Wisconsin "Cheeseheads"

[Ilovemychicks08]

Sorry to haha, but squash will do that. Wife had one come up last year in her garden. Started taking over. I left some of the squash on and cut the vines. Kept it pruned down, I have grown squash, used to grow so much of it,
Years ago I was taking a bunch squash into work give it away, the tailgate accidently popped open. I am so glad no vehicles coming the other way, I hit the brakes and had acorn squash bouncing by me 7 feet in the air. I can laugh now, but it wasn't funny then.

2 125 foot row of beans, be enough beans to feed minneapolis and st paul.

My wife has these asian beans growing, they are the longest beans I have ever seen

Last day at stand, had 3 cars pull up while taking stand down. Will fill order for 3 dozen tomorrow for 1 person lives in town., wife still has orders. We have picked bout all the good ears.
Took good ears and questionable ears down mixed and made 14 and 15 ears to a bag, just some of the smaller ears are either good or they dont tip fill and start denting early.

Our plants have always took longer to grow. But the one year we plant squash and it grows to big way to quickly. We use to have strawberries that produced around 20-30lbs a year they ended up having to be moved from one property to the next and they died. Now we cant grow them. I think our soil is bad because our neighbors can grow stuff with no issue.

 

[TOR]

Our plants have always took longer to grow. But the one year we plant squash and it grows to big way to quickly. We use to have strawberries that produced around 20-30lbs a year they ended up having to be moved from one property to the next and they died. Now we cant grow them. I think our soil is bad because our neighbors can grow stuff with no issue.

Do a soil test, they are relatively inexpensive. I have never done one but I am going to test this year after done selling corn. Also do a ph test as some plants prefer certain range of PH. Ph test may come with soil test.
https://www.dairylandlabs.com/
You may have testing by you at a local feed and grain business might send samples in. Contact your local ag.
If I go Melrose feed they send samples in for 12.00
I am going to do research this winter and figure what I need for fertilizer or try. As example I mow my corn stalks down, so many pounds corn stalks equals a percentage of potash back in the soil. I get cow shit from neighbor and there is formulas for that also. Fertilizer so expensive I dont want to just throw my money away. To much fertilizer is bad for environment.
Squash is a nitrogen loving plant, then bell peppers do not like alot of fertilizer, etc etc

 

[Ilovemychicks08]

Do a soil test, they are relatively inexpensive. I have never done one but I am going to test this year after done selling corn. Also do a ph test as some plants prefer certain range of PH. Ph test may come with soil test.
https://www.dairylandlabs.com/
You may have testing by you at a local feed and grain business might send samples in. Contact your local ag.
If I go Melrose feed they send samples in for 12.00
I am going to do research this winter and figure what I need for fertilizer or try. As example I mow my corn stalks down, so many pounds corn stalks equals a percentage of potash back in the soil. I get cow shit from neighbor and there is formulas for that also. Fertilizer so expensive I dont want to just throw my money away. To much fertilizer is bad for environment.
Squash is a nitrogen loving plant, then bell peppers do not like alot of fertilizer, etc etc

Yea we will get a soil test and do it. I know our water levels are very high in ph and iron. And we water the plants with that so i hope thats not whats doing it.

 

[jvls1942]

when I had corn, at the end we would pick all of the cobs that were left and feed them to the chickens. then I would take the tractor and just push all the stalks down flat with the bucket. by spring they are all rotted up. then I took the 3pt spring tooth drag and worked the stalks into the soil. after a couple of weeks, I would go over it again. by then the ground is about ready to plant.

 

[bigzio]

I agree with feeding the small cobs to the chickens or other critters that will consume them. Actually, I would sell them at a reduced price before I removed the stand and collect usable dollars. Alot of folks would be willing to freeze or can the smaller corn cobs at a reduced price.... nothing goes to waste, and you add to the total sales dollars. Folks love a deal and will enjoy the small cobs. I've been a buyer of such.

Stay Safe ... bigz

 

[jvls1942]

I agree with feeding the small cobs to the chickens or other critters that will consume them. Actually, I would sell them at a reduced price before I removed the stand and collect usable dollars. Alot of folks would be willing to freeze or can the smaller corn cobs at a reduced price.... nothing goes to waste, and you add to the total sales dollars. Folks love a deal and will enjoy the small cobs. I've been a buyer of such.

Stay Safe ... bigz

I agree with this. If the people know up front what they are buying, they can make up their mind .
I would buy at a reduced price for canning/freezing. let them pick their own and save yourself the labor.
we are canning a few quarts of tomatoes right now.
our grandson bought a blender that works better than a food processor for juicing the tomatoes.

 

[jvls1942]

today I picked up a float hinge pin for one of the lawn mower carbs. $7.20 .
that got me to thinking. I bet there is a drill bit that is the same diameter as that pin. the drill bit wouldn't cost more than a buck or two.. Next time....
Menard's has a sale on LED lights.
I bought six of them. they have three bulbs . really put out a lot of light. they are rated at 60W. $2.99 after rebate.

 

[TOR]

We are still selling corn. Just sold some at a reduced rate today. 5 doz each dozen about 16, 18 ears to a dozen lol. I explained what is was yesterday at the stand, guy looking to freeze he ended up taking more. Wife is still selling corn. took corn to daughter show choir party today, outdoor party. took my propane tank and heater boiled corn. Lots compliments.

Have some left over from party, going to give to retired friend ( he is in 70s) he and his wife can freeze it. he always buys corn from me, I know they live on fixed income, they will use it.

The last day at stand we were blending ears giving 14, 15, 16 to a bag, explaining, gets to a point nothing to blend anymore.

The picking is starting to get thinner slowly but surely. couple days some of it prolly be over ripe. 7 to 10 day I figure to sell ................we are on day 9
Think call it quits
Chicken feed.

Most people which buy at the stand are looking for dozen, fresh eating. I did not tally it (thats a thought to keep journal) but I say 90 percent or more are looking to eat fresh and not freeze. the problem with smaller secondary ears and smaller ears, they are good no problem, they are not tip filled, not mature dented, they are not mature and could be half or partially white. there is no way for me to know when I pick.


Seems to start slow when we sell corn then speeds up. I am always worried we will sell it.
We did good so far can only be thankful.

 

[jvls1942]

another 3AM wakeup for me.
yesterday we canned six quarts of tomatoes. DD Barby gave us the tomatoes. we gave her a quart of tomatoes. she says that she might have some more tomatoes for us. I think she thinks she will get another quart. she probably will.
this is the first time we have used reusable lids. they worked fine for the first time. won't know about the next time until next year.

 

[ParkfieldFarm]

Helloooo Cheeseheads. Important question--can I stop the stupid "day job" BS and just raise birds and farm? How 'bout the teenagers. Can I pause on that responsibility? No? *grump*

Jim, let me know how those reusable lids work, we've been wanting to switch over too. We did 55 quarts of applesauce last weekend from our one tree, and we had a 4am wakeup this morning with a tree down on the pig fence line. *CRACKWHOOSH* It's thrilling wandering around in the rain in the middle of the night putting up temporary fencing.

That's a lot of corn TOR! We grew a lot too but it all blew down so our next corn roast plan will be for next summer. I wanted to hop on here and invite all of you over in August for a corn roast but the plans ended with that big storm mid-July.

I saw the post above about soil testing, too. You can call the local farm service agency and see if they can help. It's a free service and they came out to our place to tell us what the normal nutrients in our soil are, what amendments we might need, and what animals we could responsibly run per acre (with notes on what we might need to overseed/control based on current grasses). AMAZING resource.

Kay, I'm going to spend the rest of my lunch reading back up the thread a few pages. I've missed you guys.