Baymule
Herd Master
Why yes, we do want to know!
My garden 😞
- Thread starter Xerocles
- Start date
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- #32
Xerocles
Loving the herd life
Inquiring minds DO want to know
Have to go to town & get gas for the chainsaw. Only got about 12 cut. Only about 100 more to go!
They say a picture is worth 1000 words so here's a couple thousand words on that next project. 16' X 14' workshop/tool storage. Bottom sill-plate completely rotted away on this side.
Duckfarmerpa1
Herd Master
This is why I like this site so much!Man, I feel like I've got my on "cheering section" here. You guys are terrific, each and every one! I might be doing the actual work, but I know this is a team effort. THANKS EVERYONE!
We have a calf shed that is like that, but only 1/2 way. I want to tear down that 1/2 anyway, so we are not bothering to fix it anywhere besides where the door is. We need to have the door be able to open and close, lol. The big machine shop that DH just put 3 garage doors into also has a rotted sill plate in the back corner. It never ends.
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- #35
Xerocles
Loving the herd life
The workshop project may be slid back onto the back burner again. I have good news and bad news on the garden plot. The bad news is, my chainsaw crapped out Christmas morning. An inaccessible fuel line came loose. Wasted half a day "fixing" it. Cut 3 trees and it came loose again. Time for someone who knows what they're doing to take over. So, with 6 trees left (out of approx 300) I am at a standstill.
The good news? Sometimes it's handy when people think you're bat$#]t crazy. The neighbor who was going to help unload the hay asked what I was going to do with 9 round bales of hay (knowing I only have chickens and rabbits. I told him. He said I wouldn't need nearly that much. I remember my highschool math pretty well (thank you, Ms Shouse, 10th grade geometry) so I quickly figured (out loud, but I realize he didn't follow....he probably didn't have Ms Shouse) and told him the cubic feet in each bale, and the cubic feet in the garden to be 12" deep. He didn't believe me, so we unrolled one of his bales and measured. God, math is wonderful. He was shaking his head, still doubting. I gave him the condensed version of Ruth Stout gardening. He said "Do you REALLY think that's gonna work?" I told him it was only going to cost me $80 to find out. So, he said "No, its not gonna cost you ANYTHING to find out. I've got 10 bales of last years hay and I'll GIVE it to you, just to see this!" So, to paraphrase Forest Gump, crazy is as crazy does.
The good news? Sometimes it's handy when people think you're bat$#]t crazy. The neighbor who was going to help unload the hay asked what I was going to do with 9 round bales of hay (knowing I only have chickens and rabbits. I told him. He said I wouldn't need nearly that much. I remember my highschool math pretty well (thank you, Ms Shouse, 10th grade geometry) so I quickly figured (out loud, but I realize he didn't follow....he probably didn't have Ms Shouse) and told him the cubic feet in each bale, and the cubic feet in the garden to be 12" deep. He didn't believe me, so we unrolled one of his bales and measured. God, math is wonderful. He was shaking his head, still doubting. I gave him the condensed version of Ruth Stout gardening. He said "Do you REALLY think that's gonna work?" I told him it was only going to cost me $80 to find out. So, he said "No, its not gonna cost you ANYTHING to find out. I've got 10 bales of last years hay and I'll GIVE it to you, just to see this!" So, to paraphrase Forest Gump, crazy is as crazy does.
thistlebloom
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Crazy people often get taken care of that way 
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.Mini Horses
Herd Master
Yes to both above!! Part of our "give this a thought" efforts to guide you.
Your neighbor is GREAT!! Disbelievers can be useful. In the Spring, you will be able to get him to "help" plant, as
he shows you your wrong ways. Maybe he isn't aware of how WELL potatoes will grow in straw. 
frustratedearthmother
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SCORE! Ten bales free? That's fantastic!
- Thread starter
- #39
Xerocles
Loving the herd life
[QUOTE="Mini Horses, post: 633065, member: Maybe he isn't aware of how WELL potatoes will grow in straw.
[/QUOTE]
Oh, this is a "win-win" for my neighbor. Remember, this is where I grew up. And the local mind-set is "if Grandpaw didn't do it, I ain't gonna do it." No till gardening in general is a foreign concept.
So, if this works, he tells all his friends "You not gonna believe this. I saw it with my own eyes."
If it fails he says "yeah, moved to the city and came back with these crazy newfangled ideas". And all he invested was some hay that he had no use for anyhow.
But, I don't care. I'm grateful to him for the neighborly help.
[/QUOTE]
Oh, this is a "win-win" for my neighbor. Remember, this is where I grew up. And the local mind-set is "if Grandpaw didn't do it, I ain't gonna do it." No till gardening in general is a foreign concept.
So, if this works, he tells all his friends "You not gonna believe this. I saw it with my own eyes."
If it fails he says "yeah, moved to the city and came back with these crazy newfangled ideas". And all he invested was some hay that he had no use for anyhow.
But, I don't care. I'm grateful to him for the neighborly help.
Beekissed
Herd Master
I LOVE that story! I can't wait until you show him what you've grown there. I think you too will be amazed at how quickly the soil grows soft under that layer of hay, as the worms ascend to feed on it. It's like a huge buffet for earthworms....they drag the small particles down into their tunnels and slowly but surely the soil is softened by their tunneling, mulch matter is incorporated into the topsoil and worm castings build up.
Now, here's what you need for any hay sprouts that spring up in the spring. Trust me, it will be the most valuable hoe you've ever owned for no till gardening, particularly with hay......pricey but worth every single penny. Be careful of the edges....sharp enough to kill someone if you need it to.
Now, here's what you need for any hay sprouts that spring up in the spring. Trust me, it will be the most valuable hoe you've ever owned for no till gardening, particularly with hay......pricey but worth every single penny. Be careful of the edges....sharp enough to kill someone if you need it to.
