Gardening Thread 2021

[Grizzlyhackle]

In the 40s my Pop got spotted fever spent some time in the hospital. That was all I knew about and then Lyme popped up in the late 80s early 90s.

 

[Baymule]

@Grizzlyhackle can you keep poultry? They are good tick catchers, especially Guineas.

 

[Grizzlyhackle]

@Grizzlyhackle can you keep poultry? They are good tick catchers, especially Guineas.

I've thought about it alot. I would like Guinea's but there kinda wild. Doubt the neighbors would appreciate them. My experience has been poultry eats grain, grain draws mice, mice draw snakes, snakes scare fat old men, fat old man's heart stops. I end up in a ginger jar and she spends my retirement money.
Sevin ain't the answer either. Pick to much around the yard for the rabbits. I was just ticked off . Hadn't been home maybe 20 minutes from work when that happened.

 

[Mini Horses]

Sooooo...Spray yourself with bug repellent.

 

[Baymule]

Get 4 or 6 hens. Keep feed in metal trash can. Pick up feeder at night so nighttime visitors don’t come to the feast. No mice, no snakes, no ticks.

 

[Grizzlyhackle]

Get 4 or 6 hens. Keep feed in metal trash can. Pick up feeder at night so nighttime visitors don’t come to the feast. No mice, no snakes, no ticks.

So if I raise the feeder they won't be able to scratch thru it.
Guess I'll try and find some.

 

[Niele da Kine]

Guinea hens are gawdsawful noisy, not sure if your neighbors would appreciate them. We had one who would sit on top of the shed and screech really loudly at us anytime and all the time we were in the yard. They are very tasty, though, much tastier than chickens. And the feathers have cool spots on them. Polka dots all over. But they are too noisy to keep anywhere nearby.

There's three hens around here, they took over a bit of the bunny hutch to lay eggs where the mongoose can't get to them so now we get eggs which is a plus. We can also gather the droppings for the garden, although what with the way many more bunnies than hens, there's a lot more rabbit manure for the gardens than chicken manure. Bunny berries don't need to be aged or composted, so the chickens are more for bug patrol than fertilizing. They get fenced out of the actual garden, but since the gardens are small raised beds, they can get a lot of the bugs anyway.

 

[Grizzlyhackle]

Yeah Guinea's are cool looking. Was a farm real close and he had a huge flock. Whole bunch would fly across the field. Never wandered out to the highway just sometimes little bunches would wander the neighborhood.
@Baymule probably don't remember but she's tried talking me into chickens before. She might of won this time. People on my right think I'm nuts with all the rabbits anyway. Wait till the babies come Memorial Day. Long as I don't draw attention I'm ok. It's legal here, just get tired of the questions and the looks. Can't have roosters though somebody has one. I like hearing him in the distance.
Now to sell the wife on the idea.

 

[Mini Horses]

I just pulled out an old -- !!! -- sprinkler hose from my barn stash. I don't think they even make them now but they are flat with tiny holes all along one side. So place upward and they spray a fine mist several feet, both up and out, lay downward and you have a drip hose by keeping pressure lower. 75' of it, so added hose length and a cool thing to have tucked away in my "someday you'll need this" arsenal. Good day for this old gal. Today I needed it! No $ spent. Better go thru some more boxes....No telling what I'll find. . A heads up to you keepers.

Right now, dirt and bean seeds are being watered....

 

[CLSranch]

I just don't remember tick borne diseases when I was a kid....

We just.... went and got ticks.

I remember getting a huge mess of them when I was picking pole beans!!

One bean leaf was solid ticks... I brushed against the pole bean plants, thought a dead bean leaf got on me.... then that brown leaf started moving... a jillion tiny ticks running to get supper.

I dashed into the house shucking clothes...

There sure are a bunch of tick diseases now a days...

That can still be my normal if I go anywhere but the house. Well that's out side like cutting wood at a friends. I just don't worry about a few ticks. In those places if you don't get any you didn't go anywhere or do anything. My mom has Lyme's disease and sometimes wonder if I do. I stayed at a place a long time ago and after going for a walk through a batch of sea ticks I showed them to someone and she thought I was lying that they were ticks. It was the tiny see ticks that just looked like a little glitter on my leg. You had to look to see them moving. The so little it's bleach or shaving then put a lighter to your knife repeat.
The bad places I like to get a bottle of horse fly spray and add an ounce of ivermectin pour on and spray my legs and boots and the kids as well. I know a guy who used to put an ounce or so in his hunting laundry while washing.

I've thought about it alot. I would like Guinea's but there kinda wild. Doubt the neighbors would appreciate them. My experience has been poultry eats grain, grain draws mice, mice draw snakes, snakes scare fat old men, fat old man's heart stops. I end up in a ginger jar and she spends my retirement money.

Sooooo...Spray yourself with bug repellent.

Ditto

Get 4 or 6 hens. Keep feed in metal trash can. Pick up feeder at night so nighttime visitors don’t come to the feast. No mice, no snakes, no ticks.

Ditto
Spilled grain attracts mice. Again metal trash can's can fix that. I wouldn't bother with picking it up at night unless your really that paranoid about the snakes. And don't you feed the rabbits grain. If not, anything they eat, a mouse will love also Alphalfa etc....
Selling point for wife LESS ticks.
I jumped the fence earlier this week to the flower bed to catch a garter snake about 2' long. Good sized for a garter, just to show the kiddos.