What did you do in the garden today?

[TJAnonymous]

I feel for ya & can relate...I am wondering how the blueberries will do, mine are all in bloom as of this morning. 30 degrees after reaching 70 the other day? Darn fickle weather.

My blueberries are also in bloom... But I figured they would be OK since blueberries are generally acclimated to colder climate zones.

 

[TJAnonymous]

I have 4 mini mealworm farms in 5 gallon buckets. When I clean my pigeon loft, under the grated flooring, there are mealworms there, too. I use the 5 gallon bucket mealworms all year long as nice live treats for chickens & toss a few to friendly Robins & a super sweet Mockingbird. What I add to the buckets, for the worms to eat is chicken feed & sliced raw potatoes for moisture. I leave the buckets right in the unheated coop & they may slow down but the worms do not die over winter...we only get below freezing a few weeks at a time here, Jan & Feb, though. If we get a below zero forecast, I bring the buckets into an outbuilding that's kept about 40 degrees. When I add the pigeon manure to the compost areas, some mealworms go too. It's amazing the work they do, accelerating the whole process of breaking stuff down. I discovered by accident, how great they were, so now I just keep it going. You can really see the progress if ya do 1 area regular vs. another area adding the mealworms. Rich dark soil broken down faster. The wild chickweed & clover growing there are deep green & so nice, too. It's a win win. I haven't tried any other worms.

I keep telling myself that I want to create a self-sorting mealworm farm but I never get around to it...

 

[TJAnonymous]

Question for the Greenstalk owners...

Do you ever worry about high winds knocking it over?

I got mine put together this evening. It's on a little platform in the garden, right next to the hoop house. It seems very stable there but I can't help but worry that during a big storm, it will blow over. I did NOT get the casters so it doesn't roll or anything. I figure if I know in advance that high winds are coming, then I will just dismantle each tier and set it on the ground... I have the 5 tier planter where each level is 10" deep.

 

[Nym]

I have a couple of questions for anyone in Hawaii or Arizona...

You are the only two states who don't do the (wicked, dumb, annoying, irritating) clock dance with Daylight Saving Time twice a year.

1) How did you get so lucky convince whoever had the power to make that decision? Michigan *might* put it on the ballot in November, but I just read that the bill got shoved into a committee where ideas go to die, so I'm not hopeful.

2) Do your smart phones know not to switch?

I run my day on "chicken time," ie, sun up and sun down, but I have to remember that the rest of the world doesn't.

I'm also on chicken time. before I had chickens I was on dog time - walking each day as it cooled. I only see my walking mates during winter as they all stick to a 4.30p.m. schedule. I haven't changed my clocks for yonks and have no digital clock other than on the PC. The car clock doesn't change automatically.

I'm not in AZ or Hawaii, but thought you may like this:

How springing forward to daylight saving time could affect your health, and how to prepare​

Mar 9, 2024 7:11 AM EDT
WASHINGTON (AP) — Most of America “springs forward” Sunday for daylight saving time and losing that hour of sleep can do more than leave you tired and cranky the next day. It also could harm your health.

Darker mornings and more evening light together knock your body clock out of whack — which means daylight saving time can usher in sleep trouble for weeks or longer. Studies have even found an uptick in heart attacks and strokes right after the March time change.

pbs.org

"Arizona is on Mountain Standard Time. Arizona does not observe Daylight Saving Time, with the exception of the Navajo Nation. Arizona previously observed Daylight Saving Time beginning in 1918, but made the permanent change to Standard time in 1968," the Arizona State Library states.

 

[Liz Birdlover]

I keep telling myself that I want to create a self-sorting mealworm farm but I never get around to it...

I've had a small one in a bin, going strong for years. I initially bought some mealworms at a pet store in the 1990s for Lizards & turtles I was babysitting. They're really easy, just chicken feed pellets & sliced potatoes keeps them thriving. The black beetles resemble water bugs, they lay eggs on the old, dried out potato peels, tiny mealworms emerge & grow up, then pupate into beetles, totally cool cycle. Lay the potato slices on the top of the layer of feed pellets, the worms & beetles find them.

The mealworms that appeared in the pigeon loft must have been from eggs laid on feed that fell through the grated floors. I do clean the loft, lifting grates up, so I moved some of those mealworms to the 5 gallon buckets & started more "farms" & it works well. They're great protein treats but finding out they are hard workers in the compost area was an added bonus. Go for it, they're easy to care for.

 

[Minanora]

My apricot tree is almost done blooming, so I walked around it this morning with my coffee in hand. Looks like a bumper crop year! I'll be able to make a few cases of jam. We're almost through our last case of apricot jam I made in 2021. Also looks like we may have a peach bumper year. Not the case for the blackberries, got half the canes as last year, but last year was a bumper crop for them anyway. Hopefully I get a good Santa Rosa plum harvest, to early to tell right now.

Second set of seeds are growing, it's always satisfying to see pumpkins and squash coming up. They look robust in a hurry.

Blackberries getting ready to bloom out.

 

[Sammster]

Red worms AKA manure worms. Not sure if they like compost but worth a try. Cheap start is get some at the bait shop. Sometimes called trout worms at the bait shop. Gardens are not rich enough for them to stay no matter what the sales hype says. Normally found in or near barnyard manure piles.

Thank you. Maybe I'll try that. Very honestly, my compost pile is more chicken manure than anything. I do try to add as much vegetation as I can. Pretty tough to get manure to compost without vegetation

 

[chickengr]

I've seen some gigantic chickens & roosters at the Poultry show, wow they are huge & gorgeous! I've been tempted to get either a pair of Sebastopol geese, or a pair of Royal Palm turkeys.

Some of my roosters are big, 2 of my Wyandotte Roos are so chunky, need both arms to hold them. My roosters have killed mice & 1 young rat, that I know of.

I have 2 pair of Guineas. They run fast & make alot of noise lol. The only critters they chase is eachother, round & round a 12x24 bldg, pretty hilarious. I'm sure they get over 10,000 steps a day, but never venture very far...not yet anyway.

I don't know much about having geese or turkeys along with chickens...any advice is welcome. I've done house sitting for friends with geese & turkeys & I loved it, they were very affectionate birds. It's quite a hefty load when a full grown Jake sits on your lap, though...he still thought he was a chick I guess. I do not have a pond & only a small, under 2 acre lot here. I'd like to move, get 20 acres, more room, for more critters.

My friends turkeys, Jake & JennyView attachment 3775767View attachment 3775768View attachment 3775765

keeping chickens and waterfowls is not a good idea. you will never have clean water and that can bring any disease to your chickens.

 

[Acre4Me]

My apricot tree is almost done blooming

We have 3 Apricot trees. One planted last year, the other two planted in 2021, I think. One of them has grown leaps and bounds since planted. But all look healthy and happy. They are all different varieties. We’ve got some closed buds on all of them this year, but I doubt we will get fruit.

 

[fuzzi]

I've had a small one in a bin, going strong for years. I initially bought some mealworms at a pet store in the 1990s for Lizards & turtles I was babysitting. They're really easy, just chicken feed pellets & sliced potatoes keeps them thriving. The black beetles resemble water bugs, they lay eggs on the old, dried out potato peels, tiny mealworms emerge & grow up, then pupate into beetles, totally cool cycle. Lay the potato slices on the top of the layer of feed pellets, the worms & beetles find them.

The mealworms that appeared in the pigeon loft must have been from eggs laid on feed that fell through the grated floors. I do clean the loft, lifting grates up, so I moved some of those mealworms to the 5 gallon buckets & started more "farms" & it works well. They're great protein treats but finding out they are hard workers in the compost area was an added bonus. Go for it, they're easy to care for.

Do you keep them in the bucket for their entire life cycle?