Michael / Chgowiz 🎲🎲

Hi! I'm Michael, aka Chgowiz. (Chicago-Wiz).

Parent, grandparent, US Air Force vet, IT/programming guy. D&D/Traveller nerd, NERD! Hunting, fishing, camping. Gardener.

DIY/hobbyist at things. Co-author of One Page Dungeon template - author of "Three Hex Campaign Starters"

KE9DIU / WSDP979

#FlynnLives

Where to Find Me: https://wheretofind.me/@MichaelShorten
Gaming Blog: https://chgowiz-games.etinerra.com
Podcast: https://chgowiz-games.etinerra.com/podcast/

Public Key

npub1lr0mkjju4ju7g8y4rqxyxgakrnj395szh7kyug454wrd9yjh6j2szyxu4h

NIP-05 Address

[email protected]

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Last Notes

2026-07-14 18:51:27 UTC

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I think if I were to try to grow corn, I'd do it in some sort of enclosure/fence that was secure at the top, sides and fencing dug at least 6" into the ground. With a good secure gate.
So far, it's not been worth the effort to do that :P

2026-07-14 15:35:35 UTC

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Dang masked bandits. I'm still salty from losing my entire sweet corn crop to them back in 2024...

2026-05-12 13:54:15 UTC

Despite the lateness in getting started, the crazy cold, wet weather and my getting another 200 sq ft (~18 sq m) of space, things are sprouting and/or in progress!
Rows of carrots, parsnips, onions, potatoes and amaranth have been planted.
This coming weekend/next week, the tomatoes and herb/flower seedlings will go in, assuming the weather outlook is < 50 F/10 C.
#gardening #NorthernIllinois #Zone5b #NorthernMidwestUS
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2026-05-08 15:26:35 UTC

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The irony of tinyview requiring me to sign in to see the "secret panel", and offering me an app, is not lost on me.

2026-05-08 13:03:03 UTC

The first sprouts of the season in my community garden (allotment) plot!
White and yellow onions from seed. A first attempt. They're poking their little sprouts up and out.
Next week, I'll be planting a row of parsnips between them. I'm experimenting with companion planting this year.
#gardening #Zone5b #NorthernIllinois #NorthernMidwestUS
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2026-05-01 16:37:45 UTC

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I have a list of those needing assignment and immediate laser fire cancellation...

2026-04-23 12:16:58 UTC

Running almost two weeks behind, thanks to the mini-monsoon season we had in the North Midwest US, but potatoes are in. The hill in the middle is just reserved dirt for when I hill the individual plants as they develop. 15 total plants in this row.
Next couple of days, I'll get my onion seeds and carrots in.
#Gardening #VegetableGarden #NorthernIllinois #NorthernMidwestUS #Zone5a
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2026-02-16 12:49:17 UTC

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#FalseSpring

2026-02-07 13:14:13 UTC

Just like the recipe said, I ended up with 9 pint jars of spaghetti sauce. And soon I'll be starting seeds for the 2026 garden! Wonder what I'll get to preserve next autumn/winter?
Here's the recipe I used - USDA (pre 2025) approved.
https://nchfp.uga.edu/how/can/how-do-i-can-tomatoes/spaghetti-sauce-without-meat/
#Gardening #Preserving #Cooking
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2026-01-12 22:03:57 UTC

The planning and seed buying has begun!
This year, I'm trying companion planting for the first time. And I'm converting my container garden into a (mostly) herb garden, plus a couple of cherry tomato plants.
Community garden plot: beans+carrots (2 beds), potatoes, onions+parsnips, sweet potatoes, roma tomatoes+basil+marigolds, slicer tomatoes+parsley+marigolds, bell peppers+oregano and 3 Sisters (amaranth, black beans, winter squash/pumpkins)
1/🧵
#Gardening
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2026-01-08 17:27:45 UTC

A small bit of happiness for my house: I'm brining wild turkey breast for an overnight crockpot cook on slow - while dried black beans from my garden soak - all to go into a southwestern turkey/bean soup tomorrow.
I can't solve the world's problems, but I'm going to hold onto happiness when and where I can.
Cooking, gardening, hunting to make food for the family seems to be it.
#Gardening #Hunting #Cooking

2026-01-07 16:57:37 UTC

Question for the gardeners, especially those who might be familiar with Steve Solomon's books and his approach to plant spacing.
I'm really interested in companion planting/intercropping. Like carrots/w tomatoes.
BUT --
Looking at how I usually space my plants (ala Steve's "column 3" from spacing chart in _Gardening When It Counts_) it's hard to adapt that to what I view as companion planting.
Anyone combined the two approaches?
#Gardening #CompanionCrops

2026-01-07 13:47:18 UTC

Good article by local extension on difference between F1 Hybrid and Heirloom. I learned something new today.
#Gardening
https://extension.illinois.edu/blogs/flowers-fruits-and-frass/2026-01-06-f1-hybrid-vs-heirloom-vegetable-seed-what-choice-means

2026-01-03 15:17:31 UTC

I have 2 simple goals as a gardener this year.
1. Do some intercropping/beneficial side by side planting this year. Carrots with tomatoes, like that.
2. Try new things like onions and sweet potatoes.
What are your goals/aspirations for this new year as a gardener?
#Gardening

2025-12-09 19:20:49 UTC

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I share what I want, to everyone on a specific platform that is not the standard corporate social media. So kinda option 1/option 2 both.

2025-10-31 18:24:31 UTC

Almost all over. Tilled the cover crop at the community garden plot. Only thing left is to harvest the parsnips. The plan is to do that after a good long frost night, so probably mid/late November? Maybe have parsnips for Thanksgiving dinner!
#Gardening #Harvest
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2025-10-22 22:37:09 UTC

End of growing season cleanup at the community garden plot. My cover crop is doing well. The alyssum is hanging on but the marigolds are about spent.
If freezing nights don't kill the cover crop in a couple of weeks, I'll take the weed whacker to it.
#Gardening
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2025-10-13 15:09:17 UTC

According to COCORAHS, there was a narrow band of rain that passed through my area.
Can confirm, because the front half of my house and rain barrel is now full again, but the back half of my house was only a bit damp and not much water in the barrel.
Story of my late summer/autumn so far... 🤨
COCORAHS is a great tool if you don't have a rain gauge or your garden isn't near your home/rain gauge.
https://www.cocorahs.org/Maps/ViewMap.aspx?type=precip&state=IL
#Gardening

2025-10-05 18:40:16 UTC

Me, back on July 14th: "I sifted maybe about 5 cubic feet (of compost)"
Narrator voice: He, in fact, did not. It was, at most, 1 cubic foot.
https://dice.camp/@chgowiz/114854290277769986
That was my first go around, when I had about 3 months of getting started. I apparently couldn't measure or math very well.
Today though... that was much different...
1/🧵
#Gardening #Compost #Composting #NoRules

2025-10-03 13:07:44 UTC

Autumn garden clean-up continues. All but two of my bell pepper plants are finished - final peppers collected and the plants chopped up for the compost pile.
The lessons I learned from my struggles with tomato seedlings helped me to have better experiences with the pepper seedlings. They produced!
Between summer/autumn meals and 10 packs of frozen slices (~ 3 peppers each) and the 20 or so in the fridge, I am grateful for the bountiful harvest.
#Gardening #Harvest
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2025-10-02 14:13:46 UTC

Bittersweet as I removed most of the tomato plants from the plot. From seedlings that I made mistakes with, to wondering if they'd survive transplant, they produced far more tomatoes than I expected. Grateful! Now they're compost.
The cover crop is doing well. What I planted in late August is coming along nicely and my late cover crop has sprouted.
And I harvested the last of my pumpkins. So tiny and cute! LOOK AT THE CUTE! 🤭🤩😍
#Gardening #Harvest
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2025-09-30 13:11:42 UTC

More bean pods dried or drying, and the pepper plants aren't giving up yet!
The 90F days and 55F nights are crazy!
#Gardening #Harvest
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2025-09-29 21:29:50 UTC

I didn't know what to expect from growing/harvesting amaranth, so this whole process has been a learning experience. I guess my method of getting the seed off the heads produces quite a bit of chaff because maybe 25% of what's the bowl actually was seed.
Not pictured is how I separated chaff from seed: a hair dryer and two cookie trays, and a slow pour out of the bowl. It worked. Mostly. Wow I have seed for both consuming and for planting next year!
#Gardening #Harvest #Preserving #Seeds
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2025-09-17 13:05:00 UTC

This morning's harvest - a lot of black beans and an amaranth seed head that I somehow missed?!
The aphids, daddy-long-legs, squash bugs and spiders that came along for the ride in the beans and seed head were not impressed by how I treated them after we got home! 🤣🤣 (I took the basket out to the driveway and knocked them out of it. Tough day for those critters!)
#Gardening #Harvest
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2025-09-16 14:16:11 UTC

The amaranth finally started shedding seeds when I rub the seed heads, so they were ready to harvest!
First time doing this and I don't have the bandwidth to go daily to rub seed heads, so I did the next best thing. I cut them off and brought them home. I can take little breaks during the day and rub them into a big bowl.
I have the harvested seeds/chaff drying on a plastic tray, and I have the remaining heads out on trays on the porch in the sun.
Moar peppers too!
#Gardening #Harvest
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2025-09-12 13:40:07 UTC

The chaos of the rest of my garden. The previous post showed the craziness of my amaranth and my black bean vines.
I have a lot of Roma tomatoes ripening, but this will be the last for my tired looking tomato plants. The alyssum between the tomatoes went crazy.
My green bell pepper plants are machines! They keep producing and I keep harvesting. I have a lot of green bell peppers cut up in the freezer and I've handed out a bunch to neighbors.
#Gardening
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2025-09-12 13:33:36 UTC

Thank you for sharing my dried bean question yesterday. I got great advice and today, a small harvest.
These are "Trail of Tears" black beans from Victory Seeds. They're part of my Three Sisters row, and... I may have overplanted.
This represents a very tiny fraction of the many green and just-now-coloring bean pods on the vines.
My amaranth, the natural trellis, surrendered back in July to these bean vines.
I'm going to have a LOT of black beans!
#Gardening #Harvest
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2025-09-11 14:36:04 UTC

QUESTION to bean growers who dry them on the vine
I'm a first time bean dryer, growing black beans. Goal is to have dry beans for use later.
A few of the pods are feeling "dry" but I'm not sure.
? What do you look for when dried beans are ready to harvest
? Is there any special way to open the pods - my first 3 were leathery dry and it took effort to get them open. Do they need to dry more?
Any other tips/advice?
#Gardening #Harvest
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2025-09-10 19:46:47 UTC

Approx 15 lbs (6.8 kg) of tomatoes processed down to 8 pints of "crushed tomatoes" and juice. This went more quickly now that I've gotten experience at how this all works. Coring tomatoes is not fun!
Next up is probably some "taco salsa" using my many.many.many green bell peppers.
And there are a lot more Romas on the vines that made it through our little cold spell - with temps going back up the 80s for a bit, I think I'm going to have yet more to do!
#Gardening #Harvest #Preserving #Canning
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2025-09-09 13:19:51 UTC

Backyard garden update - my greens plot now has fall sprouts! I sowed lettuce and spinach about 6 days ago and in the cool weather we've had, the sprouts came up like gangbusters.
Naturally, we're headed towards near 90F this coming weekend.
So lots of water and maybe row cover to help keep them happy.
Weird to have spring-sprout-feelings in September, but here we are!
#Gardening
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2025-09-07 13:53:03 UTC

A harvest morning at the garden plot. The bell peppers keep on producing! I've way exceeded my expectations and am hitting that "Maybe I planted too many" point.
The black bean pods are getting close to where I think they'll start drying. I've never done beans like this before, so this is a learning experience!
And still, so many tomatoes!
The garden is in that crazy late summer state - weeds run amuck, tomato vines all askew, squash vines everywhere.
#Gardening #Harvest
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2025-09-05 01:36:44 UTC

Started at 0930 (9:30am) my time with 30 pounds of tomatoes.
At 1830 (6:30pm), I had ten pint jars of tomato sauce all processed and cooling off.
That's a lot more work than I realized it would be, but I'm sure the results are worth it and I know more for the next time!
#Gardening #Harvest #Preserving #Canning
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2025-09-04 19:51:19 UTC

Processing 30 pounds of tomatoes into tomato sauce is some work! So far, these have been cleaned, deskinned, cooked down some, ran through a food mill and now the sauce is cooking to thicken before I can it.
Tomatoes, green peppers, parsley all came from the garden.
#Gardening #Harvest #Preserving #Canning
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2025-09-02 14:29:04 UTC

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Here's my problem... it's a good problem to have.
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2025-09-02 13:11:43 UTC

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I know this pain!

2025-09-02 12:29:19 UTC

A view of the community garden where I spend a good deal of time and energy in gardening.
And another bountiful harvest! I'm pretty sure this full tub is over 20 lbs of Roma tomatoes. Wow!
#Gardening #Harvest
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2025-08-27 11:56:38 UTC

The gardens are looking... Riotous. Tired. I can see the end coming pretty fast now.
How about you all in the Northern Hemisphere?
#Gardening

2025-08-26 22:45:19 UTC

Today was a new experience in preserving tomatoes - using Roma tomatoes and basil from my garden, I did a hot water bath of jars packed with the tomatoes. That was new, as I'd previously only pressure canned.
I have a similar amount of tomatoes on the other counter ripening, so probably next week I'll be doing this all over again, and hopefully for a third time as well! I might make sauce for the second go around.
#Gardening #Harvest #Preserving #Canning
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2025-08-25 12:32:11 UTC

Now this is the harvest I was hoping for! Tomorrow is going to be a busy day of canning Roma tomatoes in various forms.
I got my single spaghetti squash too, just like last year! One! Cracks me up...
And the pumpkins are enjoying hiding! Can you find them? 🔍🔍
#Gardening #Harvest #Preserving
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2025-08-21 12:38:02 UTC

It looks like chaos and tired plants, but garden things are still happening and I'm still busy as all get out.
I think I am at the top of the hill for my container tomatoes - at least the cherry tomatoes. The Romas are still trickling in, a few at a time. I have ten green bell peppers at various stages.
For the garden plot, much the same, although the cherries are still producing in abundance. I'm also going to start prepping empty plots for the fall cover crop.
#Gardening #Harvest
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2025-08-18 13:15:36 UTC

I'm in that part of garden/harvest season where there's just so much to do, it's a firehose of tasks. Maintaining, harvesting, watering, fertilizing, preserving - it's rewarding work - fun, but work!
I'm able to keep up with my journal, notes, reminders, do-this-next-year ideas, but only barely.
Then there's the maintaining (and planting new) of the decorative part of the yard. *whew*
I cut some of the garden row marigolds for Mrs. Chgowiz - she loves the mixed color petals 💖
#Gardening
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2025-08-13 12:18:13 UTC

A harvest of two gardens - my community garden plot and my backyard containers.
I've been giving gifts of green beans and cherry tomatoes to the neighbors, didn't want them to go to waste!
Next year, I'll be religious about tracking my seedlings so I know a Wisconsin 55 slicer from a Sweet 100 cherry. *sigh*
The bean plants are looking tattered and "spent" - think this'll be the last of them except for onsie-twosies.
#Gardening #Harvest
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2025-08-11 22:34:21 UTC

One of my experiments and, so far, successes this year has been my bell pepper plants.
I grew them from seeds in my indoor greenhouse and got them under a lot more light than my earlier seedlings. I had learned how much light I needed!
I have 10 plants at the garden plot and 2 in my backyard bucket containers.
The backyard ones are going gangbusters. One plant has TEN peppers and buds fruiting. The other, which had been poking along, has woken up and has at least 4 itself!
#Gardening
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2025-08-11 12:01:55 UTC

We totaled 4 1/2 inches (over 11cm) in about 24 hours. That's a lot.
Despite that and the heat, my cherry tomatoes are producing and we're hitting that point where we can't keep up with the nibbling and meals. It's a good problem to have :)
#Gardening #Harvest
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2025-08-10 14:45:44 UTC

Monsoon season continues! This is after about 3 hours or so of thunderstorms rolling through our area.
Mind you, not complaining. We entered growing season in a D2 Moderate Drought. The rains of July took care of that for sure.
#Gardening #NorthernIllinois #Zone5b
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2025-08-08 17:52:53 UTC

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Oh by the gods, I had that happen to me too! I thought I was raising Wisconsin 55 slicing tomatoes. Imagine my surprise when the cherry tomatoes started fruiting...

2025-08-08 12:47:12 UTC

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The two pale squash look like my spaghetti squash.

2025-08-07 12:53:23 UTC

Potato harvest this morning. Not sure yet if this is comparable to last year's harvest, 9 plants this year to 8 last year, lots of smaller taters.
I'll be canning them this weekend.
#Gardening #Harvest
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2025-08-07 00:19:06 UTC

8 more pints of green beans means I've preserved 23 in total. Pretty sure that's it, the bean bushes are looking spent and I'd get enough mostly for immediate dinner if more come.
Not complaining!
Last year, I canned 44 pints of beans - too much! We're still eating them. So planting half the amount resulted in a more manageable harvest.
#Gardening #Harvest #Canning
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2025-08-02 16:03:30 UTC

For the cost of some 2x2 furring strips, chicken wire and a bit of (free) pallet wood, I put up a fence and gate for the backyard greens bed. Not the best, most decorative fence, but cheap and serves the purpose.
It's not going to keep out all critters, but hopefully will deter the rabbits, dogs and casual squirrel. It's about 4ft high, and the chicken wire is buried approx 6 inches deep to prevent diggers.
#Gardening #DIY
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2025-08-02 13:17:58 UTC

This morning's treasures from the backyard/backup garden.
The tomato tsunami is coming... I can see it happening. So. many. cherry. tomatoes!
#Gardening #Harvest
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2025-08-01 12:51:54 UTC

Pic of my backyard container garden (the backup if the garden plot didn't do well).
Lots of tomatoes! And some peppers finally.
#Gardening
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2025-08-01 12:26:35 UTC

Here come the green beans and wax beans!
#Gardening #Harvest
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2025-07-30 01:05:27 UTC

Garden Troubleshooting
My radishes did a weird thing. By seed packet info, they should have been ready last week, but they were still a long, reddish root.
Today, I pull them out and got this. They never swelled into orbs, just stayed long. And now they taste very astringent.
Anyone else have this happen and have a possible reason?
#Gardening #Troubleshooting
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2025-07-25 12:36:03 UTC

Carrot harvest with a lesson learned...
Two 7' long rows of carrots harvested this morning. Lots of carrots, I'm going to be busy tomorrow or Sunday canning them up.
The caveat - lots of carrots, but I'm going to lose ¼ to ⅓ of the harvest because I didn't write down WHEN to harvest earlier this year. I have carrots that split open because they were in the ground too long.
Lesson learned for next year. I have a calendar template for my journal. Use it.
#Gardening #mistakes
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2025-07-21 12:30:11 UTC

First harvest of bell peppers! (and the first ever peppers I have grown!)
Hopefully, more will come since I harvested these right away when they were ready.
And according to my calendar, my carrots should be done as well, will pull one and see how they look!
#Gardening #Harvest
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2025-07-16 14:13:37 UTC

Garden pics/updates!
I'm in that period where it's about the growing/fruiting/blooming. I'm keeping things watered and monitoring for issues like bugs or diseases. I try to check every couple of days.
Aside from the amaranth/bean vine problem and my tomato plants that just didn't take off as well as I hoped, things are good!
The potato plants are just starting to get that "We're close to being done" look.
And I have peppers! The very first time growing these lil fellers!
#Gardening
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2025-07-06 13:13:10 UTC

Soggy morning in the garden plot - we got nearly 2 inches of rain over the last 18 hours. Not complaining, it helps me with watering!
My radishes in the herb garden are already sprouting after 4 days! They are replacing the chives that did not germinate, didn't want to waste the space.
Plans are afoot to convert more of the former flower beds, now weed beds, into a greens bed for fall.
I made a screen out of pallet wood and hardware cloth for my compost.
Busy holiday weekend!
#Gardening

2025-07-03 12:48:52 UTC

Garden update:
Planted my radishes, we'll see if they like growing in mid summer. Experiment!
I have baby bell peppers!
A kind gardener at the plot gave me two small cucumbers and a summer squash - very nice of them!
#Gardening #VegetableGarden
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2025-07-01 02:55:46 UTC

First use of homegrown herbs from the garden I planted in March. Just finally had a reason to harvest some fresh cilantro and use it - on the leftover sweet potato/venison chili. Yum!
#Gardening #HerbGarden
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2025-06-21 13:02:02 UTC

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More pictures of the garden plot!
#Gardening #VegetableGarden
2/🧵
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2025-06-21 12:57:31 UTC

Garden update:
Up at 5am to get to the garden early before the heat settles in (100F/38C heat indexes the next 3 days).
Harvested all of the remaining spinach and lettuce before it bolts from the heat.
Sowed the pumpkin, butternut squash and spaghetti squash seeds.
Transplanted the peppers into the ground
Thinned parsnips
Laid more straw mulch down for moisture retention with this heat.
#Gardening #VegetableGarden
1/🧵
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2025-06-19 16:58:53 UTC

Trying out a bit of a watering hack - putting soda bottles into the containers with a single hole at the bottom. I don't know if these will be big enough, but if they help, that's great!
#Gardening #VegetableGarden
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2025-06-13 14:01:54 UTC

OK, Instagram is not my cup of tea. All the privacy and algorithm issues, etc.
But this... this is just too funny AND TRUE not to share the link.
For all of the times I've struggled with WTH is going on in my garden?!? ... this speaks to me.
https://www.instagram.com/whatbrookegrows/reel/DKzMnVDufEC/
#Gardening #Truth

2025-06-12 12:26:13 UTC

Garden update:
- Final seedling to planting is happening. I put 2 bell pepper plants into buckets. These look more healthy than the tomatoes did.
- The sad nasturtiums are liking the ground! They're not huge, but they're improved. 2 of them didn't make it but after how sad they looked from my greenhouse, I'm happy some survived!
- That compost pile is getting good - put some into the pepper buckets. Much better than what I put into the tomato buckets.
#Gardening #Composting #VegetableGarden
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2025-06-05 14:57:55 UTC

Backyard/Garden update:
The tomatoes might make it! Finally showing some green, growth after a rocky 3 weeks of looking gray/green in the containers.
The peppers are hanging on, but I had to give them some yellow-fertilizer again; more yellow leaves. Considering some diluted weed tea as well, just to keep the nutrients coming.
Herb garden is rolling along. Cilantro and dill are very happy! The chives, not so much. No germination yet 😔
#Gardening #VegetableGarden #Zone5b #NorthernIllinois
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2025-05-29 00:32:47 UTC

My bell peppers are starting to develop this weird yellowing on the leaves. I'm going to call my Extension Master Gardener tomorrow and see what's going on. They should go into the ground next week.
#gardening
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2025-05-24 12:12:32 UTC

1st morning to the garden plot since our much-needed rainfall on Tues/Wed. Everything looks good, including the hoof prints from a deer that made its way through the garden. 🦌😆
Except my tomato seedlings. Don't know if they didn't get enough light initially, or I did something wrong; they're not a vibrant green, just a dull dark green, almost gray. Hoping for recovery!
Potatoes hilled, spinach/lettuce getting close to harvest, carrots growing. Alyssum blooming! 🥰🌼
#gardening #VegetableGarden
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2025-04-19 21:59:17 UTC

This afternoon's project - assembling a stand for the bucket garden. Tomatoes , possibly a bell pepper plant and possibly some strawberry bags to hang at the side. We'll see!
#DIY #Woodworking #Gardening
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2025-04-15 12:33:51 UTC

The seedlings are doing very well and some of my tomatoes are about ready to make the move to the larger pots! The marigolds (2nd shelf) are trucking along and my bell peppers are sprouted.
Feeling good so far, as this is my first time doing the seedling thing, versus going to local big box and buying plants there.
Now to try out some secret fertilizer on these... we don't talk about secret fertilizer club.
#Gardening #VegetableGarden
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2025-04-13 22:47:40 UTC

Got the spinach covered up w/protective cloth. The lettuce goes on the other half of that row later in the week. The west side of the plot has been all hand-tilled and marked out. The east side has been marked, but I don't need to till that for another couple of weeks.
At home, I thinned my tomato and marigold seedlings. My bell peppers sprouted! All I'm waiting for are the lavender (which are slow sprouters) and the nasturtiums which I just sowed into trays today.
#gardening #VegetableGarden
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2025-04-12 22:08:35 UTC

Sowed spinach and started tilling the rows in. This picture was taken before I started hand-tilling in more beds with a broadfork. I got about 3/4 of the way done with this side.
The autumn cover crop did its job. The ground is very loose and workable. No double digging needed!
#gardening #VegetableGarden
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2025-04-10 23:43:17 UTC

Successful use, cleaning and light oil coating of the restored cast iron pan! Cajun blackened largemouth bass, penne w/pumpkin pasta sauce. *chef's kiss*
#Cooking #CastIron
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2025-04-09 02:16:33 UTC

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If you like Peruvian food, Taste of Peru which is north of Clark/Devon in Roger's Park is divine! We never had a bad dish there.

2025-03-31 02:48:32 UTC

Up here in Zone 5a, planting most vegetables happens around Mother's Day, more or less. I can plant the cold weather stuff (spinach, lettuce, potatoes) in early to mid-April, but the majority go in Mother's Day or after.
So... the seeds are finally getting started and I've been to my plot to see how it fared over the winter. The cover crop remains kept the weeds away! Now to start ground prep...
#gardening #VegetableGarden #resilience
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2025-03-07 14:57:42 UTC

Me: Oh look, 50s next week.
Also me - looking outside: Welp...
#Midwest #Zone5Life #gardening
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2025-03-05 15:55:43 UTC

Yay! March weather delivers! ~2.5cm/1" of rain yesterday, and forecast is 2.5cm/1" of snow today!
Yep, 1 April is still my comfy "get garden started" date, even though I'm seeing all the pictures of other folks getting started already. Zone 5a isn't easy!
#gardening

2025-02-23 14:15:40 UTC

Watching all sorts of folks get their seedlings started and cleaning up their garden beds. Here in USDA Zone 5a, we've still got snow on the ground and my planting calendar says to get those seedlings started closer to end of March instead of Feb.
But next week, I buy potatoes to start chitting! Then seed my tomato starters in 24 days... beginning the process!
#gardening

2025-01-22 15:48:23 UTC

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Pigpen from Peanuts!

2024-12-15 15:14:50 UTC

Blogging about my 2024 of gardening and canning.
https://chgowiz-games.etinerra.com/wp/2024/12/15/cooking-canning-and-gardening-so-far-in-2024/
#gardening #canning

2024-11-04 14:55:37 UTC

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Why the hybrid design? I'd never heard of that one before.

2024-10-30 14:29:08 UTC

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Is that a type of Clint?
If so, here's mine. He's a 3rd edition vacuum-formed plastic figure. They are notoriously bad figures and difficult to work with.
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2024-10-04 12:11:25 UTC

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Tory just confirmed on the ULA broadcast that there was an issue with SRB1, though he definitely was downplaying it!

2024-10-04 12:04:53 UTC

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Went and slo-mo'd NSF's video - you can see some sort of circular object getting barfed from the solid motor during the first eruptive incident. It's circular and solid. I would have to agree with Ben that it looks nozzle related
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2024-10-04 11:57:54 UTC

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Some part of the nozzle or where it attaches to the booster wasn't happy.
This may delay DOD certification...
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2024-09-12 14:09:41 UTC

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Eric Berger of Ars Technica has an answer about that... and it's definitely food for thought.
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2024-09-01 13:33:41 UTC

Pumpkins, tomatoes and cover crops! My garden is still working.
The cover crop (field peas and oats) was inoculated with a bacteria that will help the peas fix nitrogen from the atmosphere into nodules on its roots. These nodules will break down and help fertilize the ground for next year! The biomass from the cover crop will keep weeds from forming in the fall and break down over winter after the heavy frosts kill the oats and peas.
#gardening #VegetableGarden #CoverCrops
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