Homesteaders

[Chicken girl 15]

Ummmm... on that note. What kind of chickens do you have? If you have breeds that I don't, I'd be open to bartering for the subject we've been discussing for hatching eggs. I have also started saving heirloom seeds.   

I have no purebred eggs . I have
production red
White leghorn
And black astrolorp
Those are my girls

The boys are
Golden spitzhauben and silver spitzhauben.

All of each breed is pure now. Come spring I will be hatching a bit of it all.

 

[KlopKlop]

I am considering it as well, though I'd like to start mine in the garden instead of flats.  I'm not finding much about that out there but I've got my seed and made home made seed tape yesterday and will be sowing some of the seed in the garden now and then some in the spring.  I'll also sow some in a couple of flats in case mine in the garden doesn't germinate. 

I'll be planting Candy onions. 

I hope it works for you. Our growing season is too short here to direct sow. I would start in flats in January or so

 

[mythreesons]

Rancher Hicks~ for the past 3-years I've been growing the tomatoes in grow bags that I planted in new bags with fresh soil..my plants come from a couple place's that I buy locally and have for many years they are from local farmers.. I was told that if blight is in the air there is a 3-mile radius that all plants will be affected..it's the only thing that makes sense since I never got blight where I use to live and consider myself a experienced gardener...before planting in the grow bags I did rotate my tomato plants as to not plant in tainted soil raised beds from the year before.


I'm lost as to what to do about it really..I'm seriously thinking about planting them on my dad's property which is only a mile away from me to see if I get blight there..

 

[rancher hicks]

Rancher Hicks~ for the past 3-years I've been growing the tomatoes in grow bags that I planted in new bags with fresh soil..my plants come from a couple place's that I buy locally and have for many years they are from local farmers.. I was told that if blight is in the air there is a 3-mile radius that all plants will be affected..it's the only thing that makes sense since I never got blight where I use to live and consider myself a experienced gardener...before planting in the grow bags I did rotate my tomato plants as to not plant in tainted soil raised beds from the year before.


I'm lost as to what to do about it really..I'm seriously thinking about planting them on my dad's property which is only a mile away from me to see if I get blight there..

From what I've read it lives in the soil but you know it's so crazy one source will say one thing another something different. I had a friend who lost hundreds of plants the year it hit me.

Too some varieties are more prone to blight. I planted the "Mortgage Lifter" variety and it sure wouldn't have lifted my mortgage.

I did have a vole/mice problem last year. I'll be setting traps as I see their signs digging around. Raised beds create a hiding place for them.

One year I pulled back the plastic to find a mouse and a big snake under it. I don't mind the snakes. They don't eat my tomatoes.

Next spring I'm hoping to get some horse manure to dump in my compost.

 

[KlopKlop]

From what I've read it lives in the soil but you know it's so crazy one source will say one thing another something different. I had a friend who lost hundreds of plants the year it hit me. 

Too some varieties are more prone to blight. I planted the "Mortgage Lifter" variety and it sure wouldn't have lifted my mortgage. 

I did have a vole/mice problem last year. I'll be setting traps as I see their signs digging around. Raised beds create a hiding place for them. 

One year I pulled back the plastic to find a mouse and a big snake under it.  I don't mind the snakes. They don't eat my tomatoes. 

Next spring I'm hoping to get some horse manure to dump in my compost. 

Please read this about Mustard cover crops that I spoke of!!!

http://www.mightymustard.com/benefits

 

[Woodsdweller]

Quote: I haven't had any eggs mailed yet. All the eggs hatched 99%, have been from either someone local or from my own hens.

 

[rancher hicks]

I haven't had any eggs mailed yet. All the eggs hatched 99%, have been from either someone local or from my own hens.

It all depends on how good the eggs are and how good you are at hatching with your particular incubator.

My last hatch of shipped eggs was low. I've only purchased eggs three or four times. I would not spend big bucks for shipped egg.

I've driven hours to pick up chicks and generally hatch my own replacements.


Klop, I'll have a look. I've never considered cover crops because I use raised beds. Will cover crops work for me?

 

[KlopKlop]

It all depends on how good the eggs are and how good you are at hatching with your particular incubator.

My last hatch of shipped eggs was low. I've only purchased eggs three or four times. I would not spend big bucks for shipped egg.

I've driven hours to pick up chicks and generally hatch my own replacements.


Klop, I'll have a look. I've never considered cover crops because I use raised beds. Will cover crops work for me?

absolutely they will! it would be the same principle in a raised bed as native soil.

I am not promising that mustard would solve Blight issues, but if it is in the soil... maybe?!? That site talks about biofumigation when you turn the mustard under. it acts as a natural pesticide/herbicide/fungicide etc.

Other cover crops can be used for nitrogen fixing, green manure, and even weed control.

 

[CrazyTalk]

Next spring I'm hoping to get some horse manure to dump in my compost.

Be careful with horse manure

Horse owners have a tendency to be very particular about what their animals eat - they generally want weed free hay, and this can often lead to hay farmers using persistent broadleaf herbicides - which aren't a problem when a horse poops them out in a horse pasture, but in a garden where you're trying to grow broadleaf plants it can really make things tough. So just make sure that you know where the horses are getting their food.

 

[rancher hicks]

Be careful with horse manure

Horse owners have a tendency to be very particular about what their animals eat - they generally want weed free hay, and this can often lead to hay farmers using persistent broadleaf herbicides - which aren't a problem when a horse poops them out in a horse pasture, but in a garden where you're trying to grow broadleaf plants it can really make things tough. So just make sure that you know where the horses are getting their food.

I did not know this. I wonder if when buying hay, I should be wary? Though the last hay I had was not weed free. Thanks for the tip.