Farming it out
Good morning everyone.
Up at the farm today. Was going to try to till in some bonemeal and composted manure before I cover the raised beds with leaves.
Don't know if we'll plant crops this year or not. Our trip up to Alaska will impact the timing.
We may let the whole thing go fallow for the season.
Working on getting a caretaker for the month of May, then we might be able to swing it.
We usually get plenty of rain in May, so no watering is needed. But this crazy climate changing weather pattern is unpredictable.
Up here at 46° latitude we have a short growing season anyway.
Will need to decide by February 1st as that is when I usually start germinating in the seedroom under the lights.
So it looks like Cargill and Monsanto are going to lose their investment in Ukranian black soil as Russian forces have captured much of it.
They probably would have effed it up with pesticides and herbicides and chemicals of sundry varieties anyway.
You know, like DU munitions.
The Romans would have salted it.
And Russia just captured Ukraines major lithium mines, so too bad for Blackrock.
I'm sure those vultures paid pennies on the dollars for all their plunder anyway.
I just hope it ends before Zelenski throws the kids into the meat grinder.
Will try to host as best I can as the Chinese/Russians/Iranians are blocking my local cell tower, so it will be patchy at times.
Thread is open. What's up?
Comments
Shoes to fill
My Daughter-in-law's Dad passed away late last night.
I'm the the sole grandpa left for all the grandkids.
He was a great guy.
Neither Russia nor China is our enemy.
Neither Iran nor Venezuela are threatening America.
Cuba is a dead horse, stop beating it.
Sorry to hear about th other grandpa.
be well and have a good one
That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --
Thanks EL
Happy new year.
Neither Russia nor China is our enemy.
Neither Iran nor Venezuela are threatening America.
Cuba is a dead horse, stop beating it.
So sorry to hear of your
family's loss. It will be your privilege to do double Grandpa duties.
Fallow for a season might be a dirt healthy thing. Seems like Dad let his acreages go fallow every 3 or 4 years, or he would plant peanuts in a rotation.
The start date and end date for planting has changed since the last time I had a large garden.
I hope your upcoming vacation will not be disrupted by what is going on back home.
Thanks for the OT, friend.
"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981
Kind of experimenting
with this fallow thing.
I let 3 out of 7 raised beds go fallow last year. They are 4' wide by 50' long, the intent being to rotate the beds.
But soil tests reveal depleted potassium and phosphorus levels, hence the need to till some in.
Goes against the Ruth Stout no till method of gardening, but those nutrients need to be down near the root growth.
It's still an experimental farm.
I'm getting there.
Our family had multiple grandparents through numerous marriages, all of us still close.
I feel alone.
Thanks for the kind words.
And Happy new year.
Neither Russia nor China is our enemy.
Neither Iran nor Venezuela are threatening America.
Cuba is a dead horse, stop beating it.
Ruth would have approved of adapting gardening methods to
each of our own unique gardening conditions. Her interviews left me with the impression she was not a rigid conformist.
If I remember correctly the straw method got its start because the man she hired annually to rototill the garden space could not fit her job in as early as she wanted. She was impatient and planted the seeds on the top of the soil and covered with straw. Yield almost the same and she could plant on her time schedule.
Personally the 25 acres I farm has wildly different microclimates. If only a single growing method was faithfully used very little ground would be productive. And it would definitely be boring.
Still yourself, deep water can absorb many disturbances with minimal reaction.
--When the opening appears release yourself.
Nice to hear from you, SOE
I think you were the one that turned me on to Stout.
If I never said it before, thanks for that tip.
Still learning about microclimes.
Just planting a 200' row of trees with 5 or 6 failures is a tell.
Even replacing the dead ones, and still experiencing failure informs, don't plant anything there.
Thanks for stopping by.
Happy new year.
Neither Russia nor China is our enemy.
Neither Iran nor Venezuela are threatening America.
Cuba is a dead horse, stop beating it.
Condolences sir
Hopefully some of the grandkids
will retain the memory of grandpa past.
Good luck mulching the beds.
question everything
Thanks Capt'n.
Cap'n.
Happy new year.
Neither Russia nor China is our enemy.
Neither Iran nor Venezuela are threatening America.
Cuba is a dead horse, stop beating it.
Perhaps this sheds some light on Trump's outlandish statements
with regards to Canada, Greenland and Panama.
Perhaps there is some method to his madness?
https://www.bnnbloomberg.ca/investing/2025/01/07/trump-wont-rule-out-us-...
Violates UN charter, but so did and does Biden and almost
every President that I can recall. This:
is nonsense and is not a legitimate grounds for any kind of threat.
be well and have a good one
That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --
Mafioso Trump
being big talkin' kafafe Trump fronting for the neocons.
Putin/Russia should offer to buy back Alaska just to watch them shit their pants.
And then push Canada to sell the Northern Territories to really twist their panties.
Of course, once they change their pants they will try to spin it as proof of Putin's intent to conquer the world, but most sentient lifeforms would reject the premise as Russia has offered to pay $s for it. You know, Art of the Deal.
Muha ha ha ha.
Happy new year, humphrey.
Neither Russia nor China is our enemy.
Neither Iran nor Venezuela are threatening America.
Cuba is a dead horse, stop beating it.
Turnabout is fair play. There is this. LOL
LMAO
Neither Russia nor China is our enemy.
Neither Iran nor Venezuela are threatening America.
Cuba is a dead horse, stop beating it.
Guten morgen e1 und alles. Seems that my world,
as opposed to The World, has been in the dulldrums of late. It's not that nuthing is happening, but it is seriously repetitive on certain levels. This morning, I figured that it would be an interesting day because it is the seventh, and 7 is a highly interesting number which led me to recall the famous proof that there are no non-interesting numbers, so, I suspect that the same proof would apply to days. Sure enough, we have a vast horde of bushtits in the yard today, sporadic stiff breezes (but nuthin' like the uber-gale, aka "straight line wind" they're getting in SoCal.- Beaufort scale 10 (storm) to 11 (Violent storm).
Have been doing small chores and tasks and have got the routine ones done so now the fun begins, starting with deciding what's next and/or what is the highest priority, which may or may not influence the choice of what to do next.
If I stall enough, It'll be time for lunch. I also have errands, but one of the principal benefits of retirement is not having to run errands at lunchtime when 2/3 of the workforce always seems to be out and about.
be well and have a good one
That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --
I hear ya
I always have a mental plan for when we get to the farm. But it always turns on what has happened on the farm since we last visited.
Wind caused havoc abounds, but mostly tarps and limbs, some big enough to summon Big Bertha chain saw.
A plan is only good until the first punch in the face.
I know, crappy quote from Tyson.
Agree with retirement shopping windows. I always try to go in mornings after traffic going to work. Or in the after noon before the going home crowd.
On our rare night out to dinner, it's really just before 5 PM, before the dinner crowd.
March 2024 marked my 20th year of retirement.
Hold my beer,I've got this.
Happy new year.
Neither Russia nor China is our enemy.
Neither Iran nor Venezuela are threatening America.
Cuba is a dead horse, stop beating it.
I am not surprised that there wasn't a press conference after
the meeting of Gonzalez and Biden as they are both sharp as tacks.
What a farce
What happened to that other fish cake, Guido or whatever? Did he go bad in the cupboard? Past his best by date? Or did he take all the gold and they're looking for him?
Neither Russia nor China is our enemy.
Neither Iran nor Venezuela are threatening America.
Cuba is a dead horse, stop beating it.