Jake Lapointe
@jakelapointe.bsky.social
Interesting article from @tomsguide.com which claims used potting soil should either not be reused, or if being reused, mixed 50/50 with new potting soil. When reading pieces like this, it’s important to consider the ad placements which may suggest a strong bias in their recommendations.
November 19, 2025 at 10:50 PM
Interesting article from @tomsguide.com which claims used potting soil should either not be reused, or if being reused, mixed 50/50 with new potting soil. When reading pieces like this, it’s important to consider the ad placements which may suggest a strong bias in their recommendations.
Stunned after pulling up the frost covers and finding pepper plants that I forgot I left outside - and they’re still alive despite 2 nights down to -3° last week!
November 16, 2025 at 3:50 AM
Stunned after pulling up the frost covers and finding pepper plants that I forgot I left outside - and they’re still alive despite 2 nights down to -3° last week!
And here’s all the peppers incl. the less spicy varieties ready to be given away at the office :)
November 11, 2025 at 4:37 AM
And here’s all the peppers incl. the less spicy varieties ready to be given away at the office :)
My biggest harvest of chilli peppers so far! Sadly also the last large harvest this year as it is now snowing. This is just the (very) hot varieties :)
November 11, 2025 at 3:03 AM
My biggest harvest of chilli peppers so far! Sadly also the last large harvest this year as it is now snowing. This is just the (very) hot varieties :)
The climate of Vancouver is surprisingly supportive of Trachycarpus Fortunei (Chinese Windmill Palm) that they have naturalized in some neighbourhoods. It’s really interesting to see palm trees sprouting up on their own in a Canadian city.
October 23, 2025 at 9:50 PM
The climate of Vancouver is surprisingly supportive of Trachycarpus Fortunei (Chinese Windmill Palm) that they have naturalized in some neighbourhoods. It’s really interesting to see palm trees sprouting up on their own in a Canadian city.
Also, a hot new bombshell has entered the villa. This diva’s name is Ají Limón A.K.A. the Aji Lemon Drop. Twice the heat of a jalapeño, with a slight hint of citrus flavour. Like the Sugar Rush Peach, she’s great for adding a decent amount of heat and a unique flavour profile to sauces and salsas.
October 16, 2025 at 3:37 AM
Also, a hot new bombshell has entered the villa. This diva’s name is Ají Limón A.K.A. the Aji Lemon Drop. Twice the heat of a jalapeño, with a slight hint of citrus flavour. Like the Sugar Rush Peach, she’s great for adding a decent amount of heat and a unique flavour profile to sauces and salsas.
Unnecessarily stressful growing outdoor peppers in Ontario during a hot summer because they prefer to put on foliage in the warmth and fruit when temps start to fall, so you suddenly get much heavier harvests just as the risk of frost starts to show its face again.
October 16, 2025 at 3:34 AM
Unnecessarily stressful growing outdoor peppers in Ontario during a hot summer because they prefer to put on foliage in the warmth and fruit when temps start to fall, so you suddenly get much heavier harvests just as the risk of frost starts to show its face again.
Bittersweet harvesting cherry tomatoes on this last full day of summer with the frost-free season rapidly coming to an end. This isn’t the last harvest of cherry tomatoes, but as light levels & warmth continue to rapidly recede, crops will be slowing significantly going forward.
September 22, 2025 at 12:55 AM
Bittersweet harvesting cherry tomatoes on this last full day of summer with the frost-free season rapidly coming to an end. This isn’t the last harvest of cherry tomatoes, but as light levels & warmth continue to rapidly recede, crops will be slowing significantly going forward.
There’s so many amazing delicious pepper varieties out there. If you only get your plants from the nurseries in the spring, you might never get to try the sweet yet firey “sugar rush peach”
September 16, 2025 at 3:07 AM
There’s so many amazing delicious pepper varieties out there. If you only get your plants from the nurseries in the spring, you might never get to try the sweet yet firey “sugar rush peach”
Some late season blooms from around the garden ☺️
September 14, 2025 at 3:48 PM
Some late season blooms from around the garden ☺️
The Peach Ghost. Looks like a piece of fried chicken, but perhaps the spiciest you’ve ever seen. Despite looking much angrier, it’s very similar to the classic red ghost pepper in terms of heat level (~1m SHU) but some say it has a slightly fruitier taste (can’t confirm, I can’t tolerate the heat).
August 28, 2025 at 1:17 PM
The Peach Ghost. Looks like a piece of fried chicken, but perhaps the spiciest you’ve ever seen. Despite looking much angrier, it’s very similar to the classic red ghost pepper in terms of heat level (~1m SHU) but some say it has a slightly fruitier taste (can’t confirm, I can’t tolerate the heat).
Your cabbages could be a ticking time bomb…
August 25, 2025 at 5:16 AM
Your cabbages could be a ticking time bomb…
Today was onion storage day. Incredibly satisfying cleaning up and cutting the tops off the onions that spent the last 3 weeks curing. Perfect timing with soup season just weeks away!
August 16, 2025 at 12:11 AM
Today was onion storage day. Incredibly satisfying cleaning up and cutting the tops off the onions that spent the last 3 weeks curing. Perfect timing with soup season just weeks away!
I can’t give these away fast enough by offering them to colleagues, friends, neighbours, so resorting to desperate measures.
August 16, 2025 at 12:03 AM
I can’t give these away fast enough by offering them to colleagues, friends, neighbours, so resorting to desperate measures.
The 7-Pot pepper originates from Trinidad and Tobago, where it has been cultivated for centuries. The name “7-Pot” is believed to allude to the idea that one pepper has enough heat for 7 pots of stew. At 1m-1.2m SHU, this seems quite plausible (400 jalapeños worth of heat).
August 15, 2025 at 2:04 AM
The 7-Pot pepper originates from Trinidad and Tobago, where it has been cultivated for centuries. The name “7-Pot” is believed to allude to the idea that one pepper has enough heat for 7 pots of stew. At 1m-1.2m SHU, this seems quite plausible (400 jalapeños worth of heat).
2 days since the last harvest. Last year I wished for a better tomato harvest. Careful what you wish for. This would have been like a month’s worth of tomatoes last year. In 2 days.
August 12, 2025 at 2:47 AM
2 days since the last harvest. Last year I wished for a better tomato harvest. Careful what you wish for. This would have been like a month’s worth of tomatoes last year. In 2 days.
Only 20 days from ripe first slicing tomato to declaring a state of tomatomergency.
August 10, 2025 at 7:31 PM
Only 20 days from ripe first slicing tomato to declaring a state of tomatomergency.
It’s a bit jarring seeing the nearby golf course (which is irrigated) looking more beige than green. There’s just no moisture left in the top few cm of soil, and too much evaporation. This next heat wave is going to be very tough for some vegetation to survive.
August 8, 2025 at 2:45 AM
It’s a bit jarring seeing the nearby golf course (which is irrigated) looking more beige than green. There’s just no moisture left in the top few cm of soil, and too much evaporation. This next heat wave is going to be very tough for some vegetation to survive.
These butterflies used to be incredibly common when I was a kid, now it’s such a treat to see one. Plant native plants and help save the monarchs!
August 6, 2025 at 10:49 AM
These butterflies used to be incredibly common when I was a kid, now it’s such a treat to see one. Plant native plants and help save the monarchs!
It’s truly an incredible experience. I can’t believe my luck being able to see one from my back garden last year. The entire city stayed home from work and everyone was outside in their yard or at parks. For some reason forgot to take a closeup through the glasses of the actual total eclipse 😅
August 5, 2025 at 10:45 AM
It’s truly an incredible experience. I can’t believe my luck being able to see one from my back garden last year. The entire city stayed home from work and everyone was outside in their yard or at parks. For some reason forgot to take a closeup through the glasses of the actual total eclipse 😅
It’s official, summer is almost over 😭
August 4, 2025 at 10:21 PM
It’s official, summer is almost over 😭
Managed to capture this still snoozing bumblebee hanging on the underside of a Monarda at 06:00 this morning. You know it’s an early morning when you’re awake before the bees!
July 28, 2025 at 2:56 PM
Managed to capture this still snoozing bumblebee hanging on the underside of a Monarda at 06:00 this morning. You know it’s an early morning when you’re awake before the bees!
We are now DEEP into blueberry season
July 28, 2025 at 2:42 AM
We are now DEEP into blueberry season
The summer’s first ripe slicer 😍
(This is how it’s supposed to look)
(This is how it’s supposed to look)
July 21, 2025 at 6:48 PM
The summer’s first ripe slicer 😍
(This is how it’s supposed to look)
(This is how it’s supposed to look)
