Homesteaders

[rancher hicks]

Why I came on. I was reading about LEAD.

Lead. As in Lead in the soil. Many urban gardens and even rural homes might have excessive lead in the soil. Children are most vulnerable since the play in the soil and absorb lead through their skin.

However in short: "Because plants don't absorb much lead, your vegetable will be safe to eat. Even so, the CDC and other groups recommend taking different precaution for three groups of vegetable crops - fruits leaves and roots - according to their lead risk levels. Fruiting bodies, such as tomatoes, peppers, and raspberries, are the least likely to contain lead: the risk is virtually non existent. Leafy crops tend to contain higher concentrations but most of the risk of ingesting lead is from the soil on them. Wash your lettuce and cabbages carefully and discard the older outer leaves. Because root crops form in the soil they carry the greatest risk of holding lead in their skins and in soil embedded in the skin. Wash your potatoes and carrots carefully with water containing vinegar (in a 1 percent solution or edible soap, and discard the skins when you prepare you vegetables for cooking. "

You can read the entire article in Heirloom Gardener a good magazine on growing your own food.


Of course in the city areas raised beds can help but the article mentions other options I can't type up here. Her's a nice suggestion. If you live in a rural area why not start at magazine sharing club or library? A central location where folks can go to read each others magazines. A one room building would suffice. Each could drop off a used chair for their self or small table with a $15 Mr. Coffee maker and an outhouse would be good too. Kind of like a one room community gathering place. Perhaps the local Fire hall could serve too.

Well as usual I've said too much. Sorry. No we don't have a three legged mule.

TTFN,

Love ya Rancher

 

[CLSranch]

I raise a pretty big garden every year. Not very good at consistent selling. I may have to leave for up to 6 weeks for work. Hoping to get to where I can stay home every night for work or the DW can not work. She is learning a little about canning and gardening in general. Hoping that the garden and the bee's in about 4 years will bring a little extra $$. I even keep tomatoes in pots and bring them on the road with me. I have neighbors that just the same as eggs say oh yea i'd love some. Then have NEVER showed up to buy any. I actually give dozens at a time to another neighbor who helps me sometimes. Looking into the little farmers market in front of the feed store.

 

[rancher hicks]

I raise a pretty big garden every year. Not very good at consistent selling. I may have to leave for up to 6 weeks for work. Hoping to get to where I can stay home every night for work or the DW can not work. She is learning a little about canning and gardening in general. Hoping that the garden and the bee's in about 4 years will bring a little extra $$. I even keep tomatoes in pots and bring them on the road with me. I have neighbors that just the same as eggs say oh yea i'd love some. Then have NEVER showed up to buy any. I actually give dozens at a time to another neighbor who helps me sometimes. Looking into the little farmers market in front of the feed store.

Well there are seven days in a week so perhaps you could put a Veggie stand out front on the weekends.

I have folks down the road a piece that set up a stand. I know they're not growing their stuff but buying it wholesale. They had Christmas trees out this year. I reckon they use an Honor box system.

I have a friend that did that with eggs. Not sure how that worked out.

I bought a used college type fridge for putting eggs in in the garage.

I've seen where folks have just set a bench out with produce on it.

I don't expect to make a profit on my eggs but I do like to offset the cost of keeping chickens.

FYI, you can get free cuttings of berry plants or roost stock from some folks. My Jostaberry cutting came free from a member as did my raspberry plants. They did better than the ones I bought. My barber has offered more. Too local folks will know what grows best in your area since they've been doing it.

I've taken cuttings of store bought Pussy Willows and sprouted them. I hope to grow some here. I paid $3 a bunch but if I can get $1 it's practically free money. I've seen them for $5 and $6 a bunch. We're pretty wet here and have a creek that borders our property.

 

[rancher hicks]

Oh anyone here grow Pussy Willows?

CLS, one of my favorite books is "the Ox Cart man" by Donald Hall . A Reading Rainbow book and a childrens book but very inspiring.

 

[CLSranch]

I'm leave for 6 weeks not days at a time. Sometimes back for less than a week and gone again but DW could set up a stand with the honor system once everything is growing good. I have a little fridge I could put the eggs in and run an extension cord to. We are about 20 miles to anything so it should work. Like you sais at least offset my expenses. It would be nice to get something back from planting a huge garden. I sometimes come home work daylight till dark on weeding and tilling and fixing everything else that's been neglected just to finish before I leave again. When I pulled up my Okra I had hundreds of okra just thrown over the fence.

Funny thing is when laid off after 2 weeks I don't do near as much as I should much less daylight till dark.

 

[CLSranch]

Oh anyone here grow Pussy Willows?

CLS, one of my favorite books is "the Ox Cart man" by Donald Hall . A Reading Rainbow book and a childrens book but very inspiring.

I have a little one on the way. I may have to get that book and learn while teaching.

 

[rancher hicks]

I'm leave for 6 weeks not days at a time. Sometimes back for less than a week and gone again but DW could set up a stand with the honor system once everything is growing good. I have a little fridge I could put the eggs in and run an extension cord to. We are about 20 miles to anything so it should work. Like you sais at least offset my expenses. It would be nice to get something back from planting a huge garden. I sometimes come home work daylight till dark on weeding and tilling and fixing everything else that's been neglected just to finish before I leave again. When I pulled up my Okra I had hundreds of okra just thrown over the fence.

Funny thing is when laid off after 2 weeks I don't do near as much as I should much less daylight till dark.

Well now I don't know if you're tilling for weeding purposes but if you are stop. It doesn't help as much as folks think. It destroys good organisms by drying out the soil. Newspapers and cardboard make much better mulch. Do not hope to get EVERY weed. Leaving a few won't hurt.



New "wheel the wheel barrow in " compost pile. Cardboard laid round and under to kill weeds.




Fallen tree cut up and used to make beds for Raspberries.


Even a few raised beds will be better than none.



More fallen trees cut up for Raspberries in another location. These produced this last fall. I plant in various locations in case one doesn't work out. Never put all your eggs in one basket is my motto.



I've covered this with tarps as shelter for the chickens. Made from branches of fallen trees.



Office printer paper box painted and labeled. Box was free and spray paint leftover from another project. Label printed on computer.



Saved cake topper to be used for mini green house over plants.




Newspapers for mulch. A bit messy looking but not after the chickens shred it up.



the beginning of cardboard around raised beds.



Make your chicken runs do double duty. Toss in kitchen scraps, leaves and peat moss. They work it up nice and in the spring you have nice compost. I cover this run so it's dry in the summer months and the chickens get to go out on dry ground during the winter.










Surrounded by poultry wire and mulched with newspapers these gooseberry bushes produced this year.



FREE spotty but good inside pears from the neighbor. Find wild grapes when you can. I added just four cups to concords given to me by a friend. Being friendly has it's benefits. So does sharing as I gave her some of the jelly.



Cardboard mulch works well and breaks down over time. It' saves lots of rototill time. I don't own one. Too cardboard can clean an area without digging.



Now sure I understand the Okra thing but that too could be sold for at least something. If there is a dollar store near by get some brown paper lunch bags to put stuff in. Turn the tops down to show the Okra or Tomatoes.

DON'T try to do it all at once. I've been at it for years. "Slow and steady wins the race" - The Tortoise and the Hare. Write out your plan and amend it each year.

These are just some ideas, but there are thousands and not all work for each of us, so use what you can from whatever ideas folks offer.

TTFN,

 

[CLSranch]

Can you explain turning the tops down on brown paper bags to show the okra and tomatoes?

 

[rancher hicks]

I have a little one on the way. I may have to get that book and learn while teaching.

Ebay $3.95 or so free shipping.

 

[Molpet]

Can you explain turning the tops down on brown paper bags to show the okra and tomatoes?

cuff the top of the bag (instead of closing) not paper or produce but the same idea