Posted on 02/13/2015 1:01:56 PM PST by greeneyes
Tomorrow we will have a high of 6•, and with the wind it will feel like -21• when we go to Mass. It helps to have seedlings sunbathing on the kitchen table. Number three did get a handful of ‘mater seedlings before number two narced on her. I haven’t snipped the extras yet so we should be okay. My Hungarian hot wax peps haven’t germinated yet and I’m a bit concerned. All the other hot peps have popped up though. I’m starting onions from seed this year so they are sown. I decided to use $.88 Sterilite containers for them. Hubby drilled drainage holes in the bottom, then the lid which is keeping moisture in will be the drip tray when they are up. I want summer!
Hi Tilted Irish Kilt,
I’ve been finding as many YouTube videos about growing a high density orchard, here’s two:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZV2kr50K7Is
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j—aOEvC6z0
I am hoping to start a beehive or two in a year or two but haven’t really prepared for that - I think a class is in order for that.
Hi Mojo - the first thing I did before starting my garden was to build a 100 x 100’ orchard fence which has 1” x 6” openings on the bottom then gradually increasing to 6” x 6” opening on top.
“The Gopher” seems to use the smaller openings as a ladder, the deer no longer visit, the husky has a knack for killing rabbits. So the gopher problems needs addressing.
I planted nine blueberry bushes and they seemed to do all right till late fall when something (most likely the gopher) chewed them down quite a bit - I think they will come back. I had them in tomato cages and will add chicken wire to them once the Spring melt begins.
Better yet , contact CoOperative Extension for a "Beekeepers Association" near you, and learn first-hand from a local resource .
Winter time is the opportunity to build Langstroth hive bodies and re-build frames - and that is where most of the expense is.
CoOperative Extension usually have a 'pest removal' list where you might pick up a free wild swarm in the mid-Spring/ early Summer.
Local resources can also tell you what variety of bees do better in your area. Most lost hives occur during 'over-wintering' due to temps , or inadequate food. It's cheaper than buying a 'nuke' (Queen and a small number of workers).
If you use any mulch or dried leaves to overwinter the plants , leave some mothballs as field mice and gophers don't like the odor.
To keep the gopher from climbing the fence , consider a 'solar eletricfied fence'(battery for reserve supply)
a few inches offset from the metal fencing (available at farm supply stores) .
Looking good. Really nice big and deep cold frame. I stayed indoors over the weekend, and didn’t do much, but I did clean out a drawer.
I've got tobacco sprouts galore! And thanks to JRandomFreeper, I'll likely have even more. So excited about that. Aside from the tobacco sprouts, I've got tomatoes, eggplants, and chile plants sprouting! And just when I got all these sprouts coming up, the winter weather returns! Looks like I'll be incubating quite a bit indoors this year!
Kid curry’s GRAVESITE...not website...goodness...
Got the seeds! Thanks so much Johnny! I do appreciate it, and I’ll keep y’all posted on the growth.
/johnny
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