The SkeeterVac has been running for about a month now. It appears that it's going to run out of gas every two weeks, not every three weeks as the literature says. Perhaps this is because the literature says to use 20-lb. "precisely-filled" tanks of propane, and we can't find anything but 15-lb. tanks. After reading the online reviews for this and other brands of mosquito traps, I was worried that the machine would not re-start after running out of gas. So far, we've had no problems restarting it.
The SkeeterVac catches bugs in two ways: (1) it has a sticky paper sleeve that encircles the entire body of the contraption, sticky side out, which functions like a giant piece of fly-paper to trap bugs that land on it, and (2) it sucks insects into a mesh "drawer" just under the bait compartment. The sticky paper is catching bugs like crazy. This "Tac-Trap" seems to work whether the machine is running or not, for the unit ran out of gas just after I installed a new Tac-Trap, and it caught a lot of bugs before we had an opportunity to replace the gas tank. It is indiscriminate about what it catches; yesterday I counted 6 "Granddaddy Long-Legs" spiders, 2 crickets, some house flies, and a couple of worms stuck to it, in addition to bunches of tiny flying insects, like gnats, deer flies, and mosquitoes. We haven't seen much in the trap drawer except fuzz (it looks like a thin layer of white dryer lint) and a few gnats. It may be that this "fuzz" is actually dehydrated insects.
"But how effectively is it reducing the mosquito population?" you might be asking.
I tentatively give it a "thumbs-up." We've had an especially cool May, and it could be that there simply aren't as many mosquitoes flying about as usual. But we've also had an especially wet May, which usually makes for a bumper crop of mosquitoes. This year, we've had more problems with gnats and deer flies than with mosquitoes; I've never seen them so thick. They go straight for the orifices on one's head - nostrils, ears, and eyes - and leave giant, itchy, hard knots where they bite. When I go across the road to work in the garden, they attack me so badly that I can hardly work for swatting. And Pop-Pop says that tiny, viscious mosquitoes are about to eat him up when he goes outside in his yard. But neither the mosquitoes nor the gnats/deer flies are attacking me so much in my own yard, so this thing may really be working.
In the coming week, the temperatures are supposed to reach the low 90s, which may bring the mosquitoes out in full force. This may be the real test. I'll let you know.
Sunday, May 29, 2011
Friday, May 27, 2011
Caleb's Birthday Rose
As each of my grandchildren were born, I planted a rose bush in his/her honor. Four years ago today, my grandson came into the world. A few days later, I planted his rose - a "Don Juan." It is blooming on his birthday. Happy birthday, MudPuppy.
Thursday, May 19, 2011
Butterbeans & Fungicide
Something is killing the tomatoes. We've lost nearly half of what we planted two weeks ago. They're just shriveling up. Pop-Pop thinks that they've had too much water; I'm not so sure it's not a fungus that's causing it. In any case, I sprayed fungicide yesterday on all of the tomatoes, dead and alive. This weekend, I'll replace the dead ones with new ones that Nanny sprouted from seeds.
We planted two rows of butterbeans yesterday. While I was out there trying to till up the rows, Pop-Pop came out on his scooter to supervise. The soil was a bit too wet for ideal plowing, and I was having trouble getting my rows straight. Pop-Pop suggested that, rather than watching the spot where I was tilling, I ought to pick a spot at the end of the row and continuously aim for it. I understood his theory, but putting it into practice was a little easier said than done, for the tiller seemed to have a mind of its own. We'll let the soil dry a little more before we start tilling for the green beans and peas.
In the squash hills, what few seeds that the critter didn't find have sprouted. I'll have to replant if we're to have enough plants to make that bumper crop I was hoping for.
Earlier in the week, I harvested the first batch of fava beans. Some of the information I saw online about fava beans said to peel off the thick outer skins, others said not to bother. I shelled this first picking and cooked them without peeling them. Didn't like them with the skins on, so I'll be peeling the next batch.
We planted two rows of butterbeans yesterday. While I was out there trying to till up the rows, Pop-Pop came out on his scooter to supervise. The soil was a bit too wet for ideal plowing, and I was having trouble getting my rows straight. Pop-Pop suggested that, rather than watching the spot where I was tilling, I ought to pick a spot at the end of the row and continuously aim for it. I understood his theory, but putting it into practice was a little easier said than done, for the tiller seemed to have a mind of its own. We'll let the soil dry a little more before we start tilling for the green beans and peas.
In the squash hills, what few seeds that the critter didn't find have sprouted. I'll have to replant if we're to have enough plants to make that bumper crop I was hoping for.
Earlier in the week, I harvested the first batch of fava beans. Some of the information I saw online about fava beans said to peel off the thick outer skins, others said not to bother. I shelled this first picking and cooked them without peeling them. Didn't like them with the skins on, so I'll be peeling the next batch.
Friday, May 13, 2011
Wor'some Critters
We’re not having such terrific luck with the stuff we planted in the garden last Saturday. One of the tomato plants has died, and another one looks ill. Both of Nanny’s squash plants bit the dust – just shriveled up and died. The two cucumber plants don’t look much better.
Since it started to rain on us while we were working in the garden Saturday, I did not have a chance that day to plant any of the seeds I’d bought. Tuesday afternoon I went back to the garden to plant some of the seeds. I planted seven “hills” of crookneck squash, two hills of zucchini, two more hills of cucumbers, and two half-rows of okra. Wednesday afternoon I went back to check on things, only to discover that something had dug up (and apparently had eaten) all of the squash, zucchini, and cucumber seeds. “Birds might be scratchin’ up your seeds,” Pop-Pop offered. I re-planted all of the hills while Pop-Pop and The Husband strapped a trail-cam to a hose cart and set it in the squash row to see if we could photograph the culprit in the act. By yesterday afternoon, something had dug up the seeds AGAIN. I took the SD card out of the trail-cam and popped it into the laptop to look at the pictures. Most of the pictures were of Pop-Pop waving his walking cane to see if the camera was working. The final picture was, at first, unrecognizable, just a series of light and dark gray streaks.
“What in the world...,” I muttered.
The Husband looked over my shoulder. “Looks like the camera got jiggled while it was taking a picture,” he said.
I looked at the picture for a few more seconds, and then gave a little gasp. “Or is that a close-up of something’s fur?”
If it was fur, it was on the side or tail of some animal that was at least waist high, else it was the belly fur of some shorter animal that had reared up on its hind legs directly in front of the camera.
I showed the picture to Pop-Pop. “Looks like fur to me,” he said, “probably a ‘coon or a ‘possum.”
"Or a Sasquatch," I thought to myself.
I re-planted *one* hill of squash and set the trail-cam to point directly at that hill. I’ll check it later today. If the offender turns out to be a ‘coon or a ‘possum, tonight I’ll offer him a nice bowl of tasty seeds nestled inside a live trap; there are some boys around here who will be glad to dispose of whatever we catch.
I hope Pop-Pop is right about it being a 'coon or 'possum, for I don’t know how we’d go about catching a Sasquatch.
* * * * * *
The fava beans I planted back in February have long, fat pods on them. I picked one yesterday and shelled it to see if it was mature, and it appeared to be. I’ll go back later today and get the rest of the ones that are ready. The thing is, I don’t really know what to do with fava beans. In Italy, we were served fava beans for a snack in a wine bar. They had been marinated in a tangy, oily brine, and had a color and texture much like garbanzo beans. We ate them like peanuts. When I popped the first one into my mouth, the waitress shrieked and commenced babbling something in Italian that I didn’t understand. Then she showed me how to peel the thin, slightly bitter skins off the beans before eating them. I’ve searched the web for recipes and techniques. Some folks say to take the skin off the beans, some say leave it on.I’ll try it both ways.
Many of the fava bean recipes I found were salads. One recipe called for smashing the beans to make something resembling pesto or hummus and spreading it on crusty bread. I’m thinking that I might try warming a handful or two in a skillet with olive oil, garlic, chopped scallions, and maybe some roasted red pepper. Mmmm.
Since it started to rain on us while we were working in the garden Saturday, I did not have a chance that day to plant any of the seeds I’d bought. Tuesday afternoon I went back to the garden to plant some of the seeds. I planted seven “hills” of crookneck squash, two hills of zucchini, two more hills of cucumbers, and two half-rows of okra. Wednesday afternoon I went back to check on things, only to discover that something had dug up (and apparently had eaten) all of the squash, zucchini, and cucumber seeds. “Birds might be scratchin’ up your seeds,” Pop-Pop offered. I re-planted all of the hills while Pop-Pop and The Husband strapped a trail-cam to a hose cart and set it in the squash row to see if we could photograph the culprit in the act. By yesterday afternoon, something had dug up the seeds AGAIN. I took the SD card out of the trail-cam and popped it into the laptop to look at the pictures. Most of the pictures were of Pop-Pop waving his walking cane to see if the camera was working. The final picture was, at first, unrecognizable, just a series of light and dark gray streaks.
 |
| (Ignore the date/time stamp. It's wrong.) |
The Husband looked over my shoulder. “Looks like the camera got jiggled while it was taking a picture,” he said.
I looked at the picture for a few more seconds, and then gave a little gasp. “Or is that a close-up of something’s fur?”
If it was fur, it was on the side or tail of some animal that was at least waist high, else it was the belly fur of some shorter animal that had reared up on its hind legs directly in front of the camera.
I showed the picture to Pop-Pop. “Looks like fur to me,” he said, “probably a ‘coon or a ‘possum.”
"Or a Sasquatch," I thought to myself.
I re-planted *one* hill of squash and set the trail-cam to point directly at that hill. I’ll check it later today. If the offender turns out to be a ‘coon or a ‘possum, tonight I’ll offer him a nice bowl of tasty seeds nestled inside a live trap; there are some boys around here who will be glad to dispose of whatever we catch.
I hope Pop-Pop is right about it being a 'coon or 'possum, for I don’t know how we’d go about catching a Sasquatch.
* * * * * *
The fava beans I planted back in February have long, fat pods on them. I picked one yesterday and shelled it to see if it was mature, and it appeared to be. I’ll go back later today and get the rest of the ones that are ready. The thing is, I don’t really know what to do with fava beans. In Italy, we were served fava beans for a snack in a wine bar. They had been marinated in a tangy, oily brine, and had a color and texture much like garbanzo beans. We ate them like peanuts. When I popped the first one into my mouth, the waitress shrieked and commenced babbling something in Italian that I didn’t understand. Then she showed me how to peel the thin, slightly bitter skins off the beans before eating them. I’ve searched the web for recipes and techniques. Some folks say to take the skin off the beans, some say leave it on.
Many of the fava bean recipes I found were salads. One recipe called for smashing the beans to make something resembling pesto or hummus and spreading it on crusty bread. I’m thinking that I might try warming a handful or two in a skillet with olive oil, garlic, chopped scallions, and maybe some roasted red pepper. Mmmm.
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Explaining the Inexplicable (SkeeterVac Review, Part 2)
Yesterday evening when The Husband came home, I told him what the Blue Rhino customer service rep had told me about cutting back on the gas flow on the SkeeterVac. We went outside and did what she said to do: (1) turn off the gas, (2) unhook the gas line, (3) hold down the control button for a while to bleed out the remaining gas in the machine, (4) wait few minutes, and (5) hook everything back up, open the gas valve 1.5 turns, and re-light the thing. The machine lit right away. We didn't hear the fan running right away, but we checked it a few minutes later, and everything seemed to be working just fine.
This morning I went outside to check the trap and discovered that the machine was not running. I supposed it was an empty tank and decided that I would try to replace it, myself. We did not have a replacement tank, but the convenience store two miles up the road has them, and I intended to go get one. I came inside, pulled out the instruction manual, and went over the steps to install a replacement tank. The instructions say, "To operate you will need (1) precision-filled standard grill LP gas tank (20#) with external valve threads. Note: An empty standard grill LP gas tank weighs approximately 18 lbs. A precision-filled standard grill LP gas tank should weigh no more than 38 lbs."
Hmmm..."precision-filled."
I successfully un-hooked and removed the gas tank from the SkeeterVac and brought it inside to weigh it. The bathroom scales said it weighed 18.4 pounds, close enough to empty to go ahead and change it out, I figured. I took it to the convenience store to swap it for a full one. As I passed the replacement tank rack on my way into the store, I noticed a sign that said the tanks were filled to 15.4 lbs. I remembered the wording of the instructions: "precision-filled." I decided that I'd better take the empty take back to where we'd bought it. We'd told that place that we needed a 20# tank, and I supposed that's what we'd been given. So I climbed back into my Jeep and drove to another store, 5 miles away, to swap the tank.
A sticker on that rack said those tanks also contained 15.4 pounds of gas. I scratched my head. Maybe that's why our machine wasn't catching mosquitoes - maybe we'd bought the wrong size tank. I questioned a store employee about getting a 20# tank. He said they only sold the one size, but they ought to work. I said maybe I'd better try to find a 20# tank. He directed me to a place a few more miles up the road that re-fills empty tanks rather than swapping empty ones for full ones. Before I spoke to anyone in the store about filling the tank, I decided to check the label on the tank to see about its maximum capacity. If the numbers I saw stamped into the metal were the capacity numbers, the tank held a little over 17#. I scratched my head again. Where was I going to get a 20# gas tank? Then I noticed a toll-free number for Blue Rhino on the label. I decided to call them and ask whether I needed "precisely" 20 pounds of gas, and to ask if my less-than-20# tank might have been the reason why the machine wasn't catching any mosquitoes.
The customer service rep explained that 20# tanks generally contain a little over 15# of
gas. Dang...I could've used a tank from the first convenience store and saved myself all this running around.
As it turned out, I took the tank back to the place where we'd bought it, and swapped it for a full tank. But I'm still not understanding the whole "precisely-filled 20# tank" business.
In any case, the SkeeterVac is hooked up and running again, with the gas valve opened 1.5 turns and the bait cover only partially open (as the first customer service rep had suggested). I'll check it tomorrow to see if it's caught anything.
This morning I went outside to check the trap and discovered that the machine was not running. I supposed it was an empty tank and decided that I would try to replace it, myself. We did not have a replacement tank, but the convenience store two miles up the road has them, and I intended to go get one. I came inside, pulled out the instruction manual, and went over the steps to install a replacement tank. The instructions say, "To operate you will need (1) precision-filled standard grill LP gas tank (20#) with external valve threads. Note: An empty standard grill LP gas tank weighs approximately 18 lbs. A precision-filled standard grill LP gas tank should weigh no more than 38 lbs."
Hmmm..."precision-filled."
I successfully un-hooked and removed the gas tank from the SkeeterVac and brought it inside to weigh it. The bathroom scales said it weighed 18.4 pounds, close enough to empty to go ahead and change it out, I figured. I took it to the convenience store to swap it for a full one. As I passed the replacement tank rack on my way into the store, I noticed a sign that said the tanks were filled to 15.4 lbs. I remembered the wording of the instructions: "precision-filled." I decided that I'd better take the empty take back to where we'd bought it. We'd told that place that we needed a 20# tank, and I supposed that's what we'd been given. So I climbed back into my Jeep and drove to another store, 5 miles away, to swap the tank.
A sticker on that rack said those tanks also contained 15.4 pounds of gas. I scratched my head. Maybe that's why our machine wasn't catching mosquitoes - maybe we'd bought the wrong size tank. I questioned a store employee about getting a 20# tank. He said they only sold the one size, but they ought to work. I said maybe I'd better try to find a 20# tank. He directed me to a place a few more miles up the road that re-fills empty tanks rather than swapping empty ones for full ones. Before I spoke to anyone in the store about filling the tank, I decided to check the label on the tank to see about its maximum capacity. If the numbers I saw stamped into the metal were the capacity numbers, the tank held a little over 17#. I scratched my head again. Where was I going to get a 20# gas tank? Then I noticed a toll-free number for Blue Rhino on the label. I decided to call them and ask whether I needed "precisely" 20 pounds of gas, and to ask if my less-than-20# tank might have been the reason why the machine wasn't catching any mosquitoes.
The customer service rep explained that 20# tanks generally contain a little over 15# of
gas. Dang...I could've used a tank from the first convenience store and saved myself all this running around.
As it turned out, I took the tank back to the place where we'd bought it, and swapped it for a full tank. But I'm still not understanding the whole "precisely-filled 20# tank" business.
In any case, the SkeeterVac is hooked up and running again, with the gas valve opened 1.5 turns and the bait cover only partially open (as the first customer service rep had suggested). I'll check it tomorrow to see if it's caught anything.
Monday, May 9, 2011
SkeeterVac SV5100 - an ongoing review
We have a terrible mosquito problem in our yard, thanks to a nearby pond and a large "gully" behind our house that stays wet. I've been reading about the various mosquito traps for several years; we hadn't bought one because the prices were too high, considering the "iffy" reviews they were getting. Lately, however, the prices have come down and the reviews have gotten a little better. We finally decided to buy the SkeeterVac SV5100 by Blue Rhino.
We bought this machine from Amazon. It arrived during the week of April 18. Although the shipping carton did not seem to be damaged, the plastic cover on the bait compartment was broken. We called Blue Rhino the next day, and they shipped us a new part. It arrived on April 25th. We replaced the part and set the machine up that evening.
It did not have any bait with it, which I thought was odd, but it did have the sticky "Tack Trap" that wraps around the unit. While we were waiting on the replacement part, I'd ordered the standard "octenol" bait and more Tack Traps. They were here by the time the replacement part arrived.
The machine had to be assembled, and we had to buy a propane gas tank. The assembly was easy. We put the bait in and opened the compartment halfway, as a company representative had recommended. The lighting was easy. At first, we were not sure whether the unit was working, as there was no sound. After a few minutes, we heard the fan whirring and saw that the gauge hand had moved up. Having set the machine up, we went out of town for a week, leaving it running.
While we were gone, there were storms, and the weather had turned cool, factors I considered when we returned home to find not one single mosquito in the trap. The Tack Trap on the outside of the machine had a few bugs stuck to it, but not many of them were mosquitoes. During our trip, I'd learned that the octenol was not the best bait for our area. We have those mean little tiger mosquitoes, the ones with the black-and-white-striped legs, which supposedly respond better to a bait called Lurex. I ordered Lurex while we were on our trip, and it was here by the time we returned home. We replaced the octenol with the Lurex on May 2.
I have been checking the trap every few days, and although we have seen a few mosquitoes hovering around the machine, so far all we've caught is pollen/lint. Yesterday, we moved the machine a few feet, thinking that maybe a nearby storage shed was blocking the bugs' view of the thing. This morning, there are still no mosquitoes in the trap. I brushed the lint out of the trap and came inside to call Blue Rhino for other suggestions.
The customer service rep advised us to cut back on the propane flow. We'd opened the valve all the way. She said there might be a build-up of gas in the hose (which I thought should be a good thing, but I guess not). She advised us to shut off the gas, disconnect the hose, and then hold down the "control button" for 30 seconds to bleed the remaining gas from the machine. After about 5 minutes, we're to hook it up again and re-start the machine, opening the valve no more than 1.5 turns. She also said to try adjusting the opening of the bait compartment, starting with the lowest setting, giving it a couple of days between each adjustment.
We'll try this later today.
We bought this machine from Amazon. It arrived during the week of April 18. Although the shipping carton did not seem to be damaged, the plastic cover on the bait compartment was broken. We called Blue Rhino the next day, and they shipped us a new part. It arrived on April 25th. We replaced the part and set the machine up that evening.
It did not have any bait with it, which I thought was odd, but it did have the sticky "Tack Trap" that wraps around the unit. While we were waiting on the replacement part, I'd ordered the standard "octenol" bait and more Tack Traps. They were here by the time the replacement part arrived.
The machine had to be assembled, and we had to buy a propane gas tank. The assembly was easy. We put the bait in and opened the compartment halfway, as a company representative had recommended. The lighting was easy. At first, we were not sure whether the unit was working, as there was no sound. After a few minutes, we heard the fan whirring and saw that the gauge hand had moved up. Having set the machine up, we went out of town for a week, leaving it running.
While we were gone, there were storms, and the weather had turned cool, factors I considered when we returned home to find not one single mosquito in the trap. The Tack Trap on the outside of the machine had a few bugs stuck to it, but not many of them were mosquitoes. During our trip, I'd learned that the octenol was not the best bait for our area. We have those mean little tiger mosquitoes, the ones with the black-and-white-striped legs, which supposedly respond better to a bait called Lurex. I ordered Lurex while we were on our trip, and it was here by the time we returned home. We replaced the octenol with the Lurex on May 2.
I have been checking the trap every few days, and although we have seen a few mosquitoes hovering around the machine, so far all we've caught is pollen/lint. Yesterday, we moved the machine a few feet, thinking that maybe a nearby storage shed was blocking the bugs' view of the thing. This morning, there are still no mosquitoes in the trap. I brushed the lint out of the trap and came inside to call Blue Rhino for other suggestions.
The customer service rep advised us to cut back on the propane flow. We'd opened the valve all the way. She said there might be a build-up of gas in the hose (which I thought should be a good thing, but I guess not). She advised us to shut off the gas, disconnect the hose, and then hold down the "control button" for 30 seconds to bleed the remaining gas from the machine. After about 5 minutes, we're to hook it up again and re-start the machine, opening the valve no more than 1.5 turns. She also said to try adjusting the opening of the bait compartment, starting with the lowest setting, giving it a couple of days between each adjustment.
We'll try this later today.
Saturday, May 7, 2011
First planting 2011
The weather has been beautiful for the past few days, and so when I got off work a little early yesterday, I went straight to the garden center to buy plants and seeds for the summer vegetable garden. I knew that Nanny had already bought several 4-packs of tomato plants and a few squash plants; I picked up some eggplants, peppers, one more tomato, and some seeds for squash, okra, butterbeans, green beans, blackeyed peas, and zucchini.
The whole garden plot was disked back in February, but only the rows where we planted potatoes, onions, and fava beans had been tilled, so I dragged Mr. Easy out of the tool shed. He has an electric starter, but I thought I'd give him a chance to show me what he's got. I adjusted the levers and gave the cord a yank. He fired up after just one pull, and we headed for the garden.
I think I'm going to love this tiller. It's big and heavy, but fairly easy to control when it's digging. After I broke up the soil with the tines in reverse, I set them to turn forward and smoothed the rows. The tiller handles will swivel to the left or the right, enabling the operator to walk beside the tiller so as not to compact the soil in the rows. In most places, it was fairly easy to guide the monster while walking beside it, using just one hand.
I got in about 2.5 hours worth of tilling before The Husband came home from work and told me we had a dinner date and I should quit. Reluctantly (I was "in the zone" and hated to stop, and I hadn't yet planted a thing), I steered the tiller toward the shed and came back to the house to get cleaned up for dinner.
This morning, I took my coffee on the patio. The sky was a little overcast, and soon I heard distant thunder. I hurried inside, put my gardening clothes back on, climbed on my bike, and rode down to the garden to set the tomatoes, squash, and pepper plants before the rain came. Nanny came out to help. We managed to get all of the plants in the ground before the drizzle started, but there wasn't time to plant any of the seeds. Now, it'll probably be several more days before the ground is dry enough to work.
I made a vow to get a head start on the blight problem this year. This morning's effort may have been for naught since it looks like we're in for more than a sprinkling of rain today, but I mixed up a bucket of liquid copper fungicide and dunked the new tomato plants in it, dirt and all, before putting them in the ground. We then poured the left-over mixture around the plants, hoping to retard the fungus still in the soil from last year.
We also intend to try growing some tomato plants in bags of potting soil. It looks easy enough. When this rain slacks up, I'll be on my way to the garden center for potting soil and plants. I'll let you know how it works.
The whole garden plot was disked back in February, but only the rows where we planted potatoes, onions, and fava beans had been tilled, so I dragged Mr. Easy out of the tool shed. He has an electric starter, but I thought I'd give him a chance to show me what he's got. I adjusted the levers and gave the cord a yank. He fired up after just one pull, and we headed for the garden.
I think I'm going to love this tiller. It's big and heavy, but fairly easy to control when it's digging. After I broke up the soil with the tines in reverse, I set them to turn forward and smoothed the rows. The tiller handles will swivel to the left or the right, enabling the operator to walk beside the tiller so as not to compact the soil in the rows. In most places, it was fairly easy to guide the monster while walking beside it, using just one hand.
I got in about 2.5 hours worth of tilling before The Husband came home from work and told me we had a dinner date and I should quit. Reluctantly (I was "in the zone" and hated to stop, and I hadn't yet planted a thing), I steered the tiller toward the shed and came back to the house to get cleaned up for dinner.
This morning, I took my coffee on the patio. The sky was a little overcast, and soon I heard distant thunder. I hurried inside, put my gardening clothes back on, climbed on my bike, and rode down to the garden to set the tomatoes, squash, and pepper plants before the rain came. Nanny came out to help. We managed to get all of the plants in the ground before the drizzle started, but there wasn't time to plant any of the seeds. Now, it'll probably be several more days before the ground is dry enough to work.
I made a vow to get a head start on the blight problem this year. This morning's effort may have been for naught since it looks like we're in for more than a sprinkling of rain today, but I mixed up a bucket of liquid copper fungicide and dunked the new tomato plants in it, dirt and all, before putting them in the ground. We then poured the left-over mixture around the plants, hoping to retard the fungus still in the soil from last year.
We also intend to try growing some tomato plants in bags of potting soil. It looks easy enough. When this rain slacks up, I'll be on my way to the garden center for potting soil and plants. I'll let you know how it works.
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