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Either my test isn’t working, or my process will need to be redesigned at this rate.

Transfered to the secondary, with two ounces of Centennial dumped in. Well. I did dump a couple of hops nuggets on the ground. So, 1.8 ounces. Hopefully this work out.

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As a plus now, while cleaning in my post transfer​ bliss, I did find the cap to my first airlock. I now have two, which as I get more fermenting vessels is kind of important.

So I need to start at the top. Or the bottom, more like the middle. Whatever. I need to build a jig for scoring bottles. Ideally, it should hold the bottles really well. You know, the better the score, the better the break.

Then I’ll do a couple trials of moisture sensors. While I have a while box of galvanized nails for this, I wonder about using finishing nails instead. I’d like to keep my footprint small. If I can get this working, I should make a jig for making them in bulk. Soldering jumpers will be manual at this point, but it’d be nice if I had a decent structural layer at least. I should also start coming up with a solid calibration scheme.

Well those are the things I can sorry of work on while helping the Wif study. Yay finals!

So no solenoid valves, or at least, not one for every plant. I always base my price on where I shopped last.  In this case, I got a dozen at Archie McPhee’s on the cheap. So no. I’m not going $5 a plant just for a valve.

I’m seeing a gantry system in my future. I also see a mobile sensor package, verifying moisture, looking for shade or got shots. Probably strap a PiNoir on. I should also build for the future in case I want pH testing.

• Wood looks great, but it will break down way to easily. While I could seal it, were looking at some sort of resin to do the job right.
• Wood with a liner is two things to doo the job of one. While it would help on the modularity end, the aesthetics of a non-simple solution gets to me. It’s this aesthetics or ethics? Aethetics? One’s moral view on gestalt, vision and beauty?
• Liner only. No. Just no.
• PVC pipe was running high there,  and it’s still not out of the running. Obviously there’s a couple issues though. I don’t like the mental picture of a wall based PVC pipe idea. Once things get root bound, it’s going to be a problem to replant.
• Cut beer bottles, well bottles to cut, is a commodity I have in spades. (Hahaha…in spades! Gardening! In shovels?) Good modularity, easily replantable, inherently water tight. Crap all for maximum root size, and ease of fully IoG (internet of gardening). This is still on the shorter list. I could definitely grow most herbs, some chili’s, carrots and radishes, once I got drainage sorted out of course, but even cherry tomatoes would be out of reach.
• While building glass terrariums would give me what I want, I’d have a bunch of weight to support, and a large glass bill.
• Acrylic, like the glass above, but lighter, cheaper, and not as good for every other metric.

So I’m thinking cut bottles for the planters. It’ll limit me on size, but they’re water tight and I already have a lot. It looks like while the Wif is in NC next, I’ll be cutting glass. This of course is entirely tenuous. Also, based on the microscopic wood splinter that’s been digging is way through my eyelid for the last month, I need better safety gear.

Because I’m making plans for Nigel…

So I discussed the wall o’plants with the Wif, and didn’t sound like she was super hip. That takes care of one problem then. Since the wall won’t be in a shared space, it doesn’t need to meet the same criterias.oSo here’s way I’m looking for:

• Robust. I hate it when things fall apart.
• Water conserving. I’ll have to bring all water in from another room, so all water loss should be minimal evaporation and harvest.
• Food grade, because I like me some veggies.
• Artificial lights, because veggies in an otherwise dark room.
• Automated. I’ll have a reservoir at the bottom with a bilge pump watering when needed. Runoff will be collected into the reservoir. Lights still be controlled. Alarm states. Everything.

Now then. I need to decide on the design. Since I’m no longer designing for two, I have a few more options. The most interesting one I’m entertaining would be horizontal 3″ pvc with goes cut out of it. Add in a slight tilt and I have water flow. What I’d probably do is add some 3/4″ as utilities and call it good. I’m almost thinking this would be ideal add I could straight up build these across the ceiling…I’m not sure I like the aesthetics though.

I should pregnant go with the box on wall design as a temporary solution. Robust. Repurposable.

In my head at least. At gust the planters were going to be shelves from pvc or black iron pipe. I’m starting to think wood now. Do gestalty but not rigidly sized rectangles. All interjoined, but haphazard. Poor English.

I’m liking the idea as it’ll facilitate multiple sizes and shared of plants, I could build trails for the kittehs, whatever.

So I had to pop in to work for a few today, which totes interfered with our plans, but whatever. I get home, and the Wif was done for the day, so I make dinner.

• 11×17(ish) sheet pan worth of tots
• Small can of black beans
• 1/4 White onion
• 3 Cherry tomatoes
• 1″ of cheddar (since we get the the Tillamook big blocks, I measure cheese by the linear inch)

Oven at 425. Add tots once heated, setting a timer for  15 minutes. Black beans (rinsed)  in a pot on low heat. Slice tomatoes (loosing any seeds that are easy to get), Slice the other way now. Chunk up the onion. Grate the cheese.

At 15 minutes, pull out the tots, closing the oven (so we don’t lose all our good heat). At beans, onions and tomatoes (in that order). Slather the cheese all over everything. Put back in the oven for another 15 minutes.

Dinner. The Wif liked it. I spaced taking pictures…

After action:

• Drop the onion down to 3/16 of an onion. Maybe an 1/8.
• Add shredded whatever meat
• Add red and green peppers
• Add sliced green chilies

Just made the Wif some peanut butter sandwich cookies. Everything is delicious but totally doesn’t look like the pictures. Think about building a cookie jig. Also, maybe use a burly syringe for fillings.  There may be value for making macarones as well.

Beer. Oh how I love thee. What? Oh, yeah, follow-up. The red ale is smelling super bready,  there’s detritus 4 inches above the liquid level, and the airlock, while not fouled, is funky. I should look at that tomorrow.

Further beer. I’ve started making the plans for electrifying my beer making. I need to start documenting that.

Side to side,  of the older cat tree, I’m looking at 23″, and another 17″ to the window. Call it 40″ plus or minus, and I’ve got a 37″ piece of wood. Seems legit.

Now I cut wood.