First the new babies are doing well! They are one week old today and I had to put a lid on the brooder, They are trying to jump out and can almost make it! They are so much bigger and tail feathers are starting to poke out and the wing feathers are starting to show some color now. They will not be babies for long!
Any way, today was a day off from work and that means work on the homestead got done. What was it the "John Wayne" said? "We're burning daylight"! Well I sure did today! I did some mowing last night and carried on with that this morning. The problem is the Rotary Cutter is broke down again (Broken stabilizer arm, The third time this has happened!). And I had to use the finishing mower. Its not as powerful as the R.C. and it does not like wet heavy grass or weeds! So I had to move slower that I normally would and there is a problem with the tractor too! The charging system is not working and I have to jump start it each time off the truck. So if it bog's down and stops running, I have to go get the truck and jump it again! So after that hap ping 6 or 7 times, I moved on to another job. Building the new Sunflower raised bed!
Last year the rabbits had a field day with the sunflowers. They would eat them as fast as they came up. And the soil is not fertile enough to allow the flowers to grow very well (Just like every thing else). So I built a raised bed so I can mix up a growing medium just for them.
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| This is the south end of Mark's house and we have tried to grow Sunflowers here the past two years. They did not do to well here due to the rabbits and the poor soil. But the weeds did very well! |
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| I dug out the weeds and raked it smooth. Cover the whole area with cardboard (As a weed guard) and covered the whole area with "Cotton Dirt". Just a inch or two. The PH is way to acidic for most plants, But weeds do not like it and I get it by the truck load, FREE! And I found out the Worms love it! The combination of cardboard and Cotton Dirt just pulls them in! |
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| There is the finished box. I had to add more cardboard boxes to widen the bed. But that's OK, just means more flowers. I will cover the whole thing with the cotton dirt and then cover that with wood chips. It should look pretty good when I'm done. |
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| The bed is 5' wide and about 16' long. And all of the wood is recycled. And I can add another board all around if we decide we want it deeper. |
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The cardboard works really well in smothering the weeds and as it breaks down, it will help to hold moisture in and around the bed. And like I said, THE WORMS LOVE IT!
And speaking about the Worms, Leigh over at
5acresandadream.blogspot.com who has been wanting to get into raising Worms for the longest time, wrote a post about Dan (Her main man) building their first Worm bed!
I'm so excited for her and Dan! Give her a shout and watch as they add Worms to the Homestead!
Leigh, I expect lots of pictures of your new "LIVESTOCK"!!
Tom
Something isn't working with your link. Here is what I found (there is a "my" in front of it)
ReplyDeletehttp://my5acredream.blogspot.com/
That sunflower bed is going to be wonderful! I hope the sunflowers do really well there. This isn't at your house? Now you are going to have to build one at your house!
Emily,
DeleteNo this is the south end of Mark's house. Gets lots of sun and I hope to be watching the sunflowers following the sun as it moves across the sky.
I have plans to build one just like it at my house. Only it will be on the north end of the house. Lot's of shade there, Be perfect for Elephant Ear's and the like!
Tom
Sunflowers for food, fun or livestock? Or all of the above? We've tried growing them last year but didn't have any luck either. Maybe need a sunnier spot. That bed looks beautiful!
ReplyDeleteCarolyn,
DeleteAll of the above!
"Giant Russians" for food and the birds
"Teddy Bear" for color and just because!
We need to get other kinds to fill this new bed!
Tom
Chipmunks are my problem - they follow me along. I plant the seeds, they dig them up and eat them! That's going to be a nice big bed of sunflowers!
ReplyDeleteSusan,
DeleteWE love Sunflowers! The bigger the better.
Rabbits killed the bed last year. Hopfully I can outsmart them this year!
Tom
Exactly what is cotton dirt?
ReplyDeleteDenise,
Delete"Cotton Dirt" is the plant residue after harvest. The Combine harvest it all and after the cotton goes thru the cleaning process, what's left is Cotton Dirt.
Seed hulls, parts of the plant and even weeds. But the PH is pretty high (7.2 - 8.5) and most plants do not grow in it. I use it mostly for weed control. The potatoes like a little mixed in to the bed they grow in.
I also use it to fill in low spots and where water stands after rain. I have a lot of loe spots!
Tom
I'm a sunflower lover, too. I always grow them at one end of my field garden in the hopes I can get them to mature so we have some seeds for the birds in the winter (instead of having to BUY them) but with our short growing season, I have a lot of trouble getting the seeds to mature. But I keep trying!
ReplyDeleteHow are you going to outsmart the rabbits this year?
Mama Pea,
DeleteAfter we fill the bed and plant the seeds, I will lay a section of chicken wire over the whole bed and staple it inplace.
Then when the plants are just touching the wire, I will remove it and wrap the bed in that same wire and leave tht in place until the flowers are big enough that the rabbits will no longer be a problem.
Tom