And when I am bored I do something new. And this time I am growing plants.
Tomato from old times. From before mechanization because I hate gardening, but, I love tomato with taste [easy to harvest tomato sux]
In the process I learnt a lot of thinks.
In fact, since I knew my great father was working on the topic, by curiosity I went to see his research [on fumure profonde] becaue I was disappointed at my results with just water and how my plants were dying.
I also remembered my talk with my totally ecology crazy neighbour [ecological stochiometry]
This article is not exactly about his talks. His talks are about ratio of C / H / O / N / K / P and how their availability favours some species, and also how the equilibrium can happen as an evolution of a complex system. Complex system, chemistry, physics, non euclidean geometry and our families and eating good foods have always been our favorite talks. Actually, the topic is broader than my own plants, or not...
Well ... I live in a small flat in Montréal, I don't have the space to build an ecosystem. So I have to cheat.
Hence my grand father. To cut short: without prior knowledge, by using his hints and making my own KNoP (Potasse, Nitrogen, Phosphate) cocktail and giving them at the right time I have actual results.
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| Chemistry works: effect of non optimal 20 - 20 - 20 on my window chilis |
What is the alternative to me using my great fathers KNOP chemical ratios?
Healthy food growing. With compost.
Well. My plants would die, it would be slow and it would costs a lot. I would not be able to feed myself, and, worse, it is NOT sustainable.
A compost's composition is hard to control in its ratio of KNOP. It is also hard to control the level of acidity (plants wants a slightly acid soil), and it is easy to grow bacteria, and stuff that can pollute your food, make you sick or kill it. The worst is the energy efficiency of the process compared to the chemical process to create the same chemicals "naturally".
As a scientific, I would not trust my knowledge without experimentation.
And growing plants has convinced me of one thing: so called organic sustainable development is not.
It requires too much energy, knowledge, money, time. It also generates a lots of waste and inconvenience.
Actually food being more expensive and less easy to produce is Malthusianism. Every part of the city where healthy food appear, it is a part of the population that either cannot afford to eat, or have to cut on spending, or is forced to move away.
In the same time, their tomato are not even as good as the one my father was growing.
I love tomatoes, I want to be able to help the world and the modest to share this pleasure, so I want to herald My own message: don't listen to rich spoiled kids and obscurantists stupid people. Learn to grow your own plants, learn to value the knowledge, and make your own decisions according to where you are, and what you have access too. I don't have space, I don't have time, I go for KNOP, but it is totally legitim in a different environment to go for other solutions (like [these amazing swiss people])
Follow your way, and learn, and have fun and awesome tomatoes. And kick the "healthy food" morons in the balls.
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| My mad scientist kit, and yes I feed plants with blood, mouhahaha I have vampire plants |
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