your pegboard looks like an earlier or a later edition of the plastic pegboard we have at the psychology museum.

All pegs have two colors like yours.

Among other things these and other pegboards were developed for testing dexterity in recruitment contexts and for testing and training eye-hand-coordination in neuropsychology.

In neuropsychology it helps to assess neurological damages.

Our version has the imprint "U.S.E.S. PEGBOARD".

The abbreviation stands for "United States Employment Services".

We got our exemplar donated though from the psychological laboratory of the Otto Wagner Hospital in Vienna, a psychiatry.

A lot of games that originate from primitive cultures have hand-made wood-sculpted boards, are played with pretty pebbles from the local beach or forest, and have countless variations to the rules (like Mancala ).

To me this looks like one of those games, but from a somewhat more recent time.

There are infinitely many games you could play on this 12x8 board with double sided pieces, so I hope you have a game in mind but can't remember the title.

Here's some guesses: Five Stones is an old five-in-a-row game with some restrictions that is played on a 12x8 board, but it doesn't require double sided pieces.

City can be played on a 12x8 board, but it only requires 24 pieces to play.

It could be a Reversi/Othello variant, but those usually require as many pieces as positions on the board.

It could be a variation on Halma , although that doesn't require double sided pieces.

Konane has no board size defined in its rules, but requires as many pieces as positions on the board.

This is my best attempt at an answer to a question that I fear has no single answer.

If you feel that these don't answer your question, please explain in your question why not, and I can delete this answer.

I just did a Massachusetts state assessment test for the local Boston insulators union and this board was given to us to test manual dexterity.

The test was broken down into two parts, each 30 seconds long.

The first test we had to remove the pegs from one side to the next using both hands, the second test we had to flip the pegs one by one using only one hand.

By the way, the board we used looked exactly like the one posted by Sascha Frank

Although this is a non-standard board size, you could play Pente with this set.

As Bostonian previously stated....

I also took a mechanical aptitude and spacial relations test for a Boston Trades Union (Plumbers and Gasfitters) and as part of the Manual Dexterity portion of the exam, the U.S.E.S. Pegboard was used as the exam was proctored by MA Div. of Career Resources.

(following the written portion of the exam)

This honestly looks like a simple connection game.

(See m,n,k games ).

They used to have games like this at "folksy" restaurants when I was a kid.

(The peg board resembles a cribbage-type board, although it's obviously not a cribbage board.)

It might be a proto-version of TwixT , without the strings.

Although it's possible it could be a jumping game, like Konane, I'd be surprised if it was for a jumping game like Halma or Checkers, where a checker board is pretty standard.

The lack of context may be for the purpose of generalization--it is not a single game, but can be used for a variety of connection games and jumping games.

Question: I was wondering if anyone knows what this game is.It has 59(maybe missing 1) pegs that are red on one side and wood color on the other.It is a 12 x 8 Pegboard Game.There are no markings on the inside or outside and it folds like a briefcase. Everything is made of wood except the handle, rubber feet, and latches.

What is this game with a 12x8 pegboard and 59 double sided pegs?

It looks like the pegboard they use to test manual dexterity or a simple connection game.

This looks like a simple connection game or like an earlier or a later edition of a psychology plastic pegboard. There are boards like this to test manual dexterity.

This pegboard looks like an earlier or a later edition of a psychology plastic pegboard. There are boards like this to test manual dexterity.

This looks like a simple connection game.


In fact, the Legacy rules themselves suggest playing a few games if you aren't familiar with Pandemic.

IF YOU'VE NEVER PLAYED PANDEMIC...

We recommend that you play a few games without any of the special"Legacy

" rules to get a feel for the decisions you will have to make.

Read this rulebook then play without using the following rules: •Game Months, Legacy Deck, Dossiers •Objectives, Funding, Game Calendar, Panic Level •Scars and Lost Characters •Game

End Upgrades

The object of these warm-up games is to cure four diseases before any ofthe game-losing conditions are triggered (noted on page 14 of these rules).You should play at least two games this way to get a feel for the game beforeadding the additional rules.

Yes, you could play something very similar to vanilla Pandemic using just the base game components and ignoring all the Legacy elements.

The board is slightly different, but you probably won't even notice.

You can really only do this before you start playing the legacy version though.

Once you start playing the legacy version, things will happen that will modify the game in ways that will quickly make it difficult or impossible to play the base game.

Thats not true.

You can play the game even after you finish the legacy version.

Simply take out all the stickers that got put on during legacy play.

They r really easy to take off.

Yes, you can play “vanilla” before, during and after playing the campaign.

During the campaign: don’t destroy anything, just put it aside 1 before placement, shift stickers a little so that they don’t hide information of the virgin board 2 During the “vanilla” play: follow vanilla rules according to the Legacy rule book (or download and read vanilla rules) ignore stickers do not incorporate introduced Legacy material (easy to avoid) use all the 5 vanilla events only Resilient Population One Quiet Night Forecast Airlift word Government Grand word use the 5 available roles and find a way to shuffle them 4/7 from vanilla vrol Medic Scientist Researcher

Dispatcher 1/6 from On the Brink exp Generalist

You might want: find and print all the vanilla roles (only 5 in Legacy and not easy to shuffle)

use On the Brink

exp rules regarding event cards: use 2 cards per player draw form a pool of “funding”/event cards the 5 vanilla cards and 2/8 On the Brink cards available in Legacy 5

Borrowed Time Remote Treatment

the last Legacy card “flexible aid package” 4 could be used as well 6 use the original lines between cities, instead of the Legacy modifications there would be no connections between these yellow cities: Los Angeles – Lima Santiago – Buenos Aires Buenos Aires –

Johannesburg there would be connections with black/red: Bagdad – Karachi Chennai – Bangkok 1

actually, you can still destroy almost all material as instructed in legacy, just not the material you need in vanilla (and you will know which that is) 2

the majority of the stickers (e.g. panic level) do not even hide anything and the ones who might you can probably remember word

the card has different wording to accommodate Legacy features, but the effect is the same 4

I am not sure about the name, as the one I have is in German exp

On the Brink is the first expansion of vanilla Pandemic: among other things it includes Events and Roles which can be used for vanilla play 5 later in Legacy you will discover another event from On the Brink: New Assignment word 6

you will discover up to 5 other unusable event cards which could be re-purposed for events from vanilla expansions vrol the Quarantine Specialist (non-vanilla abilities only;

needs to be played with original features in mind) and the Operations Expert word come later, the Contingency Planner is not in Legacy

Like people said before, it is easy to play vanilla pandemic with the pandemic legacy box.

Moreover, various extra components/rules supplied with the game and gradually revealed through the game make it possible to play many interesting modifications of the game even after you finish the campaign.

Question: I've never played Pandemic, but thinking of getting the Legacy edition. Is it possible to play it without the legacy elements a few times first, and get an experience that is same or similar to that of the regular Pandemic?

Can Pandemic Legacy be played as "vanilla" Pandemic?

Yes, you can just play without the Legacy elements. Read the rulebook then play without using certain sections.

Yes, it is easy to play “vanilla” before, during and after playing the campaign by using just the base game components and ignoring all the Legacy elements.  During the “vanilla” play, follow vanilla rules according to the Legacy rule book, ignore stickers and do not incorporate introduced Legacy material, just use all the 5 vanilla events.

S4: Read this rulebook then play without using the following rules:  •Game Months, Legacy Deck, Dossiers  •Objectives, Funding, Game Calendar, Panic Level  •Scars and Lost Characters  •Game


This French page gives the following configuration for a 16 die Boggle version: ETUKNO EVGTIN DECAMP IELRUW EHIFSE

RECALS ENTDOS OFXRIA NAVEDZ EIOATA GLENYU BMAQJO TLIBRA SPULTE AIMSOR ENHRIS

According to this French wikipedia article it is the configuration for the 'international' edition of Boggle.

I assume it is also the configuration for the Portugese 16-die version, since it is used for a Portugese Excel version of Boggle (see here ).

boardgames.stackexchange.com/users/15441/Miguel van de Laar

I finally got my hands on a Spanish version of a 4x4 (16 dice)

Boggle, specifically the "enclosed electronic-timer" version (sometimes referred to as "Scrabble Boggle" or "Boggle Reinvention")

The dice configuration is: ARHSDE FUAARB IOTALG UOEEOCh*

FOMTUI OODBLG RPSZTL EBIOUA CAREME

RSJEFI

NSXJAH UVDQBCh* NBIMEE

BAANIT EPVOCU SCAAPT

In Spanish Boggle, Ch is printed together but counts as two separate letters when scoring.

I made Dice combination in Bosnian language.

It can be used in Serb and Croat language.

Dice configuration:

The (one of?)

the German version(s) you can find on my blog at http://blogabissl.blogspot.com/2016/08/boggle.html , standard 4 times 4 = 16 dice, including the way I turned the dice.

Another 16-die Spanish version from Argentinean manufacturer Kipo's: ['N', 'D', 'S', 'E', 'A', 'O'], ['A', 'O', 'U', 'E', 'A', 'I'],['N', 'I', 'T', 'A', 'G', 'U'], ['V', 'O', 'N', 'J', 'S', 'L'],['E', 'S', 'O', 'Ñ', 'A', 'D'], ['E', 'Qu', 'O', 'S', 'H', 'D'],['C', 'E', 'N', 'O', 'L', 'S'], ['D', 'T', 'A', 'R', 'O', 'I'],['C', 'N', 'I', 'R', 'T', 'F'], ['P', 'S', 'C', 'E', 'L', 'O'],['E', 'H', 'I', 'X', 'U', 'R'], ['B', 'O', 'M', 'L', 'E', 'Z'],['A', 'R', 'E', 'C', 'M', 'A'], ['S', 'A', 'C', 'E', 'N', 'O'],['P', 'O', 'D', 'E', 'T', 'A'], ['B', 'R', 'A', 'E', 'L', 'A'] (my apologies if the brackets and commas are uncomfortable, I'm taking this from my JavaScript project)

Question: This is the dice configuration for the English Boggle:    Other variants and discussions concerning letter distributions for English can be found here:   http://www.bananagrammer.com/2013/10/the-boggle-cube-redesign-and-its-effect.html    http://everything2.com/title/Boggle    https://boardgamegeek.com/thread/300883/letter-distribution    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talk%3aBoggle  I am interested in the  16 dice  configurations for also other languages (Spanish in particular) and I am unable to find it anywhere online.    Versions I managed to find so far:  Czech  16 dice version:  http://www.deskovehry.info/pravidla/boggle.htm  English  25 dice version:   Spanish  25 dice version:   Italian  25 dice version:

Boggle: What is the dice configuration for Boggle in various languages?

In Spanish Boggle, Ch is printed together but counts as two letters.

The French configuration for a 16 die Boggle versionis  ETUKNO EVGTIN DECAMP IELRUW  EHIFSE. According to a French wikipedia article this is the configuration for the 'international' edition of Boggle.  In Spanish Boggle, Ch is printed together but counts as two separate letters when scoring.


GoKibitz is a new website that offers a nice frontend for discussing games.

I did not use it myself, but it looks promising.

I have no experience how strong the players are which are commenting regularly, however I saw at least many 1d or 2d comments.

If you are willing to spend money on getting regular full reviews on your games I can highly recommend In-seong's Yunguseng Dojang .

It is available for American and European timezone.

You are getting lessons and reviews of league matches from high amateur dan players.

I participated in the school myself for 1 year.

As I am new to this site I am not sure if such an advertisement is considered good practice here.

Please comment if it isn't.

I am not completely sure if the question already is a good fit for the site, because there can be very many answers providing different resources.

Selecting one of them as the one right answer is probably not possible.

Join a Go club with strong players.

Your club mates will give you comments and hints.

Visit Go conventions and go to Go tournaments.

If joining a Go club is not practical for you, consider to take some payed Go lessons by a professional player.

boardgames.stackexchange.com/users/11703/jk - Reinstate Monica

The Go Teaching Ladder is a good place to get comments on your games.

Unless you're already a dan player, you won't get comments from 6d+ players, but you also don't need them.

Your game will be reviewed by a player several stones stronger than you, and they will be able too see enough of your mistakes to help you get stronger.

OGS has a review requests section .

I just got a great review there

so I'd like to share the link.

Some Go tournaments will feature professional commentators who will also play several "simultaneous" games with players, typically for a small fee, such as $10 or $20 a head.

They will remember the salient points of those games and point out the most egregious errors.

These professional commentators also observe and comment on games, but typically only if you are 1-2 dan or higher.

Question: I'd like to get advice from strong go players - let's say amateur 6D+ or pros. What are my options for getting that advice?  I am not necessarily looking for full game reviews, rather comments on one or two turning points in a game.

How/where can I get comments from strong players on my gameplay?

Try Gokibitz or join a Go club. You can also find Go tournaments or the Go Teaching Ladder to get comments on your games.

GoKibitz  is a new website where you can discuss games. OGS also has a  review requests section . At a cost you can get regular full reviews on your games at-seong's Yunguseng Dojang . You can join a Go club with strong players. The  Go Teaching Ladder  is a good place to get comments on your games.  And some Go tournaments feature professional commentators who will also play several  "simultaneous" games  with players, for a small fee, such as $10 or $20 a head.


In general, if you realize that you can't win, you should resign.

It's considered rude to make plays that will only allow you to catch up if your opponent makes a stupid mistake.

I don't think Go is different from chess in this way.

I would say around half of my games end in resignation.

Sadly I do not have a reliable source for this answer, but as far as I know, continuing when clearly behind is not generally considered rude, at least at professional level.

One reasoning was that it is good manners to try your best until the end.

Of course one would still try to play good moves to minimize the loss, not just play on for the sake of it.

This may be somewhat country-specific, too.

I also remember a professional game that was lost during counting, i.e. a mistake when filling dame (the order mattered).

The comments commended the attention to detail of the eventual winner.

Some amateurs, on the other hand, have strong opinions on when a game should be resigned.

They may be scarred from bad experiences with players who continued even though the game was over, i.e. dame was filled, but they kept playing all remaining ko threats or even non-threats, dead stones inside the opponents territory, just to avoid passing.

This varies a lot for different players, so if you want to be on the safe side, it seems sensible to resign rather sooner than later.

In games that are not rated (not tournament), I would resign a lot quicker just to be able to play another game instead, and certainly many people do so.

The general answer to this question is no .

Go players play for win or loose, not for the difference of score.

When a player lying behind does not see a chance to turn the outcome of the game into Eir favour, E resigns.

The caveat here is the word general :

There are some tournament formats (used, e.g., in the Go-to-innovation tournament in Berlin, Germany ) using a scoring system based on point differences.

The Hahn system assign a full point only with a score difference of 40 points or more, each 10 points missing on board make the score 0.1 smaller.

Also, in the Korean gambling Go bangneki score differences (in terms of 10 points on the board) were used to measure the amount of money won or lost.

boardgames.stackexchange.com/users/11703/jk - Reinstate Monica

There are different player characters out there, some of whom may quickly resign a game of Go, while others will continue playing even after suffering a severe loss.

The later is not without reason: Even if some of your stones die, it does not mean they are worthless.

The point is, that many dead stones leave tons of good aji to be exploited.

Once you realize that, you realize that you still have decent chances of winning games that you would otherwise have wanted to give up.

Also, estimating final score is actually quite hard in the early stages of a game of Go.

I cannot count the number of times I've been surprised by the final score of a game.

Like, I was thinking I would loose, but then a win would be counted, and vice versa.

I just had such a game with an opponent who resigned after less than a hundred moves, because he lost a big fight.

Nevertheless, when I counted the game by playing it out, it was still him who should have won the game.

Thus, if you make a habit of resigning games early, you are not playing to your full strength, you are loosing games that you would have won.

Many Go players know this, either explicitly or intuitively, and are slow to resign consequently.

The ones who don't know this unfortunately have a hard time realizing their mistake, as they never see how their resigned games would have played out.

boardgames.stackexchange.com/users/22263/cmaster - reinstate monica

I would rephrase the question as, "Do Go players play to minimize score difference after realizing they WILL not win?"

And the answer to that question is yes.

A "cannot" win game is one where a professional player is down by 5-10 points or more with only "endgame" left.

In that case, the losing pro will resign because there is no possibility another pro will blow a lead that large in a non-dynamic position.

On the other hand, a "will not win" game is when the pro is one or two points behind in an endgame situation.

Against another pro, one usually "will not" win such a game.

But if each move is worth two points, and the leading pro makes a two point mistake, the gap could be closed.

These instances are rare, but not unheard of, especially under time pressure.

In those cases, a pro may elect to play the game to the end and try to narrow the gap, knowing he has no legitimate chance to win, but hoping to "get lucky."

Source:

Appreciating Famous Games

Question: I would expect that players might opt for a strategy with a higher chance of winning despite having a greater chance of losing by a greater point difference. But after they see that they will lose, do they continue to play their best to score as well as they can?  Go appears to be different from e.g. chess, where by contrast the game is typically not played out to checkmate and often ends in forfeit when a player realizes that he cannot win.

Do Go players play to minimize score difference after realizing they cannot win?

Go players play to win or lose, not for points. If you realize you can't win, you should resign.

Go players play for win or loose, not for a difference of score.Some players argue that if you realize that you can't win, you should resign, but continuing when behind is not considered rude at professional level.  Go players play for win or loose, not for a difference of score.

Of course there are different player characters out there and subsequently each will make a different decision on this.


One reason is that it thins your deck.

It is generally known that smaller decks work better than larger decks , which is why almost everyone uses the smallest legal size of 60 in constructed.

Cards that draw you cards when you play them (cantrips such as Gitaxian Probe ) turn your 60 card deck into an effectively 59 card deck.

Fetchlands do the same thing.

After using a fetchland, you have removed a card from your library.

Note that unlike "draw a card", searching for a land specifically removes a land from your library.

This means that you are more likely to draw a non-land card after you have used a Fetchland.

So it effectively changes the land to non-land ratio of your deck slightly.

So the deck in the example has 19 lands.

If they were all Mountains, then after you play your first mountain (pretending you had 0 cards in hand or anywhere else), you would have a 18 out of 59 chance that the top card of your library is another Mountain.

If instead you play a Bloodstained Mire first, and use it, then after that you have a 17 out of 58 chance that the top card of your deck is a Mountain.

More chance of drawing non-lands instead.

In that particular deck, the loss of life is not very relevant; that type of deck is hoping to win the game before the opponent can deal 16 or so damage to you.

So having 20 life instead of 16 isn't going to save you.

In a different type of deck, they might use Evolving Wilds or Terramorphic Expanse instead.

They have the same deck-thinning effect, but instead of losing life, you would lose tempo because the fetched lands enter play tapped.

In addition to the excellent answer already posted, there are times that a deck wants to have multiple lands enter the battlefield.

This particular deck does not benefit from this, but there are others that do.

Any deck with the 'Landfall' mechanic will want to have the ability to drop lands, and instant speed is a big plus, for example to activate Lotus Cobra 's ability.

In a different Red Deck, a player might use Searing Blaze , which also benefits from Landfall.

Granted, Lotus Cobra is usually seen in multi-color decks, but the concept of Landfall is there.

A third reason, not mentioned by either of the other answers, is to have a way to shuffle your deck for a very low cost.

This is most commonly seen in Legacy, where cards like Ponder and Brainstorm are powerful selection effects, but might leave undesirable cards on top of the deck; shuffling replaces those cards with (hopefully) better draws.

Modern doesn't have either of those cards, but there are still occasional effects that allow a player to see the top of their deck such as Mishra's Bauble and Courser of Kruphix and the timing of fetchland use when those effects are available is certainly something to think about.

That said, this is probably not the case for an 8-whack deck, nor do I know of any particular mono-color modern deck that runs fetchlands specifically for that purpose.

If there was one I would expect it to be mono-blue to take advantage of Jace, the Mind Sculptor 's effective Brainstorm, though I haven't done an exhaustive search of all cards which would benefit from free shuffling.

A fourth reason is cards that benefit from having lands in the graveyard, such as Tarmogoyf , Barbarian Ring , Crucible of Worlds or Splendid Reclamation

The minimum deck size in Magic

the Gathering is 60 cards for constructed formats, each fetch land you play effectively lowers that minimum deck size by 1 card, since you will be using that land to pull another land out of your deck right into play as if you had played it instead, at the cost of one life.

This means also that you have less land left in the deck, once you're at your right number of lands for a deck, drawing more lands means you haven't drawn anything to use the mana those lands make, slowing you down.

A third reason is in specific decks, though they are not usually mono colored, landfall.

The landfall mechanic triggers whenever a land enters the battlefield under your control, using a fetch land means that effect will trigger twice, once when you play the fetch land and once when the land it fetched comes into play, allowing you to double up on some of the effects.

Landfall decks used fetch lands to make more use out of cards like Lotus Cobra or Steppe Lynx in a single turn.

Question: This is a list of a competitive deck that uses fetchlands in a mono-colored deck:  Goblin 8 Whackers .  I don't see the reason someone might build something like this, aside from a slight bluffing that you might be using another color aside from your main one.  Is there an advantage to losing one life and fetching a mountain? Maybe to shuffle your deck?

Why do some people use fetchlands in mono-colored decks?

It thins your deck and it is generally known that smaller decks work better than larger ones.

One reason is that it thins your deck and smaller decks work better than larger decks , which is why almost everyone uses the smallest legal size. Another reason is to have a way to shuffle your deck for a very low cost. Also cards benefit from having lands in the graveyard, such as  Tarmogoyf ,  Barbarian Ring ,  Crucible of Worlds  or  Splendid Reclamation


We run into the same issues; generally playing with 7-8 people.

There are a few techniques we use to help: Players don't keep their own cards immediately in front of them; they keep somewhere in between their own seat and the center of the table.

Close enough that it's clear whose is whose.

I try to start the night phase already leaning forward, so that if I don't make noise leaning forward if I need to later.

Even with doing these things, taking actions that involve other players' cards such as seer, troublemaker, or robber, are generally just restricted to choosing a player that is seated close to you.

As a seer, I would never attempt to look at the card of a player sitting across the table from me.

There are two ways I can see going about this.

Change the order players go in to be based on seating order

(this is how one night resistance works) so that everyone goes in a set order.

Also as part of this have everyone get up and walk around the table that way you can't tell what someone does based on getting up or not.

When doing the night phase have everyone stand up and move away from the table this way when people are called to do their step they can move to the table and do their action in a less delectable manner.

Note #1 will mess with balance at times do it the order of actions changing based on how the deal lands but as long as everyone plays the roles of how they where at the start of the night it is possible it won't mess with balance to much.

This is how One Night Resistance handle roles and they have similar actions to the ones in this game.

Note that one does not need to use a ten-seater table to play ONUW with ten people.

There is only need for enough space to fit the centre board plus the cards of each player in a ring.

A table or desk with dimensions of a metre each way is more than sufficient.

The players' seats are pushed out away from the table when conducting the night phase.

Each player then has space to move forward, perform their actions, and lean back again.

It can be more helpful to stand during the night phase if capable; the table can be put closer to those that require seating throughout.

If you so wish, and are resourced enough, markers can be taped or stuck to the table to indicate which card belongs to which seat, to avoid unnecessary confusion over what is moved where or who may look at which cards.

This has served for groups up to twelve, including relative newcomers and casual players, and could reasonably extend to groups of 15-16 without much more difficulty.

I have played one night werewolf with 10 people on many occasions.

Here the three things we have done that made it work well.

Note that tips 1 and 2 are useful even at lower player numbers.

Have everyone stand before the night phase.

If you are playing on the floor, have everyone get up on their knees.

This way, players can reach all of the cards without moving substantially and/or making noise with their chair.

Move all the cards towards the middle before the night phase.

The cards should be in a fairly tight ring around the middle three cards (though not so tight that you can't tell whose card is whose).

If you don't do this, players usually can't reach the cards of players across from them, and so will only look at or manipulate cards of people near them.

Don't use a table that seats 10.

If you're using a table that can comfortably fit 10 chairs, your table is too big.

Your ideal table is one that comfortably fits six.

If you have an adjustable table, take a leaf out of the table or fold in the wings to make it smaller.

The key here is that you don't actually need all that much play space, and players don't interact with the pieces during the day, so can have their chairs a bit back from the table to fit (since they are standing during the night phase).

The other option is to play on the floor if you have a large carpeted area.

Use a referee for large games.

Then you can just point at the cards and the referee (standing) can move around the room a lot and reach in to the table without actually showing anything during the phases so that people don't know which cards were shown or to whom.

Question: We were playing with only 6, and we found it is virtually impossible to reach for cards across the table without making a lot of telltale noise. I opted for crowding in and keeping my arm raised on my elbow so that I could reach any card just by lowering it.  How can 10 people gather around the cards and take their actions without most of the table knowing?  What do  you  do?

How it is physically possible to play ONUW with 10 players?

Players don't keep their own cards immediately in front of them. You can also stand during the night phase. Stick markers to the table to show the cards that go with each seat.

You do not need to use a ten-seater table to play ONUW with ten people, an ideal table is one that comfortably fits six. Markers can be taped or stuck to the table to indicate which card belongs to which seat. Players shouldn't keep their own cards immediately in front of them, but keep somewhere in between their own seat and the center of the table. Everyone should get up and walk around the table so you can't tell what someone does based on getting up or not.  It can be more helpful to stand during the night phase. S4: If you are playing on the floor, have everyone get up on their knees.

You do not need to use a ten-seater table to play ONUW with ten people, an ideal table is one that comfortably fits six.  . Markers can be taped or stuck to the table to indicate which card belongs to which seat.

The cards should be in a fairly tight ring around the middle three cards .


A soft plastic sleeve (like the ultrapro or dragonshields used when playing a deck) in the mail is not enough support, and cards shipped that way that I have received

have come in damaged.

The best way to ship is in the rigid plastic top loaders, after that between two pieces of cardboard or poster board, something more rigid than the card(s) in the middle that will protect what you are shipping.

Almost all cards I have received are one of these two ways, and none of those have ever been damaged during shipping.

If you use cardboard or poster board, you need to tape the pieces together, so they do not slide apart and the card slide out during shipping.

A single piece of tape over the opening of a top-loader can also help, particularly with some top loaders that are larger than others.

There is less risk of the card sliding out of the top-loader than there is of it sliding out from between two free floating pieces of cardboard, but the risk is still there.

As for what you ship them in, any envelope card size or larger will do.

Magic the Gathering cards are Poker* sized cards are 3.5" by 2.5" and top-loaders are 4" by 3".

The smallest envelope according to USPS rules that qualifies as a letter (for standard stamp usage) is 5" by 3.5" so anything around that size works perfectly to fit a top-loader.

Yu

Gi Oh cards are slightly smaller Bridge size cards at 3.5" by 2.25"

In addition to Andrew's answer, which is 100% correct, you can write "Do Not Bend" on your envelope.

I have heard that this will tell the post office not to put your envelope through the sorting machine, which can bend or fold your envelope, and hence damage your card.

Usually your card will be safe even without the "do not bend", but for extra safety you can add it.

I would like to add, its always better to ship valuable items with tracking and insurance.

So a normal USPS letter wouldn't be the best.

Maybe use something like FedEx, UPS, DHL and so on.

Its more expensive but way more safe* (*citation needed)

I usually put cards in soft plastic sleeve like ultrapro, and use bubble mailer instead of normal envelope.

For more expensive ones I prefer to use rigid plastic top loaders.

You can also add some cardboard for better protection.

Few layers of paper also work.

You also should make sure that cards will stay in center of envelope and do not accidentally move.

Bubble mailer is thin on side where it is sealed and offer less protection there, so cards should not move in this area.

Another thing to keep in mind that people who are stamping envelopers may hit it hard with stamp, what may damage card inside.

Because of this card should not be directly under post stamps to reduce this risk.

The Cardmarket webshop has a FAQ answer for this.

How should I pack my order?

If you are selling 1-16 single cards, you should: Put the cards into sleeves (max.

4 cards per sleeve) Seal the sleeve with adhesive tape.

Use a piece of paper between tape and the sleeve opening to prevent the tape from touching the cards.

Fix the sleeve(s) on rigid cardboard (e.g. a postcard, but not "normal" paper).

Use another piece of cardboard to "cover" the cards from the other side.

You may of course use a toploader, but only 1 card per toploader.

And you need cardboard in addition.

Send in a normal envelop.

Bubble envelopes are not a suitable protection for trading card shipments.

We do not recommend to use bubble envelopes For larger orders, we recommend to use piles of cards that you wrap into paper (like a present ;-)) to form a block.

Make sure to fix and protect the block in a box or big envelope.

Using the FAQ like someone else but adding a few things.

If using a toploader, place card inside a sleeve, place sleeve upside down in the toploader and tape it, tape toploaders together if sending multiple cards.

Very important:Tape the toploader to the envelope!

I can't stress enough how this makes a difference, I had some cards arrive the other day (through the breach, engineered explosives and a noble hierarch) that the envelope was shredded to bits on one side

but the cards were fine.

Always ensure that the type of postage is adequate, if you are sending 0-20$ worth of cards, use postage that covers that amount, you may risk without it as the risk-benefit (cheaper price) might be worth it for you.

If you are sending individual cards worth $50 or more, make sure the insurance will cover this This might sound stupid but...

don't use the money you got from the cards until you are sure they have arrived safely, the last thing you want is to have to refund $300 to someone while you wait for insurance (or not) but you are unable to as you already bought something else with it.

Be smart, keep safe!

The Cardmarket webshop has a FAQ answer for this.

Let me just copy it here.

How should I pack my order?

If you are selling 1-16 single cards, you should: Put the cards into sleeves

(max.

4 cards per sleeve) Seal the sleeve with adhesive tape.

Use a piece of paper between tape and the sleeve opening to prevent the tape from touching the cards.

Fix the sleeve(s) on rigid cardboard (e.g. a postcard, but not "normal" paper).

Use another piece of cardboard to "cover" the cards from the other side.

You may of course use a toploader, but only 1 card per toploader.

And you need cardboard in addition.

Send in a normal envelop.

Bubble envelopes are not a suitable protection for trading card shipments.

We do not recommend to use bubble envelopes For larger orders , we recommend to use piles of cards that you wrap into paper (like a present ;-)) to form a block .

Make sure to fix and protect the block in a box or big envelope.

Question: Is there an agreed upon standard on how cards should be packaged and shipped when they're sold online on places like Cardmarket or similar websites? I have some valuable cards I'd like to sell, but have never done so before.  Do I simply ship them in a sleeve with an envelope? Or is something more secured the standard? We're talking single card sales here, so each card is out on the market individually.

How should I ship cards?

Use a rigid plastic top loader with two pieces of cardboard on either side. Write "Do not Bend" on your envelope.

The best way to ship is in the rigid plastic top loaders, then between two pieces of cardboard or poster board. Use a piece of paper between tape and the sleeve opening to prevent the tape from touching the cards. It is also always better to ship valuable items with tracking and insurance. Another thing to keep in mind people who stamp the envelopes may hit it hard with stamp.  Bubble envelopes are not a suitable protection for trading card  shipments. Send in a normal envelop and write on 'do not bend'.

its always better to ship valuable items with tracking and insurance.

Bubble envelopes are not a suitable protection for trading card  shipments. S11: Send in a normal envelop.


In general, it depends on your location.

In the northern hemisphere, the south side gets the bulk of the sun, because the sun is in that half of the sky.

But if you are on a hill, or have a hill to the east or west, it can significantly shorten your solar 'day'.

Additionally, if you are in an area that tends to get morning fog, east-facing will get less effective sun than west-facing, because by afternoon the sun will have burned off the fog.

Finally, elevation matters.

Higher floors will get more sun because they "see" more of the sky.

So in general, the south-west of the house will get the most sun, with upper floors receiving more than lower floors.

A good (and kind of fun) way to answer this is with Google Earth .

If you look up your address, then click the Sun icon, it will allow you to see the sun light based on season and time of day.

This question depends on context.

I could say the north side but for all I know the north side of your house has no windows.

It also depends on geographic location.

Where does the sun rise/set.

Do you have any trees/objects near your house that would obstruct light?

There are varying factors here to say the least.

I believe that in the northern hemisphere, it's always the south-facing side, and north-facing in the southern hemisphere.

Wikipedia's article on Seasons has a few nice images showing this.

The sun rises in the east, swings south throughout the day, to set in the west.

Depending on season, "east" may be slightly ESE in deep winter to E in mid summer to ENE in late fall (northern hemisphere).

Of course it's the earth, not the sun, that is moving.

Which side of your house gets the most sun is dependent on local geography and site layout (in a valley, on wide open plain, large shade trees, high on a hill) but the earth's rotation and season of year is constant.

Simple explanation here: Learn the scientific reason behind Earth's seasons.

Question: Which side of a house will get the most sunlight?  Articles on the internet seem to have conflicting answers. Is this because it is dependent on location?

Which side of a house will get the most sunlight?

In depends on your location. In the northern hemisphere, the southern side of the house gets the most sun. Areas that get fog will get less sun in the morning.

In general, it depends on your location. The sun rises in the east, swings south throughout the day, to set in the west. I believe that in the northern hemisphere, it's always the south-facing side, and north-facing in the southern hemisphere.  Additionally, if you are in an area that tends to get morning fog, east-facing will get less sun than west-facing, because by afternoon the sun will have burned off the fog.  So in general, the south-west of the house will get the most sun, with upper floors receiving more than lower floors. If you look up your address, then click the Sun icon, it will allow you to see the sun light based on season and time of day.


As to germinating, the information that I can find says to plant with the rounded end up.

Wrap it in a damp paper towel in a baggie and keep it someplace warm for a week to a month.

Check it to make sure it doesn't mold.

If it starts to mold, take it out and plant it.

But that has little to do with where you live.

I could get Mango to germinate here in zone 5.

Mango is hardy to zone 10-11.

Phoenix is zone 9.

You may have trouble with winter kill.

You might be able to make it work if you have a site (or can create a microclimate)

that stays warmer.

Or if you can find a variety of mango (if such a thing exists, I don't know) that is hardier than the zone 10-11 that I found listed.

I'd like to suggest you take the advice of those who are local to you, they will have more first hand experience than those who might suggest that non-native varieties are too difficult.

So, many people, myself included, have successfully grown fruiting mango trees in Phoenix.

The suggestion not to grow from a seed is a good one, you should get a grafted variety because it's unlikely that a seed from even a tasty mango will produce a fruit that's good eating, due to the nature of the seeds.

Make sure it gets plenty of water.

Mangos can handle all the Phoenix summer sun you can throw at it.

In the wintertime, when it drops under 40 degrees, water it and lay a cover over it at night so it'll stay warm.

A little luck and a little elbow grease is all that's needed.

I can't find the link, but I remember reading that the best eating mangoes are clones from well-established, known-to-be-tasty mango trees.

Branches are grafted on to rootstock and allowed to grow.

I'm still waiting to find out in my 3 year old mango tree's fruit will be good (I didn't know about the clone thing when I planted it).

I have been successful growing mangos from the fruit seeds in Scottsdale, Arizona.

Let the husk dry (overnight) and then carefully cut an edge on one side to remove the seed.

Only in warm weather, plant the seed in well drained soil, water it every day and within 2 weeks you will know if the seed is viable.

The seedling can tolerate some sun during the day but that's it.

Best to give it filtered light.

The same goes for the tree as it grows.

If it is standing in water it will die.

The tree, if in the ground, will die back to the soil line in a freeze but usually will come back in the spring.

In a large pot it can be brought into shelter.

Any frost or near freezing temps will hurt it.

I once had a tree (more of a skinny twig) blossom and had a baby mango which blew off in heavy wind.

Perhaps around the area of the zoo, downtown Phoenix, the airport and the Scottsdale Civic Center Mall where frosts are rare a mango tree could survive.

There are rubber trees out in the open and these are sensitive to cold.

They can be a guide where the warmer zones are.

Microclimates such as the area on the south side of the senate office building provides enough warmth that a full grown royal palm grows in the palm garden there.

Good luck.

The mango is a tropical plant.

So not only do you need the heat and lack of frost, but you will also need water and humidity - something Phoenix does not naturally have.

If you had a big enough greenhouse (!)

it should be possible but note Kevin's comment about clones.

This applies to pretty much all the fruit trees I can think of.

Yes you might be able to grow a mango stone in a similar way that an grocer's avocado can be grown but it is unlikely to be like the original fruit.

Cuttings & rooting stock is the way to go if you want a reproducible fruit and tree.

Also as a good general guide, beware of a certain amount of wishful thinking on the part of the stores when they advertise their "non-local" trees.

I was buying agaves from the local gardening center at the weekend - most of the ones they had would be killed by even a mild local winter.

Luckily they had some hardier ones which should survive okay.

I realize that this is an old post but in case someone else is looking for info I will comment.

It is okay to grow from seed as long as the seed is Poly-embryonic.

You can research which varieties are.

Ataulfo would be an example.

The seedling will need to stay away from direct sunlight here in the valley, and it will need a lot of care for a few years.

i.e. summer sun protection, lots of water (but not soggy) and winter protection below 40 degrees.

You can slowly acclimate the plant over the course of a few years.

Planting it in dappled sunlight is a good way to grow it.

Jacaranda trees work great for this, just remember that your mango will get tall so don't plant it to close.

Also go onto Youtube and research it.

Question: I've been wanting to plant a mango seed; though I live in Phoenix, Arizona.  Firstly, would a mango seed actually grow in my area? Secondly, I'm pretty new to any kind of plant life. So, does anyone have any information on germinating and planting a mango seed?

Is it possible to grow a mango plant in the Phoenix climate?

People have grown mangoes in Arizona. It is hardy to zones 10-11. Make sure it gets plenty of water and protect it from cold in the winter. It is a good idea to get a grafted plant that is more likely to give good fruit.

Mango is hardy to zone 10-11, but Mangos can handle all the Phoenix summer sun you can throw at it and people have successfully grown them there. Make sure it gets plenty of water.  You may have trouble with winter kill.  In the wintertime, when it drops under 40 degrees, water it and lay a cover over it at night. It is best not to grow from seed.


I too have no expert advice, but I just built wooden boxes (3'x12') and scooped the topsoil from the paths into the beds.

I then laid down sticks, grass, wood chips, etc to fill the lowered walkways.

Over the years the walkways composted beautifully.

You can move the raised beds, till the whole thing and put the frames in another orientation if you want.

I added a layer of compost in the fall and spring to the tops of the beds. (before planting and after harvest)

I don't know about "properly", but what we have done on three beds (and it seems to work) is: Start with roughly 50/50 mix of cheap topsoil bags (tend to be very sandy) and the more expensive garden soil/compost.

This will settle to perhaps 50–60% of the alleged contents of the bags.

So keep topping up over the next few years when the beds are empty.

Although I might occasionally add the cheap topsoil bags to a young bed that requires a lot of topping-up, I usually top up with "Shrub compost"

(Lowes sell it in big bags intended for trees and shrubs, but it seems to work very well for peppers and tomatoes); our home-made compost; and "used" potting compost (i.e. from pots which have had plants in them).

You shouldn't necessarily be worried about the nutrient content as much as the loam of the soil.

You don't want a soil that is too sandy, clay-y, or full of too much organic matter.

The rule of thumb is to have around 15-20% organic matter and a soil that drains well.

If you live in the desert your best bet is to use top soils/composts from elsewhere.

Just create the raised bed using wood or rock, then fill in the area with a mix of sand and soil.

If you live in a place where vegetables have a better chance with the native soil, try just adding compost.

You'll still need to transfer soil from one part of your yard to another if you want to use a raised bed (which, admittedly, can help with drainage) but it'll be a bit cheaper to start than all of the bags of soil you'd have to purchase from your local nursery.

From the reading etc I have done on the subject, it is important to get the right balance of minerals as well as organic matter.

So you might consult with people from your State's "Master Gardener" Program.

They can also usually tell you where you can get your soil tested.

Testing your soil every so often is a good idea, so you know what you will need to replenish, or what you may have too much of.

I would suggest talking to a Master Gardener in your State to get their advice.

Question: When building a raised bed for a vegetable garden, what do I need to do to properly prepare the soil? It is going to be mixed with different types of vegetables and herbs that I will rotate out all year long.   Should I buy the more expensive garden soil? Or use essentially use top soil and add the necessary fertilizers?

How should I properly prepare a raised bed vegetable garden?

Add a layer of compost to the tops of the beds before and after planting. You want a soil that is not too dry and not too sandy with 15-20% organic matter.

Just build wooden boxes (3'x12') and put in topsoil. Add a layer of compost in the fall and spring to the tops of the beds. Keep topping up over the next few years when the beds are empty.  It is important to get the right balance of minerals as well as organic matter.  The rule of thumb is to have around 15-20% organic matter and a soil that drains well.


There is one magic tip to prolonging the life of a basil plant: Pinch the flowers as soon as they appear!

Plants such as basil basically just grow till they flower and then stop.

As far as the plant is concerned, it has crossed the finish line and there's nothing left for it to do.

So when you keep taking away leaves for your culinary needs, you're weakening the plant.

On the other hand, by pinching the flowers, what you're doing is effectively pushing the finish line forward, so the plant still runs towards it.

So you'll get new growth every time you pinch them off and your plants will be lush and last longer.

Here is a nice illustration from this site that shows where to trim the flowers to encourage growth.

The article is a good read too!

Additional to the other answers, basil famously doesn't like to be damp overnight.

Water mornings, not evenings.

I am attempting to grow Basil for the first time also, but mine seem to be doing pretty well.

From what I found basically they needed a to be planted in soil that will drain well.

In a quick google search I found this site that added a few other things: will not survive indoors susceptible to cold and frost, and to drastic temperature change

Basil, and herbs in general, do not need to be fertilized.

Consider that basil grew well in Mediterranean geographies in the crags of rocks.

So don't overwater, fertilize, or put it anywhere but in full sun.

Also, @yoda is 100% right, you have to keep on top of pinching the flowers off.

But as a rule of thumb, if it has been a while, never remove more than 1/3 of the foilage at any one time.

In the past it has grown almost like a weed in our pots on our deck here in North Texas.

Admittedly we deliberately help it to re-seed itself: we grow it as an annual and winter frosts kill it.

The location is hot (often 100F+) and full sun in the afternoon, but they do take quite a bit of water.

So perhaps shade is the wrong thing?

Some things I've noticed about basil: 1) Basil is deep-rooted.

I have medium size basil plants in fairly large pots (pots which originally contained 5ft pears trees).

The basil roots have grown out of the drain holes and anchored the pots to the ground.

Basil roots can easily exceed 1ft of depth.

2) Basil can root from the stem like tomatoes.

I discovered this while observing a sprout which had a dead spot in the stem which dried to a thread and cut off the root system from the leaves.

Yet, the leaves looked healthy.

It was confounding.

Figuring the leaves must be drawing nutirents from the stem which was touching the ground, I covered the stem with soil and now its a full-size basil plant.

Since this discovery, I hill-up my basil plants like I do tomato and potato plants.

It may be possible to propagate basil by cutting off a stem and sticking it directly into the ground.

Tomato plants will grow this way.

Like tomatoes, basil doesn't care much for an overly acid soil and appreciates a good supply of calcium for strong cell development and magnesium for the abundance of chlorophyll it produces.

My basil responds well to lime, calcium nitrate, magnesium sulfate, and potassium sulfate (calcium, sulfate, magnesium, and potassium are the minerals most leached by rain, in that order).

From The World's Healthiest Foods we can see basil has a "very good" rating next to calcium and iron and a "good" rating next to magnesium and potassium.

The 59mg Ca + 12mg Mg + 96

Mg K must come from somewhere.

Minerals aren't manufactured.

Any suggestion that basil doesn't like water is absolutely false.

We've had record breaking amounts of rain this year.

April, May, and June were 10 inches each

and we had 15 inches for July.

That's a year's worth of rain in 4 months and double or triple the annual rainfall of western or midwestern states.

In spite of all this water, a few days I ago I had to add 1 liter to each plant in repsonse to wilting.

The plants perked up the next day and resumed growing gangbusters.

The basil was the only plant I observed wilting due to lack of water, leading me to believe basil is particularly fond of water.

Basil is salt-sensitive.

Too much KCl can wipe out a stand.

The big bags of 10-10-10 and 13-13-13 are not worth much as fertilzer.

Additionally, there is not a night that passes without my basil being sopping wet...

either from rain, dew, or me spraying with a water hose.

If basil doesn't like to be wet at night, its hard to tell from the overwhelming production of leaves occurring on Genovese, Sweet, and Large-Leaf basil.

If basil doesn't like to grow indoors,

its probably because of a small pot, lack of light, not enough water, and lack of humidity (central air and heat dries the air).

Basil is a great companion plant .

Have a search for 'basil' on

this list of companion plants to see what's good to plant nearby.

Question: What are the best conditions for basil to grow? I live in the UK and it never seems to last that long. Recently I've been putting the plants in the shade and drenching them in water, which seems to be working so far.

What are the best conditions for basil?

Pinch the flowers as soon as they appear to prolong its life and make sure it has well-drained soil.

One tip to prolonging the life of a basil plant is to pnch the flowers as soon as they appear. Basil famously doesn't like to be damp overnight. Basil needs to be planted in soil that will drain well. Basil doesn't care much for an overly acid soil  and appreciates a good supply of calcium for strong cell development and magnesium for the abundance of chlorophyll it produces.  Basil is also a great  companion plant .

Basil is also a great  companion plant .


You don't need to turn it at all.

But, the typical wisdom is that the more frequently you turn it the faster it will turn into the black stuff you want.

Don't waste your money on a tumbler.

Just make a big pile - then eventually you can also have dividers for different maturity piles.

(Discarded pallets work great for that)

I've grown potatoes and pumpkins on/in a pile that was never turned during the growing season.

Morning glories also sprouted...

I always have several compost piles going.

(We have two horses and a bunch of chickens, so between that and the garden

there's lots of feedstock for the piles!)

You don't need to turn the piles at all if you don't want to.

They'll take longer to compost, and the decomposition won't be as complete.

For example, the stuff on the outside won't be broken down.

A well constructed pile will heat up pretty quickly -- mine go right up to 120-130

°F when I get the recipe right.

(Lawn clippings and horse manure with bedding are a good combo.)

I'm a compost junkie, so I went and got a thermometer with an 18" or so long probe.

When I'm trying to keep a hot pile, I go out daily and poke the thermometer in.

If the pile temperature is dropping, it's time to turn it.

This can happen after a few days

(it depends on what your ingredients are).

When I turn it, I often water it (the stable bedding we use absorbs a huge amount of water).

But I don't often have the time and energy to keep the piles constantly hot.

So I turn them every couple weeks, or months (whenever time and energy strike at the same time).

Sometimes the piles get big, so I just push them up with the tractor -- not a perfect mixing, but it gets some air in there and they heat back up (enough to be steamy for a couple of cool fall mornings).

I've never used a tumbler, but it seems like you should be able to turn it 2-3 times a week to keep it well aerated.

Again, checking the temp will tell you when it needs a good mixing.

If you've got a lot of air going through your compost, then you don't need to turn it as much.

One good way to do this is to raise the heap off the ground by putting pine branches underneath it inside some sort of cage.

(Source: Tips for the Lazy Gardner )

If you're not going to turn it, make sure you cover your greens in dirt every so often (reminds it what it is doing).

You should turn it to get air in, and to mix stuff up (rather than a lump of grass cuttings, a lump of veg peelings, etc).

We have a tumbler and don't turn it anywhere enough out of simple laziness.

combined with too many fluids this can result in a smelly anoxic black mess.

I think the tumbler was meant to be turned daily, but I usually try to do it every time I put something in.

Mounds require a lot more work to turn

so I think people usually do them once or twice a year?

Turn your pile weekly or every 7-10 days.

A good pile has volume (3 cubic feet is a good size).

5-6 inches of brown materials by volume and 2-3 inches of green materials by volume.

Then mix, add a sprinkle of dirt or already made compost (an innoculator) and water, mixing well.

Then begin the layers again until you reach your desired height/depth.

Then water and turn. Should feel like a wrung-out sponge.

I use a pallet system and have 2 bins right now.

One for turning into each week.

I also cover with black plastic.

Use corn or sunflower stalks for aeration in the pile too.

If possible, leave your grass clippings on the lawn.

It's better for the grass.

Typically, one finds more green materials than brown (except in the fall/winter).

Paper towel/TP roles, wet cardboard (non-shiny), coffee filters, egg shells, hay, straw, lint, vacuum cleaner bag contents are good sources of brown, along with your bruised leaves (I use the lawnmover to chop them up).

I built a pile on Saturday afternoon and it was already hot Sunday morning.

If you turn regularly and have the right amount of air, water and the contents, you can have compost in 6-12 weeks.

Usually, you let it cure for another 1-2 months.

This means chopping up things small and not just tossing them in, food scraps included.

gardening.stackexchange.com/users/1144/DD - Master Composter

Question: If you have a compost heap, how often should you turn it? Does it make a difference if it's a simple heap (a mound on the ground) or in a tumbler?  Alternately, is it even necessary to turn the heap?

How often do you need to turn the compost heap?

You don't need to turn the pile, especially if it has a lot of air in it, but it will help it to compost faster if you turn it regularly. You can turn it once every 7-10 days.

You don't need to turn the piles at all if you don't want to, but if you turn regularly and have the right amount of air, water and the contents, you can have compost in 6-12 weeks.  If the pile temperature is dropping, it's time to turn it. You should turn it to get air in, and to mix stuff up. If you've got a lot of air going through your compost, then you don't need to turn it as much.  Suggestions of how often to turn the heap range from every week to once or twice a year.


I used fence pickets and hog wire to make a tomato trellis: Click image to enlarge...

I like the trellis better than a cage for two reasons:

Easier access to tomatoes as they grow More stable than a cage

I hope this helps!

Bamboo is one of the best materials.

It is durable and lasts year in and out.

If you have access to bamboo take advantage of the natural resources available.

You can use as a pole and tie up the tomatoes or make it into a teepee style.

Many garden shops will carry this material in bundles.

You can make a tomatoe teepee from three pieces of trim and some jute twine.

Allow me to demonstrate: /|\

/ | \ / | \/ TOM

TOM

T

\ /|\ TOMAT /

TOM

T

\ TOMATOES

TOMAT /

TOM

T

We use the same type of square grid sturdy rebar type fencing and lean two 5' to 6' pieces against each other down the length of the bed.

We place plants about 18" apart on either side.

Down the center, between the fencing, we cover the ground with black plastic, cardboard or other mulching materials to prevent weeds, and conserve moisture.

A concrete contractor friend of mine gives me the end-of-roll of this 6" square grid rebar (bit over 1/8" wire) stuff that he does not want to mess with.

I have seen similar stuff sold as rebar and as fencing (thinner wire) in home improvement stores for $10-$15 a roll.

One roll would do a dozen or more cages.

Some of my neighbors use chicken-wire in columns to hold up the plants.

They don't close the tube/column of chicken-wire, that way one can reach in easily to harvest.

We also trellis, rather than cage.

We're still using the supports we bought 25 years ago - generic metal fence/sign supports from Home Depot, or whatever was around back then.

We just pound one in every 6-8 feet, and string nylon trellis netting between them.

This gives you a trellis about 6 feet high.

It works best with indeterminate tomatoes.

If memory serves, we got the idea from Square Foot Gardening (the old edition).

I perfer using a trellis as others have mentioned.

See the pic in this question as an example.

I bought nylon trellis netting off amazon for $10, 4 8' electrical conduit pipes, and 6 conduit straight connectors for less than $10 as well at Home Depot.

Watch the video in this answer to a question about pruning .

They demonstrate a strategy for staking that uses twine woven between the plants to support them as they grow.

I have some tomatoes in cages but also have a bunch that I'm going to support using the weave shown in that video.

Question: After starting our tomato plants from seed this year, we have many more small plants in the ground than in the past years. We are looking to make our own inexpensive and durable cages that we could use year after year.   What are starting materials that we can use? Are there materials to avoid? It seems that the openings in chicken wire and hardware cloth are too narrow.

What are inexpensive materials for homemade tomato cages?

You can make a trellis from fence pickets and hog wire. Bamboo is also a good idea. You can also make a teepee from jute twine.

You can use fence pickets and hog wire to make a tomato trellis. Bamboo is one of the best materials. You can make a tomatoe teepee from three pieces of trim and some jute twine.   You can use chicken-wire in columns to hold up the plants.


The root cause (no pun intended) is that excess nitrogen will make the roots fork.

I've heard two different theories as to why: "Hot" fertilizer like fresh manure burns off the fresh roots and makes them fork.

A lot of nitrogen in shallow soil fails to encourage the plant to scavenge deep in the soil for nutrients, and they send out roots sideways instead.

Or it could be combination of the two -- but the latter came from a more reliable source and fits more with my experience.

(One of my books versus something seen on the internet -- sorry I can't remember exact sources.)

Even in soil where I haven't added extra nitrogen but was very fertile with other nutrients, I have seen carrots develop not so much forked roots as fat sideways roots instead of the usual fine "hairs".

Fresh manure can cause carrots to fork.

If you use any fertilizer, make sure it's well-rotted manure instead.

( source )

I've read that the same goes for beets as well.

I grow carrots and I don't believe roots branching off has anything to do with manure.i use kelp for manure.

I sift my soil and mix it with sand

and I have perfect 16 to 18in carrots every time with no roots branching off.

Prior to doing this I didn't sift my soil or mix with sand and my carrots had branches everywhere.

I think the branches on carrots are caused by hard soil

Fresh manure also can transfer E. Coli to garden vegetables, so you should always make sure your manure is well composted, for around 3-4 months.

If it's still smells very strongly, it's probably too fresh.

Leads to forking of the tap roots (which are the carrots)Leads to high vegetative growth leading to small tap roots (carrots)

Question: It's said that we shouldn't use manure when preparing ground intended for carrots. Is it that carrots don't thrive on manure, or is it that they fork and splinter too much?  What about other roots? Radishes, beetroots etc?

Why are we instructed not to use manure before planting carrots?

Excess nitrogen will make roots fook. The plants no longer need to dig deep for nutrients so they grow sideways roots instead.

Excess nitrogen in shallow soil fails to encourage the plant to scavenge deep in the soil for nutrients, and they send out roots sideways instead and fork. Fresh manure also can transfer E. Coli to garden vegetables.


Leaf lettuce is always a good choice.

It is easy to grow and does not require a lot of sun (if you have a shaded space) and actually bolts quickly if it gets too hot.

Also, leaf lettuce can be grown easily in a smaller pot.

It is cheap to grow and expensive to buy at the supermarket.

Also, a vine-type plant can be good if you don't mind losing some of your balcony railings.

This would include cucumbers and some varieties of peas.

If you have lots of sun, most pepper varieties should work because they grow mostly up and not out.

Peppers like company and as long as the soil is warm and the temperature is up, you can fit a lot in a smaller space.

Pretty much any of the dwarf varieties of vegetables will grow in pots - Thumbelina Carrots, those little round beetroot, etc...

Salad leaves are a great starter in any windowbox, and strawberries and tomatoes grow well in hanging baskets.

Your local garden centre will be able to advise, or get a seed catalogue and be amazed at the choice!

*Disclaimer: I work for a garden centre

Grow what you like to eat.

Given your limitations though maybe start with herbs - like basil and rosemary.

They can be added to anything and trimmed/clipped any time.

I have almost no land

but I am still able to grow a plethora of fruits, herbs, and veggies.

If you have the pots and soil, you can grow whatever your local area can provide based upon weather and sunlight.

I grow: tomatoes, strawberries, peppers, key limes, lemons, beans, lettuce, radish, catnip, onions, basil, spinach, pineapples, and much more herbs.

The small trees I have are in large garbage cans, and everything else is in pots with potatoes in the ground.

Good luck!

Just keep working on it and check to see what will grow well in your area.

Some things that can work on a small area situation includes a variety of containers that can be used in different ways.

A way that has been succesful is the upside down hanging tomato planter.

If you can hang it five or six feet off the ground you will have good results.

Large containers such as 5 gallon paint cans can grow just about any vegetable or herb.

Earth Boxes are a good choice, and decreases maintenance.

Question: I currently live in a condo with a limited sized balcony.  Which vegetables work out best for a small garden?

What vegetables can be grown effectively in a small, urban garden?

Start off with herbs. You can try a climbing plant to grow up railings like cucumber or peas. You can also grow lettuce, peppers and any dwarf variety of plant. Try a tomato hanging basket.

You should always grow what you like to eat.  A vine-type plant like cucumbers, peas, can be good if you don't mind losing some of your balcony railings. If you have lots of sun, most pepper varieties should work because they grow mostly up and not out. Pretty much any vegetables will grow in pots or 5 gallon paint cans. Salad leaves are great in a windowbox, and strawberries and tomatoes grow well in hanging baskets. You could start with herbs like basil and rosemary.


It sounds like the best thing for you is a clover lawn, although of course it will only "look like grass" from a distance.

Recently, after noticing that many homes in my neighborhood have large patches of clover in their lawn, and knowing how difficult it has been to battle in my own lawn, I did a search on it.

Instead of finding many resources on how to get rid of it, I found it is actually considered/promoted by many as a lawn alternative, or combination for a healthier lawn.

This article from

The Spruce lists the following qualities of clover lawns:

It stays a luscious green all summer, without being irrigated profusely (i.e., it's drought-tolerant).

It is free of weeds, obviating the need to apply herbicides.

Your carpet competes so well for growing space that the competition is choked out.

It doesn't need to be fertilized.

It is also relatively pest-free, so that you don't have to bother spraying pesticides on it.

It aerates the soil on its own, so that you don't have to worry about counteracting soil compaction.

It is soft to walk on.

It attracts beneficial insects, including honeybees.

It rarely has to be mowed.

It doesn't suffer the discoloration from dog urine known as "dog spots."

And if, despite all these benefits, you should ever want to replace it with a different kind of green carpet, it helps you to do so by improving the soil on its watch.

Its ability to aerate the soil and pump nitrogen into it means that succeeding generations of plants using that soil will be better off.

Other resources on this topic: Cloverlawn — Benefits and how-to Earth Easy — Attributes, benefits, and prices of clover and other lawn alternatives

I planted "shorty mix" from DirtWorks (company no longer in business): 40% Discovery Hard Fescue 30% Blazer IV Perennial Ryegrass

30% Moonshadow Kentucky Bluegrass

It does not grow very tall or very quickly and does not need frequent mowing.

I also knew some people who planted a low-growing clover on their lawn that they almost never mowed.

It got a little high in midsummer (maybe 8") but still looked decent, and was always green.

I know it sounds crazy, but part of my backyard is filled with wild strawberries.

They don't grow to be very tall.

I only have to mow it when the other weeds get tall.

It's kind of fun to walk on in the spring because of the red berries sprinkled in the salad!

I'm not sure where you would get enough seed for a lawn.

If you've got a shady spot that grass has a tough time growing in, you might be able to let moss cover your lawn.

Through sheer neglect I have adopted this strategy with good results.

Walk on it with bare feet though, it feels good!

You could plant garlic chives.

Market gardeners have fields of them.

They are a perennial flat leaved grass like plant that grow about a foot tall.

They don't usually have pest problems and attract butterflies.

Instead of mowing them, just cut enough to eat or make jiaozi.

You could also cut and sell.

They contain a healthy dose of folate.

Like all the alliums (garlic, scallions, onions, etc.), chives contain heart-healthy allicin.

Allicin has been shown to help with cholesterol issues and lower blood pressure.

They thrive in colder climates and struggle in intense heat.

White Clover is a good choice and depending on water conditions may not require mowing.

Vinca minor or Lesser Periwinkle is a maintenance free choice which tolerates partial shade and is available with several flower colors and variegated varieties.

perennial peanut - very hardy low lying bright yellow flowers and a good nitrogen builder

Question: I don't like mowing my lawn. Is there a grass replacement plant which:   looks like grass,  one can step on it,  does not need mowing?

What is a good grass replacement plant?

You could try planting clover, such as white clover, or moss. Why not give over some of the space to wild strawberries?

It sounds like the best thing for you is a clover lawn, but you could even plant wild strawberries.  If you've got a shady spot you might be able to let moss cover your lawn.  Or you could also plant garlic chives or perennial peanut, which  is low lying with bright yellow flowers and a good nitrogen builder

It sounds like the best thing for you is a clover lawn.

Perennial peanut is low lying with bright yellow flowers and a good nitrogen builder


You could kill it by suffocating it from light and heating it naturally.

Put a dark tarp over it, and anchor it so it doesn't blow away.

The heat from the sun and lack of light will burn that and anything else growing under there in several days to a couple of weeks.

You need to keep your grass healthy to help combat ground ivy.

Water deeply and infrequently and fertilize properly.

Have a soil test done at your local cooperative extension to see if there are any issues you need to correct and how much fertilizer you need to add.

Ground ivy thrives in damp and insufficiently fertilized soils.

There have been university studies done on using Borax to kill ground ivy with some positive results but some tests didn't show any improvement.

On my blog, I show how the best way I found to remove ground ivy is with a thatch rake.

In the fall I use a manual thatch rake to dethatch my lawn.

If necessary I follow up by overseeding with a good grass seed and spreading about 1/3" layer of compost on top then water as directed for the seed.

The way ground ivy grows and roots makes this very effective.

It pulls up some other weeds too but not your grass as long as it's healthy.

First time I tried it

I was in shock how well it worked.

I severely disabled some ground ivy by letting it grow a foot tall and mowing it off at one inch.

The grass really jumped and thickened, though it was a shock at first.

The grass thickening crowded out the ivy and the ivy has been stunted all year.

You can kill ivy with storm windows/glass.

I got rid of a big patch after all else failed with several 4'x6' storm windows.

I laid the glass out on the ivy and it fried it in a couple hours.

I moved the windows around for a week and killed a 30 foot x 45 foot area of ivy.

Cook it and kill it.

I've effectively killed it with a 20% horticultural vinegar using a pump sprayer.

The grass around it will look like it died but actually goes dormant like it does in a drought.

If you water it the day after you spray the vinegar, it will turn green.

With the ground ivy, you have to be vigilant because if you leave one runner...

the problem comes back.

A week after a spray, I'll look for more and do it again.

Also, look to see from where it's coming.

If your neighbors have it and don't do anything about it, the problem will be endless.

I recommend attacking the problem together if possible.

Raising the pH with lime, spraying with a bacterial based compost tea and adding calcium and magnesium will help.

Sweetening your soil will also help keep out dandelions.

gardening.stackexchange.com/users/2887/Suzanne at Organic Garden Co

You could just hire someone else to painstakingly pull it all out, like maybe a neighborhood kid in need of odd jobs.

That might be cheaper and less effort than finding the perfect way to kill it.

Plus, being social and offering jobs can be a good thing.

Remember, a tool to help pull weeds goes a long way, even if it is just a regular knife.

With a tool, the plant doesn't break off at the roots, generally.

Just stick it in the ground by the roots and pull back to loosen them; then pull it up.

Granted, I haven't tried using a tool with creeping charlie (we don't have that around here, although we have something that looks exactly like it), but it worked great for our weeds this summer

(I think we mostly had bind weed or something similar).

Anyway, tools make weed pulling more enjoyable for me.

Too bad I didn't know about that trick as a child.

We had monster weeds, then, and grasshoppers to match.

I agree with the above comment about the structure of your lawn - I live in New Hampshire and typically have

acidic soil - creeping Charlie likes damp acidic soil - typically in mulched areas, and it spreads to the lawn area.

I've been putting down heavy amounts of lime to raise the alkaline level, but will try thatching this fall and borax in the spring!!

(it takes a bit if time for the lime to break down into the soil).

I've heard of a chemical called "Milky White" that is supposed to work awesome without killing the grass.

Old housemates used it on their yard with success.

It's all over our community gardens.

It goes to seed really easily :(

It's easy to pull out but as you said, it keeps coming back.

I like some of your solutions!

Question: We have  ground ivy  (creeping charlie) that is trying to take over our back yard.  We are against using pesticides, as we have a young son.  Are there natural/organic ways of beating it (other than just painstakingly pulling it all out)?

What are some natural ways of killing ground ivy (creeping charlie)?

You could hire someone to pull it up by hand. You could also spray it with vinegar or increase the pH by adding lime. Another possibility is to let it grow tall and then mow it.

You could kill it by suffocating it from light and heating it naturally or you could just hire  someone else like a neighborhood kid to pull it out. You need to keep your grass healthy to help combat ground ivy. There have been studies done using Borax to kill ground ivy with some positive results. 20% horticultural vinegar using a pump sprayer has also shown to be effective and raising the pH with lime, spraying with a bacterial based compost tea and adding calcium and magnesium will help.  Or you can simply let it grow a foot tall and mow it off at one inch.

I've heard of a chemical called "Milky White" that is supposed to work awesome without killing the grass.

There have been studies done using Borax to kill ground ivy with some positive results. 20% horticultural vinegar using a pump sprayer has also shown to be effective and raising the pH with lime, spraying with a bacterial based compost tea and adding calcium and magnesium will help.  You can let it grow a foot tall and mow it off at one inch.


The only two problems I can think of would be disease and nutrients.

There are some diseases (eg.

fungi and nematodes) which will linger in soil, so you really need to treat the soil or discard it to somewhere where the disease is not a problem (ie.

a different kind of plant).

As for nutrients, these could be topped up with liquid feed or top dressing.

I find potting compost settles / compacts

quite a bit so there's usually space for top dressing each year.

I also re-use potting compost by putting it on raised beds or filling small hollows in the lawn.

It isn't the best medium for the latter, but every little bit helps.

It all depends on what was initially potted inside of the soil, to add onto @winwaed

you can actually boil some water and pour it into the soil to kill any bacteria or disease.

The other thing you can do is use some fungicide to get rid of anything harmful.

Although top soil is fairly inexpensive its a major profit margin for these garden retailers like home depot, lowes, randazzo's, etc.

They want people to toss the stuff out and buy new soil each and every year.

To me this is a total waste of money and another way to make a dollar off of you.

To you a bag of decent top soil is a mere 3-4 bucks...

but multiply that by thousands of people buying that stuff and

this could be just for one store!

You can always mix it up with some new soil if you still insist on buying new top soil.

I've read (I think in Rodale's Organic Encyclopedia) that you don't want to till potting soil into your garden, but certainly can use it to help your compost pile.

You can make your own potting soil (even using dirt in the microwave ).

Which is a good way to save money.

Crop rotation

My grandparents had а large garden beside the vineyard, that they cared about long years.

Every spring, they reshaped the garden - putting the tomatoes, cucumbers, pumpkins, carrots, onion, cabbage and other goodies in new places.

They told me this is because every plant uses some same assortiment of nutrients in the soil.

Planting the same kind of plant in the same spot for several concessive years would exhaust the soil, they explained.

Later, at the university, the teacher in Engineering Ecology told us planting the same crops in the same place is one of the biggest problems of contemporary agriculture.

Adding compost

I have read that compost not only supplies the soil with nutrients, but also aids texture.

This summer is my second year of balcony gardening.

I use the same soil as wast year, mixed 3:1 with compost.

I compost most of what I harvest and don't use (stems, leaves).

Everything is growing fast & healthy for now, so let's hope this works out forever

:D

I would really love to be closer to sustainable.

Plants in pots need every ounce of care

we are able to provide.

Potting soil is pre-mixed and sterilized.

Disease is a deal breaker.

Clean, fresh soil and a little bit bigger pot

once a year is the best insurance I can imagine versus losing my plants(s) slowly but surely to death.

In-door plants are long-term perishables.

Some longer than others...

we can give our plants

an 'edge'...

it isn't a big deal to make your own soil.

I've done it.

I've decided that it was much more cost effective to use a ready-made product.

Sterilize your own and let me know how that works out!

Potting soil now comes infused with important bacteria and mycorrhizae to incorporate life back into the sterilized soil.

Lots of decomposed (and non-decomposed) organic matter fluff up the mineral content.

During the seasons, the organisms in the soil eat up the organic matter that once fluffed up the potting soil.

Top dressing with decomposed organic mulch every month or so would prevent the compaction that occurs as organic mulch is used up within the soil.

Otherwise your plants are trying to survive in depleted, brick-textured soil.

To top dress too late or to use non-decomposed organic matter might take longer than the plant can live to be useful to the plant.

I put my indoor plants outside during the summer on a protected porch.

Seems to rejuvenate my plants tremendously.

I also include new potting soil, no rocks 'for drainage',

never add garden soil, put tiles beneath the pots to increase drainage.

I enjoy getting a new pot or two every year and my plants always look greenhouse-new.

Also, I use extended release fertilizer, sparingly and when I water

everybody goes into the shower, gets drenched in cold water, drip dries then back out into their normal spot.

They don't get water until each is as dry as the plant can get without undo stress.

Any sign of insects or disease I've got my handy-dandy loop and microscope to KNOW who my plants guest are...great tools!!

Potted plants are prisoners OF their pot-world.

Using depleted or disease tainted soil is just a big NO-NO and a needless risk that doesn't pay for itself.

Hope this helps!

Question: The potting soil in question is in medium to large sized pots that had/have tomatoes or small fruit trees in them.

Is it wise to reuse potting soil?

You might have a problem with disease and nutrients. You could reuse it to fill in holes in a lawn or add it to your compost.

The two main problems would be disease and nutrients. You can re-use potting compost by putting it on raised beds or filling small hollows in the lawn. Some say that you shouldn't till potting soil into your garden, but can use it to help your compost pile as it is pre-mixed and sterilized. Using depleted or disease tainted soil is a needless risk that doesn't pay for itself.


The whole point of 'earthing up' potatoes is to promote as much growth of potatoes along the stem while also protecting the potatoes from being exposed to light.

If the growing potatoes are exposed to sunlight, they will produce the toxin solanine and become inedible.

You know that spuds have been exposed to light because they also turn green due to the production of chlorophyll.

I start earthing up my potatoes when the leafy bits are just under 12 inches tall, making sure I leave some of the leaves exposed to the sun so they can carry on photosynthesizing - so not completely covered.

I then do it once again a week or two later (depending on how fast they're growing) essentially until I run out of soil.

The potato mounds in my garden are about a foot high or so.

Another way to ensure your young potatoes aren't exposed to light is to use black plastic to cover the soil, although this method requires you actively water your plants as the rain can't get through.

A benefit of using plastic is that you have to do very little digging to get to your potatoes.

This year I used a combination of earthing up and putting a thin layer of newspaper and grass clippings over the soil.

We'll see how that goes...

Growing potatoes in mounds is a great way to grow them because it saves you from having to dig into the soil to pull up your potatoes.

Potatoes never grow any lower than where you planted your original seed potato, but you can grow them as high as the growing season will allow.

There are methods for growing potatoes up columns of tires which you might want to investigate.

Someone else will have to answer definitively how high to mound them, you should be able to cover most of the plant without hurting it.

What I do is I take an old garbage can, and I put a layer of soil at the bottom and open a bag of taters and put them in a circle.

Each time I see some leaves

I put more straw on top until I can't see any more leaves.

I water daily.

I do this until the straw/leaves reach the top of the garbage can.

I did this for the past two years and have had no issues.

I'm curious if this is a preferred method?

FYI

I call this my "tater pit".

If it is early in the year and there is a chance of frost, you would cover them as soon as they poke through.

Another good time to cover with dirt is when you can see the potatoes poking through,

this promotes more potato growth, but also prevents sunburn on the new potatoes forming.

Most people plant their potatoes 1-3 times the potato diameter deep and "earth" or "hill" them as they poke through till the flowers come.

This year I had a few left over and planted them in 3's in a 24" conainer.

I covered them with 4" soil and as they poke through

I'll add soil to the rim which will give me 12" soil over the seed.

I am watered regularly and let's see if the yield is any better or worse.

Question: I've heard that I should be piling dirt onto my potato plants as they grow so that I end up with little mounds.  My potato plants have started to poke through the surface.  Should I totally cover them?  By how much?  What is the purpose of this, anyway?

When should I pile more dirt onto a growing potato plant?

You can earth them up once they are 12 inches tall, leaving a little exposed at the top. It's a good idea if there is still a chance of frost. Most people keep hilling them up until they start flowering.

A good time to start earthing up potatoesis when the leafy bits are just under 12 inches tall, making sure you leave some of the leaves exposed to the sun so they can carry on photosynthesizing, so not completely covered. If it is early in the year and there is a chance of frost, you should cover them as soon as they poke through until the flowers come.


There is another non chemical treatment which should work, particularly for powdery mildew - 1 part milk to 9 parts water mixed in a sprayer, spray all leaves and stems, including under the leaves.

Doesn't matter whether the milk is full fat or skimmed.

The 'scientific' explanation as to why it works is there's something about the lactic acid which seems to destroy the fungal spores.

Increasing the ratio of milk to water doesn't make it more efficacious, though 2 parts to 8 parts water will be okay.

Without a visual, I think it sounds like powdery mildew, which is a fungus that is encouraged by dry, perhaps shaded, conditions and lack of air movement.

Depending on the host plant, leaving the infection untreated can lead to leaf loss and weakening of the plant.

To control it organically, prune out infected tissue, being sure not to shake it around as this can spread the fungal spores, and dispose of the prunings by burning them or putting them out with the rubbish rather than adding them to your compost.

If you want to treat it with fungicide, check with your local garden centre to see what's available, or investigate online.

To prevent it in the future, ensure that your peonies are well-watered and mulched, and improve air circulation around them, if necessary.

Perhaps they need dividing?

Sclerotinia sclerotiorum can cause stem rot on peony as well as on many different herbaceous plants found in the garden.

The entire plant or portion of the plant may wilt.

The infected part of the stem turns a light tan color and may become dry and stringy.

Fluffy white mycelium often appears under humid conditions, thus the name, white mold.

Slice the stem lengthwise to help you diagnose this disease.

Various sizes of irregularly shaped, hard black sclerotia may be found inside the tan area of the stem.

Sclerotia are the overwintering structures for this fungus and they can survive for many years in the soil.

Remove and dispose of any infected plant parts being careful to not drop the sclerotia.

Sclerotinia is a soil-inhabiting fungus that is nearly impossible to remove.

Replant infested areas with nonsusceptible plants.

Wider spacing to improve air circulation will minimize infection by this fungus.

From the article: University of Minnesota - "Diseases of Peony" Compare how your plants look to pictures of the disease, and you can judge if you believe that is what your plants are infected with.

Try neem oil.

My peonies get infected with powdery mildew every year and this is the only organic solution that seems to really work.

It works immediately but you have to start applying it before the mildew sets in.

Spray the whole plant liberally from all directions making sure to get the undersides of leaves.

The powdery mildew washes right off.

Follow the instructions on the bottle regarding dilution and not applying when it's very hot and sunny.

A follow up treatment may be necessary a week later.

When I say liberally

i mean drench the plant with spray and dig around to make sure you have every surface treated.

After that if you hose them off from time to time you'll wash away the spores that haven't attached firmly to the leaves and as mentioned previously wet conditions discourage powdery mildew as counter intuitive as that may sound.

I've found some useful information from Colorado State University: Prevention:

Avoid late-summer applications of nitrogen fertilizer to limit the production of succulent tissue, which is more susceptible to infection.

Avoid overhead watering to help reduce the relative humidity.

Selectively prune overcrowded plant material to help increase air circulation.

This helps reduce relative humidity and infection.

Control: Remove and destroy all infected plant parts (leaves, etc.).

For infected vegetables and other annuals, remove as much of the plant and its debris in the fall as possible.

This decreases the ability of the fungus to survive the winter.

Do not compost infected plant debris.

Temperatures often are not hot enough to kill the fungus.

Also, you can kill it with:

sulfur fungicide From here :

Sulfur is broad-spectrum with little detrimental environmental effects.

Can be irritating to the eyes, ears, and nose during application.

Used for the control of powdery mildew on grapes and other crops, it is effective against most species of pest mites, brown rot, rust, and scab.

Often used in the dormant season.

neem oil

From here : Neem oil is best as a preventative, or in low-disease-pressure situations, for fungus problems.

Use it to control diseases such as powdery mildew, anthracnose, botrytis, rust, leaf spot, or flower blight.

copper fungicide From here : The strongest and most broad-spectrum (organic) fungus control...

Use only when other techniques have failed.

Copper can be detrimental to plants and soil when applied in rates above the recommended amounts.

Often used in the dormant season.

Read the label!

Question: Very early this year (starting in mid-May) my peonies' foliage was covered in whitish-gray powdery mold.  What is it and what if anything should I do about it?

What do I do about the whitish powdery mold on my peonies?

Try using a mix of milk and water against powdery mildew. Prune off infected leaves and burn them. You can try neem oil as a preventive measure.

To control it organically, prune out infected parts and dispose of by burning them or putting out with the rubbish. Do not add to your compost.  You can also try neem oil

To control it organically, prune out infected tissue and dispose of the prunings by burning them or putting out with the rubbish. Do not add to your compost.

There is a non-chemical treatment which should work, particularly for powdery mildew - 1 part milk to 9 parts water mixed in a sprayer, spray all leaves and stems, including under the leaves.