I took a run out to a neighborhood nursery south of us a couple of miles and bought 12 dozen (144) Sea Scape strawberries today and also took a couple photos of some Cyclamen and Primroses while I was there
Posted on 02/16/2018 3:54:01 PM PST by greeneyes
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I took a run out to a neighborhood nursery south of us a couple of miles and bought 12 dozen (144) Sea Scape strawberries today and also took a couple photos of some Cyclamen and Primroses while I was there
Finally got dug out on Tuesday, and with sunny days in the 20s-40s, about 2/3 of our 15” from last weekend is gone...just in time for another 4-6” Sun-Mon.
Pretty much decided to stick to shorter season varieties this year, and hope that the weather cooperates, to keep them bearing into the Fall. Beats betting that we won’t get a killer before longer season types are mature. I don’t trust the sun.
Our Black Jersey Giants are 7 or 8 years old now, with a lot gray feathers on their heads & necks. We’re now down to 4; another one died this week. We’ve decided not to replace them; it’s getting harder every winter to get up the hill to feed & water them. I’ll miss the eggs, but not the work. MIGHT get a few Cornish-Cross for the freezer.
Got my seed inventory done this week. And I’m currently in negotiations to become a seed grower for Baker Creek!
Terrific photos. Thanks for the pics. I get a little lazier every day I think. Just don’t want to get out unless the weather is perfect. LOL
We are also focusing on shorter varieties - stuff for the next colder zone, as well as hardy perennials.
We talk about getting chickens now and then, but taking care of them in winter is also one of the reasons we don’t. Plus we live in a sub-division, so have to limit the Barnyard effect a bit.
Say that’s really good news. Congrats.
The last week has been fairly warm here in my part of Virginia. Been downright enjoyable.
Not planting a full garden this year, with it just being me in the house I just don’t have the need for one.
I am however planning on raising some tomatoes, peppers and things in containers.
I have scrounged buckets and larger flower pots from friends and the dumpster.
My big question is how big a container is needed for a tomato plant?
The few web sites I have found concerning container gardening have been more for herbs and such with no info on larger plants.
Any help is appreciated.
Nice pictures. I hope to have some of my own this year as found a new photo posting site that works. Still snow on the ground, we can’t till until early April.
Tobacco can be VERY labor intensive unless you use the various sprays and such.
When I was a youngster just keeping the plants suckered was a weekly job that I hated. By the end of the day we would be covered in a black gum that only LAVA soap could cut off and our clothes could stand up by themselves.
Then there were the worms, grubs that attacked the underside of the leaf and could destroy a tobacco plant in short order.
The only way to get them was lift each leaf, pick off any worms, drop them on the ground and step on them.
End of day covered in tobacco gum.
Then there is the harvesting.
Bright tobacco is picked as each leaf cures on the stalk. Then the leaves are strung and hung in temp controlled barns until they are fully cured.
Flue cured tobacco, like we raised, was harvested by first splitting the stalk from top to 8 or 10 inches from the bottom. The plant is then put on a stick and hung on scaffolding until the field was finished.
Once the tobacco was cut it was transported and hung in a tobacco barn for curing.
Curing the tobacco was done in the same way meat is cured. Small fires that produced as much smoke as heat. No flames but smoking coals for about a week with someone staying up nights to mind the fires.
Once the tobacco is cured the leaves are stripped from the stalk and separated into Lugs, Fillers and wrappers.
Each group was split into three designations;
sorry lugs (worst)
lugs (average)
good lugs (best).
Once everything was sorted the wrapping started. Leaves were bundled into “hands” and help together by one leaf called the Cap that was wound around the stem end and tucked into the Hand to keep the leaves tightly bundled.
At the sales barn sloppily tied hands were discounted as buyers figured if your Hands were tied sloppy you were sloppy about other things as well.
Just writing about this has made me tired! :-P
In a barter society you would probably be competing against farmers with lots of background and experience.
Its a lot of work that could probably be put to better use planting other crops.
In a SHTF scenario tobacco will bring a premium price but the cost in time and labor is high as well.
Balmy and breezy in SoCal...makes everyone head to the plant nurseries with big plans.
I’d like to have something I could grow that would just be like a weed - grow like crazy with no tending, until SHTF. LOL
We only have 2 more freezing nights for the rest of February. Now if the sun will just shine, I’ll be feeling fine. LOL
“I’d like to have something I could grow that would just be like a weed - grow like crazy with no tending, until SHTF. LOL”
Unfortunately tobacco ain’t it! :-D
If you could come up with a use for morning glory or kudzu you could buy your private redoubt and stockpile everything!
Git them brain cells to working.
Me also. It has been such a cold wet winter that I can’t imagine getting to go out and garden again. But it’ll be here soon enough!
Oh consider the plight of the Pelican for
his bill holds more than his Belly Can...
Maybe I’ll just concentrate on dandy lions. I hear they make a terrific wine. LOL
Those are very nice Eric . . . thank you for posting them Bendy, it’s always nice to see pictures of other peoples efforts . . . very encouraging and motivating.
We have a spell of cold weather where there is 5-8 inches of snow on Monday and temps not above freezing for about a week.
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