Dappled Air

Is there a trick to figuring out how many plants to plant per square foot? Alphabetical Order Basil: 1/sqft (according to sqft reader Kevin M. Wilson)  Beans: bush-type 9/sqft; pole-type 8/sqft Beets: 16/sqft  Broccoli: 1/sqft  Cabbage: 1/sqft  Carrots: 16/sqft  Cauliflower: 1/sqft  Celery: 4/sqft (6") (according to sqft reader Doreen Howard)  Chard(Swiss): 4/sqft  Corn: 1/sqft (revised in  2/96 OG  to 4/sqft)  Cucumbers: 2/sqft in a row of 4 sqft (6" apart along middle of sqft row)  Daffodils: 36/sqft  Eggplant: 1/sqft  Garlic: 4/sqft (6") (according to several sqft readers. Some say 9/sqft (4"))  Leeks: 9/sqft (see special technique in  2/96 OG )  Lettuce: 4/sqft  Marjoram: 4/sqft (according to sqft reader Kevin M. Wilson)  Muskmelons: 1/sqft (grow in row of 4 squares, on trellis)  Okra: 1-2/sqft (according to reader Sandra Walters)  Onions: 16/sqft  ...

backside of template with holes drilled I am just about ready to start planting my square foot garden . Until now I have used string and sticks to mark things, but then I got an idea of how I could easily make some templates from old plastic election signs. The material was easy to cut with a knife and a permanent marker would help with the design. At first I thought that I would need a whole bunch of templates, but as I got going I realized that I could actually get away with only 2 templates. First cut 2 12x12 inch pieces from the plastic signs Draw a grid:  template 1: 3 rows and 3 columns template 2: 4 rows and 4 columns Mark the center of each square of the grid by drawing diagonal lines Use the electric drill and a ½" drill bit and drill a hole at each center point. Template 1 Template 1 Grid of 3 row and 3 columns (9 plants - holes circled in blue) This can also be used for 1 plant per square foot (hole circled in black and then blue) ...

The knobs on my dryer started to break shortly after I got it. I was not very impressed to say the least. The bigger problem was that I could not find any replacement knobs. The first thing I did is move a good knob to the broken place which, of course, was the on off switch. knob missing and mismatched knob Now where you go looking for appliance replacement parts? I tried a local store and even they did not have the exact one. I got one that fit on the piece sticking out of the dryer console. Who knew that not all knobs are identical. As you can see in the picture above a second knob failed and that function is now permanently set to the on position. Last weekend while looking for something else at Home Depot, I asked about knobs and a very helpful gentleman told me that I should try their Parts & Accessories department and handed me a business card with toll-free phone number. This is the phone number for Canada, I don't know if it will work in the US. I ...

Why would you practice crop rotation for your vegetables? This is what Wikipedia says about it: Crop rotation is the practice of growing a series of dissimilar/different types of crops in the same area in sequential seasons. Crop rotation gives various benefits to the soil. A traditional element of crop rotation is the replenishment of nitrogen through the use of green manure in sequence with cereals and other crops. Crop rotation also mitigates the build-up of pathogens and pests that often occurs when one species is continuously cropped, and can also improve soil structure and fertility by alternating deep-rooted and shallow-rooted plants. I came across this image at a New Zealand site that explains it quite well. Every year you rotate between root and bulb, fruit and seed and leaf and stem vegetables. Here is a list of which vegetables belong to each group. Root & Bulb  carrots parsnip potatoes beetroot kohl rabi radishes onions leek garlic Fru...