Deluxestogie Grow Log 2025
- Thread starter deluxestogie
- Start date
There used to be about 35 acres of hilly pasture rising behind my house. Over the last half-dozen years, that has been noisily bull-dozed, trenched, flattened and filled, rinsed and repeated. Now it hosts a sparkling new First Temple of Responders (complete with an ear-splitting siren on a 30 foot pole), and is in the process of completing:
Bob
- four baseball, softball, and multi-purpose fields with lighting (essentially duplicating what the local middle school and high schools already have)
- a picnic shelter
- a playground
- restrooms
- over 300 parking spaces
- walking trails
Bob
A lot depends on how much of that money gets siphoned off to salaries, bonuses, and various non-obvious payoffs.
GreenDragon
Well-Known Member
At least you don’t have 500 new neighbors, HOA’s, and associated Karen’s.
My weather today was 3—three cigars on the front porch. Clear blue sky.
I'm about 1 month from starting my 2025 grow, but there's a snow storm (~9-10 inches) in the forecast for a week from now.
Bob
I'm about 1 month from starting my 2025 grow, but there's a snow storm (~9-10 inches) in the forecast for a week from now.
Bob
MadFarmer
Well-Known Member
I started hardening off my pepper seedlings on Sunday, but I haven't started tomatoes yet.
Huffen'Snuff
Well-Known Member
I just had the same issues from USPS, my package went thru Customs in Queens, NY. It went past me in Pittsburgh Pa, and goes to Indianapolis Indiana, to be sorted back to Pittsburgh, meanwhile on its first pass I70 is maybe 30 miles from my house.
Almost Nordic Skiing
My Nordic skis are still resting in the corner of a closet, alongside my Ojibwe snow shoes. And I used my twin, Komperdell trekking poles, instead of my ski poles. But strapping on my knee-high, bright blue gaiters, and cautiously walking out to my mailbox and back, through the snow, felt almost like an adventure. No slips or falls.
Bob
My Nordic skis are still resting in the corner of a closet, alongside my Ojibwe snow shoes. And I used my twin, Komperdell trekking poles, instead of my ski poles. But strapping on my knee-high, bright blue gaiters, and cautiously walking out to my mailbox and back, through the snow, felt almost like an adventure. No slips or falls.
Bob
¼-inch ice encases all of my shrubs, and has persisted for over a day. The online map from my local power company says that I have no electricity. Although it is true that my lights have blinked off repeatedly for the past 24 hours, I continue to have electricity (i.e. heat and water). Outside, there are some mighty large tree branches that have fallen. Every self-respecting tree sacrificed something. The map below does not include my home, but the quilt-like color overlays are lovely.
There are so many outages, that even the outages have outages!
Bob
There are so many outages, that even the outages have outages!
Bob
Huffen'Snuff
Well-Known Member
Wonder where Lancaster Seedleaf can be bought? I didn't see it at nwts yet
Ah! My first cigar in about a month. When I stepped outside, it was sunny, 59°F, though windy. As usual, when it is windy, I lit the cigar in my front doorway, with the storm door slightly cracked. I was bundled-up—neckerchief, fleece vest, fleece jacket, heavy ski cap, fingerless knit gloves, and a top layer wind jacket. The forecast said the overnight rain was over.
As soon as I sat out on the porch chair with my lit cigar, the sky darkened, the wind gusted well over 50 mph, and a heavy rain blew through. Then it stopped. This cycle repeated itself for the entire duration of a Rothschild-size cigar. The good news is that my eyes could actually look out in the distance, as a respite from sitting at the desk in my study. I could safely flick the cigar ash into the dead leaves beyond the porch, and ultimately fling the finished cigar butt into the grass (a special cigar butt grave yard).
When I came back inside, I immediately looked at that mistaken forecast graph. I noticed that a slippery, blue peak of rainfall had cleverly slid to now.
Yesterday, the lower third of my meager acre of yard was under water. Now, it is just simple flooding of the bottom of the yard. With the recent mountaintop removal behind the property (to build their huge sportsutainment venue), the total rainfall on my one acre is immediately supplemented by their 35 acres of rainfall sweeping over my back yard.
I can't complain. I've continued to have electricity while the power outages in the area have been the worst in my recollection. And the rate of restoration is the slowest I can recall. (It seems that a lot of the manual laborers who assist with power restoration have vanished in the past month.)
Bob
As soon as I sat out on the porch chair with my lit cigar, the sky darkened, the wind gusted well over 50 mph, and a heavy rain blew through. Then it stopped. This cycle repeated itself for the entire duration of a Rothschild-size cigar. The good news is that my eyes could actually look out in the distance, as a respite from sitting at the desk in my study. I could safely flick the cigar ash into the dead leaves beyond the porch, and ultimately fling the finished cigar butt into the grass (a special cigar butt grave yard).
When I came back inside, I immediately looked at that mistaken forecast graph. I noticed that a slippery, blue peak of rainfall had cleverly slid to now.
Yesterday, the lower third of my meager acre of yard was under water. Now, it is just simple flooding of the bottom of the yard. With the recent mountaintop removal behind the property (to build their huge sportsutainment venue), the total rainfall on my one acre is immediately supplemented by their 35 acres of rainfall sweeping over my back yard.
I can't complain. I've continued to have electricity while the power outages in the area have been the worst in my recollection. And the rate of restoration is the slowest I can recall. (It seems that a lot of the manual laborers who assist with power restoration have vanished in the past month.)
Bob
It's currently 9 degrees here, and we're not forecast to see a daily high temperature in the double digits until next weekend. I've got a space heater running in the garage to keep it warm enough to go out there and have a pipe (me) or cigarette (my wife), or grab another ear of corn to keep the entertainment corps of squirrels fed.
Six. It was 6°F this morning. But there are cigar days in my future.
Bob
Bob
I'll be starting germination of this season's tobacco next week. Today, I sanitized 3 plastic 4-ounce Ball freezer jars and their lids.
Bob
Bob
Bob, a quick question. Why the sanitizing? Have they been used for tobacco before and yo're trying to avoid or kill TMV, or are there other reasons? The way I have been looking at it, the seeds are going into dirt - potting soil- that is doubtless crawling with various bacteria and fungal spores, but if there's a good reason to sanitize then I mat do it myself. Like you, I'll be starting my seeds next week.I'll be starting germination of this season's tobacco next week. Today, I sanitized 3 plastic 4-ounce Ball freezer jars and their lids.
Bob
These very same cups have been used for germinating tobacco for many years. The sanitation is to minimize the risk of transferring any tobacco-specific pathogens (viral, bacterial or fungal) from one season's germination to the next. Sanitizing after washing is easy to do, and seems like a reasonable precaution.
Bob
Bob
Just a quick photo of my home, taken from high above. As you can see, it's rather small.
Blue Ghost 02 MARCH 2025.
Bob
Blue Ghost 02 MARCH 2025.
Bob
After an unusually bitter winter, I've once again opened my enclosed back porch to my kitchen. I found over the years that adding ¼ cup of water to each germination cup, and allowing it to sit closed for several hours, provides me with a lovely, moist surface onto which I can sprinkle my tobacco seed—and actually see it. This quantity of water usually lasts well beyond germination.
The seed in my three tiny Ziploc bags is enough to grow several acres of tobacco. Seed is cheap. My effort and time are not. So I sprinkle the seed generously, usually eliminating any worries about a poor germination rate.
I set a 1020-size seedling heat mat onto a little saber saw table in the porch. That is mostly covered by a rusty cookie sheet. The germination cups are placed on it, and they will remain closed until they begin to germinate. On top, I've placed a clear 1020 dome, to help keep in the heat.
Bob
The seed in my three tiny Ziploc bags is enough to grow several acres of tobacco. Seed is cheap. My effort and time are not. So I sprinkle the seed generously, usually eliminating any worries about a poor germination rate.
I set a 1020-size seedling heat mat onto a little saber saw table in the porch. That is mostly covered by a rusty cookie sheet. The germination cups are placed on it, and they will remain closed until they begin to germinate. On top, I've placed a clear 1020 dome, to help keep in the heat.
Bob
