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[Smart Red]

So very happy for you! Yes, pictures, please.

 

[Beekissed]

Had to stop at just two trips after the chips...we were all ready to pack it in by then. Got a trailer and truck load in the garden and another trailer load in a pile outside the garden, while the second truck load got placed on the flowers around the cabin, which were needing mulch in the worst way.

Going to shop around for our own trailer so we can do this any old time without worrying about getting a rental back on time.

I can't WAIT to get these chips distributed on the garden evenly and covering all the bare spots and tucked in close to the plants. I see a few plants in the garden that look nitrogen deficient and it could be due to the chips leaching nitrogen from the soil, so will be placing some good manure side dressing for those plants. All in all, though, most of the plants are showing a deep green from the application of horse manure when they were planted, so it's not too bad.

I'll just keep watching the color of the leaves and applying a side dressing to any plants starting to show any discoloration of the leaves that indicate nitrogen deficiency.

 

[Beekissed]

Took some pics of these really good wood chips to compare with the previous chips I scooped that were filled with huge branches, twigs, large jagged pieces.

The new chips in the first few pics....nice and finely chopped, with plenty of leaf matter in the chips.

The large pieces of the other chips...those will take forever to compost, but they may provide good air spaces in the mulch

Big contrast. I really thank God for giving us access to these new chips! This garden should perform like it should now, though I think I'll be fighting those long branches of the other chips for some time to come.

 

[thistlebloom]

That's wonderful that you have a source now for really nice chips Bee!
Looks like you've got it wired now.

 

[journey11]

Those are perfect! So happy your prayer has been answered.

 

[Beekissed]

Oh, yes, did I get my prayers answered!!!! He is always faithful to give us good things when they are good FOR us. In His own time, not ours. I need to learn patience and faith when it comes to prayer....always learning that one and He is always teaching me.

Checked the garden this morning and the plants which we have already tucked into these new chips already looked more hydrated and green, somehow. I've had that happen before in a cold frame, using grass clippings....I swear that lettuce grew two inches over night that time and got such a deep green, looking juicy and more hydrated. Could just be my imagination but I don't think so.

God has blessed us richly! Can't wait to spread this new wood chip layer and see how the garden goes. It should be beautiful!

 

[ninnymary]

I love to hear your good news!

Mary

 

[Nyboy]

Bee I real admire you,and the way you supply so much of your own food. Was wondering have you ever raised meat rabbits? There suppose to be the best feed to meat ratio .

 

[Beekissed]

Bee I real admire you,and the way you supply so much of your own food. Was wondering have you ever raised meat rabbits? There suppose to be the best feed to meat ratio .

I sure have and you are correct, they are the best investment for the feed you buy in regards to meat return. And they can produce that meat all year round, though they don't do it as well in the hottest part of summer.

I really think those who live in town and can't have chickens or can only have a few, would have much more success on raising their own food with the use of meat rabbits. They produce a ton of ready to use manure, they are quiet, they are easy to keep and breed and they can't offend the neighbors in any way. They are also easier to keep from predators, as their cages can be suspended from the ceiling high enough that the typical dog and raccoon cannot get to them.

If I were to raise them now I'd build a combination hutch and tractor so that they could be moved to fresh graze a couple of times a day, all throughout the warmer months, then parked in one spot for winter.

 

[Beekissed]

7 am this morning, sun just coming through the trees....isn't this just a lovely sight!