poolz1

On 6/24/2021 at 12:26 PM, mattie g said:

Tomatoes, jalapenos, and basil are all rockin' and rollin'. Tomato plants are anywhere from 4-6' tall and all plants have fruit on them. As long as squirrels don't do a number on them before they fully ripen, I'm expecting I'll be able to harvest sometime around the third week of July.

Cantaloupe plants aren't really doing anything. I knew that would happen since I planted them late in in a less-than-ideal location. I'll let them ride and see if anything happens.

Nice surprise brought on by the cool weather is that the lettuce isn't showing signs of bolting.

The bottom couple leaves on my garlic are starting to brown, so harvest should be in the next couple weeks. I'll plant fall crops in their place in the August timeframe. I need to harvest basil and use that to make some scape pesto!

Need to get some parsley and cilantro seeds in the ground. I also want to get green bean seeds planted this weekend.

Not sure where you get your seeds but Baker Creek has great slow bolt cilantro seed.  The stuff is just never ending and takes forever to shoot up and flower. 

Nothing severe with the first storm here but no slouch either. Lots of T&L... Maybe 45+/- gusts.

Sent from my SM-G973U using Tapatalk

A perfect day for tubing on the Shenandoah River and now hearing thunder at Harpers Ferry Brewery.

He's getting better, @CAPE.  3 moles in three days and very minimal damage.  This dog would lick you to death but I think he hates freakin moles moles more than I do....

Ground is soft due to the recent rains and they are on the move. 

.77" from the line that just went through.  Could use some sun...things were soggy before. 4.11" total the past 5 days

12 minutes ago, mattie g said:

That cuke looks good…much better than my cantaloupes, for sure!

My cantaloupes look like crud as well.  I dont know why... Butternut squash and cucumbers really looking good so far.  I held off growing watermelon this year since success has been hit and miss and not everyone in the family is fan anyways.  

Ive been applying the Sluggo you suggested....so far I think it is working in gardens/potted plants I havent tried to manually remove them.  Not 100% but I assume it takes a little time to whittle the populations down.

Around 3" of rain the past few days.  With the forecast next week, the gardens should be looking healthy.

Im trying to train some of our cukes on the garden fence this season to conserve some space.  Healthy looking plant...along with some thai basil.

On 6/3/2021 at 4:53 PM, CAPE said:

War of attrition.

Mole traps work but you have to locate the active runs, and set the traps properly. It takes some persistence. Grub killer, fake worms etc don't work. Moles are primarily after earthworms, and they might be blind, but they can smell- in stereo. Sonic mole chasers are another ineffective gimmick. A good cat works. Dogs too, but they will likely wreck the yard to trying to extract them.

Lol...I think we had this discussion last year.  100% correct on all points.  My dog has caught 2 this year but probably dug up a hundred yards of trails getting them.

Strawberry season at a peak right now. Today's harvest....

1 hour ago, wxtrix said:

sous vide then smoked pork belly tacos: 

 

I had to look up sous vide when you mentioned it the other day.  Whats your overall experience using this?  Really intrigues me but I am also not trying to reinvent the wheel.  Just curious if it requires a whole new learning process when it comes to doneness....I understand that the device creates the perfect doneness but do you compensate for whether you are finishing on the grill, cast iron or smoker...etc?

Tacos look stellar, btw....

4 Porterhouse steaks...cut 1.5" thick and ready for the grill.  I still think the ribeye is the best cut especially for grilling but I dont think there will be any complaints.  Getting ready for my pre-company beer.....beautiful outside! 

1 hour ago, mattie g said:

I’ve used beer traps to pretty good effect. Slug-Go also does a decent job, but I find that combining “treatments” keeps them at bay for long enough that any damage they might inflict later on doesn’t hurt the mature plants.

Squash vine borers...I surround the bottoms of the vines with either paper towel rolls or Solo cups with the bottoms cut out. It helps that I usually only grow cucurbits, which they don’t really like, but when I had “volunteer” pumpkins a few years ago they didn’t give me trouble.

Will have to check out the Slug-Go...never heard of it.  I have tried several versions of beer traps and just couldn't attract them....

I actually thought about using some of that white tree wrap that I use for the base of our fruit trees..Could the larva still bore through that stuff?  Probably so I guess...

We alway get a decent zucchini crop but production is alway cut short because of these suckers....They hit every squash plant I try to grow.  

After years of trying all kinds of slug repellants and traps I have yet to find something that works well for organic gardening. The past few years I started trying to rid them the old fashion way...manual removal. 

This year I have done this in all of the gardens and it has been a success!  Once the local population is mostly removed I find that they never really recover to the point of being able to destroy a plant.  Takes about  5 days of constant vigilance in the early mornings and nights....picking them off with a stick and dropping them into a cup of water.

For me, slugs are by far the worst garden pests.  They have destroyed so many plants over the years and its been frustrating. 

Next up....I need to figure out how to eliminate squash vine borers  

Going to be a loud day.  2 days of a cold shower and they are ready for some action today!

Funny, the trees in the shade are just a constant spattering of "clicks" and "chirps"....Trees in the sun are getting into the typical drone.

Today was certainly a significant uptick.  Wow!  Night and day difference from yesterday.... Nothing new to you folks east of me but the intensity really is crazy.  

A shot of the cell heading into southern Frederick Co. From Jefferson.

Sent from my SM-G973U using Tapatalk

Feel like I am about 7-10 days behind those of you around the 95 corridor.  Yesterday was noticeable uptick in shells found on our trees around the yard but before that it was pretty sparse.

I was explaining the lifecycle to my youngest (4th grader) and she brought up a good question.  Her question....Are these cicadas the longest living insect?  I am sure I could do a google search but just thinking about it...17 years is pretty crazy for an insect.  Longer than a lot of mammals.

Not bad for a cellphone shot.  Saw several today in Frederick but nothing here at our house yet.

1 hour ago, mappy said:

I've heard good things about doing it, and it was very reasonably priced. Company came out and put a convertor cell on the pump and that was it. We will have to add chlorine until the pool temp hits 75, then the salt convertor does the rest.

But yes, owning a pool is big upkeep and maintenance. Balancing chemicals, cleaning it, dealing with the solar cover and putting it off/taking it off, then the whole opening/closing mess every year. We love ours, don't get me wrong, but I think if we were to buy a house again we would get one without a pool. 

Salt systems are extremely popular.  Roughly 75% of our customer base have converted to salt.  With that said, we are honest with our customers on what to expect from a salt system as there is a lot misinformation and misconceptions out there.  We have a salt system on our pool and love it.

A few things to keep an eye on when owning a salt pool..

- A natural byproduct of the generation of chlorine is to constantly raise your ph.  If left unmonitored, ph levels can shoot through the roof and you certainly dont want to winterize your pool if it has a high ph level.

- The chlorine generated is an unstable form of chorine that is gassed off as soon as UV rays make contact.  Maintain a good level of CYA (stabilizer) so you can set the cell at a lower output thus extending the life of the cell.

- Clean the cell per the manufacturer's instructions. The process that goes on inside the cell encourages calcium and other dissolved solids to precipitate out. This will cause scale build up on the flow switch, temp sensor and "fins" inside the cell.  Left unchecked, it will ruin the cell in a season or two.  Using a maintenance dose of a scale inhibitor will help reduce the scale build up.

-  Be very careful using an auto cover or solar blanket on a salt pool.  The pool must be allowed to gas off the unused chlorine on a regular basis.  The build up of  gas under the cover will create a chlorine level that will be unsafe to swim, throw your water chemistry out of whack and make that expected pool party a dud.  We have seen chlorine levels at 30+ppm after a customer returns home from vacation.

3 hours ago, WxUSAF said:

Euro and GGEM both under 0.1” of rain through D10.

I dont wish for a major drought but just a little dry is nice for us river fisherman.  Rivers are already in good shape....just need them to come down a bit more and it will be prime.

2 hours ago, Mrs.J said:

 

 

Cinnamon is a hidden gem when it comes to rubs and spice mixes. It is used mostly in Mediterranean but I have used it in Spanish and Mexican spice rubs as well. Making a quiche… put in some Nutmeg. Elevates the overall taste.  

That shrimp and broccoli....wow!

Agreed. Especially in Spanish and Mexican dishes.  One of my favorites is pork tacos from leftover pulled pork.  Cook in the cast iron, constantly deglazing, adding spices, squeezing lime juice.  Pork get crispy and so flavorful...the cinnamon works well with it.  Crispy pork tacos are one of my favorites and I am usually forcing myself to stop eating.

Its been over a year since this house has been a bachelor pad for a night.  Found thawed ground beef in the fridge along with 2 beers, leftover ciabatta on the counter, a fresh bag of regular UTZ in the pantry.....  Added a slice of provolone, onions, LT&M and ketchup with a side pickle.  Ground beef courtesy of Frederick CO. 4H.  Purchased last fall after the Great Fred Fair.

7 hours ago, LP08 said:

It mixes well when you use thyme, oregano, parsely, basil when you really want to get a good Greek flavor.  Not on the smoker, but I cut chicken breasts into strips, grill them, then chop and toss them in the skillet with olive oil and the mix and it makes a mean Greek flavored chicken.  Get some good NAAN with the taziki, hummus, cucumbers and tomatoes and its a crowd pleaser.

I use cinnamon quite a bit in my rubs and a lot of seasonings.  Its all personal preference, obviously.  I think it really adds another dimension to the flavor of beef especially.  That chicken looks awesome!  Ive been on a spatchcock chicken kick here recently on charcoal the grill....   

15 minutes ago, Mrs.J said:

Yea the Southern tip of that put me over 1" for the day. Much more rain to my North going to be bad flooding from all this rain. The Potomac will be raging tomorrow for sure. 

Yep...the Monocacy too.  And just when the rivers were getting into good fishing shape.

The creek in our backyard is just about to break out of its banks...Think it may come up short though.

1.61" for the day.  1.45" of that being from this evening.  

Pretty the same obs out this way. Large tree down on our back road. Sirens in the distance a few minutes ago and no power.

I wasn't home for the wind line but my wife said it was pretty intense.

Sent from my SM-G973U using Tapatalk