@ scrounger:
Funny you should mention that about the hulls. I had them bring and dump 1 truckload in a pile for testing different ideas. My main idea was to use for mulching, but they turned out to be more of a nuisance there. You need about 6 or 8 inches and weeds still come through quickly. These things never break down either and don't seem to enrich the soil except for tilthe.
I filled a low area with about 20" of hulls. 3 years later you still can't drive there because of the soft squishy oat hulls (they'll even 'pack up' ahead of my tractor tires, locking the front wheels). They don't absorb much moisture, so as bedding, you'd go through quite a bit. And then since they don't break down, you'd run out of field room to spread them thin enough they don't give you problems in there.
I've thought about setting up a feed for the wood stove, but they are so light that to get any heat value, I'd need a grain bin larger than the house and a very high feed rate.
I sure did try to find a clever use for them, but it hasn't been encouraging.
oh yah that's better. I don't know what I am going to do with it all.
Give a man a gun, and he can rob a bank. Give a man a bank, and he can rob the world.
Not exactly “garden” related but certainly homestead...
This spring and right up to the other day, we for the first time in 22 years have had numerous groundhogs digging under concrete slab on grade garage pads. Under wooden deck and in a raised garden bed. Thinking they are seeking cooler places then the fields etc. If water gets in these holes, it can cause some grief.
Deer and wild turkey population and patterns are also way off this year
And mice. I've seen more mouse activity. One thing about black poly tarp too: they like to breed under them. Watch them scatter when you expose a garden bed that's been covered. I can't understand how they survive under there as it gets very very hot.
So warmer climate = more rodents?
Some good empirical evidence that oat hulls don't work for you six. I think your right about the size of bin needed to be able to burn them.
https://blog.generalmills.com/2017/04/how-our-oats-provide-power-and-purpose/
I know its early but I cant wait...german butter ball potatoes on the plate tonight.
Give a man a gun, and he can rob a bank. Give a man a bank, and he can rob the world.
Making more little wool pellets or tags for garden use this week, makes a difference in holding water in the soil with our drought. we finally got rain last night, hard hard fast rain but a full inch.. the main market idea is to take the tog (or waste belly and rear that is sheared off and not sheared with the "keep" wool that is then made into fiber and find a way to not waste it and find a market for it.
Personal I only have two wool in my flock an they are both sheared for garden use or for insulation use at this time
http://livingmydreamlifeonthefarm.wordpress.com/
Well I am glad I didn't bother with tomatoes or peppers in the green house this year...just too hot and too little rain. We are up to 5 inches of rain so far this year by my water gauge. I would say thats draught conditions.
I will be cutting down trees over the next couple days to make room to build a new green house. It will be on the lowest spot on the property, and tucked in amongst trees for some shade. My raised garden built from a couple bathtubs a few years ago, has now been repurposed as a solar dehydrator.
Give a man a gun, and he can rob a bank. Give a man a bank, and he can rob the world.
Neat projects peppercorn! Post pictures please
Ok, this is something that is effect me in a way that I had not thought of before it happened. We have been having major drought and crazy heat and its effected the mushroom hunting locally. My own personal mushroom logs are doing nothing.. most of my put up for winter use mushrooms are regular ones that I harvest wild from my farm or my local wood areas within walking distance of the farm.
Now we still have the fall to come so its possible that I might still have at least one good season yet but spring and summer has been just sad in this regards.. I am going to have to either set up a place in one of my outbuildings and get a different type of mushroom logs to grow things on. or I am going to need to buy bulk at the local mushroom grower place.
How is the mushroom forage or your mushroom logs doing this year!?
If you use mushrooms at all for different things, I guess its worth noting that even they are going to have good and bad years where I am used to them being pretty steady normally and consider putting up at least one years worth of extra when you can, I have never done that as I never felt the need before.
http://livingmydreamlifeonthefarm.wordpress.com/
Neat projects peppercorn! Post pictures please
Your going to have to be patient as this year I am just getting windows prepped. Good size ones 4.5 feet by 2.5 feet.
and double pained glass
I will get the area where the shooting benches are, cleared of trees. but that is all that will get done, next year I will hopefully have it constructed and Can use it the next year after that.
Give a man a gun, and he can rob a bank. Give a man a bank, and he can rob the world.
The heat really has taken a toll on my potatoes. Strangely enough we have had unusual lows overnight, I was up at 6 am yesterday and the temp was 4 C and a few days this month below 9 c overnight. Temps ranging from 33-34 C To 4 C in July!
Give a man a gun, and he can rob a bank. Give a man a bank, and he can rob the world.
Wow! that is a huge swing in temps for any plant. Different types of plants tend to like different evening temps and it can effect flowering and plant production. Thanks for sharing that, that is wild swings. If you are willing just let me know if you keep that up in aug, wonder if that means you are going to have a early fall frost date this year.. hmm
http://livingmydreamlifeonthefarm.wordpress.com/
We've been getting temp highs of 25 to 32 degrees during the day and 8 to 15 degrees at night. We still have a comforter on our bed, and DH asled me to put his bed warmer on last night as he was cold!
Only started a garden this spring and even got that late, so zero to contribute here.
One thing I have been watching for past few years is the evening temps. Even when daytime high is or is close to normal, the evening temps are almost always a few degrees higher than norms. So that cooling off is not occurring. Guessing that would either dry things out or in the case of heat needy corn, help it grow faster?
