Homesteading

[releventchair]

You must be about eligible for bib overalls soon.
Gojo likes a PH right around 7.
To experiment, a control group can be reserved untreated. Found that out through trial and error when results were not what was anticipated wide scale over one type plant..
Coffee grounds suggest acidity. Acidity of them can be dropped by rinsing them,depending on the PH of the water used, and acidity preference of type plant determines desired PH. . Still they are a nitrogen source.
Delayed source though if not composted first. Other benifits to grounds around garden border may reduced slugs.ect..
Egg shells are often just over 90% lime. (Calcium carbonate). And one percent nitrogen plus some trace minerals.
A well aged cow manure added to water to make a tea might beat coffee grounds. A PH balance per each type plant still though as to what they prefer.
But you probably learned that all last winter already.


Flower acquisitions here yesterday. Some mulch and dirt today.
I'd rather be playing with the boat..

 

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[DeepseekerADS]

I need to get me some bibs

I've been checking the ant hill all day. No ants seen this morning. This afternoon I sat there for a while waiting. Finally one of the ant family came by putzing around the outside on the ground. That baggie I put the borax & sugar in, I spread it out for him, and he promptly walked through it. I was just down there again for a while, and zero ant activity. Of course I'll be looking again tomorrow. I see today that they'd killed 4 of the one foot square blocks. If the ants are gone, I'll replant them.

I wonder if the ant corpses provide any further nutrients to the soil....

I have 3 - 40# bags of cow manure & humous. It might be time to put some of that around the plants as mulch. Also, a lady I'd talked to months ago called and said I can pick up some well aged horse manure. I'd be foolish not to seize the opportunity, but my next few days are pretty well occupied. So I'll do that early next week.

Farmer's Market tomorrow morning. And then I need to load more rocks to further repair my washed out bridge, need to level it out a little more and I'd been putting that off for weeks. And then my daughter comes up for the evening

 

[joncutt87]

Deep, I have a load of bedrock, that I picked out of the ground last year that you can have. It's diorite, and full of iron.

 

[Bullet:Mich.]

Horse manure is good fertilizer but it is hot, make sure you mix it with dirt before applying it. If the horses are on pasture they like eating weeds so get ready with your hoe.

 

[DeepseekerADS]

Deep, I have a load of bedrock, that I picked out of the ground last year that you can have. It's diorite, and full of iron.

Thanks Jon, loaded rocks yesterday, and fitted them in as a jigsaw puzzle, paver type. My daughter's Caddy went smoothly across

 

[DeepseekerADS]

If the horses are on pasture they like eating weeds so get ready with your hoe.

Hmmmm..... Oh, yes I remember now, having spent 18 months mucking stables for bare survival when I was younger (much).

I'll get the horse manure, but need to be careful on how & where to use it.

 

[DeepseekerADS]

ocate a local nursery to acquire living, growing and ready to fruit trees and bushes.

Yesterday at the Farmer's Market, I picked up a 3 year old Black Twig apple plant. It found a new home in my Postage Stamp Orchard.

 

[DeepseekerADS]

While my daughter was up yesterday, we toured the garden, identifying what was where. I was watering the plants, and was unaware she was snapping pictures, and she posted this on her Facebook page She was pretty shocked by my weight loss, haven't weighed myself in over a month. This picture does kinda send a message to me....



I knew my pants kept wanting to fall off and I needed to punch new holes in my belts. I feel great, juicing, eating better, and plenty outside time. The first of March last year I weighed 208 lbs...

 

[DeepseekerADS]

And, a lesson learned about Deer ticks....

Pulled one off a very private area last night. Had it clenched between my fingers and the little booger escaped and ran up my arm. I had no idea they were as fast as that. Took me a few minutes to capture it. They are FAST - I didn't realize. And I didn't even feel a tickle when it was blazing up my arm. Caught it a number of times, and when I'd try to release it to the "burn chamber", it would get loose again., liked to hide in my nails or cuticles and blend in. Eventuality was a fate it could not avoid.

 

[DeepseekerADS]

A rather disgusting find this morning. Checked myself again, and I just was running my hands around looking for bumps, had one on my right thigh. I took a look at it and used the magnifying glass. It looked like a blackhead. Ran my fingers over it and it was smooth. I couldn't rub up an edge. So I dug it up with my nails, and yep! Another one of them little boogers.

And I swear! I believe that booger had gone into my skin. I think I read it somewhere that they did that, or were capable.

I figure when I found the one before, I had this one as well - but it was more stealth.

Beware! They want to drink our blood.....

 

[releventchair]

Ticks suck. Literally.
Never ran in to them before despite lots of runnin in the giggle weeds as a kid.
Except one on a dog long ago, but picked up a couple hitchhiker /eeeew dog ticks when out mushroomin this spring..
Critters were right where they should have been. Second growth from head high to waist high.
Deer runs,droppings,and coyote poop showed a prey for adult ticks along those runs. Often have a reason for where they are from topography, to edge cover, or the expressway here to there just passin through runs...
The understory after having been logged was about a foot thick on average and the mice wintered well. Chewing poplar bark under the snow roof and keeping the ticks happy probably along with other mammals.

 

[Bullet:Mich.]

Since our temp went from 40 degrees to 80 degrees in a matter of just a few days I am seeing more ticks in our area then have been here in many moons.

 

[DeepseekerADS]

When I was a kid here we didn't have deer ticks, just the bigger ones that didn't normally try to kill us....

I was just out working in the garden, sprayed lots of repellant on me. Supposed to be near 90 today. I watered and picked weeds. And voila! The seeds for my radishes were sown on April 10th.

Look what's saying hello





The next thing I need to learn is when to harvest, what to harvest, and how to harvest

 

[releventchair]

Nice pics..
Them weeds can sneak in sometimes. I'm up to a variety of them but if they want to grow in the sandy soil great,some places.
A few burdock plants starting in same area a solo plant has been perennial.
Berry canes near one flower bed I'm debating about pulling. I did not plant them.
Plantain is just coming on to leafs a couple inches long so some are fair game.
Dandelions are showing up.
One rose is growing great. Has had a few birthdays and was ready for spring.
Other types I pruned in spring are just starting leaves.
Been lots of rain and is raining still.
No rain; no life I spose.

 

[DeepseekerADS]

I noticed I'd not closed my fence. Dark clouds over head with thunder echoing far away. I went down there, and of course took a look around. My first watermelon seed came out of the ground since this morning. Both cantaloupe seeds sent up beautiful green leaves. The thunder was repeating and the sky turning dark. I came back into the house and now it is pouring rain Won't have to water this evening!

I didn't know what I was doing, so I decided to do a lot Mother Nature continues to bless me. I'll have failures, but I'll learn, and I'll still have joys and treasures this year.

Anyone can do this! All it takes is desire

I've lots of Plantain around here. Guess I really do need to give it a taste

 

[releventchair]

Deep: You got some great growins ons there.
Nothing hardly beats a muskmelon picked from a vine on a cold morning. Would be a hearty reward indeed.

Young plantain leafs have less tough fibers/veins running through them. Small for a mix into a salad or I usually chop them small like cilantro, though very different plants.
I should look into drying some for winter tea now and then..

 

[Bullet:Mich.]

One of the best things about spring is when all the seeds that you have planted start showing you plants peeking up through the ground, of course pulling the weeds and mowing the grass is all part of spring.

 

[DeepseekerADS]

One of the best things about spring is when all the seeds that you have planted start showing you plants peeking up through the ground.

Yep Did my morning weeding, don't have to water today Well, maybe.....

All 3 of the watermelons are out of the ground! 3 of the 4 Idaho potatoes are up!

Of the postage stamp orchard, one of the plum trees is not yet showing signs of life, but I'll keep hoping!

While I was down there I saw a very long mole trail around the blueberries and blackberries. I was looking at the track and saw it extending, in action. I stabbed that end like I lived in Bates Motel, don't know if I got it, but I need to go back to mole school.

 

[releventchair]

Moles love my grubby yard.
I find their holes with the crutches constantly and mow the raised earth if missed with a tire. A new style trap might help. The old one takes multiple misses to score.
Tried smoking them but they seem to only move a ways.
Always have to resist the urge to use propane to blast them.
They get inside the dog fence and one male will nail them, but the bigger grub population is outside the fence in loam.

Bates method, l.o.l.. About the time harsh words are added to the stabbing away at the earth would be when some fragile visitor arrived...

 

[rockhound]

For moles, buy some Juicy Fruit chewing gum. Break in half, leave the paper on. Throw around the holes or in the path and they will eat it. But they will not come back for seconds. As they chew it, it will stick their teeth together. No more moles. Good Luck. rockhound