Okies in the BYC The Original

[Buckguy20]

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Are they gonna be watching Chicken Little? Chicken Run? or Chickendale's?

 

[TheBarnSwallow]

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This is interesting. I don't think I remember reading about the 7th year with gardening, what you could do instead of not gardening at all (and maybe this is what you are saying) on the 7th year is rotate areas of your property where you have your gardens.
Happy Gardening,

Kate

Exodus 23:10-11 is where you will find the reference that I was stating in regards to my personal biblical stand point on our "farming practices" ... But what I may follow is a personal one and I dont ever want others to think that it is superior or unsuperior to their own farming/gardening journey. We did not garden at all this year since this was the first year living on our purchased 4 acre place... We have been doing alot of cleaning up per say which alone speaks volumes to why we are glad there was no garden. Despite all the trash and garbage we have come across... I did find a treasure... a full metal pitch fork that I nearly ran over with the mower... can ya say CHA CHING!! Its so awesome and heavy duty too... that is one of the very very few things I can say I am glad the sellers left around...and happy I spotted it in the weeds before the mower could have been damaged....

 

[Grace'sDad]

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I am just off my meds.

Hey Monty,
I was wondering,,,,,Since my DW server the turky this year on a hubcap instead of a platter, does that make us Rednecks? Also her recipe said to "close the hood and cook for two hours at 3500 RPM.

 

[CityClucks]

Grace'sDad :

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I am just off my meds.

Hey Monty,
I was wondering,,,,,Since my DW server the turky this year on a hubcap instead of a platter, does that make us Rednecks? Also her recipe said to "close the hood and cook for two hours at 3500 RPM.

 

[nnbreeder]

Just because ya'll don't till the land that is no reason to let it rest. Look up manure crops such as turnips and any plants that are nitrogen fixing such as beans.

A nitrogen fixing plant takes nitrogen out of the air and stores it in nodules on the root of the plant. Then when the plant dies it will release the N into the soil. See you can rest it and work it all at once.

Books on crop rotation written prior to the advent of the chemical farmer are invaluable to caring for the soil naturally.

 

[osukrazykate]

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Oh, yes you definitely found a treasure. I have been reading about your cleanup adventures and sure sounds like a lot of work. I am working on an Environmental Engineering degree and am doing my Thesis on Phytoremediation, the usage of plants to clean up contaminants. It is amazing how some simple plants, such as sunflowers, can help clean up your soil and rid it of other contaminants (such as gasoline, oils, or even over used pesticides and herbicides). You might even consider doing a cover crop in the area you wish to put your veggie gardens just to make sure and to help put other microbial and beneficial substances back into the soil. Of course, this is just suggestions and don't want to step on any toes. I myself am always open to any suggestions or ideas others have that might make my gardening practices better.

Anybody else have any gardening secrets?

 

[CityClucks]

I am pleased to report that the little Kats silicone hotpad heater worked great to keep the outside water from freezing last night. It was 19 degrees when I went out this morning, and the water inside the coop did freeze, but the outside water had no ice! I was actually a little surprised. Here is a pic of the thin little doo-dad I put on top of the bricks under the 5 gallon galvanized metal waterer. I am anxious to see how it works when it gets colder.

 

[osukrazykate]

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Oh yes, I totally agree and this was what I was trying to talk about. Corn robs the soil of Nitrogen, but beans put the Nitrogen back into the soil. And the corn stalks act as a trellis for the beans to climb (that is if they are climbing beans). I try not to rototill and instead just add compost, manure, hay, yard clippings, leaves, and whatever else that will break down and feed the soil naturally. Each year the soil will get better as the worms and naturally occurring microbes break it down. Of course, my motto is also work smarter not harder. I would rather just dump and spread than break the back over a shovel and rototiller. Plus, if you let the chickens into the garden over the winter they mix it in and break it all up for you too. Gotta love the chickens.

 

[osukrazykate]

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ooo yes living mulch is good! Once my watermelon plants got up and going I hardly weeded around them and let the weeds and grass shade and keep moisture in the soil. I made for much better and healthier watermelons and plants. Also another thing I like to do with Tomato plants, is if I buy them or grow them in before planting them in the garden is dig a deeper hole than the tomato plant, pinch off all the lower branches and plant it all the way up the stalk with just a few leaves above the soil. As the plant grows keep adding more and more soil/compost. This will help the plant have deeper roots and along the stalk it will grow more roots under ground too. I read this somewhere many years ago and have done it ever since and it has helped me tremendously. I hardly water in fact for this reason.

 

[Teach97]

Monty - ten miles behind huh...not if I got in a foot race with you! Well...maybe...depends on what was chasing us and what was at the finish line!

Scratch grains will work on pigeons fairly good! Heck...they can get by on straight milo for a bit! They are a little better than chickens. For the short term that will work just fine!!! thank you so much!!!!!