Helpful ReplyHot!The garden and farm thread

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hot tuna
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Re: The garden thread 2019/06/18 17:18:03 (permalink)
Mud has been relentless on my pigs and chickens. Couldn't take it anymore so I put 2 bales of straw down in chicken pen.
Don't plan on moving them again as they are just a little over a week away from the freezer.
Garden is doing fantastic and we been harvesting lettuce, kale, radishes, spinach and herbs daily as needed.
By time I get back from vacation I'm expecting peppers , cabbage and some garlic.
Time is getting busy again.

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hot tuna
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Re: The garden thread 2019/06/24 18:43:50 (permalink) ☄ Helpfulby ShortBar 2019/07/02 13:41:05
Pretty incredible. A good 150 plus clams today. Ate 3 dozen for dinner tonight.
Everything we've eaten so far has come from our own 2 hands. Killer chicken, pulled pork, bacon and eggs, garden salad, herbs and venison burgers.
Life is good

"whats that smell like fish oh baby" .. J. Kaukonen
pafisher
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Re: The garden thread 2019/06/25 12:39:26 (permalink)
Thought a home made Local grown strawberry pie would be great right about now,BUT the relenless rain destroyed the local crop,called two local growers and same answer...NO STRAWBERRIES!!!!
The super market berries just don't turn me on.
Clint S
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Re: The garden thread 2019/06/29 18:35:33 (permalink)
Doing ok on my berries, getting about half quart a day for the last week

The gods do not deduct from man's allotted span the hours spent in fishing.  ~Babylonian Proverb

hot tuna
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Re: The garden thread 2019/06/29 18:39:37 (permalink)
Strawberry or vine berries ? My vine black and re haven't started yet. Strawberry bout done.
Garlic getting harvested this week.
Here is a test one last week. Its pretty stout

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hot tuna
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Re: The garden thread 2019/07/01 17:55:36 (permalink) ☄ Helpfulby ShortBar 2019/07/02 13:41:20
Yesterday we planned on processing 38 chickens.
Started about 11am and had 20 done and vacuum sealed around 3pm. That was enough for us to handle as we still had a clam, lobster and crab bake to do so we bagged it . We will finish the other 18 on independence day.
Harvested and dehydrated a bunch of oregano. Today I will do basil.
Also today I pulled 6 more garlic plants ( out of 75) to set out and dry. They look awesome. I may go out and pull a few more.
Portugal Chile peppers look great and I might pick a few to make Manhattan clam chowder with what's left of the clams, we are about 300 clams yesterday.
My zucchini is doing great, lots of little ones starting and lots of flowers.
Tons of small tomatoes growing of all various varieties, seems like a good harvest in store. Still getting a nice crop of lettuce.
Green beans are struggling. Been having trouble with them the last 2 years.
Spinach is about done, I'll try for another round and of this month.
No raspberries or blackberries yet.

1 freezer is getting full and that's a good thing 🤗

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Fisherlady2
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Re: The garden thread 2019/07/01 20:51:35 (permalink)
That is incredible HT... your labor is finally yielding its just returns! Enjoy!!!
hot tuna
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Re: The garden thread 2019/07/01 21:10:33 (permalink) ☄ Helpfulby ShortBar 2019/07/02 13:41:36
Thanks fisherlady. It turned out to be a bit more work than I expected. Mostly due to having a bunch of people willing to help but were inxeperinced. Seemed to go a lot slower until everyone got the hang of things then we got a rhythm going. By then I was pretty beat and still had to put on the clambake.

I was also very surprised at how much freezer space they took up in this large stand up freezer. I will have to organize them better and thankfully I have 2 more chest freezers, 1 is very large as I have the hogs and venison going in there this fall.
Ended up pulling 12 garlic plants tonight and again very pleased with them. They are perfect size and got some good comments from a garlic guru. Probably pull quite a few more this week.

"whats that smell like fish oh baby" .. J. Kaukonen
hot tuna
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Re: The garden thread 2019/07/04 20:56:16 (permalink)
Happy independence day folks. It was a great day to complete projects and play in the pool in between.
All my chickens are in the freezer. Went very well. Getting a bit concerned about space with lots more meat to come starting September
All my garlic is laid out to dry, also went well.
Much sage is dehydrating now.
Probably pick peppers tomorrow.
Life is good and only getting better.
Lukas Nelson and POTR on 24 in middletown ny.
Pretty sure the daisy will be trolling the great lakes adventure soon

Happy independence day folks.

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hot tuna
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Re: The garden thread 2019/07/04 21:01:22 (permalink)
Ps.i have not eaten store bought food in 20 days

"whats that smell like fish oh baby" .. J. Kaukonen
hot tuna
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Re: The garden thread 2019/07/06 20:50:21 (permalink)
Pigs are happy now after the deluge of rain.
Going to pick blueberries to fill freezer tomorrow

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hot tuna
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Re: The garden thread 2019/07/07 10:11:16 (permalink)
Had a huge storm come through yesterday afternoon. We lost power and I had to make sure the generators were operating properly.
Had to go 3 towns up through debris filled roads to find a gas station that had power to fill my gas cans. I can't afford to lose my freezers packed full of meat.
Unfortunately I had about 20 tomato plants that weren't staked and they took a hit. Just finished trying to stake and salvage them.
Luckily the other 50 plants were caged and survived ok. Moved my garlic inside man cave to dry with fans blowing on them
My son just up the road had a tree fall and narrowly missed his garage.
Today is a nice low humidity day so I'm off to the local farm to pick blueberries and cherries.

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hot tuna
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Re: The garden thread 2019/07/07 12:45:19 (permalink)
Blueberries and cherries picking was awesome. I shouldn't have stopped and will probably hit them up again tomorrow .
We will make jam , breads and vacuum seal freeze in packets for future.

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eyesandgillz
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Re: The garden thread 2019/07/09 13:13:52 (permalink)
Nice...do you have access to natural gas?  Just thinking, with all the freezing, etc. you do, would be a good investment getting an automatic whole home NG genny....my mom has one and really enjoys being with power when it does go down .
 
Finally starting to sporadically pick a few tomatoes here and there...so worth the wait....soon, it will be tomato and provolone sammiches on fresh italian bread for lunch...with just a smidge of mayo, salt & pepper....
 
 
post edited by eyesandgillz - 2019/07/09 13:15:20
hot tuna
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Re: The garden thread 2019/07/09 22:46:41 (permalink)
No natural gas access. Permanent propane/ total generator system to expensive for myself . Summers are my only worries and portables will keep the freezers running.
Winter's we lose power more frequently but wood heats my house and freezing temperatures will sustain coolers

"whats that smell like fish oh baby" .. J. Kaukonen
Clint S
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Re: The garden thread 2019/07/11 19:41:33 (permalink)
Doing ok , strawberries are done and blueberries are not quite ready. We just do portables here too if power goes out

The gods do not deduct from man's allotted span the hours spent in fishing.  ~Babylonian Proverb

hot tuna
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Re: The garden thread 2019/07/13 13:48:33 (permalink)
All my garlic has been cured , processed and put in mesh bags for storage. Should last near 8 months.
The 5 most bulbs from each variety is set aside for replant. The rest is going quickly to family and friends.
This fall I'm definitely doing 3 times amount with 150 for sale.
We are also going to sell off 1 processed pig and about 30 chickens. We will have egg chickens as well. I have prospects on homemade canned goods.
Will have no problems with recouping my investments and the way I look at things is that we will be feeding our families for no cost.
Labor is just a thing of love.
Farming and gardening soothe my soul.
Life is good
post edited by hot tuna - 2019/07/13 15:06:15

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eyesandgillz
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Re: The garden thread 2019/07/16 13:32:01 (permalink)
Good going...
Wish I had more room in my yard but, my IG pool takes up a good portion of my backyard....1/4 ac. lot....suburban livin' at its best....lol
 
Finally getting some maters and cucumbers (planted the cukes and zukes late).  Just blossoms on the zukes.  
 
Can't wait until the motherload of maters comes in...
 
hot tuna
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Re: The garden thread 2019/07/16 17:45:19 (permalink)
Thanks. It's not so much how much space but maximizing what you have. There are all kinds of things you can build and or get for free .I get free wooden crates from work and build boxes from rough cut lumber for cheap. Lowe's is giving away flats and containers daily for free.
The downside is watering. Now I need to water daily from rain barrels ( which are pretty dry ) with a water can. I have a dozen so far and they were free.
Mulch and straw help a LOT in retaining the water.
Really need to get the barrels set up on an auto soaked system. My livestock is and it's the best time spent with little cost.

Well the water is boiling so it's time to start canning more peaches

"whats that smell like fish oh baby" .. J. Kaukonen
hot tuna
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Re: The garden thread 2019/07/21 10:52:00 (permalink)
Getting ready for round 2 . Chicks arrive Wednesday. I have 35 myself and my son has 25. These should be ready for harvest the end of September/ early October.
Garden is doing well.. lots of tomatoes. Second planting of green beans cranking and everything else is getting real close.
Picking and dehydrating herbs daily.

Now if only that stupid grass would stop growing
post edited by hot tuna - 2019/07/21 18:11:24

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hot tuna
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Re: The garden thread 2019/07/27 09:16:23 (permalink)
Something is going on with this batch of chicks we just got. My son had 9 die and I had 2 so far . All since Thursday.
We got a batch of 60.

"whats that smell like fish oh baby" .. J. Kaukonen
Fisherlady2
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Re: The garden thread 2019/07/28 09:19:28 (permalink)
May be coccydosis from hatchery, or shipping stress... hot and humid conditions are hard on them, which seems strange considering you keep them in a hot brooder box normally.... but i have had better luck keeping them in a sand floored 6x6 area with a heat lamp in one corner and a feeder and waterer in other corners. Then they can find their own preferred temp zone. The little buggers generate a ton of heat themselves.
I would contact the hatchery about the losses to see if they had any trouble on their end. They may offer to reship a dozen when weather cools or discount next order.
hot tuna
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Re: The garden thread 2019/07/28 10:18:12 (permalink)
We contacted the hatchery. It was a mistake by me. My son texted me about his loss and instead of hitting zero, he fat fingered 9 instead. So actually we only lost my 2. The hatchery credited us for 2.
Sorry for the confusion.
Chicks seem pretty happy right now

"whats that smell like fish oh baby" .. J. Kaukonen
BeenThereDoneThat.
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Re: The garden thread 2019/07/28 10:58:45 (permalink)
Spot on Fisherlady👍 I was about to post an article regarding shipping and stress mortality on chicks this time of year, then I saw your post.

Reading the stories on raising chicks sure do bring back some great memories of growing up. (still am🤗)

Reminds me of walking through "Fowler's Feed Mill" on 13th Street in Franklin, PA and seeing the stacks of wooden cages full of peeping chicks.

Ahhh, those were the days and peeping chicks are just so danged cute plus.... the aroma of it all!!!😍
post edited by BeenThereDoneThat. - 2019/07/28 11:02:12

Give a man a fish and you will feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you will feed him for a life time. ~Anne Isabella Thackeray Ritchie (1837–1919)~
 
 
 
  Old fisherman never die; we just smell that way. 
 
hot tuna
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Re: The garden thread 2019/07/29 21:21:30 (permalink)
A few things to comment about my garden and farm.
Kinda proud to say that every plant has been start from seed. No buying anything but seeds on vegetables. Only exception was using garlic bulbs or purchased trees and berry vines.I've started my garden as far back as last October with garlic, vegetable plants indoors in February. It has been very time consuming. Without the use of a greenhouse, I'm not so sure its conducive vs buying plant flats in May. Now there is no way I'd buy a box store plant but our local farms produce some very good plants at a reasonable price of less than $5.00 for a flat of 6 plants. They grow things on a much larger scale than I could in my limited space from seed. It's got me scratching my head.

Secondly. My livestock.
Learning a lesson about chickens. Not liking having chicks right now. As fisherlady eluded to, heat and humidity. Flies suck and chickens don't seem do be liking the humidity. They are 6 days old now and I can't wait to get them out of the brooding pen.
Pigs:
This year's batch of 3 are far more advanced than last year. Right now they are pretty much on a straight corn and vegetable diet.
I've contacted the butcher and the D- day is set for the last 2 weeks of August. They are in the 230 lb range right now.
I'm about as ready to see them in my freezer.

Given all that said. We ate the last of pork ribs last night and a sausage, cabbage, carrot, zucchini, cauliflower stir fry tonight. There is no more pork left here.
Its getting dark out sooner than my time is allowing now .
Tonight I canned bread and butter pickle, tomorrow zucchini, next beans , cauliflower and peppers. Next week starts the great tomato sauce project.

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BeenThereDoneThat.
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Re: The garden thread 2019/07/30 05:48:03 (permalink)
Good times HT. 👍

Give a man a fish and you will feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you will feed him for a life time. ~Anne Isabella Thackeray Ritchie (1837–1919)~
 
 
 
  Old fisherman never die; we just smell that way. 
 
DarDys
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Re: The garden thread 2019/07/30 07:18:33 (permalink)
You guys make me tired just reading about your efforts. But I’m also jealous.

On my only farming front is fruit trees I planted a year after we built the house. I’ve lost a few apple trees (some my fault, some got drowned last year in all that rain, and some who the heck knows) and a peach tree.

The others are now 2 and 3 years old. We got a few apples last year, like a dozen, and a redhaven peach gave us enough fruit for a cobbler.

This year, each of the remaining 7 apple trees has about a dozen apples. Two of the peach trees have 12-20 peaches each on them. But the redhaven is loaded. My wife picked 45 peaches yesterday and there are 2X more still on the tree.

All the fruit is small, probably due to the 3 year old age of the trees, and a lot of the peaches have holes where sugar is leaking out (bugs?).

But it is a start.

The poster formally known as Duncsdad

Everything I say can be fully substantiated by my own opinion.
hot tuna
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Re: The garden thread 2019/07/30 20:10:20 (permalink)
Homemade pizza and fresh greens salad

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hot tuna
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Re: The garden thread 2019/08/02 17:34:42 (permalink)
Its harvest time. A good 10 lbs of tomatoes ready for sauce. Now the work begins.

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hot tuna
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Re: The garden thread 2019/08/03 10:50:10 (permalink)
First batch of homemade sauce in progress. My daughter is the master of this. All ingredients = jalapenos, basil, oregano, garlic, tomatoes come from my garden. I bought local farm onions.
I will update as it progresses. We are expecting 15 quarts on this first run.
The next run should be ready next weekend.

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