***OKIES in the BYC III ***

[Kassaundra]

Looking for a few hens in OKC. Does anyone know where I might be able to find some? This will be our first time raising chickens and I am super excited. The coop is built and ready to go, just need to find some chickens. I have done lots of research but any advice would be great. Thank you

from Henryetta and

and the okie thread. Wow the coop first then the chickens what a concept!!!!

What kind are you looking for?

 

[NanaKat]

We have land at Eufaula as well. DH's mom lives down there near it full time and loves it. We love going down there, and staying for a few weeks each summer. Didn't get to last summer now that I work 4 days a week and would have to drive from Eufaula to Shawnee. But we love our time down there. Our property just past Bell Star.

We drive from Shawnee to Eufaula to visit family in Enterprise SE of Eufaula lake. It takes us less than 2 hours.

 

[Kassaundra]

What experience I've had with luffa...it is a more tender vine than most gourds. It is more like a cucumber vine. It does need a trellis to help make the luffas straight.

I have just set my seed, planted in pots to set out when it is a little warmer.

A sweet potatoe vine can be trained to go up and over a short trellis...while the root grow in the ground to be dug in the fall. It is very heat tolerant also.

I'm planting sunflower seed along the fence of one of my pens this year to block the west sun and provide seed heads for the birds in the winter.

I definately am going to plant sweet potatoes this year, but the trellis I'm wanting to cover is about 5 feet tall.

 

[NanaKat]

You could get a nice 4 foot trellis covered..maybe a little highter. Some of the vines can be twelve feet or so...but need to run, root along the vine to stableize the nutrients to the roots and then go up.
The vines also bloom with a pretty purple bloom.

 

[Kassaundra]

You could get a nice 4 foot trellis covered..maybe a little highter. Some of the vines can be twelve feet or so...but need to run, root along the vine to stableize the nutrients to the roots and then go up.
The vines also bloom with a pretty purple bloom.

I tried to make my own slips last year and just ended up w/ a rotted and smelly mess.

 

[Oakieridge]

We drive from Shawnee to Eufaula to visit family in Enterprise SE of Eufaula lake. It takes us less than 2 hours.

Oh it is only 2 hours but when I work 10 hour days I don't want to spend 4 more hours in my car, lol. We may try to take the travel trailer down there this summer and stay for a weekend (Thursday-Sunday). But MIL comes to our house Monday- Wends. now so we get to see lots of her right now. But come summer she will only be at our house every other week so she can take care of her garden.

 

[Kassaundra]

Sounds like the luffa may work on my eastward of the coop trellis, but not as well on my westward of the coop trellis. Wonder if I co-plant sweet potatoes on the westward side if they would shade the luffa enough on the lower end that the luffa would shade the upper end of the trelllis????

 

[NanaKat]

Oh it is only 2 hours but when I work 10 hour days I don't want to spend 4 more hours in my car, lol. We may try to take the travel trailer down there this summer and stay for a weekend (Thursday-Sunday). But MIL comes to our house Monday- Wends. now so we get to see lots of her right now. But come summer she will only be at our house every other week so she can take care of her garden.

I hear you on that...And the drive always seems longer when you have children to entertain....are we there yet?

 

[NanaKat]

Sounds like the luffa may work on my eastward of the coop trellis, but not as well on my westward of the coop trellis. Wonder if I co-plant sweet potatoes on the westward side if they would shade the luffa enough on the lower end that the luffa would shade the upper end of the trelllis????

That sounds worth trying. Set your hills of sweet potatoes and plant the luffa between the hills so their roots don't penetrate the sweet potatoes.

 

[NanaKat]

I tried to make my own slips last year and just ended up w/ a rotted and smelly mess.

Set your starter potatoes in a shallow row in a section of the garden. When the slips get to be about 4 - 6 inches long, separate them from the potatoe and either hold in water in a sunny window until you see the first true roots. OR put several in a newspaper or toilet paper roll with miracle gro mix and keep moist.
Trim the water roots back to about 2 inches when you set them in the ground, spreading the roots over a little hill of soil (like an iris).
If you don't spread the roots out, you will get a spagetti mess of potatoes under the crown of vines....I speak from experience....made for some ibnteresting looking potatoes.