Homesteading

[DeepseekerADS]

It's been 5 days since I posted.

I have string across each bed marking off 12" squares, or there abouts....

I had a lady friend visit from Friday till yesterday, and that did not turn out well. I never knew I had so many things wrong with me....

But the good of the visit was that I was introduced to a garden guru and learned quite a bit. Learned some tricks too. When I left, he gave me an entire bed full of greens, various types. Have them already transplanted into one of my beds. That's one bed of the five down. I need to build some more beds! Had already planned crops for that particular bed.

I put up the posts for the postage stamp orchard today in between the rains. I don't think I have enough chicken wire for that, but down at my other house I can remove some fencing from there to complete the fence. I'm expecting the plants any day now, though I haven't received notice that it was shipped yet. Tomorrow, between the rains forecast, I'll fence it in. Gotta go pick up some more cable ties to simplify that.

My next priority after that is sowing seeds in the 4 vacant beds.

Mom told me to pick up castor beans and put them in the ground to get rid of whatever critters are doing the holes.

And, that's all from this end....

 

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Family Maps of Hinds County, Mississippi, Deluxe Edition - Grab it through Amazon!

[releventchair]

If your lady friend thinks your off center now, invite her back for May's first Sat. Warn her first of the dress code though....

World Naked Gardening Day - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[joncutt87]

I started framing the new coop for wifey today.

 

[DeepseekerADS]

I planted two Goji berry plants, and they seem to be doing very well. One tip I received with my talks with the "guru" mentioned earlier, I need to be mixing some soil with my compost - retains water better and a couple other things. Pure first generation compost is too loose. They suggested I pitch fork the ground beneath up into the compost.

But back on the Goji berries, I've been watching videos for over an hour now on planting and growing them. One caution I read, that I'd seen NOWHERE else, is that you need to eat them in moderation as they are natural blood thinners. Just a handful a day. But, they are super foods - make me healthy

And, they are perennials....

If you want to grow them in a container you need at least a 5 gallon bucket to cover the depth of the roots. I'm recommending that to my son in Detroit. You can even make soup out of the leaves! And to keep them in control, if you don't want them 10 feet high, you have to prune. So you clip them about an inch up from the base, pick off the leaves to make the soup (which is super food), and then plant the cutting directly into the ground and voila, you have another Goji berry plant. And, the branch you cut grows back.

These plants are quite impressive! If you find a health food store that sells the berries, they'll take a bit of a cut from your wallet.

Interesting stuff I've been reading here

The "cut" plants sell for around $7 each depending on where you buy them. I think I'll pick up a couple more, have 4, and then continue from there. Could become a cash crop.

Here's a link for the videos I've been watching:

how to grow a goji berry bush - Ask.com YouTube Search

 

[Bullet:Mich.]

Mixing top soil with your new compost is why I asked you in one of my prior posts what kind of top soil you had because when you mix it moister holds better during dry spells. It just takes a while to learn.

 

[DeepseekerADS]

In my garden area there's two or more different types of soil. In the lowest level, the flat bottom, the soil is grey, but on the sloping portion the soil is a light reddish. Plenty, plenty rocks there. Beneath the beds is the light reddish soil which has a PH of 7.5

I haven't tested the flat bottom grey, but will today. Initially, I didn't know the soils were different. I'd only metal detected and dug the reddish soil, no signals in the bottom grey.

After talking to the "guru", I've taken the chunks I cut out for individual plants, broke them up and threw them on the beds. I'll be doing the pitch fork thing today.

Like you said, it takes a while to learn, and I've made some very wrong assumptions. This won't be my best year. I came into this wild eyed, and took on too much at once.

 

[DeepseekerADS]

Oh, I just searched for the cost of dried goji berries = $21.00 for 18 ounces....

 

[releventchair]

Deep:
Don't kick yourself over what you don't know.
Harmoniously scratching in the dirt is about an lost art.
At least you are doing and learning and growing.

Bear with me if I've already told it.
When in my late teens around 1980 and renting a small farm I raised some hogs and rabbits. First hog in line come fall I popped a hind quarter roast in the oven and was puzzled it did not come out like ham.....so we learn;regardless of how. Sometimes simply by doing.
Some of those hard learned lessons stick for life and feel like more of an accomplishment than the easy ones. L.o.l..

 

[Bullet:Mich.]

Deepseeker after a few seasons you will be some ones mentor on how to live off of the land. If you build what they call a tractor pig pen and raise some feeder pigs in it moving the pen every month or so, the land where it was setting is where you want to expand your garden.

 

[DeepseekerADS]

Our internet went down yesterday afternoon, for the evening. But it's back now

I stayed out working till almost dark. Had to go down to my 2nd house and remove about a 100 foot of fencing (not fun). Came back up and finished the orchard fence and wired the poles. So I have that ready for the plants. Once I get the priorities out of the way, there's another 100 foot length of fencing down there which I may as well get, I'm sure I'll find use for it.

I got pretty lucky for once. I had exactly enough T-posts to do the orchard, and I hadn't initially planned for the orchard. I made that 12'x24' for 8 dwarf trees.

One reason I didn't plan for trees is the time to maturity and fruit production. Kinda like say nut trees = about 15 years before production, and normal fruit trees may be 8 to 10 years. Heck, I'd be 80 before I tasted the first fruit. So, what the heck would I need them for? But the dwarfs, perhaps as early as the 2nd year, so what the heck! I know I'll have a whole lot of diversity in fruits. I consider that a delight of nature I'll enjoy for years to come.

Right now, I've lost 5 or 6 strawberry plants, the blackberries are all 5 living and doing very well. The blueberries, all 4 are showing signs of life and two of them are already leafing. The 2 goji berries are fine, the 3 grapes are alive, and 5 of the 12 raspberries are budding. That may actually be enough as they do spread. I'll ponder the raspberries for another week or so - maybe a couple more will bud.

I was looking at my 5 beds. Playing last night on AutoCAD, and the lack of scrap lumber to create more of the 4x4 beds, I can fit 3 - 20'x3' beds on the North end of the boxed beds, and just not box them in. That guru I met has a combination of boxed beds and longer un-boxed ones. In fact, the majority of his grow space is like that. So, today I figure I'll plot them out with stakes and string, and create the beds. It takes a lot of extra effort to build the boxed beds. I can build more of them later if I want to, but first let's get some veggies going!

But first thing this morning comes the sowing of the boxed bed seeds - gotta get them going. If I'm going in two different directions, neither will end up the way I want them.

 

[DeepseekerADS]

Deepseeker after a few seasons you will be some ones mentor on how to live off of the land. If you build what they call a tractor pig pen and raise some feeder pigs in it moving the pen every month or so, the land where it was setting is where you want to expand your garden.

That guru I visited had a trailer building on wheels for his chickens. He'd just moved that, and had this very nice manicured bare ground where the trailer had set. He didn't have any pigs, didn't think to ask him about that, but he sure liked his chickens. He'd send out all the flock for slaughter and dressing of the chickens for I think he said $3 each, and get back ready to freeze or eat birds. I thought that was a pretty good idea.

 

[releventchair]

I'm havin a time trying to post vids. Till I get it sorted you'll have to figure out how to chase it... I just click on it.
Have a super day.

 

[DeepseekerADS]

I'm havin a time trying to post vids. Till I get it sorted you'll have to figure out how to chase it... I just click on it.

LOL! Loved the movie, several times - BUT! I did not remember that scene

 

[Bullet:Mich.]

The idea of pigs is that they rut up all the ground because they like eating roots. While they are rutting they mix all their wastes into the soil for natural fertilizer. Also while you are weeding your garden put the weeds in a 5 gal bucket add some water and dump it into your pigs, they will love you. They eat the weeds like candy. You only need 2 or 3 pigs for your size family to eat unless you want to sell some or use them for barter. Start them in the spring for around $25.00 to $30.00 to buy for a cut male feeder size pig and by fall they are ready to go to the butcher shop, app 225 lbs. No chemical in your meat. Also don't forget you need a working dog, the best all around dog is a Heeler. Have them cut when they are around 3 to 4 months old and they won't leave your property unless their are with you. King breeding is the best Heeler farm dog. You should be able to find one at Your Amish friends farm. They come blue,red, black or grey.

 

[BIGSCOTT]

Yeah Heelers are great dogs, I have a friend that had a Heeler cross mut that she got as a puppy from some kids giving them away outside of the grocerie store in Parachute Colorado.
Her husband Earl named the dog Rifle, and trained it to work the chickens, he built a spring loaded latch with a strap on the spring loaded chicken coup door, Rifle would pull the door open and latch it to a
stake then run the chickens out of the coup and let them graze in the yard, but keep them out of the road, garden, and off the porch, rifle new to let the settin hens set when he was told and would put
the chickens back up at night, Heeler's like to be where the action is and where people are, but are not a crawl up in your lap for some lovin kinda dog's

Sadly neither Earl or Rifle are with us anymore.

 

[DeepseekerADS]

Sadly neither Earl or Rifle are with us anymore.

Sorry to hear that Scott.

I lost my girl cat late last week, still miss her. 11 years of in my lap every night. I'm a cat person.

Had two big red dogs invade my holler starting last week. The first event, the dominant one came to about 20 feet from me viciously challenging me in my own yard. Mom didn't see it and opened the back door. The dog fled then. The next day Mom said it challenged her. My girl kitty disappeared the night before, so I'm sure it was the dogs.

And, I made up my mind the dog is dead next time I see it, even though I'm not normally a critter killer. Thought about going to the police about it. But I've found the owner and I'll politely request they keep the dogs up. The dogs were caged next to the road and I recognized them. I don't need any neighbor problems either. But this same neighbor has a son who is somewhat askew. He's hunting on my land, trespassing, and I personally do not hunt. Already had him remove a deer stand off my land. I guess he just doesn't get it. I've heard him shooting up on my ridge several times in the last week (out of season).

Confrontation time I'd say.

 

[DeepseekerADS]

I planted a full bed of 16 potatoes this morning. From what I've heard about the possible harvest per plant, I'm going to have way more potatoes that I can handle! But I've already planned a "root cellar" based on what I saw at the guru's spread. And, an abundance of potatoes will keep us fed worst case.

I staked out the long beds, 3 of them. But I have to shower and run to town for string.

Good news this morning is that I now have 9 live raspberry bushes, which gives me hope for the final 3. I guess all in all, my garden is doing very well so far.

 

[Bullet:Mich.]

Get you a pair of Heelers and you won't have to worry about anything challenging you or your family again, human or other anything else. Once you teach them what their job is they are a natural, they have a great sense for knowing when something is wrong and they will take care of the problems. If you house train they like to lay beside you or your mothers bed at nite. They hear things you don't, if they bark at nite I just let both of my dogs out, after they take care of the problem they will come back to the door and want in. Some times I go out with them at nite and some times I don't. They are not real big but they get the problems taken care of. They live to a old age for dogs.

 

[DeepseekerADS]

I was just out building one of those long rows, got one done.

And then them dogs came down the West ridge. I hollered at them and they scampered. But I'm now going to take a shower and drive down to see the neighbor.

 

[joncutt87]

Deep, we have an indoor calico cat that needs a home. She doesn't like other cats though.