What is it with...
Jun. 4th, 2007 10:08![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
mapsedge...weekends and injuries?
Oh, right. Because typing for a living isn't nearly as dangerous as building your own tomato cages!
Let's face it: the cages you buy at Lowe's or Home Depot just aren't adequate. You know, those flimsy conical things made of undersized wire and too short to boot that every home gardener uses.
Not MY wife. No sirree. Nope. She sends me to Tractor Supply Company to buy a 16' long 8ga. galvanized wire cattle enclosure panel. Cut into 12" sections and wired at the corners to create a square cage that BY GOD WILL SUPPORT A GODDAMN TOMATO VINE. After the first three sides my bolt-cutter operators (arms and shoulders in layman's terms) were getting pretty tired, but I managed to get two cages made*.
In moving the second pot back to its spot on the deck, though, I lost what little balance I had of the thing - now very top-heavy in spite of the several tons of dirt in the actual pot - and the top whipped over and cut me across the left temple and left arm, knocking my new glasses across the deck and sending me to my ass to look at an artificially starry sky for a few minutes.
You'd be surprised how sharp the cut ends of wire can be. I look a little like I've been in a bar brawl, except nobody was buying drinks at the time.
* I know, sounds a little wimpy, but remember this is wire mesh - at least eight cuts per side to get through every piece of wire, and while it's a bit softer than the loop of a combination lock, it is just as thick.
Oh, right. Because typing for a living isn't nearly as dangerous as building your own tomato cages!
Let's face it: the cages you buy at Lowe's or Home Depot just aren't adequate. You know, those flimsy conical things made of undersized wire and too short to boot that every home gardener uses.
Not MY wife. No sirree. Nope. She sends me to Tractor Supply Company to buy a 16' long 8ga. galvanized wire cattle enclosure panel. Cut into 12" sections and wired at the corners to create a square cage that BY GOD WILL SUPPORT A GODDAMN TOMATO VINE. After the first three sides my bolt-cutter operators (arms and shoulders in layman's terms) were getting pretty tired, but I managed to get two cages made*.
In moving the second pot back to its spot on the deck, though, I lost what little balance I had of the thing - now very top-heavy in spite of the several tons of dirt in the actual pot - and the top whipped over and cut me across the left temple and left arm, knocking my new glasses across the deck and sending me to my ass to look at an artificially starry sky for a few minutes.
You'd be surprised how sharp the cut ends of wire can be. I look a little like I've been in a bar brawl, except nobody was buying drinks at the time.
* I know, sounds a little wimpy, but remember this is wire mesh - at least eight cuts per side to get through every piece of wire, and while it's a bit softer than the loop of a combination lock, it is just as thick.
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Date: 2007-06-04 15:44 (UTC)Priceless...
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Date: 2007-06-04 16:01 (UTC)"Holy fucking shit, it's WHAP!!!
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Date: 2007-06-04 18:20 (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-06-04 16:21 (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-06-04 16:35 (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-06-04 16:38 (UTC)"You can't just till up the top foot or so.
Preparing the soil properly means digging a 3' deep trench, removing all the soil, pulverizing it with mixed nutrients, exporting it to Romania for infusion of good topsoil, reinterring half (setting aside half for later), sprinkling the pit with holy water taken from the runoff of the showers of ancient gladiators, then putting the rest of the soil back in being sure not to compact it too much.
Then, you're ready to till and plant.
You have fifteen 100' rows.
Good luck."
- Jeho
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Date: 2007-06-04 21:41 (UTC)Oh. Is THAT all.
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Date: 2007-06-04 23:23 (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-08-21 20:48 (UTC)Photo:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v354/Steve98052/Miscellaneous/Tomatoes-20070807_0097.jpg)
Another tomato picture, plus some heavy machinery I photographed the same day, here (http://steve98052.livejournal.com/104371.html).