Hey, great job 👍. If you want to protect again insect damage and prevent bolting, use row covers. Makes a huge difference for me.

Tech needs a union. Yes, tech workers get paid pretty well. But we really need more say in how the products of our labour are being used. I don’t know how to work in this industry and be an ethical person anymore, and “change from within” doesn’t work when you don’t have a seat at the big boys’ table.

When I started my career, I thought the internet would bring knowledge and enlightenment. It was a just cause. I guess I was just another brainwashed tech utopian. Now it’s getting hard to find a job building something that isn’t an obvious scam or a way to fuck over the working class.

I feel that. Normal day to day life: a million things to juggle and I don’t even know where to start. Crisis: one thing to worry about so I go all hyper focus–100% of neurons are all engaged toward singular purpose.

Yes, very. It’ll take over and shade out trees if you let it.

Yes, and it works great. However, it only has potassium, as well as trace minerals like calcium, magnesium, iron, etc. It’s not a general purpose fertilizer though… You need the N and the P in N-P-K too. K (potassium) helps plants grow big roots and fruits. But before the plant can do that you need lots of N (nitrogen) to grow leaves, and some P (phosphorus) to make flowers. I’m generalizing but you get the idea.

So if you’re fertilizing potatoes after they’ve flowered, it’s great because it helps the potatoes bulk up. Same with strawberries, fish fertilizer tends to make them grow new leaves, seaweed helps grow big berries.

I typically use fish fertilzer early in the season, then switch to both during flowering, then seaweed only for late season. Apply according to the instructions on the label. They vary in concentration and may include other chemical and/or organic fertilizers to balance the N-P-K.

I personally like using liquid fertilizers. You have to apply more regularly (every 1-2 weeks) but if gives you better control. Using solid organic amendments can be tricky because you typically add them once or twice per season, so you’re kind of locked in. Chemical fertilizer works great but is bad for your soil and the environment long term. You can also burn your plants if you’re not careful. With organic liquid fertilizer you can support the soil microbiology, quickly correct any nutrient deficiencies, and you won’t burn your plants.

All that said, what works best for you is a combination of climate, soil type, pest pressure, crop type, cultivar and a whole lot more. There’s no one-size-fits-all when it comes to gardening so you’ll just have to experiment and figure it out, which is half the fun. And hopefully the other half of the fun is eating 😋

Yes. You don’t have to use fish fertilizer, any nitrogen fertilizer should do the trick. I find fish fertilizer helps build good soil over time though. Also, it won’t burn your plants, so it’s a bit more user friendly than chemical fertilizer.

Usually it comes in a plastic jug and you have to dilute it quite a bit before using. Just follow the instructions on the package.

Once the pumpkins start growing it’s gonna get pretty potassium hungry. You can switch over to a seaweed fertilizer to get nice big pumpkins. But it needs lots of leaves and plenty of sun first, to fix the necessary carbon.

Either low on nitrogen or the soil pH is way off. You should have a lot more leaves before it starts flowering, and they should be greener. Some fish fertilizer might pep it up.

No it can’t

I get your point, but I think the image you have in your head of rustic countryside life, hard work and an honest living isn’t the reality these child slaves are part of.

Seems a bit less terrible when you inherit the farm at some point, for one. Second, one would assume that parents would take steps to prioritize their child’s health and safety and wow do they not do that on industrial farms. And third, can’t be an honest living if you’re not actually being paid, you know, a living.

I don’t think both sides are experiencing cognitive dissonance. In practice, they both appear to be working against the interests of the working class.

The importance of mulch. The general utility of neem oil. That fish fertilizer works great and is very forgiving for the novice. How much difference picking the right cultivar for your bio-region can make.

I’ve only been gardening for 4 years and it feels like I’ve learned a lot, but that the plants have so much more to teach me.