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Post by synergy on Nov 9, 2012 3:52:13 GMT -5
Yes the coconut coir , both the ground planting medium and the mulch matting ( salvaged from mattresses in their recycling here) are free materials so part of my plan is simply a matter of opportunity. I wonder why my firend was so adamant this coir would be a terrible thing, she mentioned the grow ops will drop garbage bags of the stuff at her driveway to get rid of it and she will not use it. I use it for the animal bedding and then get a third use out of it in the garden. I also contacted an organic landscaping company and they are open to discussing using my farm as a compost site for lawn clippings , leaves and chipped branches . Being a service advocating organic management , their waste will be less of a concern for toxins. Again , it is making due with what I have available, which is sometimes frustrating especially when I feel it is imperative to protect our food sovereignty through backyard food production.
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Post by nicky on Nov 9, 2012 10:09:31 GMT -5
I used a couple of wheelbarrows of coconut coir when I was putting in a perennial flower bed a couple of years ago. I like the texture & it definitely worked to lighten the soil & retain water. It seemed to decompose fairly slowly (compared with peat moss). I have only heard good things about it, usually as a peat alternative - less acidic, renewable resource, etc. I had this article bookmarked: flrec.ifas.ufl.edu/Hort/Environmental/Media_Nutrition/COIR%20potential.htmOff of that topic - a friend is dropping of a couple of truckloads of Alpaca manure from her farm tomorrow!!! Then we are all going to a huge poultry/bird auction. Happy Saturday - poo & chickens  |
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Post by steev on Nov 9, 2012 21:09:37 GMT -5
Alpacapoo! How upscale.
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Post by 12540dumont on Nov 10, 2012 17:31:33 GMT -5
I'm making a quilt. 35 last night. Trying to grab the eggplant from the field.
It's cold! Down to 50, Dar would need two sweaters.
I've just finished putting away the summer togs and dragging out long johns and wool sweaters.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 10, 2012 21:20:37 GMT -5
Just to be safe, I put tender plants in a makeshift greenhouse. Two, recycled sliding glass doors fit perfectly over the old hottub. Our freezes are often so mild that plants sitting beneath the edge of a planter will not be affected. Foliage exposed to the wind seems to do worse.
I planted seed potatoes under mulch. It gets so hot that they don't seem to do well, above ground, here, year round. There is a warm period, around the middle of Winter, and a not so scorching period, around late Spring. I've observed weather patterns for my whole life and have never learned the name for this.
I was not able to access a sunchoke plant as a relative had unexpectedly parked a car, almost right over it, in a very tight spot. It was shallow, wilty, and yellowing, until her tarp lay at the base of the plant. A surprisingly big chunk of roots was sitting, mostly above the ground and under the tarp. I ate a handful and planted a long row out of the rest. My first tubers were plain beige at the store, but a few of these offpsring had a purplish tint.
As some people are restricting gardening, under residential zoning, I have planned to incorporate edible flowers with showier, variegated vegetables, and trellises. Capers, sweet lupine, sunchoke, and violets. Purple artichoke with white leaves, red Aztec spinach, purple orach, red cabbage, and so on. Plain old fashioned berries and vegetables are grown between trellises and contrasting foliage. Fruiting trees are not adjacent to city streets.
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Post by synergy on Nov 11, 2012 12:50:36 GMT -5
degzing, I like your resourcefulness and stealth
: )
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Post by nicky on Nov 12, 2012 12:56:31 GMT -5
Gotta love Alpacapoo. Took my Alpaca poo pusher to a chicken auction with me on Saturday & got her hooked on fancy bantam chicken breeds. Now I can trade fancy chickens for fancy poo! 
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Post by davida on Nov 17, 2012 14:39:18 GMT -5
Overseeded 7 acres with 375 pounds of winter wheat and 50 pounds of King Diploid annual ryegrass. Puchased an old John Deere grain drill that had been sitting in weeds for years and used it to plant. The goal is two fold. Because of the drought, hay is extremely scarce and expensive so the acres will be used for grazing. We are 5 weeks late planting because the ground was too hard to plant but we finally had a good 1" rain last week. The second reason for the planting is to be able to help more people if times get tough. With a modest yield, these 7 acres will produce 10,000 to 15,000 pounds of wheat. So, this was my homesteading activity for today.
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Post by synergy on Nov 17, 2012 22:37:52 GMT -5
Impressive davida. I just did the regular day in day out watering and feeding animals...
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Post by davida on Nov 17, 2012 23:16:38 GMT -5
Impressive davida. I just did the regular day in day out watering and feeding animals... Thank you, Synergy. Is your area in extreme drought like Oklahoma? My animals take alot of time and work but it just would not be a homestead without animals, at least chickens. |
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Post by davida on Nov 18, 2012 20:05:50 GMT -5
Great special on PBS on the Dust Bowl on now, Sunday Night, 7:00 CST.
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Post by circumspice on Nov 18, 2012 21:04:59 GMT -5
A few days ago I assembled & installed a tiny portable greenhouse on the south side of my house. I checked the inside temp on a cold morning & it was 72F inside the greenhouse while it was 40F outside. I'm quite happy with it. I figure that I can heat it efficiently with a single 100 watt light bulb on really cold nights.
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Post by synergy on Nov 18, 2012 21:28:58 GMT -5
davida, no I live in the southcoast region of British Columbia where our challenge is three seasons of rain. Part of that challenge is soon to be not just draining off water but capturing it and saving the water for 5 months of dry surrounding summer .
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Post by Drahkk on Nov 18, 2012 22:34:26 GMT -5
A few days ago I assembled & installed a tiny portable greenhouse on the south side of my house. I checked the inside temp on a cold morning & it was 72F inside the greenhouse while it was 40F outside. I'm quite happy with it. I figure that I can heat it efficiently with a single 100 watt light bulb on really cold nights. Circumspice, that's pretty much exactly what I'm looking for as somewhere to start tomatoes, peppers, etc. I've been considering buying clear PVC or polycarbonate panels and framing a small section of my back porch, but I've been lurking on threads here and elsewhere on the subject and am very open to ideas. If you used a kit, where did you get it? If not, what did you use? MB |
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Post by davida on Nov 19, 2012 10:52:27 GMT -5
davida, no I live in the southcoast region of British Columbia where our challenge is three seasons of rain. Part of that challenge is soon to be not just draining off water but capturing it and saving the water for 5 months of dry surrounding summer . What a beautiful place to live. I really enjoy your area, the San Juan Islands and Vancouver Island. From your posts on border crossings, I thought that you were in southern Texas . The only time that I have been detained at a border crossing was into BC. After several years of riding our bikes to Sturgis, we decided one year to trailer to Sturgis, leave the truck and trailer and take a 3500 mile ride to the north. After a few days on the road and spending the night in Glacier Park (that 1/2 was burning causing no running water in the camp area), we looked and smelled pretty rough when we entered BC. The young lady at the entry took one look and sent us inside for further investigation. All turned out OK. The next day, a black bear decided to cross the road in front of me between Banff and Lake Louise. I locked my brakes and slide sideways past him as he went to his hind legs to turn around. Literally face to face. My front wheel just barely missed him. I throttled hard to get back upright and then stopped. My riding buddy asked if I wanted to stay awhile and watch the bear. I answered "Nope, seen him close and personal" and we were on our way. Later that trip, we learned that a gas station cannot pump gas with a small generator if wildfires burned 49 electric poles to cause a power outage. The computer chips in the pumps could not take the power surges of the small generator. Found a man with a tow truck and paid him $ 10 per gallon for a gallon of gas for both of us and we were on our way. Love BC and the memories. |
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