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[Beekissed]

My brother just bought one...VERY expensive. He lives a bit too far from us, though, to let us use it. We also don't have enough brush to fulfill the whole need, nor even enough downed trees. Mom keeps this place pretty pristine. I think we might have to inquire at local nurseries and see if they have anything available.

I've called all the tree services in the area and only one has said he'd bring us chips...but I haven't heard from him again and the last time I called he sounded a little snappy. Said he would bring some by the end of the week..and that was last week. I hesitate to call him again...

I'm trying to have faith...will work on that, pray for it and will finally commit the whole thing to God's hands when I work my way through to it.

 

[ninnymary]

Beekissed, I'm going to start praying that you get those wood chips.

Mary

 

[Smart Red]

@Beekissed, I know it is not ideal, but perhaps if you went to the tree service in person with a truck, you could get the wood chips a load at a time. I can understand why a company 'giving chips away' would not want the added expense of delivery.

 

[ccheek]

Broke ground in the garden...finally! It's been so rainy here that it hasn't been dry enough to till. Still isn't. After the first pass down and back I had to take off my shoes as they were just big balls of clay mud.

Had to till barefoot after that...felt good! Only got deep enough to just break up the sod/grass and scratch the surface of the soil but that's how it is each spring. Going to rain for several days again, so won't be able to finish the tilling until it dries up after that. It's making me impatient, as always. I have things that needed to be in the ground a while back.

Blessed day, though....84* and sunny, good day for working and I got some work done on the breeding pens too. Old cedar fence posts sunk and cattle panel gates cut and mounted, deer netting applied...it's getting there. God is so good to provide me good weather for getting all this work done!

Tonight I put my first breeding pair of White Rocks together!

Chip guy didn't come through this week as promised, but no doubt it's due to the rainy weather....can't chip trees while it's storming out. Will try to be patient and wait upon the Lord to provide what I need for this garden.

I love reading through this, very interesting. And, I'm glad I'm not the only person that has tilled barefoot. My husband keeps telling me that I'm going to chop my foot off (a combination of overprotective and years of safety training ).

 

[journey11]

My brother just bought one...VERY expensive. He lives a bit too far from us, though, to let us use it. We also don't have enough brush to fulfill the whole need, nor even enough downed trees. Mom keeps this place pretty pristine. I think we might have to inquire at local nurseries and see if they have anything available.

I've called all the tree services in the area and only one has said he'd bring us chips...but I haven't heard from him again and the last time I called he sounded a little snappy. Said he would bring some by the end of the week..and that was last week. I hesitate to call him again...

I'm trying to have faith...will work on that, pray for it and will finally commit the whole thing to God's hands when I work my way through to it.

Maybe the fella has been held up from working because of all of the rain. We'll pray he doesn't forget you!

Even if you end up having to buy some, I'm sure it will be worth it in the long run. We buy bark mulch that comes from the logging/sawmill companies. They know what it's worth, so they do charge for it, but it is still cheaper by the truckload. I like that it is natural, not dyed or treated, and it breaks down into nice, dark soil after a year or two. This is what I put on my perennial beds and I can totally see it working on the garden too, albeit in much larger quantities to cover about 2500 sq ft. But yeah, free would be best!

 

[journey11]

I love reading through this, very interesting. And, I'm glad I'm not the only person that has tilled barefoot. My husband keeps telling me that I'm going to chop my foot off (a combination of overprotective and years of safety training ).

I'd never find the thread from so far back, but we had a member on here once who was struck right between the eyes with a flying rock that was tossed from her tiller. My DH works at a power plant, so they are always sending home safety goggles and such. I am persuaded to use them. I've always been one to err on the side of caution myself.

 

[ccheek]

I'd never find the thread from so far back, but we had a member on here once who was struck right between the eyes with a flying rock that was tossed from her tiller. My DH works at a power plant, so they are always sending home safety goggles and such. I am persuaded to use them. I've always been one to err on the side of caution myself.

Oh my goodness gracious. That would be awful! I'm sure a tiller, even a small one, could throw a rock out at a very high velocity. Ours' has a guard on the back so it isn't SUPPOSED to be able to spit things back at you, but only the Lord knows where that stuff is going. I won't let my kids around the garden while I'm tilling for that reason, but I'm much more relaxed about my safety than theirs.

My husband manages a welding and medical gas supply store so I'm sure they probably get some of the same lectures about safety. He's always bringing little odds and ends home as well.

 

[Smart Red]

Another barefoot tiller, here. I hate stopping to clean the soil tossed into my shoes. My 8-hp tiller is a handful for me, though, and I do sometimes worry it will get away from me.

 

[journey11]

In my garden, I think I would worry more about nails and glass. The previous owners used the garden spot to burn stuff.

 

[Smart Red]

If I had glass and nails, I wouldn't be barefoot, for sure. All I'm walking on is about 100 years of pig field and fallow ground. Not even rocks where I gardened.