What did you do in the garden today?

[karenerwin]

ya thing I can build nice small one better

Will you frame it out and then cover it with thick plastic?

 

[igorsMistress]

What is this a picture of?

Grass frame in progress. I needed a smalle one next to the door to my garden. It has a xeriscape grass mix in it

 

[WthrLady]

Wow, thats cold... Makes our high temp of 30 with teens for windchills today seem balmy. Stay warm and I hope your pipes are well insulated and secure!

Oh ya. It's actually normal for here. We get far colder. LOL. I just don't like it.

 

[WthrLady]

Good morning all!!!
Wow! What a busy tread this is today with lots of fun catch up reading and the things that happen while I sleep
Welcome @BReeder! So glad you joined in the garden conversation. I will look for your compost tread adventure. I do remember us having some communications on compost tumblers or horse poop... or both... can't quite remember among other things, again so glad you joined in this thread!! Looking forward to seeing what you do now. Love that you are bringing the groms into your adventures too. I remember my stepdad showing me many awesome small farm tricks and trade and I will always love and appreciate him for that. He surely nurtured my love for more out of the box animals. Keep up the good work!

@penny1960 I did have one hen laying... actually hogging one of the popular boxes and leaving me an egg for a few weeks. (the little golden hen, top right in run photo of #2 roo) I thought she was going to go broody too but I scared her pretty good dealing with my own chickens and she has not made it back yet. Most likely she found a new and safer place for sure.
She had brought me her chick when it was sick a few months back (little white w/ stand up tail (compliments of my hens) top R 1st photo w/ Sancho). It was her first hatch and she was struggling so, I warmed it, gave it vitamins and electrolytes and then returned it to her after it perked up of course- so glad she took it back for all the reason you all know- cute little white pullet.. I'm glad she thinks I am a safe place but wish she wouldn't tell all of her friends unless they lay in our boxes too. A few young and upcoming pullets look like they may use our boxes so I think I am going to make some more in hopes of catching some more layers. I used to shoot them... couldn't handle the karma, plus I like their eggs, tiny little tasty buggers. I can easily sell the domestic eggs and keep wild eggs for me and friends.

@WthrLady have you tried apple seeds? I never have but my daughter does. I've always thought it wonderful but we are too warm sorry about your violet... and your gnarly temps. But it is fabulous baking weather!!!

I have sandy loam where the nematodes thrive and raised beds save me lots of grief. Plus slugs and snails are slower to get into and easier to get out. I'm pretty sure I will never grow veggies any other way. I am soooooo looking forward to seeing what you all are cooking up and will unleash when the weather becomes fair.

Off to town in a few. Picking up odds and ends TSP, pellets for gun, groceries... Have a great day all!!!!!

It is great baking weather. It's also plop on your butt and eat weather, so I'm trying NOT to do much baking. LOL. I'm also trying to crank out an 8 week college course in 10 days, so I know I tend to stress eat. SO NO BAKING (besides our weekly loaf of bread and making our weekly wheel of cheese.)

Colder tonight. COLDER.....Chickens get oatmeal and warm corn nibbles for dinner. Warm crops for sleeping. Alpacas will snuggle deep in the hay and straw bedding and tuck their feet under.

Chores in the morning are my turn. BRRRRRR.

I have a large orchard so,
Yes, I have done apple seeds, just for fun though. I plant the resulting trees in the wild cattle pasture as you never know what's going to pop up from an apple seed. Usually the apples aren't edible, people palette wise. Deer love them though.

 

[Boonie Stomper]

The apple tree obscuring my garden feeds so many critters that we have only gotten to harvest ONE undamaged apple in THREE YEARS. Am gonna whack it waaaay back soon.

Did not garden today cuz so cold, but got a warm blue egg from my EE as she laid it. Everyone sang egg song even though she's the only one laying right now.

 

[karenerwin]

@BReeder!, As @Wee Farmer Sarah indicated, I’ve been amending our beds since we bought the house a couple of years ago. This will be the third summer here in west central Ohio. There were some 1’ x 16’ raised beds, but for some reason they were filled with clay soil....and some were in a slight depression, so heavy rains created short term, shallow ponds around a couple of them. For 2 seasons I did typical things: turn over all the soil at least 2x with shovel and pitchfork, add some bagged soil to planting holes, add peat moss and turn more times, added gypsum, and perlite and vermiculite. The farm store near me can get very large bags of vermiculite and perlite (approx 4cuyards?) for a decent cost. Added liquid fish glop (stuff for gardens, so deodorized but still gross looking even when diluted), bone meal, blood meal, egg shells, shredded leaves...you get the idea. Lots of work and mediocre results. However, some of that was the soil, some were garden pests, some were the water logged root bottoms in a couple of beds, and conversely half of one bed dried out quickly, where I had to be in top of that area all the time despite amending.

what’s a gardener to do?

so, we picked up all the raised beds, and moved the amended garden dirt to the side. Brought in 102 tons of dirt to level the garden area (And had skilled bobcat operator spread it for us). Btw, 102 tons is 4 truckloads, and leveled an approx area of 30x50’ and an adjacent 30x50’ area. Then we got another truckload of decent quality garden soil for a large garden area20’x30’. We had another ongoing ditch project which netted up good topsoil (although clay containing). We built even more garden beds!! Some are 16’, some 12’, some 10’, and one is 8’, and all are 4’ wide. We have been moving all that dirt back into the beds. We’ve added sand to all the beds. We will buy more large bags of perlite and maybe some vermiculite (I have a few bags, may not need more). We may need to buy some garden soil to top off the raised beds. I should get the soil tested too. Might need some more amendments for specific nutrients. I plan to do some green manure, such as mustard or other that can be turned under to rot before maturing. I’ve been trying to source manure, but I may get some rabbits instead-their poop is quite high in nutrients. Spouse is not convinced yet, might be another season before rabbits make their appearance in our setup.


I have also been trying to convince my hubby to let me get a couple (or 3) rabbits specifically for the poop for the garden!! I think I just about have him convinced!!

 

[karenerwin]

Grass frame in progress. I needed a smalle one next to the door to my garden. It has a xeriscape grass mix in it
View attachment 2007356

I plan to build ( or have my hubby build) some grazing frames for my chicken yards this Spring!

 

[karenerwin]

I made another batch of Christmas Jam today. I gave all that I had on hand away for Christmas, so we didn't get any for ourselves and my daughter didn't get any either.
Was going to put together my new bee super and brood box but I think that will get moved to tomorrow.
I have been sitting with a motorized heated massaging back rest and an ice pack on my neck.
I think I used a lot of muscles in my 3 days of work that don't normally get used that much!
It snowed here all day. Tiny little flakes. We got maybe 1/8 to 1/4 of an inch of snow. We weren't predicted to get any snow here until Thursday and Friday of this week.
I missed being able to read everybody's posts when I got home from working. It's also weird going to bed at 8PM. But it is what I need to do to be able to get up as early as I need to for work!

 

[igorsMistress]

I plan to build ( or have my hubby build) some grazing frames for my chicken yards this Spring!

I want to build a bigger one for another spot soon but have to get some materials first.

 

[Sequel]

I had one of those really really pointy German cabbages in the garden I hadn’t harvested yet so I cut that and spent The better part of a half hour trimming the rotten parts off to get enough for some soup. It was huge! I didn’t weigh it but it was about 2 1/2 feet long. They are nice cabbages to grow. They were bred so the pointy part can be a handle for slicing kraut. I guess they are called filderkraut and I found a picture of them!