There were a lot of restaurants in and around Chicago. You could find any food from any culture therein. It truly is amazing. A lot of the ethnic restaurants claimed to be "authentic" which to me is a subjective judgment. We found an authentic Italian restaurant which claimed their pizza was the way they made it back in the old country. Could be, but I was under the impression pizza was not invented in Italy. LOL Anyway, their pizza was rectangular. It wasn't a yard long but probably 24 inches in length and maybe 9 inches wide. That was the first time I ate a pizza of that shape. It was a long time ago but as I recall I was not impressed with the taste. I think they went heavy with the basil or something, which to me overpowered the flavor of the rest of the pizza. It was an interesting place, to be sure. You had to walk through the kitchen in order to get to the dining area. Not sure why they did that, but it was kind of cool watching them cook in real time.
Sun spots are very predictable and run in an 11 years cycle, more or less. The current cycle is super active with sun spots and thus causing a lot of ejections and solar flares along with magnetic storms. Nobody is questioning the effects of sun spots but they are hardly the kind of thing that would contribute to Ice Ages and the like. The weather effects associated with the sun are of much shorter duration than what has already been documented as climate change. We are near the 8 billion count for the number of humans living on this planet. It's hard to believe their activity has no effect whatsoever on the environment. And, by the way, there is an explanation for why the poles are heating up and Tennessee is freezing at the wrong time of the year. It has to do with the hot water in the south Pacific and it's effects on the jet stream. The hot water is also being streamed directly under the ice shelf at the South Pole and breaking off big chunks of it. The best guess is that something called the Greenhouse Effect is what is heating up the ocean. It sounds reasonable, but I don't know enough about it to form a solid opinion.
Windows 12
Re: Windows 12
Actually, the pizza was invented in Naples, Italy. I don't remember the guys name who invented it though.
It didn't catch on here until the 1940's when immigrants brought it to the U.S. of A.
In Kirkwood, MO, we had an Italian immigrant who owned a restaurant named Mama Russo's.
She had the very best pizza, but more Americanized that true Italian style.
Before she died, she sold her recipes to a restaurant named Two Nice Guys, who cheapened it up a bit, but charged more.
I don't know much about it either, other than what poli-TICK-ians are saying is usually 99% in error.
And no two scientists agree with each other on much of anything.
Plus you never could trust the Ground Hog to be right, hi hi.
I think the best forecaster of the weather is a really old person who's joints let them know what the weather is.
That, and the farmers almanac if you keep up with the drift corrections.
The earths core is also causing some changes, but I don't think I'll live long enough to see much of anything different happening, other that slow weather patterns shifting. Some day they will all shift back again too.
Some desert areas were once great forests, and some deserts are going back to being forests.
The growing seasons in many areas has slowly changed over the years too.
Which in a way causes some migration as farmers follow the climate change as it drifts.
It didn't catch on here until the 1940's when immigrants brought it to the U.S. of A.
In Kirkwood, MO, we had an Italian immigrant who owned a restaurant named Mama Russo's.
She had the very best pizza, but more Americanized that true Italian style.
Before she died, she sold her recipes to a restaurant named Two Nice Guys, who cheapened it up a bit, but charged more.
I don't know much about it either, other than what poli-TICK-ians are saying is usually 99% in error.
And no two scientists agree with each other on much of anything.
Plus you never could trust the Ground Hog to be right, hi hi.
I think the best forecaster of the weather is a really old person who's joints let them know what the weather is.
That, and the farmers almanac if you keep up with the drift corrections.
The earths core is also causing some changes, but I don't think I'll live long enough to see much of anything different happening, other that slow weather patterns shifting. Some day they will all shift back again too.
Some desert areas were once great forests, and some deserts are going back to being forests.
The growing seasons in many areas has slowly changed over the years too.
Which in a way causes some migration as farmers follow the climate change as it drifts.
Re: Windows 12
Your comment about farmers following the changing weather patterns are interesting. Those changing patterns are indeed causing droughts and making once fertile land arid. The farmers certainly are relocating, but that's not a big problem. Entire populations of people that depended on those farms are also moving. A lot of what is happening at the Texas border has to do with exactly that issue. We are currently experiencing the same migration problems that happened in Europe a few years back (and is still going on) due to people leaving their native lands. You could brush off the Global Warming promoters but there is no ignoring the movement of people. I realize other things are forcing people out of their homelands, such as wars, but there is no denying that a shortage of food and water is also a major factor.
Well, you got me regarding the origins of pizza. I truly don't know if it's a Naples Staple or not, but I do know the variety of vegetables and cheeses in that part of the world is not what we have here in America. If it wasn't so darn expensive to import those Naples staples, I could make fabulous pizza too. At one time I was buying imported tomatoes from San Marzano. Schnucks had them the first year I lived here. Today they are non-existent because a 28 oz can of those tomatoes goes for upwards of $20 if you can find anyone that sells them. I'm told the canned variety is not exactly the best of the crop, but if you ever used them you know they are superior.
Well, you got me regarding the origins of pizza. I truly don't know if it's a Naples Staple or not, but I do know the variety of vegetables and cheeses in that part of the world is not what we have here in America. If it wasn't so darn expensive to import those Naples staples, I could make fabulous pizza too. At one time I was buying imported tomatoes from San Marzano. Schnucks had them the first year I lived here. Today they are non-existent because a 28 oz can of those tomatoes goes for upwards of $20 if you can find anyone that sells them. I'm told the canned variety is not exactly the best of the crop, but if you ever used them you know they are superior.
Re: Windows 12
Yes but it goes back and forth too! Once arid desert lands are now lush with green plants and bushes, and eventually enough trees will make it a forest once again.
Farming is what caused the dust bowl, because anything that held the soil together and retained moisture was removed to make room for more and more crops. Worked great until it backfired on them. Naturally drought played a huge part in it also. But that's what happens when you get rid of the trees.
Trees produce colder air above them, which helps seed the clouds so to speak.
A vicious cycle!
There are only a couple of cheeses I like, plain old American, and Sharp Cheddar, hate the taste of Swiss cheese, and most white cheeses, except for the super mild ones.
I didn't remember the name, but yes Schnucks used to carry some wonderful canned tomatoes.
They also had some fabulous green beans also at one time.
But fortunately, we found Allen's Foods had the ones we loved, and still do.
Back before so many artificial flavorings were used.
Campbell's Tomato Juice used to use a specific blend of several varieties of tomatoes to get their unique great taste.
Now, most tomato juices use artificial flavors and less varieties of tomatoes to get the same taste, but not the same quality.
Back when I set up the rooftop greenhouses, the ones that raised tomatoes, I had them use only Supersonic and JetStar varieties. They did exceedingly well in hydroponics, and had that excellent home grown flavor we love.
Now you are lucky if you can find the seeds for them anymore.
Farming is what caused the dust bowl, because anything that held the soil together and retained moisture was removed to make room for more and more crops. Worked great until it backfired on them. Naturally drought played a huge part in it also. But that's what happens when you get rid of the trees.
Trees produce colder air above them, which helps seed the clouds so to speak.
A vicious cycle!
There are only a couple of cheeses I like, plain old American, and Sharp Cheddar, hate the taste of Swiss cheese, and most white cheeses, except for the super mild ones.
I didn't remember the name, but yes Schnucks used to carry some wonderful canned tomatoes.
They also had some fabulous green beans also at one time.
But fortunately, we found Allen's Foods had the ones we loved, and still do.
Back before so many artificial flavorings were used.
Campbell's Tomato Juice used to use a specific blend of several varieties of tomatoes to get their unique great taste.
Now, most tomato juices use artificial flavors and less varieties of tomatoes to get the same taste, but not the same quality.
Back when I set up the rooftop greenhouses, the ones that raised tomatoes, I had them use only Supersonic and JetStar varieties. They did exceedingly well in hydroponics, and had that excellent home grown flavor we love.
Now you are lucky if you can find the seeds for them anymore.
Re: Windows 12
When I was a gardener, about forty years ago, it came to the point where I never purchased seeds locally. I had at least a dozen sources that I ordered from their catalogs. Most of what I ordered could not be found in the Burpees rack and as with most other interests of mine I loved to experiment with new things. I believe I grew Supersonic tomatoes at one time. At least the name sounds familiar. I must have tried a hundred different varieties during the twenty or so years I was an active gardener. I also recall most seed packets cost less than 65 cents. Today I don't think you can get a single seed for that price.
I'm with you when it comes to Swiss Cheese, but I changed my mind once I sampled Swiss Lace. A runner up to the Lace is Baby Swiss. Both of those are white cheeses and very mild. The holes in those cheeses are very tiny and not at all like their big brother. In my case Swiss cheese is confined for use with lunch meat. Just the other day I grilled a ham and cheese for lunch and the Swiss Lace made a superb sandwich. To my taste American cheese is the bottom of the barrel. I think it works well for grilled cheese sandwiches, but that's about it. Cheddar would be preferred if I need yellow cheese. I also like a few smoked cheeses when making casseroles.
Well I don't know all the places people are leaving because the fertile land disappeared. They certainly aren't going to the spontaneous created oases in the deserts. But, as I say, it's not just food or the lack of water that is making people leave home. Some of those migrants are leaving home for economic reasons, for example. They are doing well in their native lands, but they can do a lot better in fully developed countries in Europe and here in America. I don't think the ecology is balanced today, if it ever was. Trees do benefit the environment, but they are losing ground, literally, to people who need the farmland instead. With 8 billion hungry people, those forests don't stand a chance.
I'm with you when it comes to Swiss Cheese, but I changed my mind once I sampled Swiss Lace. A runner up to the Lace is Baby Swiss. Both of those are white cheeses and very mild. The holes in those cheeses are very tiny and not at all like their big brother. In my case Swiss cheese is confined for use with lunch meat. Just the other day I grilled a ham and cheese for lunch and the Swiss Lace made a superb sandwich. To my taste American cheese is the bottom of the barrel. I think it works well for grilled cheese sandwiches, but that's about it. Cheddar would be preferred if I need yellow cheese. I also like a few smoked cheeses when making casseroles.
Well I don't know all the places people are leaving because the fertile land disappeared. They certainly aren't going to the spontaneous created oases in the deserts. But, as I say, it's not just food or the lack of water that is making people leave home. Some of those migrants are leaving home for economic reasons, for example. They are doing well in their native lands, but they can do a lot better in fully developed countries in Europe and here in America. I don't think the ecology is balanced today, if it ever was. Trees do benefit the environment, but they are losing ground, literally, to people who need the farmland instead. With 8 billion hungry people, those forests don't stand a chance.
Re: Windows 12
Most folks raised Big Boy, Better Boy, and several others in their home gardens.
Since we sold tomato plants started to folks as bedding plants, we usually had about 20 different varieties for them to choose from. We based how many of each type to grow from the sales trends for each year. What we didn't sell were any of the patented varieties, because a lot of folks like to save their seeds for next years crop, and we were about the only place that still had heirloom varieties. We did develop a few strains ourselves, but most of those were a size larger than cherry and smaller than salad size, since virtually nobody had that midrange smaller size. All the ones you can get in the stores these days that are in that midrange of the small sizes are usually tasteless or like cannonballs.
Cibo had a special blend of cheeses, predominantly Mozzarella and Provolone, with a slight touch of Parmesian.
We also had those cheeses by themselves. It seems more folks recommended Provolone over Mozzarella, if they gave us a choice, if not we used the cheese blend provided by Cibo. In the beginning we had like 3 or 4 other cheeses on hand, but never got enough requests for them to replace them after the first batch expired.
Debi makes a mixed cheese spread, when she can find the right cheeses, one of them is smoked, plus she uses some type of meat she slices and cuts in small pieces. I prefer it without the meat slices in it, even though they are small. A few grocery stores who get the type cheeses she uses, normally only get it in right before Christmas, and it fetches a high price tag too.
The forests are what provide us with the O2 we breathe, and the more forests that are cleared, the more CO2 in the air, because of less trees to convert it to O2. But of course they want to blame the higher CO2 levels on something else.
New York City is an example. Central Park has the highest O2 readings, and lowest CO2 readings of anywhere else in the city. CO2 is outrageously high in the rest of the city. But they gotta find something to blame it on, other than the lack of trees.
The same holds true with our Forest Park in St. Louis City. When compared to the rest of the city, O2 reading are higher, and CO2 readings are lower.
If you get out in the counties, away from major cities, and CO2 is well below what is considered normal, and O2 is higher than average. Which way the wind blows across a major city will tell you why the CO2 levels downwind begin to climb and O2 to decline. Also, smog levels in the county go way up when the wind blows the city smog out to them.
Since we sold tomato plants started to folks as bedding plants, we usually had about 20 different varieties for them to choose from. We based how many of each type to grow from the sales trends for each year. What we didn't sell were any of the patented varieties, because a lot of folks like to save their seeds for next years crop, and we were about the only place that still had heirloom varieties. We did develop a few strains ourselves, but most of those were a size larger than cherry and smaller than salad size, since virtually nobody had that midrange smaller size. All the ones you can get in the stores these days that are in that midrange of the small sizes are usually tasteless or like cannonballs.
Cibo had a special blend of cheeses, predominantly Mozzarella and Provolone, with a slight touch of Parmesian.
We also had those cheeses by themselves. It seems more folks recommended Provolone over Mozzarella, if they gave us a choice, if not we used the cheese blend provided by Cibo. In the beginning we had like 3 or 4 other cheeses on hand, but never got enough requests for them to replace them after the first batch expired.
Debi makes a mixed cheese spread, when she can find the right cheeses, one of them is smoked, plus she uses some type of meat she slices and cuts in small pieces. I prefer it without the meat slices in it, even though they are small. A few grocery stores who get the type cheeses she uses, normally only get it in right before Christmas, and it fetches a high price tag too.
The forests are what provide us with the O2 we breathe, and the more forests that are cleared, the more CO2 in the air, because of less trees to convert it to O2. But of course they want to blame the higher CO2 levels on something else.
New York City is an example. Central Park has the highest O2 readings, and lowest CO2 readings of anywhere else in the city. CO2 is outrageously high in the rest of the city. But they gotta find something to blame it on, other than the lack of trees.
The same holds true with our Forest Park in St. Louis City. When compared to the rest of the city, O2 reading are higher, and CO2 readings are lower.
If you get out in the counties, away from major cities, and CO2 is well below what is considered normal, and O2 is higher than average. Which way the wind blows across a major city will tell you why the CO2 levels downwind begin to climb and O2 to decline. Also, smog levels in the county go way up when the wind blows the city smog out to them.
Re: Windows 12
Who am I to dispute a person who spent a major portion of their life growing things for profit? I concede to having a limited knowledge of biology; in fact I failed to get a passing grade when I took biology in college. LOL However, I do recall a few vague things from that class. I had to look this one up but you are essentially referring to a process called plant respiration when you talk about oxygen and carbon dioxide. The reason I did a Google search is because I was not sure about the accuracy of what you described. It seems that plants absorb oxygen, breathe, and exhale carbon dioxide, which is exactly opposite of what you noted. https://byjus.com/biology/plant-respiration/ My friend Google is pretty smart, but I don't know that it has all the right answers. It just seems that what you are telling me about oxygen vs carbon dioxide is the reverse of what actually happens.
I know I tried growing dozens of varieties of tomatoes and many of them came from organic sources. I am certain I grew the trendy and most popular varieties, but I also know I looked for things that were kind of odd, like the purple tomato. I don't recall ever growing a bad tasting tomato, although some were obviously better than others. The store bought toms will do in a pinch, but I must agree with you that they often are tasteless. Adding a lot of salt helps but does not improve their flavor. About the best tomatoes I've purchased in Missouri are those grown locally on a Mennonite farm. I don't know how Schnucks manages to get such good tomatoes, but they do. Unfortunately it's only for a few short weeks during the growing season.
I have had white cheese and I've had yellow cheese, and at least one store back home sold brown cheese. It wasn't smoked to achieve that color. It was something like brie or creamed cheese but definitely brown. The taste of it is hard to describe but it was something like sharp and sweet all at the same time. I think it was made with goat's milk and imported from Scandinavia. It was very expensive and I didn't get it very often. LOL I've experimented very little with cheeses on pizza. The best combination is Mozzarella with Parmesan sprinkled on top of that. Gruyère cheese would be the next best thing, but it's flavor is too overwhelming for pizza that has more than a cheese topping.
I know I tried growing dozens of varieties of tomatoes and many of them came from organic sources. I am certain I grew the trendy and most popular varieties, but I also know I looked for things that were kind of odd, like the purple tomato. I don't recall ever growing a bad tasting tomato, although some were obviously better than others. The store bought toms will do in a pinch, but I must agree with you that they often are tasteless. Adding a lot of salt helps but does not improve their flavor. About the best tomatoes I've purchased in Missouri are those grown locally on a Mennonite farm. I don't know how Schnucks manages to get such good tomatoes, but they do. Unfortunately it's only for a few short weeks during the growing season.
I have had white cheese and I've had yellow cheese, and at least one store back home sold brown cheese. It wasn't smoked to achieve that color. It was something like brie or creamed cheese but definitely brown. The taste of it is hard to describe but it was something like sharp and sweet all at the same time. I think it was made with goat's milk and imported from Scandinavia. It was very expensive and I didn't get it very often. LOL I've experimented very little with cheeses on pizza. The best combination is Mozzarella with Parmesan sprinkled on top of that. Gruyère cheese would be the next best thing, but it's flavor is too overwhelming for pizza that has more than a cheese topping.
Re: Windows 12
Whoa Horse - Wait a Minute Here!
You are only looking at the SMALL side of the equation here.
Respiration is only a TINY Fraction of what takes place in a plant, bush, or tree!
And although a plant is always respiring in a minor way, their MAIN functioning process is Photosynthesis.
WE are looking at Daytime and Nighttime functions here. You can't have one without the other.
PHOTOSYNTHESIS:
During the DAYTIME, the Stomata in the leaves take in abundant amounts of CO2.
They use the CO2 along with water taken in via the roots, along with nutrients from the soil to create Energy in the form of Sugar, and the exhaust from this operation is O2 in huge quantities.
RESPIRATION:
During the NIGHTTIME, with no light to carry on Photosynthesis, is when they Respire the most.
During Respiration, they do take a little of the O2 and use it with the Sugar they created to maintain their Energy.
Some of this Energy is released as Water and a small amount of CO2 predominantly at night.
HOWEVER: Both Photosynthesis and Respiration take place during the daytime. A plant is always in Respiration, and this is normally getting the water that carried the nutrients up to their cells, to evaporate into the air, which adds moisture to the air.
Very little CO2 is released during the daytime, and even at night, the difference between the CO2 released, and the amount O2 released during the day, is considerably greater.
Plants do NOT convert CO2 to O2. They use CO2 and water to create sugar and oxygen. The oxygen is actually coming from the water, the CO2 is stored with the sugar to produce energy, and in so doing, the carbon becomes the fuel, and O2 a waste product, as far as a plant is concerned.
I'm sending this so I don't lose it, then addressing the rest.
You are only looking at the SMALL side of the equation here.
Respiration is only a TINY Fraction of what takes place in a plant, bush, or tree!
And although a plant is always respiring in a minor way, their MAIN functioning process is Photosynthesis.
WE are looking at Daytime and Nighttime functions here. You can't have one without the other.
PHOTOSYNTHESIS:
During the DAYTIME, the Stomata in the leaves take in abundant amounts of CO2.
They use the CO2 along with water taken in via the roots, along with nutrients from the soil to create Energy in the form of Sugar, and the exhaust from this operation is O2 in huge quantities.
RESPIRATION:
During the NIGHTTIME, with no light to carry on Photosynthesis, is when they Respire the most.
During Respiration, they do take a little of the O2 and use it with the Sugar they created to maintain their Energy.
Some of this Energy is released as Water and a small amount of CO2 predominantly at night.
HOWEVER: Both Photosynthesis and Respiration take place during the daytime. A plant is always in Respiration, and this is normally getting the water that carried the nutrients up to their cells, to evaporate into the air, which adds moisture to the air.
Very little CO2 is released during the daytime, and even at night, the difference between the CO2 released, and the amount O2 released during the day, is considerably greater.
Plants do NOT convert CO2 to O2. They use CO2 and water to create sugar and oxygen. The oxygen is actually coming from the water, the CO2 is stored with the sugar to produce energy, and in so doing, the carbon becomes the fuel, and O2 a waste product, as far as a plant is concerned.
I'm sending this so I don't lose it, then addressing the rest.
Re: Windows 12
Continued from previous message.
When my Uncle Leonard raised several acres of tomatoes in Des Peres.
He modified the soil in such a way it very closely resembled the type of soil we have down here in Grainger County.
Grainger County tomatoes are shipped all throughout the United States.
He carefully monitored the pH of the soil during the growing season, to make sure it didn't drift too for off what he wanted.
What usually messed him up is if we got much more rain than normal, and it would make changes in the soil and leach the nutrients out. So after a heavy rainfall, he was out there adding the nutrients back in again.
But you have to be careful there too, because many nutrients go deep, then turn around and come back up again, and you end up with too much of a good thing and it could burn the plants, or make the tomatoes taste like metal, hi hi.
This is one reason why I like using hydroponics to raise tomatoes and other crops. You had full control of all the nutrients. And since the system was a closed system, you didn't have different levels of nutrient in different areas like you do on a farm.
We had one pizza place that used a cheese that sounds like Fanatua or something like that.
They did a good business, but I never liked their pizza. One other place had it on request. But it is not one we had at Cibo.
When my Uncle Leonard raised several acres of tomatoes in Des Peres.
He modified the soil in such a way it very closely resembled the type of soil we have down here in Grainger County.
Grainger County tomatoes are shipped all throughout the United States.
He carefully monitored the pH of the soil during the growing season, to make sure it didn't drift too for off what he wanted.
What usually messed him up is if we got much more rain than normal, and it would make changes in the soil and leach the nutrients out. So after a heavy rainfall, he was out there adding the nutrients back in again.
But you have to be careful there too, because many nutrients go deep, then turn around and come back up again, and you end up with too much of a good thing and it could burn the plants, or make the tomatoes taste like metal, hi hi.
This is one reason why I like using hydroponics to raise tomatoes and other crops. You had full control of all the nutrients. And since the system was a closed system, you didn't have different levels of nutrient in different areas like you do on a farm.
We had one pizza place that used a cheese that sounds like Fanatua or something like that.
They did a good business, but I never liked their pizza. One other place had it on request. But it is not one we had at Cibo.
Re: Windows 12
Back in my gardening days I got myself a pH meter. I read a lot about what plants need what nutrients and how to control the pH of the soil. All that reading was very interesting and I am certain it worked in theory. I could never keep things in the range I wanted and it seemed as if the fertilizer leached through the soil about a fast a I could apply it. I experimented but mostly winged it a lot. All I can say is I enjoyed gardening and probably would have tried hydroponics if I knew you at the time. LOL
Yep. I am aware that respiration and photosynthesis are two different things. It said as much in the article I quoted. I will plead innocent and uninformed and yield to the gentleman who lived in a greenhouse most of his life. However, the article did quote an old truism that made an impression on me. The adage is to not sleep under an apple tree during the night. You will likely suffocate due to the lack of oxygen and proliferation of CO2. All I know is what I read.
Yep. I am aware that respiration and photosynthesis are two different things. It said as much in the article I quoted. I will plead innocent and uninformed and yield to the gentleman who lived in a greenhouse most of his life. However, the article did quote an old truism that made an impression on me. The adage is to not sleep under an apple tree during the night. You will likely suffocate due to the lack of oxygen and proliferation of CO2. All I know is what I read.
Re: Windows 12
Down here, I had the best tomato crops when I raised the tomatoes in either buckets, or right from the bags of potting soil laid on the ground. But back home, I had a fence row I built just for raising tomatoes and it worked great. Always had abundant flavorful tomatoes.
No wonder Rip Van Winkle slept for 20 years, he was starved for O2, hi hi.
Yes you are correct about apple trees, all fruit bearing trees actually.
Besides CO2 under the trees, there is also a certain amount of methane also.
CO2 is heavier than the other elements in the air, so if it were not for the breeze and wind, CO2 would build up at ground level, with O2 up higher than our heads can reach, hi hi.
No wonder Rip Van Winkle slept for 20 years, he was starved for O2, hi hi.
Yes you are correct about apple trees, all fruit bearing trees actually.
Besides CO2 under the trees, there is also a certain amount of methane also.
CO2 is heavier than the other elements in the air, so if it were not for the breeze and wind, CO2 would build up at ground level, with O2 up higher than our heads can reach, hi hi.
Re: Windows 12
I can confirm your tomato observation regarding growing them in bags of potting soil. I've done that as well as have grown some in half barrel pots. The quality of the foliage was exceptional and they produced fruit well into the fall. Most ground tomato plants tend to die off before Labor Day. I was so confident of the method that I also tried to grow potatoes in pots and bags of soil. There too the foliage was exceptional but the spuds were undersized and not very prolific. Then, too, I didn't do much better with ground planted taters either. LOL
The story is that the Amazon Jungle is supplying us with most of the oxygen we breathe. I've always been suspicious of that statement, but as I noted above I'm poorly educated in the ways of biology. I think there probably is enough information out on the web to determine if respiration or photosynthesis dominates. My guess would be respiration rules because the sun does not always shine enough to feed the plants. All I know is that I've read we are headed for disaster if they keep deforesting the jungles of this world. We will have food from the resultant farms, but no oxygen to breathe in.
The story is that the Amazon Jungle is supplying us with most of the oxygen we breathe. I've always been suspicious of that statement, but as I noted above I'm poorly educated in the ways of biology. I think there probably is enough information out on the web to determine if respiration or photosynthesis dominates. My guess would be respiration rules because the sun does not always shine enough to feed the plants. All I know is that I've read we are headed for disaster if they keep deforesting the jungles of this world. We will have food from the resultant farms, but no oxygen to breathe in.
Re: Windows 12
I once did potatoes in buckets, but they were stacked on top of each other one at a time until they were 4 buckets high.
You start with a bucket filled with soil and a potato plant, as it grows you place an empty bucket with no bottom of course, over the plant. When it grows above that bucket, you add soil to the second bucket, about a gallon at a time, until the plant is tall enough to add the third bucket. Same routine as above. Once you have the fourth bucket filled with soil and the plant growing well, you lift the top three buckets off the first bucket, and your large potatoes are in that original first bucket.
Have a bucket you cut off to about 4 to 6 inches high, with the bottom still in it, but with drainage holes to set the top three buckets down into. By the time you finish using up the first bucket of potatoes, the second bucket is ready. Then the third, and the fourth if you used four buckets. If a cold snap kills the last bucket, usually no big deal, go ahead and harvest that last bucket of potatoes.
If you take a look at suburbia, you'll see one heck of a lot of trees.
It only takes 6 or 7 trees to supply enough oxygen for one individual.
But then too, you have to make up for the lack of trees in the urban areas.
We have over 16 trees in our front and lower back yard, and the upper backyard is still a forest.
Most houses have at least 4 to 8 decorative trees, plus several bushes, and common areas of subdivisions are usually wooded.
But don't forget, grass also put out oxygen during the day. Not as much as a tree of course, but what CO2 grass produces usually stays down in the grass mat.
But yes, the rainforests produce the most oxygen and is responsible for maintaining the oxygen layer around the globe.
Food crops also produce oxygen, and since they are cut down during harvest, and the little waste is tilled back into the ground, not much residual CO2 comes from them, except at night of course during the growing seasons.
One of the reasons you seem to have so much energy when walking through a forest is because of the higher concentration of O2, well above the 23% we are used to.
You start with a bucket filled with soil and a potato plant, as it grows you place an empty bucket with no bottom of course, over the plant. When it grows above that bucket, you add soil to the second bucket, about a gallon at a time, until the plant is tall enough to add the third bucket. Same routine as above. Once you have the fourth bucket filled with soil and the plant growing well, you lift the top three buckets off the first bucket, and your large potatoes are in that original first bucket.
Have a bucket you cut off to about 4 to 6 inches high, with the bottom still in it, but with drainage holes to set the top three buckets down into. By the time you finish using up the first bucket of potatoes, the second bucket is ready. Then the third, and the fourth if you used four buckets. If a cold snap kills the last bucket, usually no big deal, go ahead and harvest that last bucket of potatoes.
If you take a look at suburbia, you'll see one heck of a lot of trees.
It only takes 6 or 7 trees to supply enough oxygen for one individual.
But then too, you have to make up for the lack of trees in the urban areas.
We have over 16 trees in our front and lower back yard, and the upper backyard is still a forest.
Most houses have at least 4 to 8 decorative trees, plus several bushes, and common areas of subdivisions are usually wooded.
But don't forget, grass also put out oxygen during the day. Not as much as a tree of course, but what CO2 grass produces usually stays down in the grass mat.
But yes, the rainforests produce the most oxygen and is responsible for maintaining the oxygen layer around the globe.
Food crops also produce oxygen, and since they are cut down during harvest, and the little waste is tilled back into the ground, not much residual CO2 comes from them, except at night of course during the growing seasons.
One of the reasons you seem to have so much energy when walking through a forest is because of the higher concentration of O2, well above the 23% we are used to.
Re: Windows 12
I've read that potatoes aren't too fussy about the medium in which they grow. They can be grown in a compost pile, for example. The article I read used the technique similar to your buckets but grew the spuds in compost and straw. The claim was they were much easier to harvest that way.
I got inspired by that article and bought myself a bale of sphagnum peat moss packaged in a large plastic bag. I used to use that to mix in with the soil but discovered that there is a lot of weed seed mixed in with the sphagnum. In this case I just poked a bunch of holes into the bale and stuck flowers into the holes. I think I also poked holes in the bottom of the bale to drain whatever water might filter down that far. Like the tomato experiment, the flowers grew prolifically and lasted a long time. They required a bit more fertilizer than the potting soil experiment, but the show of flowers was spectacular.
I got inspired by that article and bought myself a bale of sphagnum peat moss packaged in a large plastic bag. I used to use that to mix in with the soil but discovered that there is a lot of weed seed mixed in with the sphagnum. In this case I just poked a bunch of holes into the bale and stuck flowers into the holes. I think I also poked holes in the bottom of the bale to drain whatever water might filter down that far. Like the tomato experiment, the flowers grew prolifically and lasted a long time. They required a bit more fertilizer than the potting soil experiment, but the show of flowers was spectacular.
Re: Windows 12
We had a few foam type products we used in the greenhouse for starting seeds and cuttings, but those were always placed in a pot with potting soil as soon as they sprouted, or the cuttings took root. A lot of plants were started this way, in the foam, and most of the cuttings were done right in the pot with the foam starter plug.
You have to be careful using straw bales or other types of fibrous baled items.
They can actually burst into flames. Long after they get so hot they kill all the things growing in them.
With nearly 30 years passing since we closed down the florist, I have forgotten many things, especially how we did things for certain plants. Seems like every plant we had raised, had something different we had to do for each one, especially on getting them started. We had all grades of rooting hormones to use also. And where a lot of folks make a mistake, they use the more powerful rooting hormones on plants that can't take that harsh of a hormone and it kills them.
You have to be careful using straw bales or other types of fibrous baled items.
They can actually burst into flames. Long after they get so hot they kill all the things growing in them.
With nearly 30 years passing since we closed down the florist, I have forgotten many things, especially how we did things for certain plants. Seems like every plant we had raised, had something different we had to do for each one, especially on getting them started. We had all grades of rooting hormones to use also. And where a lot of folks make a mistake, they use the more powerful rooting hormones on plants that can't take that harsh of a hormone and it kills them.
Re: Windows 12
Now that you mentioned ti, I think the potatoes I planted came with a growth hormone. Using that is probably why they didn't grow to the size I had thought they should. LOL
I am aware that some compost heaps can get pretty hot and probably break into flames. I never had that problem because my compost was made in the shade for the most part. I never put chemicals on the pile and the only thing that generated enough heat to make a difference was grass clippings. But even then the pile never was steamy, at least not that I noticed. I also was not fussy about what I put into the compost. I suppose if you do it right you would separate the vegetation into different categories, green vs brown for example. But most of my compost came from the forest and the trimmings I did back there. A lot of wood chips ended up in the pile as well as autumn leaves from the various trees and bushes. I rarely turned the pile and when I needed some compost I simply dug into the bottom of the pile where the best material seemed to have decomposed properly. I did attempt to roto till it a time or two, but one time a family of toads came running out when I got too close to them. I stopped tilling the pile when that happened because I didn't want ground up toads in my mix.
I think I would have enjoyed working for you and breeding new varieties of plants. That's the kind of stuff that really interests me, but it also requires a high degree of experience and knowledge to be successful at it. I grew flowers just because I could. The vegetables had a useful purpose so that I enjoyed raising them for that reason. Mom and my wife could not keep up with the harvests all the time, unfortunately. Canning was not part of their kitchen routine so that a bushel of tomatoes could go to waste rather easily. I gave away a lot, but also put a lot of the excess on the compost pile with the thought that it wasn't the end product as much as the process to get there that was satisfying.
I am aware that some compost heaps can get pretty hot and probably break into flames. I never had that problem because my compost was made in the shade for the most part. I never put chemicals on the pile and the only thing that generated enough heat to make a difference was grass clippings. But even then the pile never was steamy, at least not that I noticed. I also was not fussy about what I put into the compost. I suppose if you do it right you would separate the vegetation into different categories, green vs brown for example. But most of my compost came from the forest and the trimmings I did back there. A lot of wood chips ended up in the pile as well as autumn leaves from the various trees and bushes. I rarely turned the pile and when I needed some compost I simply dug into the bottom of the pile where the best material seemed to have decomposed properly. I did attempt to roto till it a time or two, but one time a family of toads came running out when I got too close to them. I stopped tilling the pile when that happened because I didn't want ground up toads in my mix.
I think I would have enjoyed working for you and breeding new varieties of plants. That's the kind of stuff that really interests me, but it also requires a high degree of experience and knowledge to be successful at it. I grew flowers just because I could. The vegetables had a useful purpose so that I enjoyed raising them for that reason. Mom and my wife could not keep up with the harvests all the time, unfortunately. Canning was not part of their kitchen routine so that a bushel of tomatoes could go to waste rather easily. I gave away a lot, but also put a lot of the excess on the compost pile with the thought that it wasn't the end product as much as the process to get there that was satisfying.
Re: Windows 12
I can tell you this about potatoes. It costs 10 times more to raise your own than buy them at the store, hi hi.
When I cleared the middle section of my back yard of woods, I made a humongous mulch pile.
Put the leaves and small stuff in the front, and middle sized stuff in the middle, and larger stuff in the back, so I could start using it faster. On the front pile I added all the soil and mulch from my garden when I scraped it clean.
Once I could start using the mulch, when I hit something that wasn't done composting, I would toss it back over on the pile ahead of me. Turned out, doing this using and tossing worked out great. And after I got what I needed for the garden, I would scoop up the rest and toss it on top of the pile ahead of me for next year.
Now the back pile where I put the big stuff, with some smaller stuff on top, is where I had frogs and turtles make their home. So I never actually used the very back section of my pile and would only add stuff in front of it or over it.
Grandpa on my mom's side, raised birdhouse gourds, some for himself, and a few to give away or sell.
He had hundreds of one variety that were way too small for birds and was going to crush and burn them in the winter.
I cobbed about 25 of these, took them home and made a small hole in them, which I knew was too small for a bird. I also drilled a very tiny hole in the bottom so if water got in them, it would drain out. And to make them look like birdhouses, I added a small perch under the hole I made in the side.
Lo and behold, I must have lucked out with just the right size hole, because hummingbirds claim rights to them almost right away.
The next year I got about 50 of them from grandpa, and experimented with smaller and larger holes. Not one of the ten I made with larger holes ever attracted a hummingbird. The ones with a smaller hole attracted a few. So I must have lucked out and got it just right that first time.
They also did not like it if the gourds were on too long of lines that made them swing too much in the wind. The ones I hung using rigid rose wires were always occupied right away. And the ones I bolted directly to a tree trunk or big branch.
On flowers and plants, you cannot mix two different species together, with only one exception that made history.
Hundred or more years ago, a man managed to get Hedera Helix and Fatsia to produce a new plant. He named it Fatshedera and it has been a staple in greenhouses ever since.
I think I mentioned once before that the garment industry, especially bridesmaids gowns makers, let the floral industry know three years ahead of time what colors they would be making the bridesmaids dresses in, to give us a chance to try and get flower blooms of those same colors naturally through cross breeding, not using dies or after the fact color dips.
We may make over 500 crosses that may work to get close the first year, then use those crosses that were the closest to get a lighter or darker strain for the next year, and if all went well, they would provide the cuttings to grow thousands of the new shades we needed. 90% of these were sold to other florists, either as plants or as cut flowers for the flower shops to use for weddings.
We also would come up with some surprise unintended colors and try to see if they would remain true to color from cuttings. Most won't, so to keep a certain color going, you have to go back to the parent plants which were used, and the second cross of their cuttings from another group. It does get complex sometimes, often out to the fourth or fifth generation of crosses.
Horticulturists may spend an entire lifetime trying to come up with a duplicate-able strain, even if not from itself, but from two special crosses that cause it consistently.
When I cleared the middle section of my back yard of woods, I made a humongous mulch pile.
Put the leaves and small stuff in the front, and middle sized stuff in the middle, and larger stuff in the back, so I could start using it faster. On the front pile I added all the soil and mulch from my garden when I scraped it clean.
Once I could start using the mulch, when I hit something that wasn't done composting, I would toss it back over on the pile ahead of me. Turned out, doing this using and tossing worked out great. And after I got what I needed for the garden, I would scoop up the rest and toss it on top of the pile ahead of me for next year.
Now the back pile where I put the big stuff, with some smaller stuff on top, is where I had frogs and turtles make their home. So I never actually used the very back section of my pile and would only add stuff in front of it or over it.
Grandpa on my mom's side, raised birdhouse gourds, some for himself, and a few to give away or sell.
He had hundreds of one variety that were way too small for birds and was going to crush and burn them in the winter.
I cobbed about 25 of these, took them home and made a small hole in them, which I knew was too small for a bird. I also drilled a very tiny hole in the bottom so if water got in them, it would drain out. And to make them look like birdhouses, I added a small perch under the hole I made in the side.
Lo and behold, I must have lucked out with just the right size hole, because hummingbirds claim rights to them almost right away.
The next year I got about 50 of them from grandpa, and experimented with smaller and larger holes. Not one of the ten I made with larger holes ever attracted a hummingbird. The ones with a smaller hole attracted a few. So I must have lucked out and got it just right that first time.
They also did not like it if the gourds were on too long of lines that made them swing too much in the wind. The ones I hung using rigid rose wires were always occupied right away. And the ones I bolted directly to a tree trunk or big branch.
On flowers and plants, you cannot mix two different species together, with only one exception that made history.
Hundred or more years ago, a man managed to get Hedera Helix and Fatsia to produce a new plant. He named it Fatshedera and it has been a staple in greenhouses ever since.
I think I mentioned once before that the garment industry, especially bridesmaids gowns makers, let the floral industry know three years ahead of time what colors they would be making the bridesmaids dresses in, to give us a chance to try and get flower blooms of those same colors naturally through cross breeding, not using dies or after the fact color dips.
We may make over 500 crosses that may work to get close the first year, then use those crosses that were the closest to get a lighter or darker strain for the next year, and if all went well, they would provide the cuttings to grow thousands of the new shades we needed. 90% of these were sold to other florists, either as plants or as cut flowers for the flower shops to use for weddings.
We also would come up with some surprise unintended colors and try to see if they would remain true to color from cuttings. Most won't, so to keep a certain color going, you have to go back to the parent plants which were used, and the second cross of their cuttings from another group. It does get complex sometimes, often out to the fourth or fifth generation of crosses.
Horticulturists may spend an entire lifetime trying to come up with a duplicate-able strain, even if not from itself, but from two special crosses that cause it consistently.
Re: Windows 12
I posted pictures of birds encroaching upon my deck to build nests. They are mostly out of sight so that it's not a big eye sore, and there are only two or three at any given time. Oddly enough, and I didn't know this until I saw it under my deck, the birds will rip out their old nests to build new ones in their stead. I figured they simply abandoned the nests once they were done with them, but apparently in the bird world it's a lot like human real estate. It's all about location, location, and location. LOL
I've not seen those bird house gourds for sale, but then I didn't realize there was such a thing and never looked for them. I'm thinking they would be excellent for the hummingbirds that tend to visit us every year. The gourds also look decorative to some extent and hanging them under my deck might be a great way to attract those little birds. I have no idea what the right sized hole would be, but then there is my friend Google. He seems to know everything. LOL
I've not seen those bird house gourds for sale, but then I didn't realize there was such a thing and never looked for them. I'm thinking they would be excellent for the hummingbirds that tend to visit us every year. The gourds also look decorative to some extent and hanging them under my deck might be a great way to attract those little birds. I have no idea what the right sized hole would be, but then there is my friend Google. He seems to know everything. LOL
Re: Windows 12
Some birds reline and reuse their nests, others keep adding to their nests until they become quite large, and others, like you saw, tear out the old and build new each year.
Speaking of birds, we have somebodies hen that comes to my backyard to glean the seeds the birds drop.
She started coming so often, I started feeding her. She's safe in the backyard, but sometimes roams around the neighborhood.
We found where she was attacked by a dog, so I made an opening in our greenhouse and put food and water in there for her.
Although I never actually saw her go in the greenhouse, it was obvious she decided to, because we found an overturned pot with some coarse sphagnum or osmunda fiber in it with an egg. Maybe it is a donation for my feeding her, hi hi.
I'll check again today at lunch when I feed her outside if she left us another donation, hi hi.
My grandpa had the larger birdhouse gourds he hung from a wood beam that ran between the tack room and the barn, up as high as the gable on the feed room, which put it about the height of the bottom of the loft door in the barn. He had about 25 or 30 of them up there, and the Purple Martins took them over.
Smaller size ones he would hang various places in the trees, and probably had around 50 scattered around the place.
Once he put them up, he never messed with them until they finally rotted away and/or fell to the ground.
Birds are picky about what size hole they like in a birdhouse.
I used a 1 inch spade bit to make the hole for the hummingbirds.
If you use a 1-1/8th bit you get chickadees.
Wrens like 1-1/4 inch hole.
Anything bigger than 1-1/4 inch attracts the larger birds.
I made a few with 1-1/2 inch holes, and a Towhee, used one and a Grosbeak the other.
The rest stayed empty.
But if a birdhouse is too big, even though you only make a 1 inch hole, Hummingbirds will ignore it.
They like them small and cuddly.
Speaking of birds, we have somebodies hen that comes to my backyard to glean the seeds the birds drop.
She started coming so often, I started feeding her. She's safe in the backyard, but sometimes roams around the neighborhood.
We found where she was attacked by a dog, so I made an opening in our greenhouse and put food and water in there for her.
Although I never actually saw her go in the greenhouse, it was obvious she decided to, because we found an overturned pot with some coarse sphagnum or osmunda fiber in it with an egg. Maybe it is a donation for my feeding her, hi hi.
I'll check again today at lunch when I feed her outside if she left us another donation, hi hi.
My grandpa had the larger birdhouse gourds he hung from a wood beam that ran between the tack room and the barn, up as high as the gable on the feed room, which put it about the height of the bottom of the loft door in the barn. He had about 25 or 30 of them up there, and the Purple Martins took them over.
Smaller size ones he would hang various places in the trees, and probably had around 50 scattered around the place.
Once he put them up, he never messed with them until they finally rotted away and/or fell to the ground.
Birds are picky about what size hole they like in a birdhouse.
I used a 1 inch spade bit to make the hole for the hummingbirds.
If you use a 1-1/8th bit you get chickadees.
Wrens like 1-1/4 inch hole.
Anything bigger than 1-1/4 inch attracts the larger birds.
I made a few with 1-1/2 inch holes, and a Towhee, used one and a Grosbeak the other.
The rest stayed empty.
But if a birdhouse is too big, even though you only make a 1 inch hole, Hummingbirds will ignore it.
They like them small and cuddly.
Re: Windows 12
Birds typically are messy and leave their droppings in the most obvious of places. The three nests under our deck seem to have birds that are the exception to the rule. It's not that we don't see droppings on the concrete under the deck, but they are not prolific and generally wash away with the next rainfall. Back at the house were I grew up there was a pigeon loft and the residents of that flock decorated the roof with enormous white spots. I don't know what kind of birds live under my deck, but they seem to have good sanitation habits. LOL
About a block to the north is the edge of town, literally. The homes there would be considered to be rural in that most of the lots are at least ten acres. There are small farms sprinkled about the area too, but also too many residential homes to be considered true farmland. They're not part of O'Fallon and one neighbor there in particular has a couple horses. Those are in fact the only two horses I've ever seen in all of Missouri. I don't get around much, but horses seem to be missing for one reason or another. There aren't too many bovines either so that I have no idea what the farmers here are doing. I would think there might be some chickens out there too, but I never heard a cock crow. Perhaps I haven't gone far enough down that road, or maybe there actually is a town out there and they have some strange ordinances. Chickens are not my favorite bird, but I would gladly feed a few if they left a few eggs as gratuity. Unfortunately there actually are covenants in the HOA agreement banning chickens, or any farm animals, from our neighborhood. That doesn't bother me because I'm not a fan of feeding or watching birds. About all I know is when I see a male Cardinal or a male Robin. The others are a mystery to me.
About a block to the north is the edge of town, literally. The homes there would be considered to be rural in that most of the lots are at least ten acres. There are small farms sprinkled about the area too, but also too many residential homes to be considered true farmland. They're not part of O'Fallon and one neighbor there in particular has a couple horses. Those are in fact the only two horses I've ever seen in all of Missouri. I don't get around much, but horses seem to be missing for one reason or another. There aren't too many bovines either so that I have no idea what the farmers here are doing. I would think there might be some chickens out there too, but I never heard a cock crow. Perhaps I haven't gone far enough down that road, or maybe there actually is a town out there and they have some strange ordinances. Chickens are not my favorite bird, but I would gladly feed a few if they left a few eggs as gratuity. Unfortunately there actually are covenants in the HOA agreement banning chickens, or any farm animals, from our neighborhood. That doesn't bother me because I'm not a fan of feeding or watching birds. About all I know is when I see a male Cardinal or a male Robin. The others are a mystery to me.