GardenHacker:
not your typical seedy site...

Weekend update for 2007-06-16: Feel the Burn, and Straw Bale Gardening link

 Added more hay around the potatoes, finding something's nibbling on the leaves, so I've drenched them with a mixture of 1 gallon of water, 2 tbs vegetable oil, 1 tsp dish soap and 2 tsp scotch bonnet (hot pepper), let it set for a day in the sun then strained. Hope that does the trick. They're all looking well, including the ones in the ground.

 They just keep growing - though oddly slower than the ones in containers. The containered tomato plants are getting some of the fertilizer from the plastic coffee "can" that's in the containers, where I put some timed release fertilizer (about 2 tablespoons worth), so when the water pours through, it feeds the plant. The holes are about 1/2" above the bottom of the can, so water always sits in there. Been watering every 2-3 days. Fruit is also starting to set on the containered plants, while these are now starting to flower, and the ones in the garden are looking sickly.

 The LED tomatoes are out in the garden, though I learned first hand why you don't put them straight out: the sunny weather we had burned the leaves.

 The white wilted look means that I did these plants a dis-service by putting them straight out. Most if not all of the others had a time in the back yard with indirect sun before being planted, and are doing quite nicely. Nothing like first-hand experience to make a point.

Straw Bale Gardening is something I ran across while looking for some more companion plants. Sounds interesting enough that I may try it on an area that I eventually wish to make a raised bed: "...Straw bale gardening is an interesting option for those who have either limited soil, limited space or have difficulty bending over. I’ve used straw bale gardening and found it productive although I note that commercial grower recommendations tend to use fertilizer more than I currently enjoy doing. More on that below. ..." Link