Nevadans?

[SunnyDawn]

Oh man! I really need to take advantage of this beautiful weather and get some more work done on the run fence but my nose is glued to the bator and it keeps drawing me back!!!

 

[NevadaRon]

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Ah that stinks! You wouldn't be the first person to change their city's laws though! There's even an area here on BYC that explains the steps you need to take to do it! Not sure where it's at but if you do a search you should come up with a bunch of info!

It's a whole forum here called Local Chicken Laws & Ordinances (and how to change them) - under Raising BackYard Chickens.

 

[NevadaRon]

Oh man! I really need to take advantage of this beautiful weather and get some more work done on the run fence but my nose is glued to the bator and it keeps drawing me back!!!

How many eggs did you set Sunny? And what breeds? I'm sure you've already said but I must have missed it when my computer was down.

 

[laceynoelle]

Hey all!! Missy, lol you talk too much?? Dont feel guilty, I should feel guilty that I only come on here once a day. And I do, I wish I could post as often as everyone else. I'm never on the computer, and this wont load on my phone. Ug! Keep rockin it guys, hahaha.

Sunny, I cant wait for pics!! They sound adorable, I love polish babies. Well, and babies, but I super love polish.

As for chicks, Ive got some hatching from mom's flock on the 28th. And I guess she wants to put in a big order to replace old layers and get this years meaties. They take all year too, because we dont get those wierd cornish crosses.

What happens when you guys start melons and squash inside? Does it work out for you? Mine shoot up about 6 inches in a couple days, then keel over and die. And advise? Thanks everyone. :]

 

[SunnyDawn]

Quote:

Ah that stinks! You wouldn't be the first person to change their city's laws though! There's even an area here on BYC that explains the steps you need to take to do it! Not sure where it's at but if you do a search you should come up with a bunch of info!

It's a whole forum here called Local Chicken Laws & Ordinances (and how to change them) - under Raising BackYard Chickens.


You ROCK Ron!!!

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I set 40 but after candling out the infertiles and quitters I have about 2 dozen left. They are Polish and a mix of Pam's EE (or Ameraucana) Roo. The hens are Pam's mixed flock. So far the Polish are the ones pipping like crazy. Only one brown egg hatched and another is well pipped. 3 Polish are out and another 3 are pipping.

Hey all!! Missy, lol you talk too much?? Dont feel guilty, I should feel guilty that I only come on here once a day. And I do, I wish I could post as often as everyone else. I'm never on the computer, and this wont load on my phone. Ug! Keep rockin it guys, hahaha.

Sunny, I cant wait for pics!! They sound adorable, I love polish babies. Well, and babies, but I super love polish.

As for chicks, Ive got some hatching from mom's flock on the 28th. And I guess she wants to put in a big order to replace old layers and get this years meaties. They take all year too, because we dont get those wierd cornish crosses.

What happens when you guys start melons and squash inside? Does it work out for you? Mine shoot up about 6 inches in a couple days, then keel over and die. And advise? Thanks everyone. :]

Hi Lacey!!! That's a common problem and It's called damping off. Here's info from a site that explains the cause and prevention well.

Control: There is no cure for plants that already have damping off, however you can easily prevent the problem by providing good air circulation. A small fan or simply cracking the lid of the germination tray will suffice. The biological fungicide Mycostop may also be used as a seed treatment to prevent seed or soil-borne diseases. Other steps for preventing damping off include the following:

• When starting seeds indoors, use commercial potting soil, or sterilize your own potting soil in an oven.
• Make sure your soil mix is light and fast-draining.
• Plant seedlings so that the soil surface is near the top of the container to insure proper air circulation.
• Sow seeds thinly to prevent over crowding which can lead to humid, moist conditions.
• Watering systems that provide seedlings water from below are preferable to overhead watering.
• Never water past noon so that the soil surface and the plants are dry by dark
• Avoid overwatering seedlings

http://www.planetnatural.com/site/xdpy/kb/damping-off.html

The Polish are so super cute!!! They are one of the few breeds that get even cuter once they feather out! I'll take pics once they are all dry for sure.

 

[americanvalkyrie]

Lacey, also keep in mind that the squash family (squash, melons, cucumbers) are extremely fast growers. That's why it's usually recommended that they're direct-sowed outside. But, with a long-season winter squash, that's not always possible. Try waiting until April 15th, at the earliest, to start indoors, and start in a big pot of soil, maybe even the big one that you want it to eventually end up in before transplanting. You know, those half-gallon ones that seedlings come in at the nursery. And try to keep them in the sun from the time they come up, if the weather allows.

 

[NevadaRon]

Hey all!! Missy, lol you talk too much?? Dont feel guilty, I should feel guilty that I only come on here once a day. And I do, I wish I could post as often as everyone else. I'm never on the computer, and this wont load on my phone. Ug! Keep rockin it guys, hahaha.

Sunny, I cant wait for pics!! They sound adorable, I love polish babies. Well, and babies, but I super love polish.

As for chicks, Ive got some hatching from mom's flock on the 28th. And I guess she wants to put in a big order to replace old layers and get this years meaties. They take all year too, because we dont get those wierd cornish crosses.

What happens when you guys start melons and squash inside? Does it work out for you? Mine shoot up about 6 inches in a couple days, then keel over and die. And advise? Thanks everyone. :]

What kind of melons and what kind of squash are you starting inside? Summer squash doesn't need to be started inside; the growing season is plenty long enough. Cantaloupes will also grow in our season. At best, you want to start them indoors you should wait until mid-May so you can set them outside right away.

 

[SunnyDawn]

Lacey, also keep in mind that the squash family (squash, melons, cucumbers) are extremely fast growers. That's why it's usually recommended that they're direct-sowed outside. But, with a long-season winter squash, that's not always possible. Try waiting until April 15th, at the earliest, to start indoors, and start in a big pot of soil, maybe even the big one that you want it to eventually end up in before transplanting. You know, those half-gallon ones that seedlings come in at the nursery. And try to keep them in the sun from the time they come up, if the weather allows.

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I already started mine inside. Well not all of them only a third of them. The cantaloupe will take 10 to 20 days to germinate, the pumpkins 5 to 10. The pumpkins were put in yesterday and the cantaloupe were put in 5 days before that. Very quickly after that they need to go in a cold frame outside.

Lacey the problem with growing these types of plants under grow lights is that they really need full sun and the grow lights aren't strong enough for them. So what happens is they get "stretched" (not the right word but you know what I mean, "leggy") while trying to reach for the sunlight they need. This on top of unsterilized soil and too much moisture is a surefire recipe for damping off.

My plan, which may not be successful (this will be an experiment), is to build a coldframe with "heat sinks" in the corners that will warm up the plants enough to give them their early start. My season is even shorter up here in Red Rock and I would also like to extend my harvest time so I can enjoy these things even longer.

I'm going to build a few raised beds this weekend with bales of straw (which I can wet and cover with plastic to produce composting heat later if needed). I will line them with plastic, with holes punched in the bottom, fill them halfway with our cruddy DG soil, put a couple inches of chicken manure mixed with shavings on top of this and then fill the rest of the way with cheap potting soil. In the corners I plan to place jugs of water, painted black or covered with black garbage bags, as solar collectors. Depending on how big my cold frames are I may place a collector in the middle too. Then they will be covered with either polycarbonate sheets or with a clear fiberglass composite material.

There are some fantastic ideas like this on the net but I got this particular design from Mother Earth News - Wiser Living Series (Spring 2012). I decided I better figure out a different method for getting an early start to my gardening since with my back I just can't be hauling pots or buckets in and out of the house like I tried to do when we first moved here. And waiting for Steve to get home to do it when it's starting to snow at 11am just doesn't cut it either. Genny said they had their last "hard" freeze up here on June 26th last year!!! It killed all of her tomato plants which she had in large heat collecting buckets so that would not be enough protection out here for sure.

I know this info is no good at all to those of you with very small yards since these frames take up a lot of room but I will keep you updated on how well they perform just in case someone else wants to give it a try. And those of you with small yards may not always have small yards. If they work really well I might even try full-sized watermelons next year!

JK They need a ridiculously long season.

 

[americanvalkyrie]

Sunny, I want pics when you get all that garden stuff in! We usually just haul stuff in and out until last frost date. Often we unload our extra seedlings before then, and expect the recipients not to mess up and let them freeze, then we just have our own plants to carry in. Last year, when it froze so late and the plants were so big, I made a shelter out of Christmas lights and frost blanket. Boy, was it pretty! Everything lived through that horrible week, when other people lost plants.

 

[2seth2]

hi guys
I can just imagine the brooder covered in sunny's nose prints

Polish are sooooo cute can't wait for pics
you guys teach me everything i need to know about gardening and we love your posts missy.
The two crops we always failed at were corn and rasberries