Jump to content

Gardening


Skalliwag

Recommended Posts

2 hours ago, tommy dee said:

they are total crap to be honest.  the main issue is when you plug them in they work, when the sun goes off, ie hand in front, they go off, then dont come back on again unless you unplug and plug in again.  you get what you pay for but they are total pants. sorry.

his floating idea is an excellent one BTW, but the units are shite.  anyone wants them I have 4 with no use for them 

Are all four of them behaving the same way?

Edited to add: The solar panel came with protective plastic over the panel. Did you peel it off? 

Mine works fine when there's bright sunshine overhead. Early morning, late afternoon, or when the sun is obscured by a cloud they go into what I call ejaculation mode. They'll be a spurt of water, then nothing for five or so seconds, then another spurt. Once the bright sunlight returns the pump once again sends up a consistent fountain of water. No unplugging and plugging required.

I suspect what's happening is the solar panel is charging a capacitor that when it reaches a threshold voltage sends power to the pump. In bright sunlight the capacitor is always above the threshold voltage, but in less than optimum sunlight it goes into a charge/discharge cycle.

I did have a look for a solar powered pump that incorporates a battery, but couldn't find anything. I then thought of sacrificing one my solar powered lights with a battery to power the pump. Luckily it occurred to me before I tore apart the light that it wouldn't work. The light works since the battery can accumulate a charge during the day and power the light at night. But the same system wouldn't have enough juice to power both the pump and charge the battery.

Edited by forcebwithu
  • Like 1
  • Great Info 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 5 weeks later...

Some random pics.  

 

Dwarf satsuma winter orange tree

2B3A5CE7-4041-453F-8756-814068BF23B3.jpeg

 

dwarf Bush lemon tree...only about 18” tall, but already fruiting  

1391EAD3-8180-4580-9042-8C55B1A76ED1.jpeg

 

Next 2 pics - asian pear tree, but specially grafted 4 different varieties onto one single tree & self-pollenating so only one tree needed

39D02009-7B00-464D-AA40-6B2048C5669F.jpeg24CAAD42-684C-42C9-BFF8-D10B975FB389.jpeg

 

 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

...initially, I was going to buy a self-pollenating macadamia tree, but after reading how much of a hassle it is to break open and roast the nuts perfectly , decided the no nonsense asian pear tree was an easier way to go.  

Btw, check out my gigantic enormous potatoes I grew this year!!!

 

 

ie...like “6 for 1 buck”  lol

 

 

 

 

 

47D02A32-EF54-45F7-9C7A-7817B1A79767.jpeg

 

  • Like 1
  • Haha 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 11/18/2020 at 12:01 AM, Gary said:

I call the tomatoes from the local market, rubber ball tomatoes, no flavor or juice. You could bounce them off the wall.  I had a Florida friend bring me seeds that were supposedly developed for a hot weather climate. Most came up and looked great. They fruited and then withered up and died. I planted them in full sun, partial sun and shade. Same results. I used clay soil, sandy soil and sterilized soil from the nursery. I gave up. The cherry tomatoes from the market taste great.

maybe try :

79CE4727-1DF8-44BF-B6EF-868D1CFE36E5.jpeg79E123F3-0A0E-4CCB-9E0D-1E09F0068255.jpeg3745CA5A-B693-402F-96EA-FDF9FACCAB09.jpeg

Also, if night temps are over 85, the fruit won’t taste good.  

If you grow your tomatoes in hydroponic or in containers you can control the temp @ night by bringing containers inside - a/c room set

at 65 - 75 is ideal.  

Also, tomatoes in large containers are ideal as they like the space.  

Most vegetables should not be overwatered, but with tomatoes...better to overwater than underwater.  

Tomatoes don’t do well at over 95 degrees.  

Either plant in garden that has afternoon shade or better yet containers that you can bring in when temps hit +90

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

4 hours ago, Sea-Hawks said:

Cabbage - anybody grow cabbage?  Does it attract bugs easily? Do you cover your cabbage with netting and if so, do you use one with smaller holes or large holes?

I’ve got red and green planted here.

Slugs are killer,just spread some pellets around seems to do the trick.

  • Thumbs Up 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 4 weeks later...

Lettuce - Anybody growing lettuce here in Thailand?

Are you growing it in direct sun or partly shaded area and how is it dealing with the bugs?

I am thinking about trying to grow mine later this year in either a floating hydrophobic system or a flowing water (NFT) system.  

I’ve noticed more and more thai growers are using some sort of constant “ebb and flow” watering system when they set-up their commercial lettuce growing system. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 12/21/2020 at 7:08 AM, Skalliwag said:

I’ve got red and green planted here.

Slugs are killer,just spread some pellets around seems to do the trick.

...I decided to grow my cabbage in buckets this year.  Bought some paint strainer bags, will fill-up the buckets with perlite instead of bug attracting potting soil. 

0D320411-B053-491B-BE01-36B68636EE0A.jpeg

4D7A8C6E-DE8C-4914-B689-DBDF277C6CB1.jpeg

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 weeks later...
  • 1 month later...

...looks like will be home (not in Thailand) till after the growing season so fully started this years garden. 

1. First planting - Cabbage, broccoli & cauliflower.  

2. Second planting - butter lettuce & red leaf lettuce.  

3. Third planting- peas

64071CAB-8E99-4488-80C3-F98AFA40DF3F.jpeg

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...
On 3/31/2019 at 9:05 PM, code_slayer_bkk said:

Flowers ... I am getting pretty good ...

I have tried many times to grow tomatoes here ... no luck ...  plus, why waste my time when vegetables are cheap as chips here ...

A couple ...

IMG_0038.JPG

IMG_0433.JPG

IMG_0437.JPG

IMG_0438.JPG

IMG_0873.JPG

Great pictures!!! ...as always 😉

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Onions are coming in great! Always can use as many onions as I grow

BC6B5451-1E23-490A-9396-E6121FEDC001.jpeg

 

Peas growing in the hydroponic system are ready to bloom and set   

5133D60A-0BED-48E2-A10D-9C124CA08892.jpeg

 

Potatoes are coming in nicely

89E84A30-B4E1-4FC5-8294-8CF059EA649D.jpeg

 

Oregano plants coming back from the winter and already using it for tea & jazz up my pasta sauces  

B09A1AA3-4EB7-485A-8798-E2CCFAFBE578.jpeg

 

The Peas growing in the buckets are now about 5 feet tall

67A44288-EB0B-4662-9A61-AA16C75C08CB.jpeg

 

Cabbages are already forming it’s head

7429612C-3C2F-49E9-97CA-E5A7780B1139.jpeg

 

Blueberry plants are full of buds and should get a huge harvest as long as I keep the rabbits, raccoons and birds away  

65A10BCE-3722-49B3-8CA7-36F00C2EA264.jpeg

 

Apple tree already flowered and waiting for the fruit to start growing

AE9E1F2E-6B29-4EA7-9895-908C4262DFF9.jpeg

 

Tomatoes will be re transplanted hopefully in a week or so

49D06016-22A3-456A-AAD9-427817FA25D3.jpeg

  • Like 4
Link to comment
Share on other sites

6 minutes ago, Sea-Hawks said:

Onions are coming in great! Always can use as many onions as I grow

BC6B5451-1E23-490A-9396-E6121FEDC001.jpeg

 

Peas growing in the hydroponic system are ready to bloom and set   

5133D60A-0BED-48E2-A10D-9C124CA08892.jpeg

 

Potatoes are coming in nicely

89E84A30-B4E1-4FC5-8294-8CF059EA649D.jpeg

 

Oregano plants coming back from the winter and already using it for tea & jazz up my pasta sauces  

B09A1AA3-4EB7-485A-8798-E2CCFAFBE578.jpeg

 

The Peas growing in the buckets are now about 5 feet tall

67A44288-EB0B-4662-9A61-AA16C75C08CB.jpeg

 

Cabbages are already forming it’s head

7429612C-3C2F-49E9-97CA-E5A7780B1139.jpeg

 

Blueberry plants are full of buds and should get a huge harvest as long as I keep the rabbits, raccoons and birds away  

65A10BCE-3722-49B3-8CA7-36F00C2EA264.jpeg

 

Apple tree already flowered and waiting for the fruit to start growing

AE9E1F2E-6B29-4EA7-9895-908C4262DFF9.jpeg

 

Tomatoes will be re transplanted hopefully in a week or so

49D06016-22A3-456A-AAD9-427817FA25D3.jpeg

Looking great , but why do you grow it all in buckets ? 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, Stillearly said:

Looking great , but why do you grow it all in buckets ? 

the buckets are filled with soil - LESS perlite.  It helps keep bugs away and diseases.  The bottom 1/2 of the buckets has fertilizer water, so don’t have to worry about watering regularly and won’t have to worry about ie pots drying out.  For the cabbage and most leafy type veggies, using soil less growing medium helps drastically with the bug eating problem.  It also is easy to cover the top of the bucket with a 5 gallon paint strainer bag to keep bugs from landing onto the tops of the leaves.  

I plan to buy a house up in Chiang Mai or Udon Thani.  Once I start my garden there, I’ll probable use mostly the perlite + bucket method.  It’ll be easy to keep bugs and rodents away from my veggies and the perlite helps keep the roots cool in the hot heat/weather of thailand.  

  • Like 1
  • Great Info 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 hours ago, Stillearly said:

Looking great , but why do you grow it all in buckets ? 

with the peas, it was easy to attach an upside down circular tomato cage.  Since peas need some sort of trellis, the cage fits perfectly onto a 5 gallon bucket. I also have a kitchen garbage on the bottom that i attach to the cage...it is high enough to keep the rabbits from nipping away at my pea stems   

 

E8189A03-EFA2-4FE0-A8B7-C3536D3C8075.jpeg

 

 

6B086836-E329-4151-AFDA-7896B3E4B7F2.jpeg

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

4 hours ago, Sea-Hawks said:

Onions are coming in great! Always can use as many onions as I grow

BC6B5451-1E23-490A-9396-E6121FEDC001.jpeg

 

Peas growing in the hydroponic system are ready to bloom and set   

5133D60A-0BED-48E2-A10D-9C124CA08892.jpeg

 

Potatoes are coming in nicely

89E84A30-B4E1-4FC5-8294-8CF059EA649D.jpeg

 

Oregano plants coming back from the winter and already using it for tea & jazz up my pasta sauces  

B09A1AA3-4EB7-485A-8798-E2CCFAFBE578.jpeg

 

The Peas growing in the buckets are now about 5 feet tall

67A44288-EB0B-4662-9A61-AA16C75C08CB.jpeg

 

Cabbages are already forming it’s head

7429612C-3C2F-49E9-97CA-E5A7780B1139.jpeg

 

Blueberry plants are full of buds and should get a huge harvest as long as I keep the rabbits, raccoons and birds away  

65A10BCE-3722-49B3-8CA7-36F00C2EA264.jpeg

 

Apple tree already flowered and waiting for the fruit to start growing

AE9E1F2E-6B29-4EA7-9895-908C4262DFF9.jpeg

 

Tomatoes will be re transplanted hopefully in a week or so

49D06016-22A3-456A-AAD9-427817FA25D3.jpeg

i see you grow a lot in buckets, is that to avoid aphids?  I only ask as we finally discovered our enemy, the aphid and have been spraying with success.  thanks

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

21 hours ago, tommy dee said:

i see you grow a lot in buckets, is that to avoid aphids?  I only ask as we finally discovered our enemy, the aphid and have been spraying with success.  thanks

 

(with aphids, I usually hose them off & use neem oil spray every 2 weeks at a minimum)

 

...I wanted to test out the bucket method this year on the cabbage & peas.  Most of my re-transplanting /seedlings will be moved into the ice coolers for hydroponic system - same as last year.  

I’ll grow lettuce & basil in my thailand condo and would favor the bucket method vs the cooler method.  If I had a stand alone house - I would 100% use the bucket method.  

The problem in Thailand is hot temperatures & bugs.  The non use of a soil less medium helps with the bug situation.  

Now, the problem with the cooler method in thailand, is that by mid day, the water inside the cooler is higher than 80 degrees and begins to actually get warmer than the realized temperature outside.  
The bucket method with perlite stays colder than the cooler method and also soil that’s been baking in the sun all day.  

The bottom half of the bucket is filled with water.  As the water wicks the perlite above & also evaporates above, unlike a trapped cooler, the water + perlite stays much cooler, which is what plants like. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 weeks later...

...took a break from the garden this weekend to redo the deck.  One of the many projects on my list this summer.  I had hid a bunch of gold coins under my deck but squirrels/raccoons bit through the plastic casing and ran off with my gold coins.  Luckily, I found 1 of the 10 missing coins.  Unfortunately, couldn’t find the other 9. 

F8CC4945-F372-4EE9-8547-EB2ECA1EDEC5.jpeg

9501CC5B-B215-4B28-91F7-118FF2CD60E8.jpeg

98744B97-D3C6-43A8-9420-C8FEA66F083D.jpeg

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

Garden is doing great.  Already harvesting the Peas. I planted over #100 pea plants so harvesting a bowl of them every other day.  
 

I just started harvesting my cabbage. I made a chicken salad & cole slaw to take to a bbq outing last weekend. 

My first set of cherry tomatoes & Tiny Tim Tomatoes are about ready to harvest.  

The rest of my larger tomatoes - big boys, beef steak & even the San Marizeno & Roma Tomatoes are a couple weeks away.  

The zucchini is doing great, but i chose to pinch off all of the initial flower buds in order to let the plant continue to grow nice & big.  

My peppers are now setting its first buds/flowers.  

Replanted my beans, egg plant, pumpkins6DF48B3D-5E9F-445F-B41A-E86E0F671DF2.jpeg

 

71D4CE4A-73FD-45C3-9A15-4BB103C18955.jpeg

  • Like 3
  • Thumbs Up 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

×
×
  • Create New...