Last week I got a Mantis off CL for $150. I've been looking for one since last summer after we expanded the garden to about 4000sf and I was weeding it all by hand. Out of curiosity I put it in some sod to see what it would do. While it did cut through it, I wouldn't want to start a large plot...
I asked the farmer that delivers our feed the same question last Sat. He told me a story that put it in prospective for me.
He got married on March 9. (in the mid-60's) On the 10th he got a call from his boss. On the 11th he was planting potatoes. Mine are in now. We're zone 6b.
My strawberries came today and I planted them tonight. I couldn't hardly see to put the last 5-6 in , but they're all ready for the rain we're expecting tomorrow. :drool
Last year I had 2 poles with wire strung between them. Here's how I did it this year. The peak is tied together with baling twine. I have peas planted at the base of each pole.
You could hire a tree company or landscaper to come in and chip it for you once you have your debris gathered up in one place. Just tell them you want the chips when they're done. It will take them about 20-30 min. to get a substantial pile of stuff chipped as opposed to renting one and spending...
I don't reuse them now, but I do save them in the event that they come up in short supply some day. Last year I discovered quite accidentally that they will reseal. I used a couple jars of tomato sauce and rinsed them out with really hot water. Then I filled them up with hot water and put the...
Everything is here but the 75 strawberry plants. Peas, beets, and carrots, went in the ground today. Broccoli and cauliflower go in this weekend. By the way, if anyone is having trouble getting their order, I am particularly impressed with Baker seeds. I placed my order online last Wed. and was...
Last year ( my first year with tators ) I only had 10' between them. I didn't know they shouldn't be planted close together. :rolleyes: I had a bumper crop of tomatoes and about 30# of tators from 5 plants. Don't know if that's a good yield or not. Guess I better separate them a little more this...
WOW !!! Haven't been here since early Feb. I thought the link from SS was broken and sent me somewhere else. What a great new look. I'll need to keep my sunglasses on my desk for when I come here. All hail the designer. :bow
If you have 3/4 of an acre of sod to break, a Mantis will take all summer just to prepare the ground. I cut 4400sf ( you have over 32,000) of sod last March with a 10hp BCS tiller with a 26" cut and it took me about 6 hrs to make the first pass. I did that 2 more times to make sure everything...
Borrowed a friends backhoe and dug out an old foundation wall I found this past spring with the tiller. I can now add another 30' of garden. Lots of room for potatoes now. :)
I covered the beets and carrots then turned the goats loose in the garden. They're cleaning up all the leftover greenery nicely. When they have had their fill, I'll get the tiller out. :D
MUD! As soon as you get stung, apply a layer of mud on the area and let it dry there. As it does, it draws the bee's poison out. I never believed it until a few years ago when I got into an argument with a hornet nest. I had 15-20 stings on my arms, neck, and face. Someone that was with me...
I still have beets and carrots in the ground and so far they have weathered a couple of nights in the upper 20's. A few years ago I left some of the carrots in the ground all winter and dug them out when I wanted some, although once the ground freezes it's tough digging. The ones I didn't pick...
Overall, I was happy with everything in the garden. I'll need a little more of some things and less of others next year. This was our first year of gardening on this scale (4400 sqf) and we canned, dried, or froze more stuff than I ever imagined possible. I think the tomatoes we're my pride and...
Honestly, I don't know yet. :hu This is a year of experimentation for us. I'm going to try it in some of my first batches of tomato sauce that I didn't think to season when I canned. Maybe crumble a little into salad. I also dried some cukes that we tried with dip like you would potato chips...