What did you do in the garden today?

[chickengr]

I asked our local grocery store once about getting fruit and veggies they were throwing out. The manager said they give them away to someone else who already had dibs on them. He gave me some that had been set aside as a consolation prize. I should go back and ask again....

bribe them with some eggs.

 

[chickengr]

It might be better for the bees to feed them honey if they need more food to get through the winter.

that's what my mother did in prolonged winters.

 

[chickengr]

I ordered some higher dose ashwagandha supplements (3000mg) from amazon. The ones that I got from my local store only has 125mg, but I can feel some benefits, so I want to try the higher dose ones. This is what my A1 copilot found for me:

Ashwagandha is a herb that has been used in Ayurveda, the traditional system of medicine in India, for thousands of years. It has many health benefits, such as:

• Reducing stress and anxiety. Ashwagandha is an adaptogen, which means it helps the body cope with stress. It can lower the levels of cortisol, the stress hormone, and improve the mood and mental performance of people who are stressed or anxious12.
• Improving athletic performance. Ashwagandha can enhance the physical strength, endurance, and muscle mass of athletes. It can also reduce the muscle damage and inflammation caused by exercise and speed up the recovery process13.
• Boosting testosterone and fertility. Ashwagandha can increase the levels of testosterone, the male sex hormone, and improve the sperm quality and quantity of men who have low fertility. It can also improve the sexual function and satisfaction of both men and women14.
• Lowering blood sugar and fat. Ashwagandha can help regulate the blood sugar levels and improve the insulin sensitivity of people who have diabetes or prediabetes. It can also lower the levels of triglycerides, the most common type of fat in the blood, and prevent the accumulation of fat in the liver and abdomen15.
• Reducing inflammation and pain. Ashwagandha can modulate the immune system and suppress the production of pro-inflammatory substances, such as cytokines and prostaglandins. It can also relieve the pain and stiffness of people who have arthritis, rheumatism, or other inflammatory conditions1 .
• Enhancing memory and cognition. Ashwagandha can protect the brain cells from oxidative stress and degeneration, which are linked to aging and neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. It can also improve the memory, attention, and learning abilities of healthy people and those who have cognitive impairment1 .
• Improving sleep quality. Ashwagandha can induce a state of relaxation and calmness, which can help people fall asleep faster and sleep longer. It can also reduce the symptoms of insomnia, such as difficulty falling asleep, waking up during the night, and feeling tired in the morning1 .

These are some of the proven benefits of ashwagandha, based on scientific research. However, more studies are needed to confirm the optimal dosage, form, and duration of ashwagandha supplementation for different health conditions. If you want to learn more about ashwagandha, you can check out some of the web search results that I found for you.

as I lived in different climates I confirm it is the best to eat what grows locally. for instance: bananas don't have many benefits in cold countries as potassium is needed in hot countries.

 

[jerryse]

Hello to all you gardeners!

just starting to look at seed catalogs for next years crop.

anyone grow hops here? my father got into beer brewing and was thinking of trying my hand at growing some hops for the fun of it, am in zone 3a or 3b (depending if i plant them where i live or where i farm and have honey bees)

I have hops growing wild here. I do not do anything with them.

 

[saysfaa]

Yeah, this.

When their honey is "done," bees put a wax cap over it. In winter/early spring, you don't want to add any moisture to the hive, so you'd have to find some honey comb that is capped.

Would it work to set some frames aside (without extracting them) when you harvest the honey. Then give it back if the bees need it or extract it in the spring if they don't need it.

Or small amounts, narrow-necked containers, hole into the container of honey, or wax coat to minimize evaporation.

Unless you had a hive that had died, you'd be robbing one hive to feed another.

Sounds like a logical idea, though.

After the first year, you'd be "robbing" yourself. Quotations because I don't think harvesting is robbing them.

It might be expensive. Or it might be an investment into the health and well-being of the bees.

I think this might sound like criticism or arguing. I'm not trying to do anything like that - I'm just trying to give people something to think about.

And, I don't keep bees. I can't try it myself to see how practical it might be. I'd like to some day and made a little progress toward it - mostly working on the bee pastures and reading about what other people have tried.

I would probably start with the same methods as at least some other people like I've done with the chickens. I can't do everything I'd like to do (more free ranging, improving the range, have a rooster, let hens set and rear chicks, and so on.) But I'm having good success with some unusual (or at least, uncommon) methods.

 

[jerryse]

Pics of hops growing wild. Still has seeds. If you want some seed message me.

 

[Sally PB]

anyone grow hops here? my father got into beer brewing and was thinking of trying my hand at growing some hops for the fun of it, am in zone 3a or 3b

I don't know if they'll grow in zone 3. They usually are grown in zones 5-8.

Would it work to set some frames aside (without extracting them) when you harvest the honey. Then give it back if the bees need it or extract it in the spring if they don't need it.

Hmmm! This sounds doable. I'll ask Ed, my "bee guy" if he's ever done that.

I'm going to guess that the reason I haven't heard about this at bee club meetings is because it is cheaper and easier to feed sugar, sugar syrup, or patties, and anyone harvesting honey wants as much as they dare take. Sugar is also easier to store than frames of honey.

The beekeepers I've met at the meetings sell a lot of honey. Ed charges $48/gallon, and the last place I bought honey last year was $55, up from $48 in 2021. And that's buying it by the gallon; I don't know what anyone charges by the pint or quart.

Oddly enough, I have heard from several people that beekeepers start keeping bees to get honey and to have pollinators. But they get out of keeping bees because of honey. It's messy, kind of a PITA to extract, attracts lots of insects and mice, and you might not get enough to make it worth your trouble.

 

[WthrLady]

Pics of hops growing wild. Still has seeds. If you want some seed message me.

It's invasive here as well. Our version of kudzu.

 

[Sally PB]

It's invasive here as well. Our version of kudzu.

Wow, I'd never heard of it as invasive!

Dumb question... why aren't there a bazillion breweries in Nebraska? Growing hops is becoming big business in Michigan. Grand Rapids is Beer City, USA, and you can't walk 3 blocks without seeing another craft brewery.

 

[1cock2hens]

Wow, I'd never heard of it as invasive!

Dumb question... why aren't there a bazillion breweries in Nebraska? Growing hops is becoming big business in Michigan. Grand Rapids is Beer City, USA, and you can't walk 3 blocks without seeing another craft brewery.

I didn't know hops grew wild here so i looked it up and I was also surprised to find that they are invasive to America