Posted on 03/12/2022 6:45:42 AM PST by Diana in Wisconsin
“Container gardener here.”
Anything you can do for yourself puts you ahead of the pack!
At this point, I manage two HUGE gardens (for just two people!) and life on a farm.
Some days I look forward to my future days in a small house or condo, a small garden and lots of stuff growing in pots! :)
Thank you for your kind words! We’ve got a great group assembled, here. :)
Best Butter Ever! I think they make it extra expensive to buy here in Wisconsin because otherwise our cows would be jealous. ;)
Good advice. The guy I used to work with raised goats - and the boss would send him home some days because he smelled so bad, LOL!
If I ever have access to fresh goat’s milk, I’ll let you know. We’re in Cow Country, so there aren’t a lot of dairy goats around.
Caring for the goats was my job every summer as a kid, on my Aunt’s farm. I’m sure that’s a big part of it. My ex never liked me having chickens, but he had 200 to care for as a kid.
Good milk cow advice!
Evangeline is closing in on ten years old, her daughter Priscilla has given birth to her first calf so now we have two running around the place. But a Jersey can live up to 22 and may give milk until they are in their mid-teens.
I am planning to breed Evangeline at least twice more. She gives birth easily and catches on the first try so the vet says she is good to go.
Great cow names! :)
We actually sold one of our registered doelings to a guy from Wisconsin, drove all the way here and back to get her. We never kept a buck but would go to a couple pf breeders farms and take our does for buck service. We would just watch her and the calendar carefully. I kept a one half pint canning jar with an old sock in it that had been rubbed on a buck, so the scent could sometimes bring them into heat especially the first timers. There are goats and there are nicely taken care of goats. If I was looking in your state I would check out the American Dairy Goat Association (adga.org) and look for breeders in Wisconsin.
Our Saanens would shed their nice long goats in the spring. We would brush them and stick wads of hair in the fence. Birds would line their nests with it. It could have been spun but I just never went that far.
A gorgeous sunny, warm day here in NH.
I got a bunch of stuff done outside and got my bucket carrots buckets started and planted the seeds.
I also started scallions in a small patch of my raised bed that’s going to be my onion bed.
I realize that we could have some freezing temperatures the next few nights but that is what straw is for.
I’m starting tomatoes this evening. Will provide a list of varieties, and what I use each for, in tomorrow’s post.
Peppers are still lagging behind, but they always do. ;)
I have romaine, shallots, and peppers started in a flat indoors. I also am doing lavender, rosemary, dill, butterfly weed, soapwort, and columbine.
I’m going to be at my son’s the early part of next week, however, when I get back, I’ll be starting my tomatoes as well, and then getting the potatoes in.
I got them out of the garage today and when I saw how many I still have, told mr. mm that he was going to be eating more potatoes.
My potatoes are Red Pontiacs, and Kennebecks and both are keeping very well. I got out what I wanted to use as seed potatoes.
Last year when I did the bucket potatoes, I covered them with wood chips and those potatoes had no problem with slugs. The slugs got the ones in the ground. I’m guessing slug so not like crawling through or over wood chips.
I saved some of the partially eaten by slugs ones and figured that if they didn’t make it, I’d be no further behind than if I had tossed them. I’m thrilled to find out they are sprouting, so those, which I can’t use for eating, will be my seed potatoes for this year. There’s enough potato left for that, even if not enough to make it worth peeling for eating.
I’m new to this thread. I’m a raised bed and container kind of guy. I’ve been gardening for about 15 years but seriously the last two years. I did a LOT of research during the plague.
I’ve started the things indoors last week that need to be.
I’m planning out my raised beds right now. It goes bed 1 through 5 from North to South. Length wise the beds run from North to South so the full length of the bed faces South. Please let me know if this needs adjustment. I like companion planting.
Bed 1: Tomatoes and carrots.
Bed 2: Onions
Bed 3: Bush green beans
Bed 4: Peppers.
Bed 5: Cucumber on one side and greens on the other; lettuce, marjoram, cilantro, late spinach.
I do all my potatoes in self-wicking large containers. I’ll likely have some pepper plants in containers as well.
I’m in zone 5a, central MA. I’m actually 1,068 feet above sea level. Believe it or not!
-SB
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