Posted on 11/21/2020 6:48:02 AM PST by Diana in Wisconsin
The Weekly Gardening Thread is a weekly gathering of folks that love soil, seeds and plants of all kinds. From complete newbies that are looking to start that first potted plant, to gardeners with some acreage, to Master Gardener level and beyond, we would love to hear from you.
If you have specific question about a plant/problem you are having, please remember to state the Growing Zone where you are located.
This thread is non-political respite. No matter what, you won’t be flamed, and the only dumb question is the one that isn’t asked.
It is impossible to hijack the Weekly Gardening Thread. Planting, Harvest to Table Recipes, Preserving, Good Living - there is no telling where it will go - and that is part of the fun and interest. Jump in and join us! Send a Private Message to Diana in Wisconsin if you'd like to be added to our New & Improved Ping List.
NOTE: This is a once a week Ping List. We do post to the thread during the week. Links to related articles and discussions which might be of interest to Gardeners are welcomed any time!
Helmcken Falls, British Columbia
LOL - that’s funny! I was going to eyeball the chickens this morning (dog/chix sitting next door) to make sure the fox lurking about our place didn’t grab anybody overnight & caught the flash of a white tail bounding out of the wildlife food plot. We have a doe & this year’s fawn hanging around, so it was probably them although one buck has been bagged & there is at least one more hanging around.
The flowers in the garden, which have been just gorgeous, bit the dust this past week. Temps got into the 20’s overnight. We have a fabulous weekend on tap - mild temps & sunshine so I’ll be outside all day (tomorrow, too) cleaning up dead stalks, doing some weeding, etc. My compost bin has settled probably 2 feet (wow!) so I’m going to top it off - plenty of leaves I can put in there.
Ny 4 new raised beds are in place ... got wood chip walkways around all 4 done. Now I just need to fill them with dirt. We’ve had so much rain that I cannot get near the dirt pile with anything ‘heavy’ (like the tractor with a scoop). I may try some hand digging/hauling just to see how that goes. I REALLY want to get those beds filled. I’m trying to consider it ‘bicep building’ ... ha ha! Actually, I had great biceps when I had a barn full of horses ‘back in the day’. The biceps can handle the work - not so sure the back can stand it, though.
Have a GREAT weekend, everybody!!
Native-American-FirstNations-Indigenous-Peoples-Summer here in New England! :-)
Beautiful bright clear, not-so-cold Autumn Days!
Oh man (buck!!), that’s cute. I’m stealing that one & posting it to some hunters that I KNOW are in the woods right now! LOL!
*APPLAUSE* Beyond awesome! :)
>
Wife and I observed our neighborhood red fox last evening at about dusk.
He (she?) was deep red/orange with a bushy gray-black tail he seemed to use as a rudder.
Out cat yowled to come inside when he caught sight of Mr. Busheytail. We knew he was nearby when black cat signaled “chicken...”
We’ve got three groups hunting here, today. There is a big 14 point Buck that they’re all drooling over.
Not sure who I’m rooting for - though we just got 1/4 beef that completely filled up the last freezer, so I could live without MORE meat!
We have a Holstein/Angus cross (Oops...somebody jumped the fence!) steer being dropped off next week to raise for next year’s beef. I hope he’s not too cute - though you know he will be. :(
I remember seeing Holstein beef for sale occasionally in the Twin Cities.
Fortunately, it was labeled as such.
Every year or so, Wisconsin and Minnesota dairy farmers would cull the milk cows in their care. One butcher shop guy suggested if “you want real beef, drive down to Iowa...”
My niece got two Holstein/Angus cross calves from a neighboring dairy this spring for next year - look like Angus, all black. They were really cute - she had to bottle feed them for a couple of weeks since they were only a week old when they arrived. The “cuteness” has worn off - she got them halter ‘broken’ (ha!) while they were little so when the vet comes, they are semi-manageable, but they have no concept of ‘personal space’ & will run you right over if you have sweet feed for them. They’re totally grass fed, but she’ll call them & give them a handful of sweet feed as a reward - they come at a gallop when called :-) Family members, including me, have been promised some meat (her family cannot eat 2 steers). We’ll pay her for it, but I’m sure it will be less expensive & better quality than anything from the grocery stores. There is a local farm where I have gotten produce, but they are either super low or out of product due to issues with getting meat processed. Several months ago, they said the processors were booked into next year .... needed to make arrangements THIS year for next.
8 Points....That ain’t no Bambi!!
Good Morning Diana!
LOVE the Deer with Sign!
I heard the decoys get a lot of damage.
I think that’s voter fraud deer.
We’ve raised two steer so far for beef. The first one we named, ‘Dinner’ and the second was, ‘Supper.’
We have a calf coming next week, and his name will be ‘Weber.’ ;)
LOL !
The Holstein steers don’t get quite as ‘meaty’ as the Angus, but this cross-breed we’re getting will be bigger than the other two we raised, which were just culled Holsteins.
If I’m remembering correctly, Beau takes them in for butchering when they hit 1200 pounds. This last 1/4 we bought/shared with friends was a monster - 1800 pounds! All told, it ended up being about $4/pound including the butchering and packaging for burger, roasts, steaks, stew meat and Beau takes the heart, liver and tongue and cooks them up for the hunting dogs.
Man, Oh, Man! Were the Ribeye Steaks we had on the grill the other night thick and juicy! ;)
I’m hungry! When’s lunch? LOL!
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.