different. Huge potential to grow some big veggies at her house, if I could get a few remaining issues sorted out. Thursday, March 5 View Page These onion starts are a lot easier to separate if the roots are jostled in water first to remove the dirt and placed underwater. It is much easier to pull them apart when immersed. IGC/Big Show- waiting on truck repairs then 9 hr drive... trying to be patient. Friday, March 6 View Page I guess me making it to Salt Lake City was just not the plan. Be blessed & safe travels, everyone. Wednesday, March 11 View Page A couple weeks after using the vibrator on them. These are a breeding project. None set prior to using the vibrator. Saturday, March 14 View Page Tomato grower. I think tomatoes are like cats, they choose you not the other way around. And later you wonder why you have 14 of them. Or more. Monday, March 16 View Page Planted the 2007 Billy King tomato seeds that Porkchop sent me. I want to give them a head start in case I want pollen from them. Mustard has sprouted, its off to a good start. I overwintered a piece of the 10.06 plant. The original piece may die, its sick. But some of the cuttings are healthy. I have one overwintered plant that I did not label or the label is deeply buried. It may be the best 2.38 Elaine from last year, or yet another 10.06 cutting. I'm very frustrated that I cannot remember. Perhaps, later on a growth pattern comparison will help identify it. The 10.06 has a slightly odd growth habit. To use fancy botanist/arborist words: I believe the branches were more "decurrent" (& less "excurrent") than a normal tomato. I'll try to confirm this later with pictures. Thursday, March 19 View Page Successful, but not very successful. Friday, March 20 View Page Added some worm food in the tomato patch but it's a scant amount and barely noticeable. Its worm feeding weather, the weather is too poor to do anything else. I have about a dozen different tomato seeds from other people and about a dozen of my own that could be in my lineup for this year. Saturday, March 21 View Page Small budget gardening (free). It's sometimes difficult to know if an amendment will help or not. In this case the wood in the middle of the pile has finally decomposed enough to show a positive affect on the growth of the grass in the middle of the pile. But the grass around the edges is not showing any improved growth. Well, undecomposed wood chips aren't a good source of nutrients. But I do think some nutrient release is happening where the white fungal growth is, in the center of the pile. I'm going to "go out on a decomposing limb" and say that I could get a net benefit from using this in the garden if its applied in a way that won't be disruptive or detrimental. I'm aware of the many, many ways this could go wrong but I think I can avoid all of the pitfalls and reap only benefits. The bs only stops when the basket drops? (What do tomato growers say?) PS I'd love to try things Dave Chan's way but I'm not ready. His diary might be one to follow this year. Sunday, March 22 View Page Good news is the grafted tomato is doing well. Bad news is this was the only graft out of a dozen that took. I have some ideas for getting better results but I think the % success will never be 100. I'd be ok with a 33% success rate. I dont think grafting is necessary whatsoever unless its addressing a disease problem, Dan Sutherland grows huge tomatoes without grafting as do other growers. But I am grafting because I saw plenty of indications that I was losing lbs to less-than-optimal soil health aka disease. Using tomato rootstock is one way to solve this problem.. The other bad news is the "original Domingo seeds" are probably duds I started some other tomato seeds at the same time and got 5/7. 0/3 on the Billy King seeds. Monday, March 23 View Page Old seed competition 2026. Feel free to join. It's the most informal competition there's no leadership (and no prize?) and only one rule: grow an old seed, 15 + years old. Monday, March 23 View Page The lineup. Biggest is a 1395 Wallace. Things were a bit lighter 15 years ago. I added a 2376 Bayuk 2001 as a control. And the Brown bushel gourd for fun. Neither counts as an old seed. Monday, March 23 View Page "Water! Nectar of the gods, at last!" Sterile water .5 % H202. Looks like a wet shirt contest now. Wednesday, March 25 View Page Checked on seeds. 2376 Bayuk 2021 has a root tip out ... A 5 year old seed acting youthful. The Atlantic giants seem to be fine for about 5 years after which the germination drops off. Temps in the plastic bags have been perfect 80-90 range during the day but I do shut it off at night so things may take longer.