j flynn

Hi, jigsaw puzzles were a great sanity saver while I was in rehab after an accident. I would do them in the common room and others would come in and some would help, so the puzzles let to some socialization- good for all of us. Rehab is very isolating.

Hi, just finished "The Light Eaters" by Zoe  Schlanger. Its about all the new research into plants.  One of the most interesting questions raised is can plants see? Not just follow the sun but see details. There is a plant in south America that can mimic any plant it grows near, they took it into the lab and placed it next to a plastic plant and it mimicked it. So how did the plant know- there was no air or soil borne chemicals , no swamping of dna . Many other curious qurstions. Highly recommended.

Hi, I also use NorthSpore for my first try at wine caps. I had 2 small raised beds with good soil . I added some compost and then the spawn, covered with chopped straw and watered well. I did not have many other plants in each bed, so tried to keep them moist. I only got a handful of wine caps a couple of weeks ago. I plan to add small wood chips and compost this fall. I hope to have more later this fall and next year. I am also trying some shitake logs- they take more time. So yes growing mushrooms teach patience.

Hi, just an update. The 30% vinegar did the job. Took a few days and some scraping but I saved the canning jar. Used straight vinegar and let it sit. Thanks

Hi, thanks for the ideas- I do have some garden vinegar- its 30% instead of the 5% cooking vinegar is.  I will try that, so far no amount of scrubbing/soaking has worked. I wish I had remembered making crystals with the kids years ago, then used a jar I didn't care about. Lesson learned.

Hi, I dissolved some borax in a canning jar to use in the wash, did not use all of , so the borax made crystals formed on the bottom of the jar. If I had only used an old mayo jar I would just throw it out, but I hate to lose a good wide mouth canning jar. I tried hot water, vingar, and baking soda- each separately  - so far nothing has worked. Any chemists out there know  what else I can try?

Hi, I would like to try gooseberries, but most plant catalogs say they won't ship to mass because of a fungus that can be transfered to white pines. Others say that the problem is not an issue here. Does anyone grow gooseberries in massachusetts , have you had any problems with fungus and where did you get your gooseberries. I am fond of tart berries and have many areas where they would grow- also lots of mature white pines and don't want to risk the trees .

Hi, my research says their tunnels can go down 2-3 feet- so putting down hardware cloth would be a big job- I found out that used cat litter put down the tunnels may make them go away along with oil of garlic,cinnamon and peppermint. If I can lure them out with peanut butter and then put cat litter down that might work. One website also suggested using fine gravel or sand. The scent of cat is going to be a stronger deterrent . Now I have to find someone with a cat.

Hi, my house sits on a slab-no crawlspace/basement. The chipmunks have started to tunnel under the slab. I do not want them there, I have out up with them in the yard and garden and will not put out any poisons. I have tried a have-a-heart trap with no luck and I know I could never get rid of all of the chipmunks anyway. Just want to discourage  digging under the house. I have put mint oil and red pepper around the house- did not stop them. Has anyone had the same problem? Did you find anything that worked? I can not have a cat and right now also do not have a dog.

Hi. To update my try on the copper in soil fix. I put a thin layer of compost down and then planted in two separate spots- a mustard mix and a clover mix. Both came up and grew slowly to about 1/2 -1 inch tall, then stopped growing. The mustard died away and now there is only a couple of clover plants left. So I am glad I made the raised beds. The plants in the beds are doing very well. I will keep trying to grow something in the ground- to cover the bare dirt, but won't grow any food plants there.