What did you do in the garden today?

[Acre4Me]

No gardening today except adding water to one tray in the starter grow tent.
Working on the truck and plow. Planning to sell since I have another truck now, but need to change the plugs and coils on the truck and figure out why the valves on the plow are acting up. Half the effort today was cleaning out the garage (again... and like something we do every few months after making a mess of it) so I could get the truck in to work on it in the warmth of the heated garage rather than the 20 degree outdoors. Tomorrow I need to go get a flex head ratchet and flex extension to get the job done. If the plugs and coils get delivered at a decent time tomorrow I should have it done - with a few bloody knuckles, a mess, and several curses I'm sure.

Good luck!

 

[Acre4Me]

I picked up my new package of bees today but wasn’t able to put them in the hive because it’s been so cold and windy. High temperature today was only 32 and the low is supposed to be 22. Sunday is supposed to be slightly warmer and the lows slightly lower. It looks like Monday is the best day to get them into the hive. In the meantime they are residing in our basement. My husband is a little nervous because he’s allergic but almost all of the bees are inside the box.

“Almost all”??

Ok, I can see why he’s nervous!

 

[Acre4Me]

Spent all day at a poultry learning day put on through Ohio state/4-H. It was full -lots of people and kids (age 8 thru teens).

One session was all about getting rid of dead poultry and what a backyard person or a commercial business can do to get rid of “deadstock”. One method was composting, but the proper way to do it so no smell/does not attract raccoons or other animals. I don’t think I’ll compost any dead chickens though.

Another session was in bio security - and HPAI. In explaining the way it spreads they had the kids each get a vial of clear water. Then “swap germs” while out “free-ranging” by pouring one vial into another, then putting half back into the first vial (so now two poultry have swapped germs). They did this 3x each. Then, a drop of a chemical was added and if the vial turned pink you were “infected” with HPAI. Only 2 “infected” birds began the session, but 9 ended up “infected” after the germ swapping occurred. All harmless, of course bc it’s just water in vials but was a good visual for the kids.

During poultry nutrition, we discussed the recent feed issues (no eggs …must be a conspiracy…etc). Turns out, the person giving the talk - a PhD in animal nutrition, works in animal nutrition, had done much analysis on this. Basically, the feeds did match their feed tags, but the feeds most implicated in the feed issues tend to be lower cost feeds, and generally run along minimums (while still meeting tag requirements). But the energy provided by the feed (not a measurement) was low, and animals energy needs are higher in winter, so production is what gets dropped first in any lacking situation (nutrition, water, etc). Plus, some ingredients can meet tag requirements, but not be something that is utilized very well by the animal. It was a brief portion of the session, so we didn’t go into great detail, but still very interesting.

There was a necropsy session - always interesting. Another on how to cut up a meat chicken (the meat could be taken home if you wanted it), and a session on assessing live meat birds for quality and conformation, and how to select the birds for 4-H fair judging.

Overall, a good day of learning.

 

[Sueby]

Thank you @CluckNDoodle, I will try that one next!

@Acre4Me that sounds like a great 4H day, wow! Very informative. I would have loved that.

I always pulloff the the pots & the fibers of those coin starters - they never dissolve for me. In fact I saw one of the coins in my walk of the garden yesterday that has been out there for years. Literally 5 years. I used to just tear them, now I remove them completely.

 

[jerryse]

14 here and a warming trend starting. Rain coming Monday , Tuesday , Wednesday. Nice days are in short supply.

 

[Sueby]

Ohh, I forgot to mention that the peepers are out! Spring is for sure on its way. The weeds in the garden are already driving me nuts & there is nothing I can do about it. Killing me to sit here & do nothing, I’m on steroids right now (and go for injections this week) to try & settle down this leg pain from the back surgery so I am FULL of get up and go, but I can get up & go, lol.

I will put out the unheated vertical nipple waterer for the birds on Monday after this cold leaves, then we’ll be above freezing for the foreseeable future. They love to play with that waterer. silly girls.

 

[WthrLady]

I'm skipping the 40 acre auction this year. At the time I was to leave it was 12' with a chill of 4'F. Nope. I'm sure it's packed down there though. I just won't be one of them.
Plan for the day is to swap the blade for the rake on the tractor and spread manure in the hayfield before the humidity drops us into fire warning weather at lunch.
Half decent chance for rain this week so I'll pick up some pasture mix seed and spread that in the part that needs overseeded.
If I can get DH to cut me some lumber I need for the garden, I'll tackle that tomorrow too.

 

[TJAnonymous]

We've been below freezing every night for nearly a week. I have kept my peaches covered the whole time. I won't be able to uncover them until Tuesday. I'm afraid of what I'm going to find when I uncover them.... I doubt I'll get peaches this year.

 

[WthrLady]

We haven't seen above freezing for daytime highs since Wednesday. But at least we aren't blooming yet.

 

[gtaus]

One session was all about getting rid of dead poultry and what a backyard person or a commercial business can do to get rid of “deadstock”. One method was composting, but the proper way to do it so no smell/does not attract raccoons or other animals. I don’t think I’ll compost any dead chickens though.

Sounds like it was an interesting event. A year or so ago, I watched a YouTube video by Joel Salatine. When he culled his laying hens, he fed them directly to his hogs. Very efficient for him as the hogs got something good to eat and he did not have to spend much effort on disposing of the culled birds.

If I have a bird die from a sickness, then I just toss it into a compost bin and cover it up well. I have not had any problems with varmints. I know lots of people say you cannot compost meat, but I don't agree. But I put a dead animal in the compost bin, bury it deep, and leave it alone for about a year. No problems that way. I figure the meat feeds the worms if nothing else. Anyways, after a year or so, there is nothing left but maybe some larger bones easily sifted out of the compost if you don't want them.