Homesteading

[Bullet:Mich.]

The temp was 30 degrees this morning at 5:00 am. The only kind of mushrooms that I know of that will pop up through partly frozen ground and snow in Michigan are Beefsteaks and a lot of people are afraid of them. As long as you fry them in bacon grease they are safe. They taste great.

 

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[DeepseekerADS]

Pictures...

Unfortunately I have the shakes, my hands shake, so I had my brother take pictures of the garden today.






This is Blackberries, Strawberries, and Blueberries


These are the plants the guru gave me.


End view of beds looking North

 

[DeepseekerADS]

Next year I'm starting seeds early!

 

[Bullet:Mich.]

I know your thinking on starting seeds early. If I didn't have my small green house for starting seeds I would be in a lot of problems this yr with my garden because temp is 29 degrees this morning. We are going to have a real short growing season this yr. I have been checking around and all the places that sell started plants are not bringing them in until around the middle of May. You will be eating early veg when I am putting mine in the ground. The farmer markets will be having the early veg shipped in instead of selling local grown. Your pictures look good of your garden plots.

 

[Bullet:Mich.]

I forgot to tell you your plots look clean, it looks like you have already started pulling weeds. My hands shake too some times. VA claims it is from Brain and Brain Stem damage caused by C4 while I was in the Army.

 

[DeepseekerADS]

I forgot to tell you your plots look clean, it looks like you have already started pulling weeds. My hands shake too some times. VA claims it is from Brain and Brain Stem damage caused by C4 while I was in the Army.

Thanks! All the fruits, I started digging holes in the grass and filling with compost & dirt, and then I keep the grass & weeds out away from them. That's a daily thing. I spend a whole lot of my time impatiently waiting for sproutings, and tending to weeds & such. In addition to the turnips & radishes coming up, I can finally see carrots, leaf lettuce, onions, spinach, brocolli, and peppers popping out finally. All 16 potato plants are up and growing impressively. I've not planted anything in the long rows yet.

This weekend I'm going to start some seeds in the basement in those pots which dissolve into the soil. That will include the melons, and I don't know what else yet.

My Mt. Hood Hops plant tried to die on me after I transplanted it. Then when all hope for it was about lost, the darned thing grew back again. I'd read they were pretty hardy...

Sorry about your shakes. Get's pretty embarrassing sometimes when it's really bad, I guess it's some kind of syndrome = whatever.... Doesn't bother me all that much, but it ended my career of circuit board repairs, soldering, installing chips, that sort of thing. People think I'm nervous, which I am not.

 

[releventchair]

Deep:your growing medium must be draining alright not to have drowned your plants.
Going with raised beds paying off so far with so much water below. That high water table could be a real benefit down the road in summer when roots can seek depth though.
(You know, deepseekers ).
Potatoes like a dryer sandy soil usually. Should they pout on your site, a well ventilated barrel/ 3/4 plastic drum could be tried next planting, planted below capacity soil can be added to cover growing stems too for trying to raise yield. Harder to rob "new" or baby taters out of them though. Not that I have been one to do that, often. Tater bugs will need pluckin and dropped in soapy water or squished, but that's down the road a bit yet. More seem to follow next time you grow usually.
Looking good, and a good germination rate. You are doing something right...

 

[CHUDs]

Looking good! I just stumbled on your thread and will be following it. My family and I live on 3.5 acres in the Santa Cruz Mountains and have been working to build up the small farmstead over the past 6 years. I can tell you that the work never ends but as you get it more dialed in the work becomes more rewarding! You should look into a local mushroom hunting club. I've been doing it for 12 years now and not only do I usually have some delicious food from the forest but in the past I have been able to sell them to restaurants and markets for a pretty penny. Morels are easy to ID and should be going gangbusters right now! They can also retail for upwards of $50/lb. You should also have chanterelles for most of the next few months and in the fall. It looks like your guru has given you some kale plants in your unknown area. Great nutrient pack for the space. I hope you also make the shift to loving and relying on dogs in your homestead. They are great companions and will give their life for you or your family. They keep the critters away and let you know if something is amiss. I just had to put my 13 year old down yesterday and my heart is broken. One of the best beings I've ever had the luck to know! I know up until the day she went that she would have done everything she could to protect my family! Keep at it my friend, it looks like you've got a sweet spot there!

 

[Bullet:Mich.]

Did you plant early or late potatoes? One thing never over fertilize your potatoes because it makes them scabby.

 

[DeepseekerADS]

On the drainage, those ditches I dug seem to be doing the trick getting it dried out. I cut them up to areas of standing water, and even after that huge rain the area has recovered very quickly.



Welcome to the thread CHUDs! I am getting some really good input from everyone here and plenty advice from some very intelligent and experienced people. I'd say it is very likely I'll be getting a dog. Been looking on Clist for a heeler, but only found mixes so far. May have to expand my search territory. I'm certain there's a lot of mushrooms here. I won't eat them, but if there's a chance to supplement the government dole, might be a good idea!

 

[DeepseekerADS]

Did you plant early or late potatoes? One thing never over fertilize your potatoes because it makes them scabby.

Good question! I don't know!

There's 8 Yukon Gold, and 8 Russet Burbank.

I'm going completely organic, won't be using commercial fertilizer. I'm saving coffee grounds and the coffee left in the pot after I've had my two cups. I'm also going to make some compost tea. Hopefully that will cover things. Over time I want to get more into soil chemistry instead of just shooting off the hip. It will come....

 

[Bullet:Mich.]

Those potatoes are what they call late ones. Red Pontis one of the early ones. I know that you are trying to stay organic but if you use to much your potatoes will be scabby. Yes it will come for you.

 

[CHUDs]

Mushroom hunting is also an addictive form of treasure hunting...once you see those morels or chanterelles poking through the duff, it's like gold, then you realize that they are all over the place!

 

[Bullet:Mich.]

Deep, have you heard anything from the dog next door lately?

 

[DeepseekerADS]

Apparently he's only keeping the dominant one penned up. The two free ones are young dogs, not even out of "puppy" yet - a nuisance when I was working on the bridge a few days ago. It has been pretty quiet here, they already got troubles. The forester handling the property issues asked me yesterday if he could meet with me and walk the line the first of next week. He's not finished yet completely pinning everything down. I'm glad I'm just watching.

On the farm front, yesterday my cousin brought 10 windows (40x37) for me to use on cold frames, and that covers say 102 sq ft. Cold frames or perhaps something different, something in addition? That would be a good start to a greenhouse.

 

[DeepseekerADS]

I have that wood stove going again! 40 here right now, low of 37 tonight and tomorrow.

I've decided to build two more box beds, since my cousin brought scrap lumber enough for that. I also received the live plants for the postage stamp orchard so I certainly have busy work to do. That will be two dwarf apples, peach, pear, cherry, nectarine, and two plum trees.

I guess I have some sort of fixation.... Plenty planted right now but I want more! I feel like I don't have enough in the ground - will I ever feel that I do? That's a pretty good question. One thing about it, surplus food means someone else eats too! I'd take bags of veggies to church to help people. I should waste nothing, the right thing to do.

 

[Bullet:Mich.]

If you have surplus you could let people you trust come to your place and pick out what they like, instead of them receiving something they can't use. While they are there if they are able they will want to help you with something that you need help with. That is what I do. This helps you make a lot of friends.

 

[DeepseekerADS]

If you have surplus you could let people you trust come to your place and pick out what they like, instead of them receiving something they can't use. While they are there if they are able they will want to help you with something that you need help with. That is what I do. This helps you make a lot of friends.

I don't have friends here, the good ones live over an hour away. "You're not from around here, are you?" Well, actually I am, but I left for opportunity elsewhere....

However, that is a very good idea

 

[DeepseekerADS]

For months walking up and down my driveway I'd noticed there was some metal trash down the bank on the side of the road. Today my brother and I were walking down the road and the rains had revealed more of the trash. Turns out it was a very large store display rack made from 1" and smaller unistrut - which is standardized and the hardware to fit it all together is readily available. Everytime we'd dig one out of the ground we'd find another. It literally was finding treasure, we had to dig one piece out of a tree which had grown around it. One piece was buried so deep, I finally used a hacksaw to cut it off where it came out of the ground. I figure my stepfather threw them over the hill more than 20 years ago when he didn't have anywhere to store them. So, now another gift - in addition to the windows, and now I have some real tantalizing structural pieces to decide what to do with. the pile filled the bed of my truck, a bit over the top.

Thank you Lord

Peace,

That was really Deep

 

[Bullet:Mich.]

I don't have friends here, the good ones live over an hour away. "You're not from around here, are you?" Well, actually I am, but I left for opportunity elsewhere....

However, that is a very good idea

I am not from your area but I did live south of you in VA quite a few yrs ago. Also when I was in the Army I spent some time at Camp AP Hill VA.