What Did You Prep This Week

rototilling - yes - that looks better 🙂

We planted two Courtlands, two Granny Smith and two pear trees.

We planted raspberry bushes earlier this summer and they almost died in the heat wave but most of them made it. Hopefully next year we will get to eat some!

I've heard of Saskatoon berries but I've never had them - I wonder if they would grow here??

We put in two rows of raspberries, 20 feet long, and 1 row of blackberries, and 4 blue berry bushes.

We have an apple tree on the property, but the apples are small, and all marked up. Think I have to cut it down and get a new tree?

Hmm, Saskatoons grow naturally through central and western north america, from alaska to california, and from the coast in through the prairies. So they aren't native to Ontario... but perhaps with some cultivation?

Quebecker: With the small apples on your tree, do you have lots of them, just small and in bad shape? About 3 weeks after they bloom, try thinning the apples out a bit. Give the ones that remain more room to grow, and more of the tree's energy to do it with.

I planted some asparagus and yarrow yesterday. Hopefully they will grow well.
A friend also gave me a case of coffee, so 12 - 500 g cans went into the stockpile.

Hi Schreurs5 - Welcome! I am hoping to plant asaragus this fall as well. Where did you get yours?
You should be set with caffeine for awhile ;0

I also put in asparagus, but I did it this spring. The plants went to flower, and hopefully they'll come back strong next spring. I got mine at home depot.

As for the apples Aphrael, I'll get some photos of them tomorrow, and show you what I mean. But it sounds like what your suggesting could be the issue.

Let me see,

Bought storage containers to protect my recent purchases for my stash: sugar, flour, white basmati rice, coffee and a few cans. Also went to a flee market and found 4 oil lamps (1 large for kitchen/living area and 3 sml for bathroom and bedroom use) at a very decent price. We will surely appreciate those during our winter power outages which are coming for sure as per last year's occurences. Surprising how much heat one oil lamp can project!

I also bought online a hand crank radio but didn't get delivery yet. And since one cannot learn all survival skills overnight, I purchased 5 books from storage/canning to How to make traps. At the very least, should anything happen I will have reference books.

I am just starting out but making headway. I do have lots of camping equipment so I'm ahead on many things. My strategy is to ensure I cover for what I would truly miss first, then work from there. Being a camper I know that if one plans well, doing without amenities is just not so bad!

Pleasure to meet all of you.

Calora

Hey anita I got my plants from a local greenhouse. They have great prices, are really helpful and I have never had a problem with any of the plants I have bought there.

Today I picked up some more stuff for the stockpile. What I really need to work on now is organizing everything, so I can make an inventory.

I was unlacking like a mad woman in the last couple of days but bought a 10L jug of water and got my hands onto 2 x 4 litre jugs that I can prep for water as well. Loaded up on some pasta at the nearby wholesaler and bought 24 double rolls of t.p.... long ways to go to re-establish my preppingépantry but happy to have gotten a start at least! 🙂

Thanks for the tips on where to get the plants..I hope I don't run out of time to get everything done!

I picked up walnuts today - the green orbs that fall off the walnut tree. I had no idea that's what they were until my DH pointed them out. I said: Like real walnuts?? The kind you buy in the store that you EAT? I am a dope 🙂 I didn't know!

Now I know. I also know not to pick them up without gloves on - nice brown stains on my fingers that will wear off in a few WEEKS! Still need to get them out of the green overcoating and let them dry...interesting.

My BIL dropped off two large boxes of apples so tomorrow will be applesauce day, dried apple in the dehydrator and maybe an apple pie to bribe my son into helping 😆

I also have a walnut tree on the property. What do you do with them, just cut off the exterior (with gloves), and then let them sit out in the sun for a day or two, or a week?

Yes, take off the outer coating and wash the nuts to get off the rest of the residue - outside in a pail would be a good idea so you don't get walnut juice on anything! Then either dry them in a dehyrator, a very low oven 105 degrees, over a heat register for about a week(we don't have the heat on yet) or hang in a mesh onion bag for a week or more. Apparently when the membrane between the nuts is crunchy they are done and ready to store - you need to crack them open to find out. After drying you need a hammer or a vise and perhaps wire cutters to cut the shells because the nut meat is difficult to get out. I plan to sit outside and do this and get the job done in one shot - then freeze the nut meat.

I'll let you know how it went or if I'm going back to bying walnuts at the bulk store 🙂

More turning lawn into garden space for the spring...tough work as about 2" below the surface is a rock garden from past owners. Imagine a lawn space 20' x 20' completely covered in rocks cemented together like a giant patio. I use the rocks to build up the lower part of the slope to help level off the hills. Then, dig down as far as I can and turn the soil, while removing as much sod & roots as I can. I will top this off in the spring with the compost that I started this spring.

That is quite a bit of heavy yard work...did you rent a small tractor to help with that? OR all by hand?

Also, preciouspearl, I was speaking with dad about the nuts we have on the farm, and how I wanted to collect them. He told me to collect them after the first frost, because the coating will turn on black, and peel of easily. Any ideas.

Quebecker - Maybe I can just spread them out in the sun somewhere to catch the frost. They were laying on the ground anyway...that's good news - I can put that job off for awhile 🙂 There's so many other things to do! Thanks I didn't know that!

Denob - feeling your pain. Getting started and preparing everything is hard work - that's when most people decide it's far too hard. My garden is a work in progress - this year half of it was put to work - one quarter is coming along and one quarter is a hopeless mess of weeds, small trees and rock hard ground. I plan to get as much done as I can this fall and begin again in the spring. The unfortunate part is the garden is in my front yard! it does keep me humble!!!