Lazy Gardener's Little Town Farm

[Lazy Gardener]

I'm starting this thread for miscellaneous trivia that is pertinent to my management of my little bit of heaven. Hopefully, this will keep me from hijacking other folks threads with my trivia.

Hubby and I purchased this 4+ acre parcel of land in Central Maine 42 years ago. We built our own home with some hired help and a lot of family help. We are currently empty nesters.

Approximately 2 acres of cleared land. My gardening style is BTE or Ruth Stout style of deep permanent mulch. Most recent efforts at taming the land include a hugelkulture mound, BTE orchard, and sheet compost garden. Soil in garden is excellent sandy loam with gentle southern slope. Natural soil is heavy clay with LOTS of rocks. High water table.

Chicken flock: breeding goal: Produce a flock which is colorful in both feathering and egg color which thrives in my cold climate. Ground is frozen from November through mid April. Thus, my birds should have small combs. I occasionally bring in new blood with mail order chicks. Back bone of flock: Buck Eye roo and a few hens, Barred Rock, Dominique, EE, Black Australorpe, and a single Colombian Wyandotte. Flock is managed on DL in coop and run, fermented feed. Extremely limited in terms of free ranging due to heavy hawk predation. Successful broody hens and selection of eggs based on egg shaped gender selection produces approximately 60% pullets from every set with ~95% hatch rate. Extra cockerels are processed for the freezer. Housing: 10 x 12 standard frame coop, 500 s.f. run. During snow season, I can only use 200 s.f. of the run due to heavy snow load which slides off the coop roof. This area has walls covered with plastic, and a clear tarped roof over 1/2 of it. Interior temp of this "sun room" is about 20* warmer than ambient outdoor temp on a sunny day.

Food preservation: HWB and pressure canning, occasional dehydration. (need to develop my repertoire and comfort with using dehydrated foods) We bought an upright freezer a year ago, and I'm LOVING the way that freezer has revolutionized the ease with which I can put a quick meal on the table. I also love using a vac seal unit. IMO, frozen foods last much longer and quality is preserved using this system.

Gardening: About 2000 s.f. of total gardening area available to me, which includes fenced garden, HK, sheet compost, and tucking some plants into the orchard. I have an 8 x 8 Cattle Panel green house, and utilize hay bale cold frames and hay bale gardens. Trellising is accomplished with used swing sets, cattle panels, 2 x 4's with electrical conduit. Garden is fenced with CP.

I love little building projects and outdoor "make it better" activities. Have built CP coop, green house, several chicken tractors, incubators, book cases with tiled tops, stone retaining wall. Biding my time till spring: growing sprouts for myself and the chickens, dabbling with hydroponics.

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This morning, I baked some potatoes in the wood stove. I also decided to try roasting some garlic in the stove. The top of the stove is just large enough for me to set a 2 qt pan at the back. I've been enjoying the use of the stove surface for cooking part of the evening meal: rice, veggies, and such.

 

[Lazy Gardener]

Today's blessing: got to visit with a neighbor in the yard. These days, while doing hospice care for my dad, I feel very isolated. So... a few minutes spent talking with a neighbor is a huge deal for me. More garlic planted. So busy this summer that I didn't harvest much from the garden. So... to plant garlic, I'm digging the whole heads out of one bed, splitting into individual cloves, and planting them in the next bed over. Fluffing the soil as I go. Next up: cleaning the old bedding out of the chicken coop. Will top dress those fluffed beds with that black gold, then load the coop with a mountain of leaves. Ducks continue to "help" me with my gardening. Such charming helpers, they are!

 

[Lazy Gardener]

Strawberries, lettuce, chard, spinach, radish, garlic, sugar snaps, and carrots are making their way into our meals now.

Today, I spent a good part of the day planting a bunch of perennials that I bought a week or so ago. Have just a few more plants to tuck into the bed in front of the house. Then... some squash and melons will complete the first plantings for the year. Time to make more holes, and start crops for late summer/fall.

I am 65 years old, and have been gardening most of my life. It's taken me this long to learn how to grow good carrots! In the past, I would sow a wide row, or band of carrots, and then... If I remembered to do so... I'd thin them. Often, the weeds would take over, and my carrots were always stunted, and pathetic. I can count on the fingers of one hand the number of good carrot harvests I've had during my life time.

This year, I tried a different technique. In the carrot bed, I prepped the soil, put in a LOT of compost, and watered it completely. THEN, I made rows of indents about 1/4 - 1/2" deep across the bed, with each indent being approximately 1.5" apart. I dropped 2 - 4 seeds into each indent. Then, watered well with a gentle spray. The spray provided enough "action" to knock some soil into each indent to cover the seeds. The bed is then covered with cardboard, newspaper, or old boards. Any thing to eliminate light, hold the moisture, and provide optimal germination temp. I check regularly for germination, and to be sure the bed does not dry out. At first sign of germination, remove the covering.

I am impressed: the covering hastens germination, while eliminating 90% of the weed issues. The only thinning required results in carrots that are of decent size for table use. By the time the bed is completely thinned to a single carrot in each spot, I'll have harvested pounds of tender baby carrots. The bed remains weed free. Carrots may have just become elevated to one of my easiest crops to grow!

 

[CrealCritter]

LOL, pines is pretty much all we have out here, and the occasional juniper. I like pine straw in the pathways of my garden because when it's deep enough virtually NOTHING grows through it.

I must admit I really do miss walking pine forests in North Carolina. Pine needles so thick, like you said nothing grows through them. Plus the scent of being deep in a pine tree forest at sun rise, in a deer stand during late fall, is a pleasure I hope I never forget.

Jesus is Lord and Christ 🙏❤️🇺🇸

 

[TexasLisa]

IF I answer the door, the first words out of my mouth are, "Did you see the 'No Trespassing Sign'? You are trespassing. Goodbye."

I scared one guy really bad about a month ago. I saw someone dressed in black walking around my house. I went and grabbed the shotgun and walked out the door. He threw his hands up and said, "Don't shoot. Your cows are out." That wasn't the best way to meet a neighbor, was it? He was nice enough to help me get the cattle back in.

 

[Icu4dzs]

grrrrrr....
This is why you shouldn't take money from the government!

https://www.theepochtimes.com/mkt_breakingnews/biden-health-secretary-absolutely-the-governments-business-to-know-who-gets-vaccinated_3892740.html?utm_source=News&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=breaking-2021-07-08-2&mktids=27cdc6af45d58364c35bc5f85267b933&est=R4WqKbhIOaxJVCdfW2dmrBQS5/5fAPhPb3toRAx+r6IPFN9sLR2I3wpcXHTVPvg=

Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Xavier Becerra argued that the federal government is entitled to know who has been vaccinated against COVID-19, responding to concerns over a recently announced White House plan to send teams door-to-door.

“Perhaps we should point out that the federal government has had to spend trillions of dollars to try to keep Americans alive during this pandemic, so it is absolutely the government’s business. It is taxpayers’ business if we have to continue to spend money to try to keep people from contracting COVID and helping reopen the economy,” Becerra told CNN on Thursday.

Becerra claimed that “knocking on a door has never been against the law” and “you don’t have to answer, but we hope you do.” He added, “Because if you haven’t been vaccinated, we can help dispel some of those rumors you’ve heard and hopefully get you vaccinated.”

Obviously, this .gov imbecile has never heard of the HIPPA. This is personal medical information. The .gov does NOT have ANY right to know about your personal medical information UNLESS YOU Give them permission in writing!
Furthermore, the Nuremberg issue comes up. Nothing can be given to you without your express consent...
Additionally, a new paper has been written (but not published yet) that says if you recovered from this Covid virus, your potential for getting it again is VERY LOW. Not sure how long that will last, but that is what the paper is stating.
YMMV
Trim sends

 

[CrealCritter]

Obviously, this .gov imbecile has never heard of the HIPPA. This is personal medical information. The .gov does NOT have ANY right to know about your personal medical information UNLESS YOU Give them permission in writing!
Furthermore, the Nuremberg issue comes up. Nothing can be given to you without your express consent...
Additionally, a new paper has been written (but not published yet) that says if you recovered from this Covid virus, your potential for getting it again is VERY LOW. Not sure how long that will last, but that is what the paper is stating.
YMMV
Trim sends

Last Dr Visit, receptionist asks a bunch of questions. Verified address, insurance and what not. But this time "The Question" came out of the blue. I responded Ain't this my doctor's office? Don't you know? Receptionist said, not unless you got it here. I said well that's a real shame you don't know, isn't it? Receptionist, obviously getting a little upset with me. Said Sir, have you or haven't you? Yes or No. I said is there another box on the check list your checking? Receptionist said only a Yes or No check box. I said well you reckon you might need to add another box for HIPAA? Receptionist said, Fine I'll write on here WILL NOT ANSWER, then. I said fine by me, your form, write what you want. But you really should add another box for HIPAA. And that ended "The Question" conversation.

Jesus is Lord and Christ 🙏❤️🇺🇸

 

[Lazy Gardener]

Morning comes early in my yard. Birds of all kinds begin their day between 4 and 4:30 AM, regardless of the time of year. This morning, it was not the usual rooster greeting joining the wild bird song. But, a hen who was distressed by something. So... out I went. All was calm in the hen house. When I went in and shined the flash light into every corner, the hens watched the light with curiosity, but stayed perched. Not time to get up yet. So... I went out and scanned the yard. All was quiet. No signs of predator. But, in the early morning light, I did get to marvel at a pair of bats who were soaring and diving over the yard. And, the bird song was glorious. Just before I came in, I caught a glimpse of the creature that caused anxiety in the chicken coop. A hawk swooped up past me, within about 10'. He was apparently hanging out, peering in the coop windows. Thank you, Lord God for the beauty of early morning. And thank you for rousing me out of bed to get to enjoy it.

It was miserably hot and humid today. Not a good day to be working outside. But, a good day, none-the-less! Today, I spent a good part of the day ripping out the strawberries in one bed and 2 walkways. for some reason, their productivity was pathetic. Perhaps due to overcrowding, or perhaps due to disease. Little round rust colored spots on all the leaves. I saved some of the "un-tarnished" runners, and will plant them. along with some garlic sets between the new planting of pole beans. Only allow 12-18 plants in the 4' x 10' bed. The newly vacated strawberry bed will be amended with lots of chicken compost, and perhaps, then covered with shavings/lawn clippings/coffee grounds to percolate until next spring.

I'm so thankful for air conditioning. It gives a good opportunity to sneak inside for a cold drink and cool down before going back out into the yard.

The panicles on my Elderberry plants are getting HUGE! I'm over the moon excited to have that plant finally producing. If the deer don't get it, I may actually get a bit of a harvest.

 

[Lazy Gardener]

I am one blessed lady. A friend from Church called me yesterday morning: "I've put up all the bush beans I intend to, and have extra. Want them?" I told her to give them to non gardeners first, and if she had no takers, that I'd gladly use them. Long story short, she's given away a lot, and wanted me to take them... so, I have enough beans to do second batch of dillys AND, a canner full of green beans. The pole beans I planted are now starting to climb!!! If I can keep the jap beetles or mice from destroying them, I should get a crop!

An other friend; "Our squash is coming on good. We'll have plenty to give away, though I have no idea what kind it is.

today, is my garden day. Hope to get some beets and lettuce planted.

 

[CrealCritter]

Just popping in to see, how everyone is getting along?

Notifications say I have 22 notifications, sorry no time right now to read all your beautiful replies. Sleep is filling my eyes.

What little neighbors I have, have all left for extended getaways. I am tending to neighbors farm animals and watching over their farms. Cows, calfs, sheep, goats, chickens, donkeys, horses and even the weirdest animal I every seen in my life a yak. What was God thinking when he created a yak 😂. So far I've had zero problems, eventhough I really don't know what I'm doing. Animals need food water and a friendly voice and their good. Except for that darn ram lamb who loves to ram me when I'm not looking. I found he doesn't like a long stick pointed his way. I kind of feel honored that my neighbors trust me, but man it's a lot of work... Thank God we have no thieves out here.

I thought our free range chickens we're eating some tomatoes but now I'm almost certain it's quail. Since I was working in the garden a little today and here comes a cubby of quail running up to dine on my tomatoes. My wife's ducks roam the garden in the evening and eat bugs, plus flocks of wild birds land in the garden and eat bugs also. I have had to use zero insecticide this year. My wife says to leave the quail alone because she enjoys watching them and she says with 7 50 rows rows of tomatoes we can share. Eventhough quail are tasty, she's right... they are cool to watch and I almost got the cubby trained. They come right up to me, I'm working on hand feeding them, though I doubt that will ever happen. Truth is, intil I get fence around the garden, I'm gonna have ground critters.

I also want to mention I finally found a good bible study app called Blue Letter Bible. I read NASB95 and KJV side by side in the Blue Letter Bible app. Then I tap each verse and view the interlinear/concordance to get the original Hebrew or Greek words used in the translations complete with definitions for more accurate meaning. This has helped me tremendously. Of I get time I'll show you, it's a really app for studying the Holy Bible.

i'll.pop in again when I have time and missing all of you in my heart.

Jesus is Lord and Christ 🙏❤️🇺🇸