Lazy Gardener's Little Town Farm

[Lazy Gardener]

What a beautiful, wonderful day. Breezy, 57*. Perfect for working outside with enough breeze and cool air to keep the black flies from biting. Gary helped me to place one RB this morning, and the other is already to go, with just a bit more trenching to be done.

I let the ducks out in the yard, since I'm outdoors to kind'a sort'a keep an eye on them. So far, they are staying in the yard. I put them in when we came in for lunch and a teleconference with Dad's hospice team. Dad comes off hospice care tomorrow.

Back out after lunch to finish up the second raised bed, then will back fill, and put down the mulch around them. Can't wait to get the whole garden finished. I'm expecting it to be a work of art this year!!!

 

[Lazy Gardener]

RB are done. So am I... Aches and pains will demand some pain killer tonight. I still have leveling and back filling to do. It's amazing how very much the soil has improved in a single season. Last spring, I started with heavy clay, that had been planted to lawn for years. I tilled it, and planted potatoes in shallow trenches, covering all with hay and grass clippings. Last fall, after digging potatoes, soil was sort of heaped in the sort of areas where the RB were gonna go. In Nov. I added some bedding from chicken and duck coops/yards to 2 of the intended RB. The other 2 areas got a bit of chicken bedding/compost this spring. The last bed has soil heaped almost to my knee, b/c of the lay of the land, and the size of the cedar slabs. Each bed cost ~ $2.50 for lumber, and < $2.00 for hardware.

 

[Lazy Gardener]

I had a good laugh tonight. I was busy getting supper on the table. Dog tired, could barely walk. In the midst of supper prep, the phone rings, and it was one of my egg customers. The conversation went kind of like this:

Him: Got duck eggs? My son wants 2 dozen duck eggs.

Me: I'll have to look in the fridge. I know I have a dozen, not sure about 2 dozen.

Him: Well he WANTS 2 dozen, and he WANTS to pick them up right NOW.

Me: I know I can have 2 doz for you tomorrow. Not sure about tonight. Let me look... yep... I have 2 doz.

Him: He'll be right over.

Me: Tell him that they are $4/dz.

Him: $4.00????? !!!!!!!!

Me: Yes, $4.00/dz. (This is at least $2 less than the going rate, and my chicken eggs are below going rate also.)

Him: My son is making a face. Not sure that he wants to pay $4/dz.

Me: If he decides he wants them, he can come get them.

Dear son never showed up. Apparently, duck eggs are not in his budget. Crying shame, cause they are absolutely awesome. These folks don't seem to understand that eggs don't grow on trees. Eggs are not free, because chicken feed is not free. As a matter of fact, I'm now paying at least 30% more for a bag of feed than I paid a year ago. So... my prices SHOULD have risen accordingly. But, I'm doing a favor by selling eggs at cost, and sometimes BELOW cost! Customers also don't seem to understand that chickens and ducks are not Pez dispensers. Sometimes production does not keep up with sales!

 

[baymule]

I have neighbors that we’re selling eggs for $2 a dozen. I talked them into raising their price to $3, but it’s still a losing money situation. Egg cartons are 50 cents each, feed has gone up. The hens are a hobby for him and they both enjoy the hens. So at least the egg sales help with the feed cost.

 

[Lazy Gardener]

$2/dz is definitely a loosing proposition.

 

[CLSranch]

I sell at $2/dz. Anymore and I'd get store bought eggs.

 

[Lazy Gardener]

Planted summer squash in 2 of the RB today. Ants have moved into those beds in a BIG way. So... put some permethrin in the hills with the squash seed, and mixed up some liquid ant bait. FYI, recipe below:

1/2 C. sugar
1.5 TBSP Borax
1.5 C. H20

Bring all to a boil. Place in containers. I'm reading that larvae eat solid, and ants eat liquid, so it's a good idea to put out both the dry mix powder, as well as the liquid. I've also heard of folks putting a chunk of bread into the bait station with the liquid, so you have a combination of solids and liquids for their dining satisfaction.

 

[henless]

LG, would this work with fire ants?

 

[Lazy Gardener]

The article I read stated that it would work for fire ants. However, they gave this warning: Be sure to place your bait near the fire ant nests. B/C you want to selectively kill the fire ants. If you take out the other species, more fire ants will move into your area. In other words, kill the fire ants but leave the other ants alone.

 

[Lazy Gardener]

Oh how I love this time of year. I plant seeds, then spend days wondering if the seed is viable. Did some nasty grub invade the seed bed and devour those seeds? Did my potato chits rot? Perhaps it was too cold, and my corn or bean seeds rotted before they sprouted. Then... a warm day... followed by a tiny little crack in the soil. Then, the first identifiable sprout. YES!!!! That's a corn sprout, not an errant oat seedling! Today, I identified first potato sprouts, a good stand of pole beans, and a few corn seedlings! As usual, I have LOTS of volunteer dill seedlings. And, plenty of lemon balm, oregano, and mint. Now up to 15 basil plants from a single pot bought at the grocer. Time to get the rest of the beds planted. I've started hardening off the potted seedlings. A couple more days, and I can move them out to the tunnel, before they get their final tucking in. I have some frozen eggs that I may use under the seedlings for an extra nutrient boost. I've used up every single feed bag that was saved over the winter. (laid the bags down under the mulch. Today, Hubby and I brought back 2 barrels full of well rotted wood chips. A few red worms evident! For now, I can only get 2 barrels at a time b/c the trailer is being re-painted. But, some mulch is better than no mulch. I pulled 2 more w/b loads of rocks out of the garden. Slowly, but surely, the garden is taking shape.