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  1. OaklandCityFarmer

    What is this plant?

    Hey folks, thanks for your help! And HI Mary, it's been forever since I've been on. Work and such. It was actually my other half using the account to figure this out, but glad that you all were able to help! Carlos
  2. OaklandCityFarmer

    What is this plant?

    I believe @aftermidnight is correct, it's a Montanoa. I'll have to do some more reading to see if they're considered to be invasive. Hello! We're completely overhauling our garden this spring/summer, trying out some new things, gonna see what works best. Maybe this fall we can do a harvest...
  3. OaklandCityFarmer

    What is this plant?

    No tubers, though it does resemble sun choke, I've got that growing too (as well as yacon). I can take some more photos when I get home from class. Please do! I'd love more input. If you need more photos, do let me know. It's bloom time has been erratic, but that might have to do with being...
  4. OaklandCityFarmer

    What is this plant?

    I googled both, my plant doesn't look like either. :( Me too! Years ago I propagated it from a piece that I "borrowed" while on a field trip during a propagation class to some old greenhouses here in the Bay Area. They used to grow flowers commercially in Richmond in the greenhouses, but that...
  5. OaklandCityFarmer

    What is this plant?

    This is growing in my backyard, in partial shade. It's doing pretty well, but it has a tendency to dry out in the summertime, making it not too tolerant of the drought we're experiencing here... It's big, about 6 feet tall. The flowers look like daisies, and smell like almond/honey. I...
  6. OaklandCityFarmer

    Stevia

    Good luck @TReeves!!
  7. OaklandCityFarmer

    Graywater Kitchen Sink

    Yeah, definitely for most systems I could see why @catjac1975 most would just use tub and shower. That's the whole reason of installing the bypass valve so that if any chemicals or stuff I just don't want in the garden needs to go to the sewer I have that option.
  8. OaklandCityFarmer

    Graywater Kitchen Sink

    Thanks for the warning @catjac1975 I'm sure that had something to do with chemicals being involved. @ninnymary Hey Mary I'm good. It's been busy with work mostly and have had very little time to "come online". We're in a slow period (with elections being another year away) so I decided to come...
  9. OaklandCityFarmer

    Jalapeño Plant from last year

    I would love fresh anything over the winter...besides kale and greens.
  10. OaklandCityFarmer

    Stevia

    @TReeves, I've typically used the extract in baking and not the leaves. Honestly, I haven't invested enough time to pulverize them into a powder enough for baking. Of course, all of this does mean that you have to adjust some measurements to compensate for the moisture that regular sugar would...
  11. OaklandCityFarmer

    Lavender

    Overall I'd stay away from any Spanish Lavenders, they are not cold hardy enough. How cold are your winters? If you're above zone 5, the standard English variety Lavendula augustifolia (sold under names like "Sachet" or "Royal Velvet" will do well and serve the purpose of oils for soaps and...
  12. OaklandCityFarmer

    Bradly tomatoes

    Yeah, in my experience they are definitely red. I think the semi-determinate, indeterminate, determinate thing comes from different regional strains. They were originally developed in Arkansas in 1961. They are open-pollinated which probably explains the genetic "drift" that has happened over...
  13. OaklandCityFarmer

    Graywater Kitchen Sink

    Si, en Oakland. St Vartan's? I'm a little more east of that. Good to meet you too Richard!
  14. OaklandCityFarmer

    Stevia

    Just to chime in on the original post. We make stevia extract using a half gallon mason jar, about 5-6 cups of dried leaves, and vodka. Pour it all into the jar, leave it in there for 2 days, strain and use as a sweetener. You can also remove the alcohol by cooking LOW and SLOW for about 20...
  15. OaklandCityFarmer

    Jalapeño Plant from last year

    What everyone else said! And you're doing it right by keeping them in pots. The peppers that we keep in pots here stay warmer since they tend not to freeze during a frost. Which if you're around Fayetteville (GO Razorbacks!) you have about similar weather as we do, maybe a little more humidity...
  16. OaklandCityFarmer

    Bradly tomatoes

    We tried the Bradley variety in the test garden in 2003 and 2005. Overall it's a great tomato. It's not very popular though in terms of gardeners. The seeds we got were from Seed Savers Exchange. I would say at best, they are semi-determinate, with some of our plants growing well over 6 feet but...
  17. OaklandCityFarmer

    Graywater Kitchen Sink

    Got it! That seems to help a bit more. I'll see what I can come up with in terms of mapping this out. Richard- yeah, at some point I want to put the whole house on a gray water system but I should probably fix my 80 year old electrical system first. Thanks Carlos
  18. OaklandCityFarmer

    Citrus Scales

    Yeah, it's true that they could take a decent pruning. But some of these trees are pretty big and the scale infestation is somewhat extensive, so I'd have to take out 2/3's of some of the trees. This got way out of hand way too quickly. We've already pruned many of the 3rd and 4th year trees...
  19. OaklandCityFarmer

    Graywater Kitchen Sink

    Yeah, Smart Red, storing of graywater is actually against local and county ordinance here. I barely get by with the storage of rainwater! But that would be a great system to have in place. Especially the wood stove!
  20. OaklandCityFarmer

    Graywater Kitchen Sink

    Yeah, that makes sense. And we'll definitely be following the local ordinances. I work with local government so I couldn't get away with it even if I tried! Now thinking about the diverter valve (which I didn't even know about)- I'm figuring it goes drain, elbow trap, diverter valve, right?
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