What did you do in the garden today?

[BirdsBeesTrees]

They don't get very hot. But I wouldn't put them on anything that can de-laminate with dry warmth. They're less hot than a heat pack you pull from the microwave. I think they're about 75 degrees. I'll take my laser thermometer out with me to day and tell you how hot they are. I would think sitting them on a single layer of old towel would be fine. Unless you have cats, then the seed trays will get shoved aside and you'll be heating a cat.

Those open facilities are totally closed to the outside though. Sparrows are constantly getting in.

Many mega farms here have their own supply farms, while cost is an issue, it's wrapped into the price of business.

And I'm a licensed egg seller with our state. They know I'm here too.

Not much on the books today. Heading to hardware for venting for the hoop house and off to the grocery.

Tending to hot house seeds and seeds in the seed shed. Am seriously eyeballing the photo storage thing for seeds.

Winds howled to 60 yesterday, we picked up 2 inches of slush, then it melted, then rain and rain, then winds all night. The winds are still howling and boy is it dark.

I literally have 2 heating pads for my 2 indoor cats.

 

[WthrLady]

ON SALE THIS WEEK!
https://www.michaels.com/rainbow-photo-and-craft-keeper-by-simply-tidy/10468242.html
guess where I'm going today?

Getting a second for pictures. I decided I wanted some photos printed. I have too many on the cloud, just one click or hacker away from a distant memory.

 

[WthrLady]

Tested the heat mats.
110'
and I planted marigold seeds on Sunday, I have some coming up already! Just a couple. That's NUTS. Warm soil is amazing!

 

[WIchickMama]

Another newbie to berries question, do you need to tie raspberries? I remember growing up just having a patch. I don't mind needing to weed through the plants I just didn't want to add anything un-natural in the patch. Thanks!

 

[SheaLoner]

I literally have 2 heating pads for my 2 indoor cats.

Last time i did seedling heat mats one of my cats decided it was his new bed. . . A whole tray of onions and most of my tomatoes. After I moved everything to one of those seedling greenhouses? This happened.

 

[igorsMistress]

Any chicks from a hatchery have to be registered with the CT Dept of Ag so they can check their certifications, apparently. I assume the hatchery notifies the DOA, or I guess it could have been the post office? Months after I got the chicks I got a letter in the mail from DOA asking for a list of what I got & to show the hatchery certs - I forwarded the invoice that had the NPIP # on it then I got a letter saying they were released from quarantine - funny cuz I didn't know they were quarantined! Or that any of this was a thing! Chicks came in Oct so I don't think it was because of HPAI.



No need to worry, they just get warm. I did mine on a counter.

Ah, ok. I was just wondering if they were stalking you or something

 

[TJAnonymous]

my chickens are the best homemade solution for weeds. they would need just a week to decimate all, lol.

I would tend to agree.... But my chickens don't have access to my garden due to its location near the road. I don't want my little lovelies to get hit by a car.

 

[TJAnonymous]

Pardon the picture quality and the shoe , but this is how I store my seeds. A surprising number of packets, corn and beans excluded of course, can fit in a single photo box. These organizers go on sale several times a year at Michaels and Hobby Lobby for $15. Don't buy them when they're not, because then they want $30-$40 for them and who wants to spend that much? lol

Inside each paper seed packet is a little plastic bag meant for storing beads, but they work great for seeds and keep moisture out/in the way it's supposed to be. Also, no seeds fall out and scatter everywhere if you accidentally pick the packet up wrong, or the tape came unstuck, etc, because the little bags are ziplocked. Overall, I've spent perhaps $20 on storing seeds.

Thanks for the info! I will check out Hobby Lobby and Michaels to see if any are on sale.

If the price of lumber ever comes down any time in the next few months, I'd like to build a walk-in cooler in my barn to store eggs and animal feed. I've also been looking into maybe building a root cellar although finding an optimal location on my property is going to be tough. (Bedrock is only a few feet down....I live on a shale foothill). Whichever solution I can find to make a cold room, I'm hoping to store the seeds in a container like this in that room. Until that happens, it will just have to be a dark, cool location in the house.

 

[TJAnonymous]

I literally have 2 heating pads for my 2 indoor cats.

I bought a heated electric sherpa throw last year because I hate being chilly. The cats LOVE it when I turn it on. Unfortunately it didn't last long. After a few months of frequent use, it no longer works. I still use it on my bed though because the cats love to make muffins on it and snuggle in it.

 

[Acre4Me]

Intervention please! In the past two hours I’ve placed 2 ( yes, two) orders for chicks.

One is for White Plymouth Rock males to grow to about 16 weeks and butcher (and yes, I added 4 females too). Those will be a pickup in about 4 weeks.

Then another was for other breeds I can’t get at the hatchery I usually use. All female order for Egyptian fayoumi, Silver Spangled Hamburg, Buckeye, and Barnvelder. Those will be for August pickup.

Aaaand, will likely order standard Cornish Cross for late Aug pickup at my usual hatchery for an Oct butcher date. But, I haven’t placed that order YET!

We WILL be selling several chickens in early April. And we will likely sell more in September to clear out the ones we don’t want to care for through the winter, keeping the new chicks, of course!