The Evolution of Atlas: A Breeding (and Chat) Thread

[oldhenlikesdogs]

I am buying tomatoes at Costco. They had nice plants there today.

It will be another month or two before we see tomato plants here. I started my seeds the other day.

 

[MistyMountain]

Is that a new Avatar? Nice looking cow

Thank you. I've had this one up for close to two years now. This was when she was a heifer and expecting her first calf in a few months. She's since had him (Sept of 2018) and after having slipped a calf last summer is now due the end of July. She's amazing. I'll be milking her this time around. We bought her half sister who is a shortie (chondro carrier) last winter. She has a 9 month old calf at her side and is due with her next in early July. She came trained to milk, but was quite kicky when she freshened last summer, so being pregnant, I chose to not to milk her. She (Gracie) came from a big herd, so she has all the cow personality. Gabby(avatar photo) came to us at 8 months. She has spent her days with my senior horse and for the most part thinks she is a horse. She doesn't use her head to move things like cows do, and overall is easier to work around. Never offered to kick. Just a lovely girl. Hoping for a few heifers this time around. We utilize rotational grazing, so all of our cattle are halter trained and gentle.

 

[speckledhen]

We have a shorter growing season than just a couple hours south since we are about 2000 ft elevevation. Depends on your soil warmth if you put them in directly and don't start the slips indoors, I'd think. You can also grow them in tubs, then just dump out the tubs a few months later, as long as you provide for a place for the top vines to grow upward, maybe on a trellis, though they don't cling; you'd have to tie them up. Hollis & Nancy's Homestead grows them in tubs, or used to. They lived in a cooler area a couple of years back, though they have since moved to Florida.

 

[1muttsfan]

Not hopeless, just more work - like most gardening up here. Read Glenn's guide and he goes through all the steps, including thinks like pests. Makes a lot of sense and his ways are tested over the years.

 

[MistyMountain]

Hey Cyn,
Yup, Garden in the works. I've got broccoli going now. We'll do tomatoes, peppers, zucchini, summer squash, and melons, along with the rhubarb I planted 4 years ago.
I perused fruit tree tags at the coop the other day. We have one old sickly peach and 7 apple trees, 2 of which need to be cut down (farm smarter, not harder) because they don't produce due to cedar rust fungus. They are also quite old, 40 years easily, and gnarly. They were unkept when we moved here. Instead of having to treat those trees, I'd rather plant something that is resistant. Cedar trees are everywhere here, so choosing our battles. We plan to plant a couple pear trees. We have pawpaws, both cultivars we planted and wild, and the wild raspberries (wine berries). We're good for a long haul!

 

[seminolewind]

Thank you. I've had this one up for close to two years now. This was when she was a heifer and expecting her first calf in a few months. She's since had him (Sept of 2018) and after having slipped a calf last summer is now due the end of July. She's amazing. I'll be milking her this time around. We bought her half sister who is a shortie (chondro carrier) last winter. She has a 9 month old calf at her side and is due with her next in early July. She came trained to milk, but was quite kicky when she freshened last summer, so being pregnant, I chose to not to milk her. She (Gracie) came from a big herd, so she has all the cow personality. Gabby(avatar photo) came to us at 8 months. She has spent her days with my senior horse and for the most part thinks she is a horse. She doesn't use her head to move things like cows do, and overall is easier to work around. Never offered to kick. Just a lovely girl. Hoping for a few heifers this time around. We utilize rotational grazing, so all of our cattle are halter trained and gentle.

I live surrounded by the farmer's cows. Most times I can see them thru every window. They give birth in front of me. I tend to think they're airheads.....until I watched 1 mama cow trying to get herbaby to latch on but the baby was in her face instead. As she is grazing she keeps moving forward to align the baby with the teat. Then the baby got too far back and she tried to shoo him forth with her hind leg. With all her manipulation, he finally got it! It was interesting to watch even tho the cow was grazing the whole time! Talk about multi-tasking.

 

[seminolewind]

It will be another month or two before we see tomato plants here. I started my seeds the other day.

You really start them from seeds?

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

You really start them from seeds?

I do.

 

[speckledhen]

I do.

Me, too, for the most part and we hedge our bets with a few bought plants. The bank usually has a customer appreciation day the first Saturday in May and they pass out tomato plants, but this year, they may end up canceling that, depending on how this CV thing plays out. We have to learn to start our own seeds if we never have, just in case, is my personal feeling.

 

[getaclue]

With higher temps, everything is sprouting, growing, blooming, and my allergies have been acting up. I had bought several bottles of Sambucol black elderberry. I have taken a dose the past 2 days, a little while before going to bed. That stuff works! It clears the congestion, and I'm not waking up with a stuffy head. No side effects, that I can tell.