Josh Warfield

Thom Bri wrote:I had exactly the same experience this year in Illinois. Some things did great, corn and beans for example. Other things were just 'on hold' all summer, even when we finally got good rains in July. Hardly any tomatoes, squash few and late, okura almost absent. My suspicion is that western and Canadian wildfires blocked enough of the sunshine to put everything back. The sky was dim for weeks on end.

Wow, that sucks. I'm out west, but not really in an area where wildfires are a big concern (low density of vegetation, plus topography split up by cliffs and canyons, makes it difficult for fire to spread too far). This year, there was less than a week of noticeable wildfire smoke. Sorry for bragging, but I guess here's another point in the "pro" column for my choice of location

I've had trouble growing sunflowers in my garden, despite having 8 foot tall wild ones growing elsewhere on my property. Maybe I had too high of expectations for them to grow with minimal water, but I intend to try growing some next year with a bit more care vs. just shoving seeds into dirt and hoping for the best. If you've got plenty to give away, I'd love some for next spring.

Yep, it was just a few hours barely below freezing, so the fruits definitely didn't get anywhere near frozen through. But apparently that was enough to turn all the squash leaves and about 2/3rds of the tomatillo leaves into something resembling sauteed spinach. My concern was more about the maturity of the fruit, and whether the seeds in their current state would have a chance at being viable. Sounds like the consensus is that they're mature enough to at least be worth a shot. Thanks all!

Re: shorter season varieties -- yep, I'm definitely always aiming for those. I think the problem this year was probably something else, though. According to the advertised days-to-maturity, all these guys should have been good to go weeks ago. And I made a point of buying seed from as nearby as possible, so they should in theory be better adapted to my environment than some random "short season variety" from some mega seed producer. But for some reason(s), everything seemed to just stall out for a whole month or two in the middle of summer. Not really wilting or yellowing or showing other obvious signs of being unhappy, but just not growing any larger. So besides planting earlier, I could also try some shade cloth and see if that helps. Or maybe the issue is my sometimes-inconsistent watering, and some automated drip lines could help keep the plants happier. Or maybe I just didn't make my "raised" beds deep enough; the soil they're sitting on top of is kinda garbage, barely any weeds even grow there, so I can imagine that the plants might basically be root-bound within the somewhat thin layer of decent soil. Lots of things to try, lots of things to learn...

I woke up to some rather frosted squash and tomatillos this morning. I doubt the plants will stay alive for long. I had been waiting for the fruits to ripen a bit more before collecting seeds for next year, because the squash still look kinda green, and most of the tomatillos haven't quite filled out their husks yet. Can I still get viable seed from any of these, or am I gonna have to start over again (and probably risk planting earlier) next year?

Traditional flat roofs here in Southwestern North America were just earth. A big thick layer of earth, on top of wooden beams, with maybe a layer of sticks or bark involved somewhere. There would ideally be a very slight slope to direct runoff in a desired direction and stop it from forming puddles. The structures built this way that have survived for centuries without maintenance are the ones built underneath a natural cliff overhang; they won't last forever out in the open. But if your climate is dry enough, then you can get away with just building the roof thick enough that a single storm won't soak all the way through, and then fixing the damage after every big storm. These days, few people are okay with this level of ongoing maintenance for their home, but it used to be more common, and in a few places the practice continues to this day for some traditionally important structures. If you live in a wetter climate, I'd be surprised to hear that flat roofs are traditional there, but if so I have no idea what other techniques people might have used.

Have you tried facebook marketplace and/or craigslist? That's where I'd go to find people selling straw/hay locally. I bet a lot of people don't spray, either because they share your concerns or because they just don't need to.

I don't think I've used a spray oil in my adult life. And I really like cooking. I just never got accustomed to using it, and I forget that it's a thing that exists. If you think it's indispensable, I'd be curious to hear about what your specific application is.

If the point of the spray version is to get a really thin layer, then a reusable plastic spray bottle would do pretty much the same thing as the aerosol version. Or a brush, like you mentioned. Or rubbing a cold stick of butter around.

If you don't care about a thin layer, but you've tried to use oil poured from the bottle and found that stuff sticks to the pan more than with the spray, it may be that there's some difference in the oil rather than the delivery mechanism. For example I find that eggs stick to the pan way more when I use veggie oil compared to using butter. I don't have any scientific explanation for why that would be the case, I just know it from experience, so I always use butter when frying eggs. Also some people say that letting the pan come up to heat before adding oil helps things stick less; I haven't found a huge difference but I've also never tried to test it scientifically at all.

My ideal use for one whole chicken:

1. cover/rub with salt and spices, leave to brine in fridge overnight
2. cook low and slow on a charcoal grill, covered, with some nice flavored smoking wood if you've got it
2.5. if the skin is getting over-smoked but the meat is not fully cooked yet, or if it's drying out too fast, switch to roasting/braising in dutch oven
3. eat the wings and however much else my carnivore instincts demand, probably dipped in barbecue sauce
4. put leftovers in fridge
5. once cold (or next day), separate meat, bones/cartilage, and skin
6. shred meat to be used for sandwiches/quesadillas/soups/salads
7. pressure cook bones and cartilage into broth, strain solids and compost them (pressure cooked bones disappear in compost much quicker than less cooked bones)
8. skin goes into broth, or gets used for a pizza topping (only good if you cook your pizza hot enough to turn the skin crispy instead of chewy; I use a wood fired pizza oven around 700F/400C)

Hi Qing, I'm still a beginner too, but you might have more luck asking more specific questions here. Where are you located? What sorts of things are you hoping to grow?

Justina, I emailed you at the address you PMed me. Daniel, I messaged you on IG.

Anyone else who's curious: yes, the offer is still open. And no, nobody else besides me is staying here yet. You know, I thought I might be overwhelmed with crazy weirdos, who I'd have to find some polite way to tell off. But I haven't had to do that at all yet. I don't know if people just aren't looking for shared space, or if they don't believe my offer is genuine, or what... Anyway, nothing has really changed from what I described above; if you're looking to live off-grid, and don't specifically need to be on land that you yourself own, hit me up.