Illinois...

[jerryse]

Too windy to haul rocks today . Staying inside as that wind feels cold .

 

[Molpet]

Too windy to haul rocks today . Staying inside as that wind feels cold .

Need to put the rocks in my pocket with the wind
Poultry are all hiding from the wind

 

[BReeder!]

Need to put the rocks in my pocket with the wind
Poultry are all hiding from the wind

My ducks are still walking around in the yard. They don't care what the weather is. They are always out. The jury is still out on whether they are resilient or just dumb.

 

[Faraday40]

And happy Easter everyone.
Anyone grow apple from seed? I got some seeds from pink lady apples to sprout. Though I read they dont breed true so not sure how it will work out. after 5+ years my dwarf honey crisp trees are worthless and getting chopped.

I feel the same about my own dwarf honey crisp. I was all set to chop it down last spring.... and then it blossomed. I even got a little excited when I saw the 1st tiny fruits, but some critter came along and ate all the tiny apples in early summer. Same story with my pears and cameo apple tree. I have bad luck with fruit trees but my bushes (cherry, blueberry, & raspberry vines) thrive with no effort.

@chickendreams24 grafted some apple trees when her fav tree at her grandma's was accidentally cut down. I think grafting has a better chance but personally have never tried it.

I think the best chance of getting what you want is buying a small tree. Bigger trees cost more and shock prevents them from growing much the 1st year. The smaller ones tend to take root better and can catch up quickly.

 

[WhyDoILikeChickens]

I feel the same about my own dwarf honey crisp. I was all set to chop it down last spring.... and then it blossomed. I even got a little excited when I saw the 1st tiny fruits, but some critter came along and ate all the tiny apples in early summer. Same story with my pears and cameo apple tree. I have bad luck with fruit trees but my bushes (cherry, blueberry, & raspberry vines) thrive with no effort.

@chickendreams24 grafted some apple trees when her fav tree at her grandma's was accidentally cut down. I think grafting has a better chance but personally have never tried it.

I think the best chance of getting what you want is buying a small tree. Bigger trees cost more and shock prevents them from growing much the 1st year. The smaller ones tend to take root better and can catch up quickly.

That's why I totally gave up on gardening. Bought honey crisp apple trees and only got 1 apple I could eat in 5 years. I had a big garden and weeds took over. Had strawberry plants and rabbits ate them have 2 dwarf apple trees and every year japanese beetles destroy them in a day. Raspberry bushes in raised bed do ok but still battle beetles. Have beautiful irises that smell like grape soda and moles/voles eat them. 1st flock of birds fed fox and raccoon, lost 5 of 7 in 1 weekend.
I am making some raised beds this year and starting gardens. The raspberry in raised bed are much more manageable. My previous garden I would weed for an hour every day and never enough.
But with today's health and economic situation I don't think I can avoid the battle any more. Farmers dumping milk, tilling vegetables, Smithfield meat closing plants. Self sustainability will be helpful at least this year.

 

[Justso]

And happy Easter everyone.
Anyone grow apple from seed? I got some seeds from pink lady apples to sprout. Though I read they dont breed true so not sure how it will work out. after 5+ years my dwarf honey crisp trees are worthless and getting chopped.

My dd has started them by putting them in wet paper towels in the fridge. She recently started a few sprouts in pots. We'll check back in 5 years or so!

 

[WhyDoILikeChickens]

In short go for a walk in the woods and go camping. Too bad they closed all of our parks and walking paths.

 

[WhyDoILikeChickens]

I used to take all the extra eggs to church and give them away. Now I end up throwing many away. This doesn't include the dozens in the fridge.

 

[Molpet]

I used to take all the extra eggs to church and give them away. Now I end up throwing many away. This doesn't include the dozens in the fridge.
View attachment 2091048

Could contact church and have porch pickup
So many can't find eggs in the stores...or the price is 5

 

[Faraday40]

Such a shame!

You could try selling them on CL or facebook. I know @homeschoolin momma has done that. We sell ours to neighbors. (Not really enough extras to expand beyond family, friends, & neighbors.)

Is there a food pantry nearby? I know they always appreciate garden produce, and with so many temporally unemployed, I'm sure they're busier than usual.

When we have old or ?able eggs, we feed them to animals.... our dogs or chickens. For chickens I change the form of the egg (either smash it enough that they won't know it's an egg or boil/scramble a bunch of eggs. Don't leave out the shells! We always collect the shells in a container by the sink. When it fills up, we crumble the shells for chicken calcium. They prefer it over oyster shell which they barely touch.