Maine

[HoopyFrood]

@lazy gardener Nice! Glad you have space to work, too! Our place is a little over 500 sq ft which gets cramped when you start 200+ seedlings! Last year we did that AND raised our five baby chicks in the living room - talk about cramped!

I'll definitely check out the gardening thread. And, yes, I saw your BTE recommendation to a newcomer a few days ago. I tried to watch the film but my crappy satellite internet connection ground to a halt after only 2 or 3 minutes and I couldn't get it to work after that. It's been persnickety with streaming video lately. Once my data cycle resets, I try it again.

I'm guessing whatever Paul G stumbled upon it's also harmonious with Masanobu Fukuoka's "Natural Farming" which has been the focus of my studies this season. I'm hoping to plant my own "natural orchard" (apple) this spring too!

If you ever need extra scrubby wood and sticks for hugelkulture experiments and are in the Waldo County area you're welcome to all you can haul off from my place

If you haven't been a fan of eggplant before could I suggest baba ghannouj? Absolutely wonderful once you dial it in. And it doesn't have to be anywhere near as complicated as most people make it out to be. We've also got a one-dish eggplant parmesan recipe that is WAY easier to make than the traditional style (and we think it's texture is better than most traditional recipes, too). I think ours grew out of a recipe from "The Kitchn." Lastly - a real treat - eggplant pakora (often called baingan or several other things). So unhealthy, so delicious

Nothing better than making the tastiest food from the veggies you grow naturally! Should be a great season!

 

[buckabucka]

Welcome @HoopyFrood!
I love baba ganouj. It freezes pretty well too, so I can use it for lunches in the winter. I also like moussaka (although I usually make it with ground turkey, not lamb), and I freeze lightly cooked eggplant slices to use as pizza topping. I'll have to look up eggplant pakora.....

I did not have success with eggplant until we got hoop houses. I used to try black plastic with row covers, and occasionally had a little success, but with the hoop house the plants are hanging with fruit. I used to call us zone 3, because we hit -40 in the winter, but things are changing. I think I am zone 4 now. We did get down to -32 this winter, our lowest in quite a few years.

I was looking back at previous years, because this very warm February seems freakish. We have hit 50's three years in a row during this week (assuming our forecast for later this week comes true). Four years ago was frigid.

I won't be planting anything except onions this early, and even those I wait for another week.

 

[HoopyFrood]

Hello @buckabucka ! You're absolutely right! How could I forget about moussaka? And pizza toppings as well, we often roast veggies lightly and use them that way. Eggplant seems to go very well with tomato dishes. Often we'll incorporate things like carrots and eggplant into marinara. So good!

Thanks for the tips! We are only in our second full growing season. But we are definitely planning on making use of row cover much more this year than previously. We had a hard time managing it before so we kind of gave up on it. But we've learned a lot of tips and tricks in our research this winter.

You get a lot colder than us! Our lowest was only -18 this year. We got into the mid -20s last year. The river is very pretty, but I think I appreciate not getting near -40 But wonderful to know you're still able to grow them so well. Good luck this season! To us all

 

[combatfuzzball]

Haven't done a thing for gardening yet. Will be first time here at new house.
Started hatching eggs and have 3 chicks out in broader now. One little guy or girl has started out hard. Egg pipped but was no change for hours. Chipped a little shell to check and make sure membrane hadn't dried. Turned out to be 2 membranes. Weirdest thing I have seen. Assisted it but it

 

[combatfuzzball]

Haven't done a thing for gardening yet. Will be first time here at new house.
Started hatching eggs and have 3 chicks out in broader now. One little guy or girl has started out hard. Egg pipped but was no change for hours. Chipped a little shell to check and make sure membrane hadn't dried. Turned out to be 2 membranes. Weirdest thing I have seen. Assisted it out of shell so we'll see. Has a chip of eggshell stuck to tummy. Going to leave that alone and hope it's okay.

 

[oldfartfarmer]

Hi all, been awhile, I moved my coop to another bigger building(twice the size) last year,
and fenced in a 200x200 area, as I did figure out why our chickens crossed the road,
our neighbor kids were feeding them while waiting for the buss,,im surprised they didn't go to school, one ended up as road kill, and the others almost did too as they were standing in the road trying to eat or peck the dead one back to life, free range came to an end, going to add another 200x200 this year though right down to the stream.
my two Giant Jerseys died on us, one because of a hawk, and another for unknown,
so were down to
2-older comets, going on 3yrs and still laying
2-white brahmas
2-easter eggers,,1 green and 1 blue egg, we got lucky,

the local hardware store has there forms out, never bought from them,
they buy from Mt.Healthy

Im thinking of getting
2 cuckoo marans
2 welsummer
2 buff brahmas--G?F insisting on these, as we love our whites
2 dark brahmas 1 girl 1 male? (is this a good idea?)
2 white leghorns (want white eggs)

im thinking of sneaking in a male,

out of the above what breed rooster would you get?
also can mini-pygmy goats be put in a large outbuilding/coop?

thank you for any help,
man it was gorgeous out yesterday, i can't wait until spring really gets here

cheers
john

 

[oldfartfarmer]

oh and im getting 5 eggs a day, the little tricksters were piling them up behind there poo pile, and not using the nesting boxes,,i fixed that,

 

[buckabucka]

@oldfartfarmer , I love my lone light Brahma. She is not very productive and eats a lot, but she has always had the biggest personality of the bunch. I've considered adding dark and buff Brahmas, but right now I'm trying to cut back. The light Brahma never seemed very healthy, - even as a chick she made weird choking noises, but here she is, going on 8 years. I don't expect her to last much longer, as her legs are starting to fail.

So, I'd probably vote for the Brahma rooster (although I've never had one). I loved my golden cuckoo Marans rooster too, but he succumbed to disease. I'm not sure if you have frostbite issues, but mine tall comb roosters always end up looking dubbed (due to losing pieces to frostbite).

 

[oldfartfarmer]

im trying to find someone with copper maran chicks,

i can get some hatching eggs, but ive no clue as to what i need to do when i receive them, equipment ect,
ive raised baby chicks, no problem, my brahmas and eggers,
but id really like to add some marans, I can get cuckoo marans chicks, but id really like a darker egg,
there was a place in gorham that sold chickens and chicks, but there website is gone,

any opinions and help would be appreciated
john

 

[HoopyFrood]

im trying to find someone with copper maran chicks,

i can get some hatching eggs, but ive no clue as to what i need to do when i receive them, equipment ect,
ive raised baby chicks, no problem, my brahmas and eggers,
but id really like to add some marans, I can get cuckoo marans chicks, but id really like a darker egg,
there was a place in gorham that sold chickens and chicks, but there website is gone,

any opinions and help would be appreciated
john

Have you picked through the incubating forum yet on BYC? I've never hatched so I'm clueless on that front.

As for locating eggs/chicks... If you're on Facebook there's the "Maine Poultry Connection" group (I think) run by Scott DeMoranville. You have to be approved to join. Last year quite a few people advertised chicks/eggs on there. I can't stand Facebook so I deleted my account so I'm "out" and not able to help more there. Last year I did find a few people advertising egg/chicks on Craigslist, too. That's how I found the farm we got our chicks from last yea. But they're in Burnham so that probably doesn't help you. I don't remember them offering Marans either.

Sorry I'm not much help, that's the best I can do...