Met Winter 2021 - 2022 Banter

[TauntonBlizzard2013]

@dendrite @dryslotand other gardeners.

 

My wife and I are making a small area of raised beds in our backyard. Each bed will be 4x6…. I’m making them out of 40 2x4x10… I have a set of plans.

 

Anyway, what are some good vegetables that I can just plant seeds in the spring and go? We don’t have the space or time to start stuff indoors and transplant.

Also, is it easier just to buy tomato plants and cucumber plants than starting from seed?

Are potato’s a viable option?

[backedgeapproaching]

4 hours ago, J.Spin said:

I was curious when I saw this because I didn’t actually know the annual snowfall for Truckee, but everything I’m seeing shows numbers in the 120”-200” range (perhaps the range is due to observations at different elevations).  Unless you’re specifically talking about cities with a certain population, or those that have a first order station or something (but you mentioned Mt. Washington), that’s pretty low.  A 200” total wouldn’t even be considered mid-tier annual snowfall at the local ski resorts around here, it would be low to mid-tier at best.  Some of the resorts out there like Kirkwood get up into the 400-500” range for annual snowfall, but not Truckee itself as far as I can see from the data.

Yea, I was trying to look at Truckee data too, maybe it seems more prolific because it comes in such huge amounts over relatively short time period? 

Edit: see they responded to that..more "general area"

It is pretty insane out there right now as we know..

[dryslot]

9 minutes ago, TauntonBlizzard2013 said:

@dendrite @dryslotand other gardeners.

 

My wife and I are making a small area of raised beds in our backyard. Each bed will be 4x6…. I’m making them out of 40 2x4x10… I have a set of plans.

 

Anyway, what are some good vegetables that I can just plant seeds in the spring and go? We don’t have the space or time to start stuff indoors and transplant.

Also, is it easier just to buy tomato plants and cucumber plants than starting from seed?

Are potato’s a viable option?

Tomato plants, Yes, Its easier to buy plants that are already started, Cukes you can start by seed as well as all types of squash and peppers,  Potatoes, You need a lot of room as it takes quite a few plants to make it worth while, It will also matter where you place the garden, If its in full sun, Plants that like full sun will do better then ones that like partial sun or vice versa, But you can plant several types leafy veggies in partial sun, Back of the seed pack will tell you the sun requirements.

[DavisStraight]

12 minutes ago, TauntonBlizzard2013 said:

@dendrite @dryslotand other gardeners.

 

My wife and I are making a small area of raised beds in our backyard. Each bed will be 4x6…. I’m making them out of 40 2x4x10… I have a set of plans.

 

Anyway, what are some good vegetables that I can just plant seeds in the spring and go? We don’t have the space or time to start stuff indoors and transplant.

Also, is it easier just to buy tomato plants and cucumber plants than starting from seed?

Are potato’s a viable option?

I always buy tomato plants, I did plant potatoes one year but didn't get very many, Like Dryslot said you need a lot of room. I just stick to tomatoes, cukes, peppers and herbs. I made tomato sauce last year from my tomatoes, came out good, plan on more next year.

[dryslot]

1 minute ago, DavisStraight said:

I always buy tomato plants, I did plant potatoes one year but didn't get very many, Like Dryslot said you need a lot of room. I just stick to tomatoes, cukes, peppers and herbs. I made tomato sauce last year from my tomatoes, came out good, plan on more next year.

I'm going to do a few more different types of tomatoes next year, I usually do beefsteak tomatoes and cherry, The beefsteaks are a great slicing tomato for burgers or Blt's as they are firm.

[TauntonBlizzard2013]

18 minutes ago, dryslot said:

Tomato plants, Yes, Its easier to buy plants that are already started, Cukes you can start by seed as well as all types of squash and peppers,  Potatoes, You need a lot of room as it takes quite a few plants to make it worth while, It will also matter where you place the garden, If its in full sun, Plants that like full sun will do better then ones that like partial sun or vice versa, But you can plant several types leafy veggies in partial sun, Back of the seed pack will tell you the sun requirements.

 

11 minutes ago, DavisStraight said:

I always buy tomato plants, I did plant potatoes one year but didn't get very many, Like Dryslot said you need a lot of room. I just stick to tomatoes, cukes, peppers and herbs. I made tomato sauce last year from my tomatoes, came out good, plan on more next year.

Yeah… we are doing 4 of the 4x6 beds, so we will probably axe the potatoes if they take a lot of space and may not yield much.

My wife wants to do cucumbers tomatoes, peppers, and beans and peas for sure. She also wants to do types of lettuce, and maybe broccoli. Not sure how much we can expect out of the space we have.

[dryslot]

9 minutes ago, TauntonBlizzard2013 said:

 

Yeah… we are doing 4 of the 4x6 beds, so we will probably axe the potatoes if they take a lot of space and may not yield much.

My wife wants to do cucumbers tomatoes, peppers, and beans and peas for sure. She also wants to do types of lettuce, and maybe broccoli. Not sure how much we can expect out of the space we have.

Yields are high on Tomatoes, Peppers, Peas and Cukes (depending on type), Beans it will depend if you do bush or pole, I prefer pole beans, You can do a lot of rows as they can be spaced close, Lettuce, Depending on type, Need some room as well as the are a broad leaf plant.

[weathafella]

Anyone have some ideas on TVs?   Is it worth it to get an OLED?   Are QLEDs as good for most of us?   I’m awaiting a 55 inch  OLED to be delivered Wednesday but have buyers remorse.

[hammerz_nailz]

26 minutes ago, weathafella said:

Anyone have some ideas on TVs?   Is it worth it to get an OLED?   Are QLEDs as good for most of us?   I’m awaiting a 55 inch  OLED to be delivered Wednesday but have buyers remorse.

We’ve had our LG OLED for about two years and still amazed every day how great the picture is. Blacks are black. HDR and UHD look almost 3 dimensional. It’s the best money we ever spent on a tv. You won’t regret it. 

[weathafella]

10 minutes ago, hammerz_nailz said:

We’ve had our LG OLED for about two years and still amazed every day how great the picture is. Blacks are black. HDR and UHD look almost 3 dimensional. It’s the best money we ever spent on a tv. You won’t regret it. 

Thanks!   We were buying those dimensions on an LG but ended up with Sony since the little legs would fit on our existing table.  Paid $200 more for Sony but saved probably $500+ on furniture.  

[dryslot]

8 minutes ago, weathafella said:

Thanks!   We were buying those dimensions on an LG but ended up with Sony since the little legs would fit on our existing table.  Paid $200 more for Sony but saved probably $500+ on furniture.  

I deep 6'd the legs and went with a swivel pedestal stand on our 55".

https://www.amazon.com/Universal-Adjustable-Tempered-600x400mm-ELIVED/dp/B08W8P5FGY/ref=asc_df_B08W8P5FGY/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=507812218989&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=5231769188354983672&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9002597&hvtargid=pla-1341000970502&psc=1

[IowaStorm05]

There are some things in my opinion that you don’t NEED to buy organic. In fact some things it’s BS.

Milk is not one of those things.

It is seamount to buy organic milk. Organic milk doesn’t have bizarre-o hormones in it. Organic milk doesn’t go bad in a week. ORGANIC MILK HAS A SHELF LIFE OF AROUND A MONTH, even longer if you haven’t opened it.

I get a gallon and a half, spread among three 1/2 gallon cartons, at Costco. Runs ya $10.49. The consistency of the milk is incredible. So fresh and pure tasting.

Avoid the grass fed milk IMO. Just do organic. 

[weathafella]

17 minutes ago, dryslot said:

I deep 6'd the legs and went with a swivel pedestal stand on our 55".

https://www.amazon.com/Universal-Adjustable-Tempered-600x400mm-ELIVED/dp/B08W8P5FGY/ref=asc_df_B08W8P5FGY/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=507812218989&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=5231769188354983672&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9002597&hvtargid=pla-1341000970502&psc=1

Thanks Jeff!   So to be clear, this is a mounting to also sit on existing furniture?   How hard was it to set up?

[dryslot]

10 minutes ago, weathafella said:

Thanks Jeff!   So to be clear, this is a mounting to also sit on existing furniture?   How hard was it to set up?

Yes, It does not take up much space so you can place it on a smaller piece of furniture where the legs would be to far apart on the TV, Also allows you to go to a larger tv where you don't have to worry about the leg width, Its easy to do, It haves the instructions, Its a few screws to put it together and you can adjust how high you want it, My cable box sits on the base, Watch the vid on that link i sent you.

[weathafella]

Thanks Jeff!  I may go back to the original plan and buy that piece!

[dendrite]

Tomatoes and peppers need a longer growing season than I can provide up here when it comes to growing by direct seeding so those are always bought. I've tried starting bell peppers early under grow lights, but it just never is the same. They get too leggy. I probably need better lighting.

I never use chemicals, and I've had issues with powdery mildew when it comes to cucumbers and squash/pumpkins. My best success with cucumbers is letting them climb a small trellis. Having the vines in the air promotes circulation and keeps them dry. I tend to run very wet here so this may not pertain to you.

Kale grows here like a weed and I do an entire bed of different varieties now. Everything in that bed goes to the chickens. Spinach grows well, but many varieties tend to bolt. I can never seem to get brocc established before something goes awry with it. Most of your mixed salad lettuce varieties grow well here.

Most root veggies end up stunted for me. Either my soil isn't loose enough or too wet. I've tried carrots, sweet potatoes, and beets and they've all ended up poor. Sweet potatoes definitely prefer a warm climo. I may try them again, but do them in a raised fabric pot so they can be warmer and drier. Then at the end up the year I can just dump them out to harvest them.

I've gotten more into fruit trees/vines lately and most of the garden beds are literally for the birds.

[dendrite]

1 hour ago, weathafella said:

Anyone have some ideas on TVs?   Is it worth it to get an OLED?   Are QLEDs as good for most of us?   I’m awaiting a 55 inch  OLED to be delivered Wednesday but have buyers remorse.

https://electronics.sony.com/tv-video/televisions/all-tvs/p/xbr98z9g

[CoastalWx]

32 minutes ago, dendrite said:

https://electronics.sony.com/tv-video/televisions/all-tvs/p/xbr98z9g

All Jerry needs to do, is sell a roof shingle off his house.   60K TV paid off. 

[eekuasepinniW]

1 hour ago, IowaStorm05 said:

There are some things in my opinion that you don’t NEED to buy organic. In fact some things it’s BS.

Milk is not one of those things.

It is seamount to buy organic milk. Organic milk doesn’t have bizarre-o hormones in it. Organic milk doesn’t go bad in a week. ORGANIC MILK HAS A SHELF LIFE OF AROUND A MONTH, even longer if you haven’t opened it.

I get a gallon and a half, spread among three 1/2 gallon cartons, at Costco. Runs ya $10.49. The consistency of the milk is incredible. So fresh and pure tasting.

Avoid the grass fed milk IMO. Just do organic. 

Organic milk lasts way longer purely because it's UHT pasteurized so it can sit on the shelf for however long it takes for someone to actually buy it.  

4 hours ago, dryslot said:

Tomato plants, Yes, Its easier to buy plants that are already started, Cukes you can start by seed as well as all types of squash and peppers,  Potatoes, You need a lot of room as it takes quite a few plants to make it worth while, It will also matter where you place the garden, If its in full sun, Plants that like full sun will do better then ones that like partial sun or vice versa, But you can plant several types leafy veggies in partial sun, Back of the seed pack will tell you the sun requirements.

Wow, you have good luck with peppers from seed? I start bell peppers April 1st and consider it a success if I can pick one by the last week of August. I'd be afraid to try them direct sowed.

My tomatoes were a total failure last year. They all suffered a pretty gruesome death from blight in mid July.

[dryslot]

9 minutes ago, eekuasepinniW said:

Organic milk lasts way longer purely because it's UHT pasteurized so it can sit on the shelf for however long it takes for someone to actually buy it.  

Wow, you have good luck with peppers from seed? I start bell peppers April 1st and consider it a success if I can pick one by the last week of August. I'd be afraid to try them direct sowed.

My tomatoes were a total failure last year. They all suffered a pretty gruesome death from blight in mid July.

Not Bells, Tabasco or Jalapenos i have had success with, Have to start early and they go late,  Bells i buy, Never have issues with tomato's, Cukes i have to use neem oil to keep the white powdery mildew at bay, Those tobassco peppers are 30-50,000 heat units..

[IowaStorm05]

4 hours ago, backedgeapproaching said:

Yea, I was trying to look at Truckee data too, maybe it seems more prolific because it comes in such huge amounts over relatively short time period? 

Edit: see they responded to that..more "general area"

It is pretty insane out there right now as we know..

Very jealous. Even the lowest parts of the city of Reno and Sparks got about 4 inches in the ground. That isn’t a whole lot for them and Reno can get more snow by far but this specific pattern hasn’t been a record setter for Reno due to periodic higher snow levels causing the city to get rain.

[eekuasepinniW]

3 minutes ago, dryslot said:

Not Bells, Tabasco or Jalapenos i have had success with, Have to start early and they go late,  Bells i buy, Never have issues with tomato's, Cukes i have to use neem oil to keep the white powdery mildew at bay.

Gorgeous plants.

[DavisStraight]

56 minutes ago, dendrite said:

Tomatoes and peppers need a longer growing season than I can provide up here when it comes to growing by direct seeding so those are always bought. I've tried starting bell peppers early under grow lights, but it just never is the same. They get too leggy. I probably need better lighting.

I never use chemicals, and I've had issues with powdery mildew when it comes to cucumbers and squash/pumpkins. My best success with cucumbers is letting them climb a small trellis. Having the vines in the air promotes circulation and keeps them dry. I tend to run very wet here so this may not pertain to you.

Kale grows here like a weed and I do an entire bed of different varieties now. Everything in that bed goes to the chickens. Spinach grows well, but many varieties tend to bolt. I can never seem to get brocc established before something goes awry with it. Most of your mixed salad lettuce varieties grow well here.

Most root veggies end up stunted for me. Either my soil isn't loose enough or too wet. I've tried carrots, sweet potatoes, and beets and they've all ended up poor. Sweet potatoes definitely prefer a warm climo. I may try them again, but do them in a raised fabric pot so they can be warmer and drier. Then at the end up the year I can just dump them out to harvest them.

I've gotten more into fruit trees/vines lately and most of the garden beds are literally for the birds.

You need a greenhouse

[OceanStWx]

5 hours ago, TauntonBlizzard2013 said:

 

Yeah… we are doing 4 of the 4x6 beds, so we will probably axe the potatoes if they take a lot of space and may not yield much.

My wife wants to do cucumbers tomatoes, peppers, and beans and peas for sure. She also wants to do types of lettuce, and maybe broccoli. Not sure how much we can expect out of the space we have.

You would be surprised. I have two 4x6s and it was a handful keeping up with the beans and squash.

1 hour ago, dendrite said:

Tomatoes and peppers need a longer growing season than I can provide up here when it comes to growing by direct seeding so those are always bought. I've tried starting bell peppers early under grow lights, but it just never is the same. They get too leggy. I probably need better lighting.

I never use chemicals, and I've had issues with powdery mildew when it comes to cucumbers and squash/pumpkins. My best success with cucumbers is letting them climb a small trellis. Having the vines in the air promotes circulation and keeps them dry. I tend to run very wet here so this may not pertain to you.

Kale grows here like a weed and I do an entire bed of different varieties now. Everything in that bed goes to the chickens. Spinach grows well, but many varieties tend to bolt. I can never seem to get brocc established before something goes awry with it. Most of your mixed salad lettuce varieties grow well here.

Most root veggies end up stunted for me. Either my soil isn't loose enough or too wet. I've tried carrots, sweet potatoes, and beets and they've all ended up poor. Sweet potatoes definitely prefer a warm climo. I may try them again, but do them in a raised fabric pot so they can be warmer and drier. Then at the end up the year I can just dump them out to harvest them.

I've gotten more into fruit trees/vines lately and most of the garden beds are literally for the birds.

I tried doing everything by seed this past season and I definitely had similar tomato/pepper issues. Also notice the carrots were pretty small. I ended up buying pepper plants and those did great, my tomato finally popped around August and we got a handful of fruit, but I think that may have been shaded by the beans by then. 

The kale/broccoli gets destroyed by caterpillars. 

[IowaStorm05]

I am looking into buying myself a Kia. I will tell you what. Kia is a good car company at this point and offers rather attractive, competent vehicles. They offer things that are relatively inexpensive even in this economy. $22000 out the door for a Kia Soul loaded with tech.

Now the main point of my post is that I am disturbed about the trends in Automobile business. Car companies are starting to phase out…. Cars. They are beefing up marketing of the ubiquitous and industry-wide monotonous crossover unibody SUVs 

These SUVs are nice vehicles, it’s just that the problem is they cost Forty Five Thousand Dollars. It concerns me that the industry might end up getting rid of options that cost around $25,000, and many Americans might no longer be able to afford any vehicles because Economy Car options are starting to go away.

I would like to think that the purchasing power of the hands of Americans will force auto makers to continue to produce economy options even if there are less variants to purchase… but considering the fact I am a millenial and a very large fraction of us and Gen Z have been long-priced out of the option of buying a home, I am not totally confident. of course, people really need cars to get to work so that alone should apply force in the auto industry and their offerings.

[ice1972]

1 hour ago, IowaStorm05 said:

Very jealous. Even the lowest parts of the city of Reno and Sparks got about 4 inches in the ground. That isn’t a whole lot for them and Reno can get more snow by far but this specific pattern hasn’t been a record setter for Reno due to periodic higher snow levels causing the city to get rain.

Reno gets shadowed something fierce…..if I lived in Reno I’d hate it cuz I’d know Truckee and Donner Summit we’re getting smoked while I’m looking at shredded shit…..not unlike around here lately…..SNE sucks

[IowaStorm05]

8 minutes ago, ice1972 said:

Reno gets shadowed something fierce…..if I lived in Reno I’d hate it cuz I’d know Truckee and Donner Summit we’re getting smoked while I’m looking at shredded shit…..not unlike around here lately…..SNE sucks

What you wrote here is exactly the thing that caused me a great deal of angst and frustration as a teenager. And you know I lived on a hill in East Sparks that gave me a very wide panoramic view of Downtown Reno and the Sierra Nevada…. I saw everything. The views when storms made it down into the valley were amazing to watch. It’s just that it didn’t happen enough for my liking and I was beset with a few mild winters between the ages of 14 and 17. But, yeah. Super rage when Donner would get smoked and we would get wind and sprinkles 

Hell, you could see even the foothills get smoked… and see them all shiny and white after a storm…. In which the snow level made it down to about 200 feet above my house so the front yard was bare but the foothills to the west and the mountains behind my house would be white…. Just 1 miles walk behind our house was plastered… frustration station man.

[ice1972]

Wut a disaster of a season when the discussion is about growing vegetables and snowfall 3000 miles away…..for Christ sakes….SNE balls shriveled to raisins

[ice1972]

2 minutes ago, IowaStorm05 said:

What you wrote here is exactly the thing that caused me a great deal of angst and frustration as a teenager. And you know I lived on a hill in East Sparks that gave me a very wide panoramic view of Downtown Reno and the Sierra Nevada…. I saw everything. The views when storms made it down into the valley were amazing to watch. It’s just that it didn’t happen enough for my liking and I was beset with a few mild winters between the ages of 14 and 17. But, yeah. Super rage when Donner would get smoked and we would get wind and sprinkles 

I’m a Bay Area native with strong ties to Lake Tahoe and surroundings from my love for skiing and later snowboarding……the Lake Tahoe area is pretty epic for riding and I have lots of crazy memories of driving up there in bad weather…..most memorable was the 540 I did on I-80 descending into Truckee in a blizzard after passing over the summit…..almost got clipped by a van….then the 1997 New Year’s Day flood was pretty epic…..we had planned a snowboarding trip leaving from Davis CA early Jan 1 but that quickly turned into “get yourself out of the mountains and into Reno as fast as possible” the flood was ridiculous……89 was covered to squaw valley…..80 closed later due to mudslides…..the airport in Reno was under feet of water….and the train station too…..we were stranded in Reno for 2 days….I’ll never forget staying at the circus circus and watching whole families evacuated to downtown hotels cuz the Truckee river was just raging…..man

[IowaStorm05]

I’m

16 minutes ago, ice1972 said:

I’m a Bay Area native with strong ties to Lake Tahoe and surroundings from my love for skiing and later snowboarding……the Lake Tahoe area is pretty epic for riding and I have lots of crazy memories of driving up there in bad weather…..most memorable was the 540 I did on I-80 descending into Truckee in a blizzard after passing over the summit…..almost got clipped by a van….then the 1997 New Year’s Day flood was pretty epic…..we had planned a snowboarding trip leaving from Davis CA early Jan 1 but that quickly turned into “get yourself out of the mountains and into Reno as fast as possible” the flood was ridiculous……89 was covered to squaw valley…..80 closed later due to mudslides…..the airport in Reno was under feet of water….and the train station too…..we were stranded in Reno for 2 days….I’ll never forget staying at the circus circus and watching whole families evacuated to downtown hotels cuz the Truckee river was just raging…..man

Part of the reason that flood was so bad was not just because it was a very warm atmospheric river… but also because it slammed into California and Nevada RIGHT AFTER THE REGION EXPERIENCED SEVERAL HEAVY SNOWFALLS WITH LOW SNOW LEVELS!!! 
 

Just Before that flood, We had deep snow all over Reno and Western Nevada as well as the mountains. I talk about the Bain of low snowfall in Sparks… well when that atmospheric river hit, our house in Sparks had 6 inches of snow on the ground and other parts of Reno had 12 to 18 inches. NeverMind the mountains. So yeah it was a recipe for disaster.

You might recall a similar flood happened in 2004-2005. That year there was 2 to 3 FEET of snow all over Reno. Followed by a flood but this flood IIRC was not as devastating. I wasn’t living there in 2005 I was in Rhode Island getting buried in Nor’easters.