Michigan Thread - all are welcome!

[1muttsfan]

Not that I don't agree with mask mandates, but I think the issue is whether it's valid for the state Governor to mandate them once the emergency is over, or if it should be the local health departments. Although I think whether the emergency is over or not is debatable. And schools and businesses can still mandate masks.

Dreamz you should really try planting garlic, it's one of the easiest crops to grow. I stuck a bunch in my flower garden last year because I ran out of space in my regular garden.

 

[Sally PB]

I was digging up some invading grass at the edge of the garden and must have gotten 50 little Japanese Beetle grubs. Ha ha, more protein for the chickens, less root damage by grubs, and fewer JBs in a few years. Triple win!

Now I have even more reason to dig out the grass/weeds. I needed that kick in the pants.

 

[Frankiegirl]

Not that I don't agree with mask mandates, but I think the issue is whether it's valid for the state Governor to mandate them once the emergency is over, or if it should be the local health departments. Although I think whether the emergency is over or not is debatable. And schools and businesses can still mandate masks.

Dreamz you should really try planting garlic, it's one of the easiest crops to grow. I stuck a bunch in my flower garden last year because I ran out of space in my regular garden.

I planted in pots this year as I didnt have the space prepared for a garden. Can garlic be planted in pots? More info please…I am interested and Thank you for announcement that it is time. Do you simply break apart garlic from the store into cloves and stick it into the ground?

 

[Sally PB]

I planted in pots this year as I didnt have the space prepared for a garden. Can garlic be planted in pots? More info please…I am interested and Thank you for announcement that it is time. Do you simply break apart garlic from the store into cloves and stick it into the ground?

@Mfranks, IIRC, you're in the Ada area...? I got my garlic from Heidi's Farmstand. It's on the corner of Cascade Rd and Alden Nash (the road at the Lowell exit from 96), just a half mile or so north of the highway.

You plant one clove, you get one bulb, or if you get garlic at Heidi's, 1 clove becomes 4 or 5 cloves, as they have Music garlic, which is a hardneck variety. The spacing in a bed is about 2-3" apart. I don't know how garlic would do in pots... I would think it would be ok.

I don't know if grocery store garlic has been treated so as not to sprout. It is probably a softneck variety. Separate the bulb into cloves, gently, and leave any of the papery skin on. Plant the cloves pointy end up, with about 2" of dirt above the clove. Then put some mulch (I use raked up leaves, because I have lots) over the dirt. I'll be planting mine in about 3 weeks.

In the spring, after danger of frost, carefully move the mulch away. The garlic will probably be sprouting up through it. I put some mulch back around the plants when they get a few inches tall, to keep down the weeds.

 

[aart]

I planted in pots this year as I didnt have the space prepared for a garden. Can garlic be planted in pots? More info please…I am interested and Thank you for announcement that it is time. Do you simply break apart garlic from the store into cloves and stick it into the ground?

You could try pots, big ones. I planted some in a 18" high raised bed and it worked out fine.
I would not try to plant store garlic.

 

[aart]

The spacing in a bed is about 2-3" apart.

I'd go 6" spacing, 12" between rows. Per my bro, a decades experienced organic truck farmer who grew ~500 head a year until recently.

This is the flyer I handed out when I was selling seed garlic.

 

[Dreamzchaser]

We have a lot of iron in our water, and our bathtub is badly stained. I've tried CLR, and don't use that if you can't open the windows!

A neighbor suggested Bar Keepers Friend ($4 for a can, versus $20 for a big jug of CLR) and WOW! It took a couple of hours or scrubbing and letting the stuff sit on the really bad stains, but man oh man! That tub is clean now!

We'll see if DH notices...

Yeah, he will. It's that big of a difference.

I had those ugly yellowish stains and in Dollar General found a comet spray to clean that when you spray turn into a foam and it works wonders. no need to leave it to work. Just a thought!

 

[Dreamzchaser]

Not that I don't agree with mask mandates, but I think the issue is whether it's valid for the state Governor to mandate them once the emergency is over, or if it should be the local health departments. Although I think whether the emergency is over or not is debatable. And schools and businesses can still mandate masks.

Dreamz you should really try planting garlic, it's one of the easiest crops to grow. I stuck a bunch in my flower garden last year because I ran out of space in my regular garden.

Will look into how to grow it. I donot use much of it but I can use it in my sofrito for sure and if I make a big batch, I can have for the whole year in teh freezer,lol

 

[Dreamzchaser]

I'd go 6" spacing, 12" between rows. Per my bro, a decades experienced organic truck farmer who grew ~500 head a year until recently.

View attachment 2845106

Amazing! Thanks @aart

 

[Dreamzchaser]

Jeebers, so much I had to read and took a break to go North Muskegon to the UPS and send my fire tablet. Amazon will be sending me a new one since it is still on warranty.

The girls are doing fine. Tamera, 27 wks seabright went broody on the 16th but on the 18th I was back and got her out of the box and she went normal. However, she has not laid an egg since then. Is this normal?

Got some green foamy stuff to insulate the coop this weekend. XHub will be working on the fencing and posts and now he knows to be careful not to hit another sprinkler line. Weird because I would have never installed any sprinklers. It is not high quality grass anyways.

Also I have been letting the girls run out the whole yard in teh afternoons before the winter sets in. It has rained plenty around here. Also tonight we are supposed to get a system that is coming from Winsconsin and Illinois west of us. So tonight they will be in bed by the time the systems rolls out in this area.

Got an automatic coop door and it was hard at the beginning but was able to find that in their website is a configurator and now it opens at 730am and closes at 730pm. I am happy so far with it now. Hopefully teh run door goes in soon. It is the only thing missing so far. I do have to change the chicken wire from the high around teh run but other than that seems to be ok. I am always watching for anymals and stuff. No food or water left outside past they go inside around 715pm.