Gardening 2023

[user 7704]

I suppose it could be the cold that kills off the ticks. Even the coons, coyotes and fox that I skin don't have ticks. Could be they drop off in the fall.
I spend all spring crawling through brush, weeds and grass repairing fence, never seen a tick on me. I always have my wife do a body search on me when I get back to the house.....
The only vermin that I run across in the brush are rattlesnakes.

I'll take ticks over rattlesnakes any day.

 

[Mountain trapper]

I'll take ticks over rattlesnakes any day.

Most of the rattlers I kill here are around the house, barn and garden. A few years ago the wife found one in her Jeep. Generally a rattlesnake will sound a warning. Ticks aren't as nice.

 

[rainingcatzanddogs]

I'll take ticks over rattlesnakes any day.

Rattlers sometimes have ticks...lol.

 

[EastenerWesterner]

I used to call the daily wild turkey in the yard the morning flea and tick patrol. Problem is I haven’t see a turkey in 4 months. That concerns me.
I bet the opossum population goes up.
The deer around here are loaded with ticks. Gotta let them hang til the ticks jump off.
Rattlers, get rid of their food source. I went from 10 a year to 1. No more rodent problems in the house either.

 

[user 6208]

One of the things I hate about living in the deep woods. We've been pulling them off the dogs for days now.

My son's dog has been on Ivermectin for a couple of years now. Monthly dose, I think. This area is covered in critters, but the dog has never had any issues with any parasites including ticks.

It's not exactly a scientific study, but my experience tells me the dog should pick up at least one once in a while. Years ago, my dog would pick up half a dozen just going out to take a leak.

 

[user 7704]

That's the amount we humans got prior to getting chicken. We would check each other every day after being outside. Nasty little boogers

 

[Survivor_316]

My son's dog has been on Ivermectin for a couple of years now. Monthly dose, I think. This area is covered in critters, but the dog has never had any issues with any parasites including ticks.

It's not exactly a scientific study, but my experience tells me the dog should pick up at least one once in a while. Years ago, my dog would pick up half a dozen just going out to take a leak.

That's interesting. I should try it.
You'd think with our birds, we'd have less, but they don't seem to be able to keep up with the deer!

As far as rattlesnakes (and water moccasins), it worries me when the kids go to the creek and crawl around the caves. I have banned them from the area during the spring.

 

[DrHenley]

Unless you are getting down in the swamp with them (all bets are off then, LOL), the only time we have to worry about cottonmouths is when their water holes are drying up and they are looking for water. They get really cranky then.

 

[Survivor_316]

Unless you are getting down in the swamp with them (all bets are off then, LOL), the only time we have to worry about cottonmouths is when their water holes are drying up and they are looking for water. They get really cranky then.

I said water moccasins. I meant copperheads, though. Water moccasins were when we lived further south. Copperheads are here.
I always get those two confused.... mostly because when I see them, I don't stop to investigate!

 

[DrHenley]

Got copperheads too, and canebrake rattlers (AKA timber rattler), although we rarely see them. I used to see a lot of black runners, and killed few with a shotgun (pure reflexes, I wouldn't have killed them on purpose) but I haven't seen one in years. A few rat snakes.
Mostly just cottonmouths now.

 

[EastenerWesterner]

Garter, rat, and king are protected snakes on my place.

Not seeing them anymore is a result of not having a food source.
Used to stop on the road and talk to a herpetologist doing surveys. She would drive 4 miles up and hike in 8 miles everyday. She was amazed on the amount of rattlers she had to study.

 

[user 7704]

I hate snanakes. As my daughter whonwasn6 at the time, said "snake". I asked how big and she said "big enough".

 

[GeorgiaPeachie]

It is going to depend on the person I think, like most barter items. If you don't drink and I offer a bottle of wine for some .22 ammo, you aren't going to be interested. If a lot of people around you are preppers and have a lot of their own seeds, they might not be as interested as those who were caught flat footed...in which case, they may not have anything to trade that you need.

Diversification is key. There are many around here who grow gardens, but not nearly all. Those will be the ones caught without seeds. I’ve put away other items for trade such as sugar, salt and spices we can’t grow here.

 

[user 7704]

Diversification is key. There are many around here who grow gardens, but not nearly all. Those will be the ones caught without seeds. I’ve put away other items for trade such as sugar, salt and spices we can’t grow here.

My major barter item seems to be alcohol. My BIL's family owns a distributorship and he gives us cases of stuff. Odd flavored whisky, like blackberry, honey, etc. My guess people won't be picky if they are jonesing. I have other barter stuff, but mostly alcohol.

 

[Survivor_316]

I like snakes that are the sweet, unfanged kind.

When we first moved here, I stumbled upon a copperhead at my front door. The dogs must have spooked it. It came after me. I yelled at my girls to get the dogs inside and I got between them and the snake with nothing but a big stick. It sunk its fangs into that stick a couple of times before my husband came out with his Snake Slayer and shot it.

In case anyone is wondering, Snake Slayer is a misnomer and I now carry my gun on my even to walk the dogs!

 

[Mountain trapper]

My wife carries a big pointy stick wherever she goes during summer for snakes. Every vehicle and atv has a pistol and there's a 10/22 that hangs out on the back deck. In the laundry room closet is a .410 lever action just in case.
I do what I can to eliminate food for the rattlers. I shoot or trap every chipmunk and tree squirrel I see around here. Every building has mouse traps and poison bait and in the garden I gas or use poison peanuts for the gophers. It's almost a full time job killing the vermin around the house. That's one of the reasons I never trap or shoot the coyotes or fox near the house. And yet I still have to kill rattlesnakes around the house every year. Although not as many as I used to.

 

[user 7704]

You guys could've warned me...... lol

I put the dandelions in the dehydrator and the yellow flowers turned into the white seeds and popped all over the place. Lesson leaned. Do not dehydrate dandelion flowers. I guess I'll use in tinctures.

 

[dirtdiva]

Plums and Nanking cherries blooming. My English peas are sprouting and green or spring onions are up. Sweet potatoes in the kitchen window are sprouting to beat the band and soon will be ready to start rooting sprouts.

 

[DrHenley]

My black cherry trees are all confused. On is is full bloom, and one is just starting to bloom, both of which have fully developed leaves. The other one is still mostly bare with the leaf buds just starting to open. The one that is bare is the one that has been the best producer before. Later is definitely better because the pollinators are more active in the warmer weather.
They are pollinated by the cutest little sweat bees that look like miniature ant sized honeybees.

 

[GeorgiaPeachie]

There were a ton of bees around my fruit trees the other day! Have never seen so many. Very happy to them though!!

 

[user 7704]

Lost a rather large limbs off of my plum tree yesterday. The wind was very rough. Husband said he saw four 18 wheelers overturned on his trip from Indiana.

 

[Survivor_316]

Lost a rather large limbs off of my plum tree yesterday. The wind was very rough. Husband said he saw four 18 wheelers overturned on his trip from Indiana.

Could you try regrafting it?

There were trees down all over the place here and flooding in places that are almost never flooded. I am glad he got home safely.

 

[user 7704]

We just had a family dandelion picking. Got enough to make a tincture.

 

[Survivor_316]

My new hot peppers finally sprouted. I had to pull out all of the tricks to coax them into it, though.

Many of my older cruciferous veggie seeds didn't sprout, though, so I bought some new. I have to be better about the way I save seed. I have always fumed new seed into the same old envelope to save envelopes and I am regretting that poor choice.

My blueberry cuttings all died because I let them dry out. All that work, down the drain!

I have about a dozen other shrubs and vines to sell this spring, though, so I'm happy about that!

 

[Mountain trapper]

The wife picked up one of those cheap little greenhouses today. She wants to set it up in the TV room upstairs and put the sprouts in it. It's a lot warmer upstairs and the sun, when it comes out, shines in the TV room. We have over 3 feet of snow in the garden area right now.

 

[user 6208]

The wife picked up one of those cheap little greenhouses today.

I can't find where those "cheap little greenhouses" are discussed here. Would you happen to have a link?

 

[Proud Prepper]

I can't find where those "cheap little greenhouses" are discussed here. Would you happen to have a link?

I got this one, it's about $500

VEIKOUS 6' x 12' Walk-in Greenhouse, Polycarbonate Greenhouses for Outdoors with Vent and Rain Gutter, Heavy-Duty Winters, Aluminum Hobby Green House, Silver, greenhouse-sl-13, 6 x 12 FT

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0BD4ZFDRX?psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_mob_b_asin_title#

 

[Survivor_316]

I got this one, it's about $500

VEIKOUS 6' x 12' Walk-in Greenhouse, Polycarbonate Greenhouses for Outdoors with Vent and Rain Gutter, Heavy-Duty Winters, Aluminum Hobby Green House, Silver, greenhouse-sl-13, 6 x 12 FT

What kind of foundation did you use?

 

[Proud Prepper]

What kind of foundation did you use?

Packed dirt with gravel around the edges.

 

[GeorgiaPeachie]

I can't find where those "cheap little greenhouses" are discussed here. Would you happen to have a link?

Depends on outdoor or indoor and size. Overstock has them as well as Home Depot.