lax updates, State machines and rain,rain,rain

Apologies for the lack of posts and updates, alas, I have been rather busy of late.

Work has been busy, between a product release scheduled for 2 weeks and getting the .Net Micro framework to talk to a gprs modem with AT commands (ok, that is geek for saying I am trying to get a very small computer, kinda like a small ipod, to talk to that thing in a cell phone that lets you go online.) Hectic, but fun.

On the green side, things have been rather uneventfull. It has been raining, a lot, every day in fact for the last 2 weeks. Typical African weather, hot clear mornings, come 3 pm, clouds then rain and cold.

The Green peppers are growing, slowly, but growing. The new chilli’s are coming along. I bought a little fish tank full spectrum light to augment my aeroponic setup in the kitchen, and I have had them under there for a few days and looking good.

The aeroponic setup has been a little disappointing from a rooting/cloning perspective. Most of the cutting I made have died. But it has been spectacular with the orchids!! We have revived and regrown 3 to the point where they can be replanted outside, and 2 more cuttings are showing new buds. Yay, in cost terms,that about covers the cost of the setup, so happy days.

I put some sweet basil into my lettuce raft, and that is working nicely. They are about twice the size of their brother and sisters in the pot plants. Me thinks I might make a dedicated basil raft. I have notice though, that basil does not like the the one plant food I have. It does have enough potassium, and they go down hill really fast. Strange that because the green peppers love that food.

The Tomatos are going well. The second plant is now way bigger than the first, and it’s full of flowers, so a good crop from that one will be had. The sick one is much better and is spreading out again. the 2 fruits have grown and it will be a toss up bewtween them and the green bpeeper as to which one will be the first fruit to get harvested from my system .

I have some photo’s but please excuse the quality, the battery was dying and it was raining….

Till next time.