What did you do in the garden today?

[BirdsBeesTrees]

can you switch to goats?

We are actually transitioning out of dairy for good. Its a process because of how much money we owe.

 

[littledog]

Animal feed has skyrocketed. Our horse food is now $30/bag. It was about $21-$22 just a year ago. Alfalfa pellets are $18.

You are so right! Last year I quit buying senior feed for my horses when it went up from $19.99 to $27.99 for a 50# bag, so I did a bunch of math to mix basic ingredients plus vitamins to provide the same nutrition and saved money for a while. Now it's all gone up yet again! It's ridiculous that chicken scratch is $15, same as layer pellets.

 

[Acre4Me]

I still need to do a survey of my seeds and figure out what I need to order, but one thing I do know for sure, is I need to order luffa seeds and give them another try after failing for the past two years.

So, everyone who's grown luffas, please give me all your advice!

I have a trellis I built for them, with a 2'x3' raised bed on each side, how should I prepare the beds? Do they like acid, alkaline or neutral soil? Our typical last frost date is mid-April, should I start seeds outside then, or start them inside earlier and plant them outside then? Or start them inside, transfer them to the unheated, slightly insulated greenhouse when they are a certain size, and wait to transplant them outside?

We typically get a ton of rain in the spring, how big do they need to be to tolerate soaking? Then we get a dry heat wave in the summer (at least for the past couple years we have) should I wait to plant them out until the dry season?

I am determined to finally grow some luffas this year - trying to plan ahead and get their conditions right with help from you all - I am tired of paying through the nose for stupid, wasteful plastic sponges that just get thrown away when there's a better alternative I can potentially grow myself.

We have grown luffa gourds and other gourds.

First year we direct seeded into ground. They sprouted but didn't do too much until fertilizer applied. They grew well, but each year have taken quite a bit longer than the other gourds to begin to produce. The luffa grow fairly quickly, but in order to get the luffa sponge, they need to grow and mature to dry stage on the vine. You can harvest them large, but still green and dry them indoors- you will get a finer/ thinner fiber, and in my experience it isn’t as densely woven as expected.

So, thinking we should start them early to get a jump on production, I started seed in pots. Aphids sucked them dry and killed or stunted most of them. I was shocked bc I never have had this issue before so wasn’t aware until it was nearly too late. It only took a few aphids to kill the young starts. Of the ones that survived, I planted them along with seed direct in the ground. The direct seeds out performed the started seed that were transplanted. Maybe bc they had been impacted, but the aphids were gone and the starts were looking good before transplant.

They LOVE heat -plant in Full sun.

They need Fertilzer.

Our soil is a bit high on pH, upper 7. So, I think they are likely a plant that is in the usual range of soil pH, more neutral.

They do NOT tolerate any kind of frost. The plant instantly wilts completely.

I’ll look for pics.

 

[littledog]

Thank you, Acre4Me! That helps a lot. Sounds like I should start them inside early, and wait for summer to plant them out in full sun.

 

[WthrLady]

A small dairy farm is 300 cows milking, we have 65 milking cows on grass and not in confinement. Small dairies consider us to be a hobby farm. We have no employees and do everything ourselves.

I DO NOT miss those days of two a day milkings. Nope nope nope.
There is a cool set up just up the road a piece from me, robotic system. The girls are chipped, check, fed, washed milked. Computer tracks who's coming in for milking (they come in when they want/need milking) how much the give, how much they eat, temps, notes who's on meds, etc.
Sure beats the heck out of stomping out in 30 below weather hoping the dairy heater works sitting on a stool, washing udders, and working by the glow of a dirty 60 watt bulb. LOL


====
Missing out on the storm altogether, except the bitter cold and wind, fine by me. @Acre4Me niece is up by Lima, Sis is in Cols. First real winter weather there in YEARS.

We just need the WET. We'll be back in the 40s by Friday and I have plans to get all I can on the hoop house done then.
===
You can do your own slips in the meantime in case yours don't come.

 

[WthrLady]

I don't have it. unfortunately I don't like it.

None here either. Ick.

 

[WthrLady]

I still need to do a survey of my seeds and figure out what I need to order, but one thing I do know for sure, is I need to order luffa seeds and give them another try after failing for the past two years.

So, everyone who's grown luffas, please give me all your advice!

I have a trellis I built for them, with a 2'x3' raised bed on each side, how should I prepare the beds? Do they like acid, alkaline or neutral soil? Our typical last frost date is mid-April, should I start seeds outside then, or start them inside earlier and plant them outside then? Or start them inside, transfer them to the unheated, slightly insulated greenhouse when they are a certain size, and wait to transplant them outside?

We typically get a ton of rain in the spring, how big do they need to be to tolerate soaking? Then we get a dry heat wave in the summer (at least for the past couple years we have) should I wait to plant them out until the dry season?

I am determined to finally grow some luffas this year - trying to plan ahead and get their conditions right with help from you all - I am tired of paying through the nose for stupid, wasteful plastic sponges that just get thrown away when there's a better alternative I can potentially grow myself.

Shove them in the ground and hope you can run fast enough to get away from them.

 

[Wee Farmer Sarah]

Good morning all. It feels like Spring outside. The temperature is already at a balmy 32F. No need to thaw the chicken water out every hour or so. That storm is shaping up to be rain to freezing rain and then a few inches of snow. Sounds like a nasty mess. DD is picking up another rescued dog this weekend. This little guy was tossed over a high fence into the animal shelter. Miraculously nothing broken except his heart. Some people are just plain nasty. I was checking around for seed potatoes this morning and found that Johnnys seeds in Maine is on backorder until April. Good grief. It's really early but I'll be on the hunt for them starting now. I have heard they are anticipating potato shortages in the grocery stores as well. Wah! Yes the cost of living has gone up on just about everything. A lot of it is due to the shipping and delivery issues caused by so many people getting sick with Covid. I feel fortunate that the feed store I go to was able to keep their prices from going up too drastically. But still, just with 12 chickens and the colder than average temperatures a 50 pound bag of All Flock at $18 per bag only lasts about 18 to 20 days. Then there is the extra scratch and corn they get for those super cold nights and not to mention the shavings to keep things clean in the coop since they are hanging out in there a lot more right now. I'm just glad the ladies are cranking up the egg production so I can start selling eggs again to help offset some of the maintenance costs. I hear you @Acre4Me on the lengthy renovation project. I know when I was having work done to my house it seemed like the contractors were family members after awhile. I still have some painting projects that I can handle but at least there aren't a bunch of men traipsing through the house everyday.

 

[WthrLady]

You are so right! Last year I quit buying senior feed for my horses when it went up from $19.99 to $27.99 for a 50# bag, so I did a bunch of math to mix basic ingredients plus vitamins to provide the same nutrition and saved money for a while. Now it's all gone up yet again! It's ridiculous that chicken scratch is $15, same as layer pellets.

I've gotten really picky with my scratch grains.
Too many are increasing the amount of corn as a cheaper, for them, filler.

The new brand at orscheln has very little corn, mostly oats, grain and millet. I'll pay for that and mix in my own BOS and Cracked corn.

We can't skimp or cut corners on the alpaca feed, only one company makes it, and we have to keep the minerals high for fiber production.

 

[karenerwin]

@Wee Farmer Sarah so far we got about a half inch of ice and a dusting of snow. I’m about 45 minutes west of St. Louis