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Post by steev on Jan 2, 2018 21:33:37 GMT -5
Had a talk with the helper today, discussing his tendency to not hear what I'm saying, even three times, and his tendency to not think about/see what he's doing, even when it's an utter waste of time/effort, no matter how busily he goes about it; I pointed out that he has two years to learn much more than "mow, blow, and go", or I won't sell him the business, because I feel responsible to my clients, because if he isn't substantially up-to-speed, he'll lose half of them within three months, prolly becoming unable to make the payments on the business-purchase, giving me the choice of letting his incompetence screw me out of payment for a valuable asset or having to sue him for failure to pay a legitimate debt, while he's reduced the value of the business, through loss of clients. Further, I pointed out that he must have a p'up and secure storage for his tools/equipment, so he's got a hard row to hoe, if he wants to reach the promised land, and me taking it easy on him serves neither his interests nor mine.
He's been living with his parents (lot of that in the USA, these days) who had apparently given him a deadline/ultimatum for getting his own place (very unlikely to be possible); he agrees that he'd be better off paying rent to the 'rents. We'll see how this shakes out; he's greener than drought-free grass; I have no reason to think I had my act any better together at his age, but I was far more educated and possessed more salable skills; this is clearly a challenge for him; we'll see how he measures up.
Given the possibility of reasonable rain, there is potential for re-growth of the business, necessitating hiring another worker; that would be a much better situation for me, and perhaps light a fire under his ass or find me a better buyer for the business.
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Post by steev on Jan 7, 2018 22:19:09 GMT -5
Mowed another weedy area; tilled the ones I'd mowed last week; the weedy areas are decently moist, although perhaps not for sprouting; reclamation of fallowed areas proceeds; hoping for a good soaking this week, to get the weeds sprouted and vulnerable; Amplissima Victoria Ukraineskaya peas look ready to de-cloche next week, so I can re-use the cloches for planting another variety; Admiral peas are still poorly sprouted. Time to start planting Spring stuff.
The earliest peach, a yellow cling, not the Babcock it was labelled, is swelling flower buds; looks likely to pop ~mid-January, as usual; they're crappy peaches, but pleasant when nearly-ripe and sliced thin into a mixed salad.
Thick frost on everything this morning; I think it must have been foggy, but I didn't know it, enjoying the sleep of the just, who didn't know I'd stolen it.
The little rain had been enough to settle the dust on the back road, so much more pleasant.
Did a little show-and-tell with the guy who'll do my foundation and set me up with a guy to draw my plans; I think the concept is: In for a penny, in for my whole damned grubstake!
Got the ball rolling with a lawyer on setting up a family trust; interesting fact: the trust will be good until 21 years after the death of the last member alive when I die; so we're looking at maybe as much as 150 years before it needs to be re-negotiated or stop being a trust. The lawyer says most trusts are pretty cut-and-dried, but that I've given her the most interesting problem she's seen, considering the parameters I've said I want; I live to give.
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Post by steev on Jan 9, 2018 23:49:55 GMT -5
The blessed rain yesterday stopped before dawn today; helper didn't show or call; regrettably, this guy looks to be a loser. Oh, well; "many are called, but few are chosen".
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Post by steev on Jan 12, 2018 2:02:45 GMT -5
Scored 12 pounds of organic Yukon Gold spuds for <$9 today; I'll plant them after letting them sprout a bit; got a pound of fava beans to plant (gonna go put some water in that bag right now, to hydrate them before I forget).
If it's rained much on the farm I'm good to continue work; if not, what I can do will be limited; so much like life, regarding our general lack of real control. n'est-ce pas?
I'm frustrated by my inability to post about the unwillingness of guests (there are so many) to enter discussions; this may be my own lack of tech-savvy, but the complaint about lack of fresh input is valid, nevertheless; there are no stupid questions; there is no irrelevant (generally) data. We learn from each other, even from those who may think they have little to offer: data from different ecosystems; data about how different crops behave; personal preferences about different crops. All these things are important to how we grow and breed our veggies.
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Day
gardener
When in doubt, grow it out.
Posts: 171
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Post by Day on Jan 12, 2018 11:10:44 GMT -5
nevertheless; there are no stupid questions; there is no irrelevant (generally) data. We learn from each other, even from those who may think they have little to offer: data from different ecosystems; data about how different crops behave; personal preferences about different crops. All these things are important to how we grow and breed our veggies. Couldn't agree more. I can only speak from my own experience, but I was a lurker for probably a year before I ever posted. Mainly because I was searching for information and usually I was able to find it on HG. Mission accomplished. It wasn't until I really got involved in my own breeding projects and encountered some situations I couldn't find answers to that I officially joined up and started posting. I think a lot of guests use this site to find information on what they are looking for, and then move on. It's great that HG has that level of usefulness, even if it doesn't result in reader participation. Those of us with blogs and sites outside HG (myself included) would probably do well to link up to useful and relevant HG threads every once in a while, too. Certainly couldn't hurt in terms of encouraging new members and participation, and making other gardeners and growers from other circles aware the HG is always growing and changing, and that we are just as interested in what's going on in their garden as they are in ours. |
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Post by walt on Jan 12, 2018 13:50:42 GMT -5
nevertheless; there are no stupid questions; there is no irrelevant (generally) data. We learn from each other, even from those who may think they have little to offer: data from different ecosystems; data about how different crops behave; personal preferences about different crops. All these things are important to how we grow and breed our veggies. Couldn't agree more. I can only speak from my own experience, but I was a lurker for probably a year before I ever posted. Mainly because I was searching for information and usually I was able to find it on HG. Mission accomplished. It wasn't until I really got involved in my own breeding projects and encountered some situations I couldn't find answers to that I officially joined up and started posting. I think a lot of guests use this site to find information on what they are looking for, and then move on. It's great that HG has that level of usefulness, even if it doesn't result in reader participation. Those of us with blogs and sites outside HG (myself included) would probably do well to link up to useful and relevant HG threads every once in a while, too. Certainly couldn't hurt in terms of encouraging new members and participation, and making other gardeners and growers from other circles aware the HG is always growing and changing, and that we are just as interested in what's going on in their garden as they are in ours. I don't agree. There are stupid questions. They are the questions that go unanswered because they went un-asked. That can cost you a crop, or cost you success in a breeding program that you really needed advice on, or duplicated something that someone down the road already learned about the hard way. Sure there is nothing wrong with dabbling in breeding or trying new things if you are having fun and don't have to depend on a crop. But if you know you aren't immortal and have only so long to get things right, sometimes you need to ask that question. That said, I like it when people first look around and see if the question has already been answered, as Day mentioned having done. As I and many, most all of us, have done time after time. |
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Post by steev on Jan 12, 2018 21:04:08 GMT -5
I repeat, there are no stupid questions; there are questions that are never asked for fear of appearing ignorant or stupid; people can fear the vulnerability of admitting ignorance or incomprehension; granted, doing the homework to find answers without asking may be less bothersome to others (although why anyone who finds answering a chore would grudgingly take the burden upon themselves is unclear to me; perhaps there's a bit of schadenfreude involved).
In that one has only so much time to get things done, with success depending on getting them done right, I fail to see the harm in putting any question out there, in case somebody knows the answer right off.
Personally, I've always been competent to answer all my questions, which is why I never needed instructors from primary school through university, nor any training in how to research or evaluate information.
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Post by steev on Jan 14, 2018 21:57:12 GMT -5
It was lovely on the farm, although still no snow to be seen on the coast peaks; de-cloched the AVU and gave them some pea-brush to climb on; tilled last week's mowed area; planted cilantro (sorry, you soap-tasters), sorrel, radishes, vivid choy, root parsley, Yukina savoy, tatsoi, favas, and two batches of long-forgotten garlic bulbils (from which I don't expect much).
Gophers are getting my onions; I'm conflicted, but not much; reports are that owls are being killed due to NorCal dope growers poisoning gophers (sometimes shit goes uphill); I'm much more inclined to owls than onions, or dope, for that matter.
The native bees were hitting the first open peach blossums.
Damned mosquitoes are already out; what diseases are they potentially spreading? Can we breed day-hunting bats to take out these blood-suckers?
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Post by steev on Jan 17, 2018 4:31:48 GMT -5
Whatever rain conditions, I expect to do more finish tilling, primary mowing, and get more things planted this coming week-end; just gotta keep an eye out for where I'll want to plant corn in March, separated enough for reasonable purity; it's a little tricky, wanting to plant things that won't mature before corn-planting (need to irrigate) time.
My current helper continues to show failure to grasp the concept (you didn't say to cut those weeds, only these); as in, what part of cut the weeds, especially these, didn't you get?
He begins to show signs of "oh, I left/lost that tool somewhere", so I replaced the hand-hoe at his expense, accepting the pissing away of my time, this time only. He will learn to keep track of tools or it will cost him; we can't do our work without the proper tools, so if he pisses them away, forgetting or bundling them in the trash, he will bear the cost. Perhaps that will break him of sucking eggs. I realize he's young, but he's got a two-year-old; it's time he acted like an aware, responsible adult, not just some kid with his head up his phone.
Damn! I sound so old, but what am I to do? Give him an award for not shitting in his pants (to the best of my knowledge)? I do become less patient; it's true; perhaps because it's obvious I have less time to fritter away.
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Post by steev on Jan 20, 2018 1:08:30 GMT -5
So I have a full load of oak leaves (mulch for where the horses pasture, since they won't eat them) and bunny-bedding (for where the horses can't get at it) to take to the farm; also gotta take my seed boxes, so I have full access to whatever I may want to get planted ASAP, as the spirit moves me; Brassicas and Apiaciae are what I'm thinking.
The ground may be relaxed from enough hydro-therapy that I can start up-caging my out-lying trees. So much to do; so little time, strength, and stamina; shoulda started this 30 years ago, if not 40; oh, well, better late than never.
Somebody left a bunch of spuds and red onions on the street; they're off to be planted, of course. I could eat the onions, but I'm thinking a good crop of seed.
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Post by steev on Jan 21, 2018 23:14:21 GMT -5
The Coastal peaks have a bit of snow, at last; nothing to be thrilled about.
The AVU peas I de-cloched last week are totally gone; I'm inclined to think gophers; such a pisser! So, what am I to do? I'm thinking re-planting, but not de-cloching; planting under a live-trap and shooting whatever gets caught; I'm not good with either snares or poison, due to potential downstream problems.
The life-time of plastic cloches is also a concern, as the air on the farm is so clear that plastic gets degraded rather quickly. This is going to take some thought to work out to satisfaction; would I rather have dirtier, more UV-blocking, air, or air I can't see, to breathe? That's a pretty hard question to work out, unless one is pretty seriously for-or-against plastics.
Planted the scavenged red onions; left the spuds to chit.
Up-caged some of the out-lying trees, giving them MAP and oak leaves for mulch; pounding those T-posts is very aerobic; it's easy to break a sweat, even on a cold day.
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Post by richardw on Jan 22, 2018 3:50:42 GMT -5
Ever thought of using a gopher electric fence, surely you could rig something up.
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Post by steev on Jan 23, 2018 19:55:15 GMT -5
Actually, when I hit the Lottery, I'll get one of those propane thingies to detonate their burrows. I like things that go "boom"; it's a guy thing, I suppose.
I wonder whether ferrets would work; prolly too much trouble.
It would be cool, though, if one could have some electric thing that would make a bright flash whenever a gopher wandered into it, like a big bug-zapper; well, I'd enjoy it.
Explained to the "helper" today that when he pays no attention to property lines (there's where the fence is) the neighbors aren't paying for his time; so I'm not going to be paid for the work, although he expects to be paid for the time. His response: "It's good"; my response: no; it's not; you're not paying attention to what you're doing; get your shit together and see where the fences are.
This guy is not gonna make the cut; he's just too oblivious. He could work with constant supervision, but that's not up to my needs.
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Post by steev on Jan 26, 2018 1:40:55 GMT -5
Scored a cheap bag of Russian Banana spuds for planting; work continues apace. I expect there has been rain on the farm this week, so there will be much to profitably accomplish.
Got to get sketches to the draftsman so we can get an engineer's stamp and start construction, so we can start building a (minimal) house on the farm; really, I'm looking at a "Granny flat" ( I'm too old to think of raising a family there), I just want something I can live in comfortably until I die (prolly in thirty+ years; only the good die young).
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Post by richardw on Jan 26, 2018 2:59:03 GMT -5
If you have right voltage in your electric fence you wont vaporize the gophers but instead it might save having to cooking for ya self
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