What did you do in the garden today?

[Ascholten]

I hope you feel better.

Thank you for the well wishes.
Nope, this is the Aaron tradition here. get the flu, cold, ricky crud, right around the holidays. I was working in rotten weather all day about a week ago. Felt very good, very theraputic to just get a good solid day of physical WORK in, but im sure huffing and puffing and sweating in the cold rainy december weather was not the way to avoid these kind of colds and bugaboo's Oh well, it is what it is,

I also, remembered.... I have a few patches of Tobasco's that grew from seeds tossed here and there, that I just didn't have the heart to cut down, so let them grow wild. that I should really harvest too.

You know how to clear out clogged sinus' REAL fast? I got a home remedy fer ya !

Merry Christmas everyone, enjoy the time with your family, and for those who don't have any family anymore, well, let the chickens be your family, give them some treats, and just be happy for the joy even something as small as a chicken can bring you. Find happiness where it finds you !

Aaron

 

[Sueby]

Morning all! Merry Christmas to those that celebrate. I'm officially on vacation.

We got a couple inches of snow yesterday, beautiful mood snow for our Christmas with the fam. Today we got ice & now rain. Good, I won't have to shovel anything! I made cranberry cinnamon buns for DH & I for breakfast & we watched a movie. 11 am on the first day of vacation & I'm bored.

My lettuce in the hoop house was frozen, looks like that's the end of lettuce season here. That's sad.

 

[Ascholten]

My lettuce in the hoop house was frozen, looks like that's the end of lettuce season here. That's sad.

Really stupid question I know but ... im the KING of stupid so here goes....

IS there any way to really freeze lettuce and similar veggies and bring them back without messing them up too much? Is there a way to store it somehow, any special preps to make it hold up better or whatnot?

Thanks
Aaron

 

[igorsMistress]

View attachment 2939590

That’s cute Sarah

 

[pennyJo1960]

 

[Sally PB]

Any reason you don’t put them on the garden now?

It was the end of the day, running out of daylight. Also, I want them for mulch next season, so I'll put them where they will do the most good.

Ok, I was tired, and feeling lazy.

 

[Ascholten]

Ok, I was tired, and feeling lazy.

Ok, and what is wrong with this? Seems perfectly acceptable to me!!

Aaron

 

[pennyJo1960]

Not lazy here letting pain subside before i haul two chickens I hatch to the little coop

 

[Ascholten]

Well. I put it off long enough, I finally got the sweet potato's / yams dug up in the totes. I originally thought I was going to be slick and just pop them with a spade. Boy was I mistaken !! These things were so thick in here I had to resort to using a trowel to dig them out (at an extra few hours work grrrr) because every time Id space, I'd cut one! They grew in huge clumps

Just like with my garlic, I decided to grow my yamma jammas in IBC totes too. Again, just makes it easier to water them, fertilize them, keep them in one area. They grew super dense and were right on top too. Even as I was cutting down the green leafy parts and pulling them, the taters were right under them even sticking out a tiny bit at times.

It may not show super good in this photo but, they grew in layers !! I initially planted my taters, a few different types in neat little rows, thinking, ok come harvest time, I know what's where and they'll just poop right out right? NOT right! I think because I also fertilized thru the irrigation as well, that they did not have to fight for nutrients since they were getting spoon fed every watering !! With this in mind, they just competed with each other for cubic footage to grow in. They grew 3 layers deep, it was insane !!

I am also firmly convinced that sweet potatos contain Chicken DNA in them as well !! When I planted them, I TOLD them, YOU GROW RIGHT HERE in these little rows!!
Did they listen to me. No!! Just like chickens they did what they wanted and totally ignored me !! So I found myself trowling out dirt and harvesting taters layer after layer, all mixed up, wherever one could shoot a root, there it was.

I had to 'convince myself' to actually harvest these. They were still growing pretty well and pretty green, but I finally talked some logic into myself by telling me, Aaron, it's DECEMBER, LATE DECEMBER !! you and I BOTH KNOW, the hard frost is just around the corner, and the extra two weeks growing you may get this late, is NOT going to do much at all for their size, and just put you further behind getting these totes ready for the winter crops / spring preps for spring crops, so just pull the things already.

I have a pile of sweet tater greens. Not sure what to do with them, long stringy viney. The chickens seem to like them somewhat so I may just plop them in the coop and let the girls naturally compost them down, or dry em and hit them with the mower to break down the viney into someting that composts a bit easier.

What are YOUR thoughts on how to be rid of viney sweet tater toppings?

I ended up with 4 - 5 gallon buckets of sweet potato's and the plastic tote with some taters and artichokes in there too. The white knobby things are Jerusalem Artichokes that I had in a corner of the tote as well. (Iw was just one plant I threw in there to let it do its thing)

Nevermind the hillbilly crocks the gardener is wearing! Hey, at least im not barefoot right???

My biggest sweet potato was 2 lbs 5 oz, a far far cry from the 4 pounder posted here earlier so I won't waste the bandwidth posting that shamefull little snack

I gave my neighbor a pail full of sweet potato's for Christmas (told you I was a redneck! ) and am probably going to cook / freeze dry several of the others after I pick out some for next seasons crop.

So this is what I did on Christmas, Cockatoo outside enjoying the warm weather with me, chickens chasing lizards.

I already KNOW he's going to want some of these taters too but they are not super healthy for birds so he only gets a small portion!

Merry Christmas from Aaron and the Brat !

 

[pennyJo1960]

Well. I put it off long enough, I finally got the sweet potato's / yams dug up in the totes. I originally thought I was going to be slick and just pop them with a spade. Boy was I mistaken !! These things were so thick in here I had to resort to using a trowel to dig them out (at an extra few hours work grrrr) because every time Id space, I'd cut one! They grew in huge clumps
View attachment 2940033

Just like with my garlic, I decided to grow my yamma jammas in IBC totes too. Again, just makes it easier to water them, fertilize them, keep them in one area. They grew super dense and were right on top too. Even as I was cutting down the green leafy parts and pulling them, the taters were right under them even sticking out a tiny bit at times.
View attachment 2940041

It may not show super good in this photo but, they grew in layers !! I initially planted my taters, a few different types in neat little rows, thinking, ok come harvest time, I know what's where and they'll just poop right out right? NOT right! I think because I also fertilized thru the irrigation as well, that they did not have to fight for nutrients since they were getting spoon fed every watering !! With this in mind, they just competed with each other for cubic footage to grow in. They grew 3 layers deep, it was insane !!

I am also firmly convinced that sweet potatos contain Chicken DNA in them as well !! When I planted them, I TOLD them, YOU GROW RIGHT HERE in these little rows!!
Did they listen to me. No!! Just like chickens they did what they wanted and totally ignored me !! So I found myself trowling out dirt and harvesting taters layer after layer, all mixed up, wherever one could shoot a root, there it was.

View attachment 2940043

I had to 'convince myself' to actually harvest these. They were still growing pretty well and pretty green, but I finally talked some logic into myself by telling me, Aaron, it's DECEMBER, LATE DECEMBER !! you and I BOTH KNOW, the hard frost is just around the corner, and the extra two weeks growing you may get this late, is NOT going to do much at all for their size, and just put you further behind getting these totes ready for the winter crops / spring preps for spring crops, so just pull the things already.

I have a pile of sweet tater greens. Not sure what to do with them, long stringy viney. The chickens seem to like them somewhat so I may just plop them in the coop and let the girls naturally compost them down, or dry em and hit them with the mower to break down the viney into someting that composts a bit easier.

What are YOUR thoughts on how to be rid of viney sweet tater toppings?

View attachment 2940045


I ended up with 4 - 5 gallon buckets of sweet potato's and the plastic tote with some taters and artichokes in there too. The white knobby things are Jerusalem Artichokes that I had in a corner of the tote as well. (Iw was just one plant I threw in there to let it do its thing)

Nevermind the hillbilly crocks the gardener is wearing! Hey, at least im not barefoot right???

My biggest sweet potato was 2 lbs 5 oz, a far far cry from the 4 pounder posted here earlier so I won't waste the bandwidth posting that shamefull little snack

I gave my neighbor a pail full of sweet potato's for Christmas (told you I was a redneck! ) and am probably going to cook / freeze dry several of the others after I pick out some for next seasons crop.

So this is what I did on Christmas, Cockatoo outside enjoying the warm weather with me, chickens chasing lizards.

I already KNOW he's going to want some of these taters too but they are not super healthy for birds so he only gets a small portion!

Merry Christmas from Aaron and the Brat !
View attachment 2940054

So is Brat your other type of Fowl can very well be aptly named I know them well.