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Chris Colby

@vikingchris.bsky.social

I am a freelance writer with a background in biology (molecular evolutionary genetics to be more specific). I mostly write about brewing beer and gardening. I am an avid grill cook, especially of chicken, and am working at becoming a better cook overall.

124 Followers  |  69 Following  |  80 Posts  |  Joined: 14.11.2024  |  1.5172

Latest posts by vikingchris.bsky.social on Bluesky

Continue resisting. It’s working.

11.06.2025 19:20 β€” πŸ‘ 2    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0

All the smoke you see in the videos of the LA protests is from government agents firing tear gas and throwing flash-bangs. None of the protesters were starting fires. Innocent citizens were peacefully exercising their 1st Amendment right to protest, and they were attacked.

08.06.2025 23:33 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0
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Purple tomatoes on the vine

16.05.2025 17:25 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0

Late lunch of roasted red potatoes from my garden.

15.05.2025 20:52 β€” πŸ‘ 2    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0

How many power plants are offline in Texas now because it is only May? Tomorrow could be brutal.

12.05.2025 19:26 β€” πŸ‘ 2    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

I suckered (*) my tomatoes growing in planters on my driveway. This opened up the foliage a bit and will let in more sun. Plus, less above ground growth for the plant to support.

(*) removed the secondary stems from

11.05.2025 17:42 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

Yes, flicking tomato flowers does help them set. Tomatoes grown in greenhouses with still air set fruit at a lower rate. Outside, wind, insects, and a little tap all help tomatoes set fruit.

05.05.2025 14:10 β€” πŸ‘ 0    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

I’m going to plant some watermelons today.

03.05.2025 15:11 β€” πŸ‘ 0    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

OK, so I watched the entire TV series Lost before realizing two of the actors were in LOTR.

26.04.2025 19:10 β€” πŸ‘ 0    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

I think one of my tomato plants has bacterial wilt.

22.04.2025 18:09 β€” πŸ‘ 0    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
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Tomato flowers

21.04.2025 14:48 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

I’m spending the morning in my garden. Very peaceful.

18.04.2025 15:24 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
Preview
The Three Sisters Had a Secret - Grit Science confirms what traditional wisdom has long known.

I wrote this.

www.grit.com/farm-and-gar...

15.04.2025 17:59 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

More garden stuff: Growing potatoes in a grow bag is a popular option these days. If you do this, plant the potato on one side of the bag. As you hill the potatoοΏΌ, bend the stem(s) towards the other side. A diagonal stem is longer than a vertical one, giving more room for potatoes to form.

15.04.2025 14:34 β€” πŸ‘ 0    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

This is a good year to plant a victory garden. Some high-yielding vegetables are: zucchini, tomatoes, leaf lettuces, summer squash, and pole beans.

15.04.2025 13:01 β€” πŸ‘ 0    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
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Sums it up

14.04.2025 03:26 β€” πŸ‘ 158    πŸ” 40    πŸ’¬ 4    πŸ“Œ 2

I grilled hamburgers for lunch. I don’t make them often, but I’m getting better. My suggestions: Make a hot fire and make the patties slightly wider than the bun (before grilling). οΏΌPut a wide, shallow β€œdimple” in the meat so it cooks out flat.

14.04.2025 15:49 β€” πŸ‘ 0    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

I find it shocking that so much of the failure of our economy is due to the fact that Trump doesn’t know what a tariff or a trade deficit is. And everyone in his party is too craven to tell him.οΏΌ

12.04.2025 19:04 β€” πŸ‘ 2    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
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Larkspur flowering

10.04.2025 15:01 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

It’s been a long week (already), but at least I learned something about dire wolves.

09.04.2025 22:02 β€” πŸ‘ 0    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

Today has been the single worst day for the market since… *checks notes* last time he was President.

03.04.2025 19:33 β€” πŸ‘ 11925    πŸ” 2130    πŸ’¬ 134    πŸ“Œ 52

So eggs at $3.50 per dozen in a booming economy was intolerable, but eggs at $4.50 per dozen in an economy that's circling the drain is something we need to endure?

03.04.2025 18:36 β€” πŸ‘ 2    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

Jesus. Absolutely disgusting. 🀒

02.04.2025 14:43 β€” πŸ‘ 2    πŸ” 2    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

Ha! Technically no. There's no direction to evolution, so any change is evolution.(But I know what you mean.)

02.04.2025 16:07 β€” πŸ‘ 0    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

This one is a new variety called Jolene. High resistance to TYLCV, which I need.

30.03.2025 16:39 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

Hilling is when you heap soil around the stems, covering them and making a hill. The more the stems are covered, the more potatoes β€” which grow underground β€” can form.

30.03.2025 16:38 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0

Evolution is a fact, and a useful one.

30.03.2025 16:36 β€” πŸ‘ 3    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0

I hilled some potatoes this morning. The garden is slowly shaping up.

30.03.2025 15:40 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0

If there are any history books 50 years from now, I hope they are all honest about how the right wing let its populist win after the opposition (the Democratic Party) crushed their populist twice, who, incidentally, would have fvcking won.

28.03.2025 01:28 β€” πŸ‘ 1765    πŸ” 129    πŸ’¬ 51    πŸ“Œ 10
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Tomato

27.03.2025 16:23 β€” πŸ‘ 11    πŸ” 1    πŸ’¬ 2    πŸ“Œ 0

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