Building a Hobby Farm- from woods to eggs

[tony123]

That makes sense easygo. I could still make it rattle with my hand even with compost in it. I should have asked the guy to push it all forward some.

Just got the truck stuck out in the farm I might could have tried harder, but didn't want to risk sliding into a tree. When my wife gets home I'll get the tractor to pull it out. See, I found a way to make the thread involve more tractor work.

 

[WBWI]

Pictures?

 

[tony123]

If my temper is calm enough to not break a camera then I'll try for some photos. You guys are killing me here....enjoying my goof up. I feel like a reality show.

I wouldn't have taken the truck in there if I'd realized just how slick that clay is. I will have to just use the tractor from now on if going in the farm. It had the tiller attached, and I will need the tiller to work in the compost. I was being lazy and it bit me.

Now if the truck dings a tree, I will not post photos!

 

[WBWI]

If my temper is calm enough to not break a camera then I'll try for some photos. You guys are killing me here....enjoying my goof up. I feel like a reality show.

Now if the truck dings a tree, I will not post photos!

Sorry, If I didn't mention it someone else would have.

Note to self... don't mention goof ups on public forums

 

[Ronbo]

If the trailer is from a 3/4 ton truck, your axle will be held in by about 8 bolts in the center of the wheel. You can remove the bolts, make a plate for the hole and install the plate. That will make the wheels independent of the rearend.

Be careful trying to pull with your tractor. It may not be heavy enough. If you have towing coverage, you may want to just call in a tow truck.

Ron

 

[tony123]

Well.....sorry guys. No pictures of the stuck truck. My wife got home and it came right out. Had her put it in reverse but apply no gas. Came right out uneventful. Pulled for a second and it didn't move....she hadn't taken off the parking break. My fault, I should have caught it for her. Took the break off and crept right out.

Not sure If I'm following the plate idea for making the wheels independent, but it sounds like a plan.

I went to put the 2" ball on my draw bar and the darn thing was too large to fit through the drawbar.....so gotta come up with a plan for that. I think I'll change the tongue on the trailer to inch and 7/8ths. That's what my boat is and it would be nice to have everything at one size.

 

[tony123]

Just realized you said 3/4 ton.....I don't think it is.

 

[charlz]

That's the kind of info I'm looking for! So don't put the squash and cantalope together?

I wouldn't worry about it... even if they will cross to prevent it you would need to separate by a 1/2 mile or so. I grow cantaloupe near summer and winter squash and even keep the seed for the next year. No problems yet.

What kind of squash are you planting? Summer? Winter? Both? We like the Yellow Straightneck for summer squash... one plant is all you really need for a family. Great for stir fry etc when small and tender. I like it sauteed in olive oil with garlic. For winter squash we grow Butternut Bush (doesn't spread) and my wife likes the Spaghetti Squash (spreads like crazy). I still have some Butternut left from October harvest. They are best after you cure them for about a month.

You can always do a bit of hand pollination with the corn. I would highly recommend Gurney's 'Gotta Have It' if you like a really sweet corn. Sweetest I have ever had and the stuff I put up in the freezer tastes almost as good as it did fresh.

I have read that mushroom compost can have a lot of salts in it so you might want to go easy with that. Worms love leaves so leaf compost and even just tilling in some leaves will help the soil a lot when the worms find it.

Charles

 

[tony123]

Hey Charlz! Thanks for your input. It will be easy enough to separate them as much as I can, so I'll do that weather necessary or not. Summer squash is our goal, but will experiment with winter squashes too. Once the garden is in place, may as well have it growing something.

I am interested to hear more about forced pollination for corn. What is the process?

I've heard from locals here that mushroom compost is a choice compost. Similar in "hotness" to chicken manure. I'll research a bit more before I dump it all in. Maybe should have gone with all leaf? I suppose this will be a learning experience for several years. Nothing like learning first hand. I gave the store my garden dimensions and only bought about a third of what they recommended. Of course, they want to sell compost. The local county extension agent warned about tilling in uncomposted leaves. Don't remember why?

Went out and bought a 1 7/8" hitch for the trailer tongue. I'll remove the old and put this on. That should make life simpler around here.

 

[scgargoyle]

One problem with tilling in uncomposted stuff like leaves is that as they break down, they will temporarily use up the available nitrogen- it's part of the process. Another fun summer squash is Patty Pan- they look like little white space ships. The boys will probably get a kick out of those.