Michigan Thread - all are welcome!

[bigmrg74]

I find a snowmobile helmet works great on the tractor when using the snowblower, although the neighbors do look a bit. No cab on my tractor, though.

I might have to remember that.

No cab here either.....I wear ski googles if the wind is blowing.

Yeah, my lotto dreams involve a brand new tractor with a heated cab and all of the fun toys for snow moviing.

 

[aart]

Quote: Was thinking about the snowmobile helmet....I tried it once, blocked too much of my peripheral vision.
My 'tractor' is a vintage garden tractor, so tiny tractor.... cabs for them are very hard to get in and out of.

 

[chickflick]

I'll deal with this winter. Sure a whole lot better than the last two we've had!! No complaints here. When we're surrounded by lakes, guess lake effect snow is to be expected. Not getting too much here, so I can say that since I'm not getting the effects of it. lol

Stay warm and safe and have a good day.

 

[gladahmae]

Anyone else here tired of watching the lake effect snow fall after 2 solid days?

SO TIRED OF IT! I keep pressing DH to get curtains for the windows (to help with any drafts and conserve energy) but he insists that we have windows to LOOK OUT, not to cover up. We went out bowling for DS2's birthday and got almost 12in in 4 hours on Sunday.

Think I just have the winter blues going on.

I had them last year too and it was AWFUL. I've tried to stay ahead of it this year.....exercising every day and vitamin D drops. So far, so good.



I'm busy planning the garden for next year. Can anyone recommend a good orange tomato? Preferable not a huge-growing beefsteak type since i like to eat my tomatoes before mid-august. And does anyone have a good pole bean (other than kentucky pole beans?) to recommend? I'm going to try pole beans this year since the &*$# ground squirrel eats the baby beans off my bush-type bean plants. Hoping that getting them off the ground might make a difference.

 

[Stacykins]

SO TIRED OF IT! I keep pressing DH to get curtains for the windows (to help with any drafts and conserve energy) but he insists that we have windows to LOOK OUT, not to cover up. We went out bowling for DS2's birthday and got almost 12in in 4 hours on Sunday.


I had them last year too and it was AWFUL. I've tried to stay ahead of it this year.....exercising every day and vitamin D drops. So far, so good.



I'm busy planning the garden for next year. Can anyone recommend a good orange tomato? Preferable not a huge-growing beefsteak type since i like to eat my tomatoes before mid-august. And does anyone have a good pole bean (other than kentucky pole beans?) to recommend? I'm going to try pole beans this year since the &*$# ground squirrel eats the baby beans off my bush-type bean plants. Hoping that getting them off the ground might make a difference.

I'm trying Good Mother Stallard pole beans this year. I don't know much about them personally, since I've never read them. But they're pretty and supposed to taste good. I'm doing some Three Sisters planting this year. It requires sturdy heirloom corn (a lot of modern corns are too weak) to support pole beans, and squashes at the base to shade/outcompete the weeds. The beans help fix nitrogen into the soil to for the nitrogen hungry corn. The corn needs a head start over the other two, since they can overwhelm baby corn plants quickly.

You could also go with a half runner, between a true pole bean and a bush bean. It won't get as wild and climby as a pole, but should raise beans higher for you.

 

[gladahmae]

I'm not overly worried about them getting too high.....we have plenty of stuff around to make a trellis out of. I just want some gosh darn green beans from the garden! 4 years, and I think I've gotten enough for a meal once.

 

[uchytil]

I'm not overly worried about them getting too high.....we have plenty of stuff around to make a trellis out of. I just want some gosh darn green beans from the garden! 4 years, and I think I've gotten enough for a meal once.

I just get the Blue Lake seeds, nothing special. I put a 6 foot pole in a 12 inch hole with big nail in the top. 8 strings (think nylon bailing in the big spool) at about a 60deg drop to a wood stake. Plant 4 seeds around the string base and pole base. I get way too many beans. Our bush do great too - wax, green, and purple. Never had critters eat beans? Do you fence your garden? Looks pretty cool too when fully developed - like a tee-pee...

 

[gladahmae]

We "fence" with plastic snow fence to keep the big stuff out....and it's just tall enough the chickens don't get in it either (and it's right next to one of the coops). The ground squirrel has tunnels all over the place....the yard, the gardens, under one of the coops.....so fencing isn't going to do much unless I bury hardest cloth and that isn't economically feasible. It eats parts of plants when they are young, and then eats all of the beans between the flowering and fruiting stage.

 

[taprock]

I'm liking this winter less than last year. It's not the cold that I care so much about, but I haven't seen the Sun in months. I sit with my light every morning but I think it's loosing effectiveness at this point.

I have six coops and only one has power so I bang out ice every day. The ducks take turns bathing in the biggest dish. Mice have damaged my Serema coop door so they are all being housed in dog crates in the basement right now. I don't like indoor chickens or the early morning crowing! With the mountain of snow we've gotten this week the coop is buried and has to be dug out before it can be fixed. It is the only coop I have that has heat.

Is anyone ordering turkeys? I'm not sure I want a full order of 15.

 

[MarcyR1011]

Has anyone else seen that we are losing the Right to Farm Act in Michigan??? Is this really true? Thankfully the restrictions don't apply to me at this point but this is going to affect a lot of people if it's true!!!