General Discussions - 2010 - Chapter 29

Lonejack, one more thing you might do is add some nitrogen for the wood shavings and sawdust. Those both are really bad for sucking the nitrogen out of the soil. Maybe if you can mix what you are talking about and leave it sit for a while and then do a ph test on it. See what it needs. Some of the stuff you are putting together are pretty strong.

randbponder- How high are your raised beds? I know some I have seen are not very high and I have seen rabbits jump higher. That and the prolific gophers is why I am going to try strawbales. I bought some chicken wire to lie flat between the ground and bales. Has anyone experienced gophers digging up into the bales? I have not seen our ground squirrels climb that high, they are too busy digger monster holes that can kill big pine trees!

qg, one thing I have learned here is that each part of the country has their own specific kind of animals that do different things. That gardeners have problems with. Also, that what works to cure one works in one part of the country where it doesn't in another. It is interesting to get suggestions from others, but sometimes it is like running around in circles to try to figure them out.

I have never heard of any of the things digging holes up thru the straw. Last year I had a strange situation, a hole between 2 bales, right at the front edge, that kept getting bigger until it was about 4 inches across. The only thing I saw come out of it was a baby garter snake about 6 inches long. Now, I don't know what made the hole.. I doubt that snakes did. It was a cute little thing and nothing to worry about since we do not have poisonous snakes in our part of the country.

QG; I haven't started on the raised beds yet but for my purpose they would be of no value unless they were at least 3' tall, for ease of not having to bend over quite so far. I would even consider a smaller one that was waist high, for things like radish and the like. but that would probably have to be something like a feed bunk. That would have to be watered often. I have had a back problem ever since I ruptured a disc and had surgery. I spend a lot of time on my hands and knees in the garden. Wears out the knees on my jeans kind of fast. I have a set of those knee guards but they don't stay in place.
I haven't had a problem with anything other than tree squirrels with tomatoes in the bale garden. They will take a few bites out of a tomato and go on to the next one, I just raise extra so I don't have to get upset.
I tried a raised bed before when I was still working but I was away too much and it didn't get watered enough. Different story now, maybe I can keep up with it. I may have to come up with a watering system.
Another problem I have is mice and voles in my sweet potatoes. They burrow down to the tubers and have a feast. I have a couple times found a large SP that was only the skin left. There again I raise extra. I have plenty places to give my extra garden produce away.

Jeanette; The cute little garter snakes that I find up by the house I usually catch and give them a toss into the garden
Russ

Those snakes are very good for the garden aren't they? Hopefully eat enough of the bugs so we don't have to use any of the dreaded sprays. Those kinds of snakes don't eat the mice and voles do they Russ? Too bad.

My dog, huge dog, would dig holes going after those critters and make a bigger mess than the oles and mice did. She certainly has cleaned up the whole area of them tho. Now I have a cat and she got all the bats in the house last summer. That was nice, but now she is so fat she probably won't do it this summer. Guess I will quit feeding her.

lonejack......I have to agree with jnette... I used what I thought was well aged manure/sawdust mix is 1/2 barrels this past year. Although it was 2 years old, I had to continually fertilize(sometimes twice a week) with fish emulsion and compost tea to keep the pepper plants I had put in them from becoming pale and nitrogen deprived looking. This year I am going to remove a portion of this soil and add more compost to try to alleviate this problem. I would go easy on the sawdust as I have found if it is not extremely well rotted, it really pulls down the nitrogen in the soil. good luck

Jeanette wrote;"Guess I will quit feeding her."

Now, I KNOW you don't mean that, you are a kind person :). If she's the hunter you say, she'll hunt even when well fed. It's not usually a hunger thing, but her prey drive. Kind of like cats that can't resist a feather toy. They're not going to eat it (I hope). but they HAVE to catch it. Think of it as her exercise program....

When still at home on the farm about 60 years ago, all we fed the cats was a little milk right after milking. what ever else they wanted they caught. We always had an endless supply of cats. Very seldom was there leftovers from the table but if there was, they ate that too.
This last summer a feral cat claimed our old pickup camper to have kittens
in. I didn't realize the top vent was open. Some how the screen got bent and she could get through. One day I heard a noise from inside it and investigated. Momma cat was still in there. When I opened the door she run and crashed into walls, windows and whatever was in the way. I backed out and left the door open and she bounded out. There nestled in some rags were 4 kittens. I left the vent open but closed the door and checked on them daily to see if momma would come back. Yup she did. When they were a little older I left the door open just a crack so she could get them out. They were getting plenty to eat but I started setting some cat food out for them and now they come and wait impatiently for me to bring food. They are all taming down, though the momma steers clear of us she isn't as frightened as she was. I'm a little concerned that I may have interfered a little too much. Although they do still catch a rabbit from time to time and birds.
Now as for the snakes I haven't ever seen one catch a mouse, I think they do. They do catch their share of bugs, so I allow them space in and around the garden.

And yes it takes a lot of nitrogen to break down saw dust but if it isn't the predominate part of the mix it should work for potatoes, and beans. I'm not sure about the rest of the veggies. Wise to only use a small amount if using new sawdust in the mix.
Russ

Hi folks!

Just sitting here in southern Indiana with a good snow cover and about eighteen degrees... more snow on the way by Tuesday.

Doesn't matter though, garden plans are in full swing! My brother put up all of his straw from last year and saved me thirty bales for my garden. I'll be setting these out to weather by the 2nd week of March.

I'm going to plant from seed this year so I am making those choices now and will start these about the same time i set the straw out. Then we patiently wait for Derby Day!!

Last year was my first year and we planted 12 bales so this year the garden will be a much larger!

Cmon spring!! ;-)

Jeff



This message was edited Feb 7, 2010 10:02 AM

Randbponder,
Might I suggest that you get something to stack, such as concrete blocks, high enough to set a pallet on. Then get a kids wading pool and set on the pallet, put a bale in it or fill with dirt and use it for a raised garden. You might just stack pallets high enough to make
a great raised platform. Pallets are cheap/free in the right places. One caution, put down some plastic under the pallets so the weeds don't grow.
Nini1953,
Anything other than good old dirt and sand will eventually break down. It is the breaking down that uses the nitrogen. You need to add nitrogen during the growing process to feed the plants as well as aid the breaking down. Even hay bales need more nitrogen than the ground, unless it is stored in the hay or straw.
The horse poo is largely organic material with some small amounts of micro-nutrients added by the horse on the way through. As anything brakes down it will require nitrogen to decompose it. That is why the hydro guys use clay balls and rocks as growing medium. They add all of the food through the water.
Paul.

Hi all,
I wanted to share an email I received from our guy in Haiti. Eteinne, is our agronomist/vet-technician/animal husbandry guy that we support in the village of Les Anglais, Haiti.
With the influx of refugees from Port au Prince, ( known as PAP or PauP), Haiti, into our village, there is nothing for the people to do right now. Etienne has started them raising chickens as a way to make some money without land.
Carolyn in the email is from a group, Engineers Without Borders, who has sent money for the chicken project.
Our Church sent $12,000 to various missions in Southern Haiti.
Paul

Email begins.....
Dear friend
I would like to thank you for your contributions and efforts to help us in Haiti especially the people in les Anglais.
I want to tell you that i went to PAUP friday morning at 2 oclock in the morning and come back to Les Anglais at 2:30 AM saturday I mean this morning to buy the chickens and i get 300 hundred chickens and 17 bags of food of 100 LBS each and i rent a truck to pick up the chickens round trips from les anglais to PAP from PAP to les Anglais.we got a very good trip.
The most interresting story in that was while i went to PAP a group of young people started working to build the chicken coops in Les ANglais at 7 in the morning they kept working and build two chikens coops untill i got back in les Anglais @ 2:30 saturday morning.That empressed me that happen the first time in the area to see groups of young people work for so long time during a day and build two chichens coops about 20 hours of work. Number two story the chickens i buy started laying eggs in their boxes and when we arrived les Anglais we collected 150 eggs the same day.It is amazind to see that.
This morning when this story spread all over the town I receive number of call from many people to thank for this project. I will send you some pictures next week .
I keep with me the receipts of all spending of the funds you sent for this project.
May God bless you all I am a little bit tired i want to take a break for now .But i will keep you inform
Thank you Etienne Francois

Dear Etienne,
I will send another wire to you Sunday using a Moneygram that will go to the Fonkoze transfer office. It will be for about $2000.US. I'll phone Norbert with the wire number.
Thank you for all that you are doing. We have faith that you will ensure our donations will best serve the people who are in need.
Carolyn

On Jan 30, 2010, at 1:43 PM, Etienne Francois wrote:
We thank you so very much for the good interest you have for the Haitian people I receive the money from CAM transfer now. i will go down to les anglais to use carefully the money and send you the report. i will keep all the receipts of expending with me in my office and i will send you pictures of the activities.
Tomorrow morning i will go down les anglais to meet with the people about what will be the best activity to do with the money that can bring a short term relief to the economy of the people.
I will keep you inform
Thank you again and my thanks go to every one of you that collect your money and give your support to us.Please also give my thanks to Gilbert Georges .
God bless you all
Etienne Francois


Etienne,
Were you able to get the funds from the cam transfer office? Please write me so that I can tell everyone the money is now where it belongs.
I plan to send another wire to you tomorrow or Sunday. This one will go to the Rapid Transfer Fonkoze Cayes office at RUES NICOLAS GEFFRARD 16. Jim Shaw also plans to send you a wire to this office, so hopefully you can get both of them at the same time. I'll call Norbert's phone when I have the wire number. If I can't get through I'll text the number to both of your phones.
I wish there were an easier way to get you this money. Next time I'm in Les Anglais we can discuss.
Take care.
Carolyn








This message was edited Feb 7, 2010 7:27 AM

It appears that Hondo had a good crop last year.

LOL now cat, you know me better than that. I would not quit feeding this cat, who, by the way was a stray, not sure about a feraL, but now keeps running around my feet and can't wait for me to sit down so she can sit on my lap. Watch out Russ, you may get 4 of them doing that, and maybe even momma kitty.

Lonejack that is very interesting stories from Haiti and so rewarding to your church for helping them. Hard to imagine the chickens actually laying eggs on the way.

Jnette,
I guess if you were a hen and you had an egg stuck up there, you would probably lay it anywhere. I was in Etienne's home where they had chickens running through the house, yes it is a different land, a hen laid an egg in the middle of the living room.
Thanks for letting me share this news. I know it isn't on subject but I thought you might be interested anyway.
Paul.

LOL lonejack, you are soooooooooo right. Mighty uncomfortable. However, I don't know how long that trip was, but it seems that even chickens may need the right environment to make it conducive to laying eggs. I can see where the first one might pop out, but after that they might want a little bit better conditions to get in the mood to lay.

edited to add: eggs that is.

This message was edited Feb 7, 2010 11:43 AM

hi randbponder. look for a tree trimer . one put a load on my lot free. he may be able to dump it hi so you could put bales on top. cv45 jim.

hi jenette. would you like some-[cockscombs) seed. e.mail--jlmcv45@yahoo.com jim

Sure why not? what kind is it? There are a lot of them. Celosia isn't it Jim?

2 dates I'm watching:

July 1, 2010 - approx date 1st ripe tomatoes in my garden

Aug 12, 2013 - retirement date from Wake Co Sheriff's office

LOL

P.S. - If my Redneck Retirement Plan (aka NC Lottery) kicks in, that 2nd date is subj to change!!! :-)

I haven't watched the 1st down of the Super Bowl. Last time I watched the Colts play, they were still in Baltimore and Mike Curtis was playing linebacker!!

This message was edited Feb 7, 2010 7:51 PM

Hi Kent,

first date, I actually got a huge Brandywine on the 4th of JUly last year and that plant never had another tomato on it all summer.

Second date, Really? well good luck on the lottery.

You should watch the game. Not too bad 6 to 10 at the half, colts. I know, I don't watch the games any more since the expansion. Lost interest. But, I have been watching this.

Jeanette

Jeanette: OK, I'll check in on the 2nd half. Old Navy buddy says the commercials are good.

Jim; I got a big load last year, but it had quite a bit of walnut in it. I left it stay piled up and just spread it out over the entire garden this last fall. If I had been thinking I probably should have used for mulch around my fruit trees.
BTW I have some watermelon seed (Moon & Stars )
Some Large pumpkin seed, unknown name but the pumpkins were about 50lb ea.
Butternut squash seed And I have a quite a bit of Castor bean seed. I grow a few in hopes of keeping moles out of the garden. They don't bother the plants but find a way around them, lol
Wouldn't mind swapping some seed for some cocks comb. That is if you have plenty.

Hey Kent, Aug 12/ 2013 sounds like party time. Of course that redneck retirement plan wouldn't upset you a bit, would it?

I'm tired of not having money for this no money for that, every time say something about going back to work I get this stabbing pain from the missus and the kids, really bad stare down. Maybe I better invest in the redneck retirement plan too. So far I have won a buck a week, at least if you go by Ben Franklin's motto. A PENNY SAVED IS A PENNY EARNED.

Kent, I didn't see any great commercials, but the game was good. Peyton choked and threw an interception.

Russ, I thought walnut was so bad that nothing could grow around it, and you put it on your garden?

Hi all,
Hondo_Lane, I would get those bales, stomp down the snow where you want them and set them down. I won't hurt to have some snow on them right now. A signal that it might be time to plant in them is when the wheat begins to sprout. Anyway they will be ready to plant by whenever you want.
Paul.

Hi all.
Here is a link to a DG picture of a kids wading pool with bucket plants.
I bet you could do the same with bales.
Paul.
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/fp.php?pid=7155755

Paul; looks like that would work just fine. I would add one more thing, "mosquito dunks"! Maybe some areas aren't bothered as much by them but here isn't one. lol Any standing water and, hello, but I have something much larger, that might serve a dual purpose. I have a large round poly-water tank. Maybe plant buckets around the edge, a fountain in the center. and 30-40 goldfish. Feed the goldfish, the goldfish feed the plants.
May just give it a shot. Now to decide what area to put it. It's too big for a patio project. I'll think about that one a while. BTW skeeter dunks won't hurt the fish either.

Oh yeah, Paul, if I were to try set my bales in place now, I would have to have a bigger snowblower. I managed to get it through a 3' high drift so I could have a path to my goat pen but there the drift is the same height as the cattle panel trellis for my maters. Think I'll wait a bit there. lol

True about the walnut trees. that is why I let the sawdust set all year. But it is spread so thin, it won't bother. Also it is primarily the sap that would kill the tomatoes. And there is quite a list of plants that will grow under a walnut tree.
Russ

There's plenty that grows under my Black Walnut *G*. Most notably Mulberry trees, and burdock.....

And, Yes, Jeanette. I know you better :)

edited because I don't know what a nulberry tree is...

This message was edited Feb 8, 2010 7:50 AM

Hi gang,

Bet you thought, Now why don't she write. Heheh
Well, of course winter has a lot to do with it and now that the dang orchard grass bales have totally mushed down I am ready to start anew. My question is this, I forget if its oat straw or wheatstraw that I want. I want the ones with the less seed content.
Can someone please let me know asap as it is suppose to be somewhat dry for the next two days so I want to get a jump start.
So glad to see all your shinning names again.
I won't stay away so long again.

Hey Jan, 'bout time you showed your smiling face. You got that orchard grass after I told you not to?? LOL, you don't do everything you're told do you?: I have not had trouble with straw. I think it depends on how tightly they are baled. I have had some around the edges a little, but just pulled or cut it. That was oat. I haven't had wheat. But, I did find a difference in how tight they were.

Where are you getting it that you can be so picky anyway? cripe I am lucky to get alfalfa hay grown locally which I do not want. The grain straw is imported. LOL, from the Palouse probably. You are so lucky to be after it right now and to have to have it NOW!! 2 days of dry weather?? LOL, that's what you get for living so close to the water. I still have patches of snow.

Whoops, we better be quiet. We forget that there are people on here that have snow storms.

Jeanette

Ha ha ha I really don't mind snow but that is only cause I'm used to it. But you can believe I was dancing a snow dance in honor of the 32" in DC. You know for global warming!!!!!!
Oh well back to work, cooking up some pumpkin that I had stored. Made some pumpkin bread last week, gotta repeat that again.
Russ

You betcha we have had snow storms Jnette. We can't seem to get away from them. It may be Virginia but it feels like Maine. We had 9 inches last weekend, finished the storm with 17 degree weather. It took VDOT til Tuesday to get most roads open, kids only returning to school on Thursday. To add insult to injury we took 3 inches of rain Friday night only to watch it turn to 4 to 5 inches of blowing snow on Saturday. It's Monday, fortunately roads are open (ice seems to melt off the road faster than 9 inches of snow) but evening temps are remaining in the teens.... Where did my nice temperate Virginia go? We are running 10 to 15 degrees below average and forecast to remain in this state for another 10 days.... At this time last year I was prepping my beds and getting ready for spring.... Right now I cannot even get near the place for all the snow! What I would give for a few dry days.... Forecast tomorrow..winter storm warning... freezing rain, then rain, then ending as snow with 35mph winds... Save me from this weather.......

nini I really wasn't referring to Virginia, when I said I was doing a snow dance. Just DC. lol you know global warming???????

Well, I think we have those 10 to 15 degrees you lost. That is about what we are running over. It sure is here Russ. Something is going on. But it was our turn last year. It was terrible.

Jeanette; I have no fore knowledge on this but I would say look out this summer. Don't shoot me, I'm only trying to prepare myself.

Well maybe you will get warm enough it will melt some of that snow. LOL, you knowyou are going to be in mud in your garden don't you?

I remember your complaining about that.

Since I won't be mounting anymore old tires, I may be able to get in the garden mid march before it turns wet, Rain every other day or so. lol

My fear is that with all this snow and water, we will see a dry summer.... guess I will just have to wait and see.. want to send those 10 degrees back my way jnette?

I called the dairy where they have the straw and asked if it was Oat or Wheat, since that is what you guys talk about. He thought it was from Barley. Is that OK? Anyone have experience with that?

No way nini. I love it.

Hi quiltygirl,
I think barley straw will work just fine. Remember to put it on the ground with the strings on the ground. Barley makes a great cattle food, meaning it has a lot of good food value.
Maybe that might translate into plant food.
Barley straw will probably decompose a little faster than wheat straw. The barley stock or stubble, is a lot weaker than wheat stubble. Barley tends to grow a lot taller than wheat.
Paul.


This message was edited Feb 8, 2010 10:49 PM

qg, what are they charging down there for it?