Feeding your flock amidst of feed shortages

[saysfaa]

Radishes are also good for breaking ground, without breaking your back - particularly if the upper inches ...But the soil where they were planted last year is more useful this year.

Some weeds will do that, too. Or recover/retain nutrients washed down through sandy soul. Thistles are a bane but they do bring nutrients back up.

 

[NatJ]

Some weeds will do that, too. Or recover/retain nutrients washed down through sandy soul. Thistles are a bane but they do bring nutrients back up.

Will dandelions do it too? I know they have a tap root.

 

[Red-Stars-in-RI]

That has a place. A better place if you have an abundance of seed and no other use for it. Something like radishes would extend the season for us in the north.

Yeah…you could use extra/cheap/old seed, save seeds from your garden crops, or even leverage weed seeds I’d imagine.

 

[saysfaa]

Yes, I think dandelions too a little but they don't go nearly as deep or nearly as wide. Thistles are four or so feet tall - for perspective.

 

[Sally PB]

Radishes are also good for breaking ground, without breaking your back - particularly if the upper inches of your soil are clay, layered on some less concrete-like substance.

A gardener's trick is to plant radishes every few inches in your row of carrots. Radishes sprout quickly, carrots are slow. The radishes will mark where the row is and also break the crust on top if one forms.

Also, the entire radish plant is edible, even the seed pods. Well, if you like radishes...

On the related topic of old seeds, I have a LOT of 3-4 year old kale seed packets. I plan to use them to make sprouts this winter for the chickens. Then I won't feel obligated to use them next year and will buy a new packet of the kind I like best. Ditto with other seeds; my seed box is FULL of stuff I doubt I'll grow next year, or seeds that are a few years old.

 

[glib]

Yes, I think dandelions too a little but they don't go nearly as deep or nearly as wide. Thistles are four or so feet tall - for perspective.

There is no real correlation between aerial parts and root depth. For example lettuce and tomatoes go to the same depth. The deepest root of common annual vegetables is beet at 10 ft. Perennials like chicory will go a bit deeper, and horseradish goes to 17 ft. Daikon and alfalfa also go to 10 ft. See

http://soilandhealth.org/wp-content/uploads/01aglibrary/010139fieldcroproots/010139toc.html

http://soilandhealth.org/wp-content/uploads/01aglibrary/010137veg.roots/010137toc.html

 

[NatJ]

There is no real correlation between aerial parts and root depth.

I thought the mention of height was just to give perspective: if the top is 4 feet in the picture, and the roots are clearly longer, then we know the roots go down a lot more than 4 feet.

 

[glib]

I thought the mention of height was just to give perspective: if the top is 4 feet in the picture, and the roots are clearly longer, then we know the roots go down a lot more than 4 feet.

It has more to do with the origin of the plant. Alfalfa for example is a desert creature, and has a 10 ft taproot. So is sorghum. Tomatoes are from the wet tropics, and alliums grow in the early spring in the woods when the soil is quite moist. They are both relatively short. Prairie plants tend to be on the long side, understandable given the type of competition.

 

[Rangergord]

Do you have a source for that?

I would expect the number to either be much larger, or to change at different times of the year, because grain from one harvest usually needs to last until the next harvest. Even with people growing grain in both the northern and southern hemispheres, the harvests will tend to clump into just a few parts of the year.

If’s you think the numbers are much better, let us know what you find out. The international grain council predicted low grain supplies in the spring and harvests increased slightly over last years. Corn was up, wheat was down. Milling grains are in low supply (flour).
The nature of shortages is that they are a surprise. If you knew a shortage was about to occur you would prepare. It will occur when NOT expected.

 

[BirdsBeesTrees]

Got a notice from one of the feed co-ops we buy bulk feed from.
They said expect 20-30% hikes on prices on mixing, bagging, cracking and delivery!!!