Anyone doing a garden?

[mulester7]

Which Nikon did you get? I am looking at getting a D90 soon.

.....Spartan, I've had a D200 body for over a year, but didn't have an auto-focus lens until about a week ago....with my having a good deal of experience with SLR film cameras for 30 years helping me know what to look for in the D200 manual, I waded in and figured out some settings here lately.....

.....those of us who are older and know filmed cameras well, are prone to balk at tackling digital cameras....I know I've had that attitude anyway....the same settings that were used with film cameras are also there with digital cameras....just take what knowledge you have with filmed cameras and wade on into the digital camera manual....shoot with full-auto at first, and then branch out a bit....the aperture-priority mode is still an auto-mode, but gives you control over the depth of field....from there, exposure compensations should give you the shots you want.....

 

[mulester7]

Crap is good for the garden, as long as it's composted first.

 

[mulester7]

.....well, since Spartanmanor started this thread and asked about a camera, I guess I'll pitch in a bucket post or two....

.....here's what I'm going to use for tomato cages....these came from Tractor Supply Co., (TSC), for a buck forty-nine a throw....I'm planning to have six, with the legs bent back, to go around each middle cage that goes into the soil of the buckets with it's legs....these two are mounted at 3 and 9 o'clocks respectively to illustrate....you can use anything to lash them together, even heavy string.....

 

[mulester7]

.....modification....one back leg from each hang-on cage will be bent back down to take running vines to the balcony level....there will now be 9 runner flights to the balcony as opposed to having been only 3....coke can for scale.....

 

[toxcrusadr]

That thing looks anthropomorphic, Mulester.

 

[merrylander]

If it does not stop rainning here it is going to be the kitchen pond, not garden.

 

[mulester7]

If it does not stop raining here it is going to be the kitchen pond, not garden.

.....Merrylander, we wail together....in the last 9 days, there's been roughly 6 hours of sun here in central Arkansas....I only hope these tomato plants make it....my first concern of course is for them, but I shutter when I think of what I've spent on their school clothes, doctor appointments, sacks of groceries, combos from Wendy's, braces, etc.....

 

[mulester7]

.....well, I'll take a chance this doesn't block any garden posts with pictures, (cough), and post one about a completed cage system for a bucket I did last night....it's been nothing but rain or dark skies almost the whole 12 days since I set the plants, and they're drooping a bit in this shot....plus, it had just rained, but they were covered for rain as usual....it's supposed to rain again tonight, and I'm going to hang an old king-sized bed-sheet equally over the one cage system I've finished....will also pull the center cage out of the other three and cover them with the glass topped table as usual....tonight is supposed to be the last rain for 3-4 days, we'll see.....

.....I likta' broke my neck trying to stand balanced on a flimsy lawn chair to get this shot, and used the overexposed shot of the manual bracket to accent the wire of the cages....notice the many extra lower paths up to the attached balcony baskets.....

.....a second picture from yesterday shows all four tomato buckets with the center cage stuck down in the soil....love that orange sprayer head on the hose....brand-name is Dramm....10 bucks and tax at Tractor Supply Company, (TSC)....got my 50-ft 4-ply UP yellow hose at Wal-Mart....9 including tax....am I a fountain of information or what?.....

 

[mulester7]

.....it's been raining now about an hour, but the bottom is falling out as we speak....we wuz ready for it....drug out an old Nikon 20mm 2.8 manual-focus lens for this shot, the new 50mm won't get very wide....I was at least 20 feet from the subject, and ended-up with the focus just slightly off infinity, maybe a 1/16th of an inch....I go on both sides of what is the correct focus, back and forth, to find the middle with manual-focus lenses, this focus should have been fine for F-4....but, it's not as clear as the shots I've been posting with the new 50mm....all I can say is, I'll keep on looking for auto-focus "new" Nikon lenses, thanks, and am going to try to work a deal to swap-in some manual-focus Nikon lenses for some that are AF and "new"....say what you will about vintage Nikon, the technology has only improved, imo.....

 

[spartanmanor]

If it does not stop rainning here it is going to be the kitchen pond, not garden.

Really! I was able to get some things planted outside on Saturday. I got a couple of tomato plants in and some cucumbers and a few rows of sweet peas. Hopefully all the rain will really get things off to a good start.

 

[spartanmanor]

.....Spartan, I've had a D200 body for over a year, but didn't have an auto-focus lens until about a week ago....with my having a good deal of experience with SLR film cameras for 30 years helping me know what to look for in the D200 manual, I waded in and figured out some settings here lately.....

.....those of us who are older and know filmed cameras well, are prone to balk at tackling digital cameras....I know I've had that attitude anyway....the same settings that were used with film cameras are also there with digital cameras....just take what knowledge you have with filmed cameras and wade on into the digital camera manual....shoot with full-auto at first, and then branch out a bit....the aperture-priority mode is still an auto-mode, but gives you control over the depth of field....from there, exposure compensations should give you the shots you want.....

I have a fair amount of experience with Manual SLR's this is why I am tired of the point and shoot digitals. I really want to do some fun projects with a good camera. If I had the money I would love to go large format with a digital back but that is way out of my price range. I have the money to make the purchase on the Nikon I just am waiting to see if any good deals come up.

 

[Jcricket]

It is a mothers day tradition in our house. I am preping the garden all week for planting. A couple of weeks ago we planted the seeds.
This year we have cucumbers, yellow squash, zuccini, lima beans, sugar baby watermelons, giant pumpkins, and six differnt types of tomatoes.

Last year we planted a variety of tomatoes called goliath, we got a two pound tomatoe out of it. It was almost the size of a cantaloupe.

Now to get to work and go get them weeds.
mark

 

[mulester7]

Only If You Love The Game

I have a fair amount of experience with Manual SLR's this is why I am tired of the point and shoot digitals. I really want to do some fun projects with a good camera. If I had the money I would love to go large format with a digital back but that is way out of my price range. I have the money to make the purchase on the Nikon I just am waiting to see if any good deals come up.

.....Spartan, you're a prime candidate to move away from cheap point-and-shoots....but really, everyone is a candidate if they can afford it....a DSLR body with matching interchangeable lenses, is the only way to go....even if someone knew NOTHING about cameras, but decided to take it up, their shots would rip point-and-shoots to shreds using full-auto-everything just like the point-and-shoot is doing....the main factor involved in better picture quality imo, is the interchangeable lenses are about 12 times the quality of the cheap lens in the point-and-shoots....the DSLR body is computerized now, SLR bodies used to be mechanical mainly, but lenses, have always been the window.....

 

[mulester7]

.....finally, the sun shown today on central Arkansas....the plants are healthy, and stood tall when the sun hit them for about 8 hours....the Bradleys are still in the sun in this shot, with the Big Boys just getting put in the shade....it thrills me I'm back into enjoying a quality camera.....

 

[spartanmanor]

.....finally, the sun shown today on central Arkansas....the plants are healthy, and stood tall when the sun hit them for about 8 hours....the Bradleys are still in the sun in this shot, with the Big Boys just getting put in the shade....it thrills me I'm back into enjoying a quality camera.....

Looking Good! Today is going to be our first day of sun in about a week. I hope the plants I set out on Saturday enjoyed their bath. I hope to see some major growth after being wet for so long.

 

[mulester7]

Today is going to be our first day of sun in about a week. I hope the plants I set out on Saturday enjoyed their bath. I hope to see some major growth after being wet for so long.

.....Spartanmanor, I hope our plants grow like in that Batman movie with Uma Thurman....she didn't look too bad in that green outfit, either, huh?.....

.....we've had no rain here for over 36 hours and look what happened 2 hours ago when the grass got mowed....my yard on level ground is WET....and it's been overcast dark about all day.....

 

[mulester7]

Each plants' roots are competing for the same nutrients in the soil- they won't grow to their full potential like this.

.....Kuma, this post has been on my mind the whole time I've been doing the bucket thing....I planted 5 Bradleys in one bucket, 4 Bradleys in another, 4 Big Boys in another, and 3 Big Boys in a fourth bucket....prompted by the action of smelling the leaves of both types this afternoon, I quickly figured out Bradleys are what I want "much" more....the Bradley leaves smelled the same flavor this afternoon, that true Bradley County tomatoes have tasted to me for a long time.....

.....I took the cage assemblies off 3 buckets, and after transplanting as few as possible, I now have 3 Bradley plants in each of 3 buckets, and 3 Big Boys in the fourth bucket....4 of the smaller Big Boy plants got pitched into the yard....it was time to thin the herds....we're home....I hope.....

.....EDIT....the Big Boys are in the far left bucket....don't all the Bradleys look healthy?.....

[/QUOTE]

 

[spartanmanor]

Well I haven't got a decent camera and it is raining this morning but I thought I would share what I have going on. First up is a few tomatoes with some small cucumber starts planted in a new spot behind a big old rosemary plant. The other two photos are of some of the beds in the yard. Most of my vegetables will be tucked into beds with other shrubs and flowers going already.

 

[toxcrusadr]

Nice looking place you have there Sparton. Ahhh, lush Virginia!

 

[spartanmanor]

Yeah I am constantly cutting stuff back. It is amazing how much can grow on a 9000sf lot.