Saving seeds

This past spring I attended a seed swap. I didn't have much to offer this time, since it was my first time attending. However, I think I'll have plenty of seeds saved from the things I've grown so far. A few things I planted just for the seeds. Why? Because I didn't have enough for a full plot.

Saving seeds is a good way to ensure the survival of heritage plants. Some of these plants would be lost forever otherwise. They are generally hardy plants with good production levels. The haven't been genetically modified and the seeds grow true to the mother plant. They are open pollinated, so it's not hard to get viable seeds from them.

I did learn that for tomatoes and cucumbers, you have to put the whole fruit in a bucket or jar and just let it rot. Once rotted completely, you rinse them to get the seeds and let the seeds dry. This method is used to get rid of the gelatinous coating found on their seeds.

Technorati Tags: gardening

Looking at another service provider

I really wish my internet service was working right now. The whole reason I got it was so I could post from the comfort of my home instead of driving to a place where there is free wifi. However, if this keeps up, I'll either switch providers or give it up altogether and just bite the driving bullet.

In the meantime, maybe my provider should be looking at network cable wiring reviews to see what's going wrong with the way they are doing things. It's bad enough that I can only get 1.5gb download capability where I live, but to have it off part of the time, well, it's just not working for me and they shouldn't be satisfied with it either.

Has anyone tried the Verizon air cards? Do they work alright?

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Growing tobacco

This is my first year trying to grow tobacco, and it hasn't really done that well. I started some plants in peat pots and they did sprout, but all died before I could get them outside. I even tried sowing some seeds directly in the ground, but they also failed.

A week or so ago, a friend gave me three or four well-started plants, so I planted them outside. They seem to be doing ok right now. His suggestion was to plant them in a more shady area as our extreme heat has damaged some of his. He started putting bottomless buckets and boxes around his plants and that really helped, he said.

Now, I won't have enough tobacco to really do anything with out of 4 plants, but it's a fun project to try. I'll let Backwoods cigars do that actual growing and harvesting. However, tobacco plants are really pretty and they have very fragrant blooms, so they are a good choice for a flower bed. You do have to watch out for hornworms on them, just like with tomatoes. They can eat a plant down in no time!

Technorati Tags: gardening

Fall gardening time

It's the time of year to plant late and fall gardens. Can you believe summer is halfway over with? I can't, although for a few weeks there -- with extreme high temperatures and drought conditions -- it seemed like it would never end.

For us here in Arkansas, it's time to plant turnips, collards, mustard greens, carrots, lettuce, radishes and even cucumbers and some beans. We've got a lot of growing season left for these quicker crops.

I've already got seeds for everything but the mustard greens, so I'll pick up a small portion of them this coming week. In the meantime, I have plots available for planting everything else. The fall garden should be pretty full and maybe it won't burn up like the summer one did!

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Hot dry summer homesteading

We've been under a terrible drought the past couple of months. It has finally started raining again, though, and I'm very happy and thankful for that. It has almost come to late to save my garden beds, but at least some things will still produce into the fall. I'll be canning, freezing, or dehydrating what I can.

We lost a couple of quails due to the high heat, too. I hated it but then, we really only want the strongest, fittest of them to survive. The ones that are left obviously got pretty hot, but with plenty of fresh water and shade, they made it through the worst days. I'm figuring to buy about 10 more females so we can start having more quail eggs and incubate them for new birds. We will rotate the quails out -- killing the older birds and raising the younger ones for meat and eggs.

The rabbits are doing well. We have kept a fan on them during the hot afternoons and supplied them with frozen water bottles to lay against for cooling down. In the past, I've lost rabbits in the heat and only this year learned of these two tricks to help them beat the heat and be comfortable.

It's time to separate the buck from the does now, so that means a new hutch or at least partitioning off a portion of the current one. We don't want any unexpected breeding to occur. We will also need to build a grow-off hutch for young rabbits that we plan to sell or eat.

The chickens seem to be tolerating the heat OK. They have a very shaded area and plenty of water. They aren't laying eggs yet, so they aren't too stressed. They should start laying in a couple of weeks. The potential for laying hens is pretty impressive. Averaging 300 eggs a year times 8 hens, that's 2400 eggs a year possible, if all goes well. If I break it down into weekly production, it's about 4 dozen eggs a week. During high production months, it can go higher. During low production months, much lower.

Now, we'll never be able to eat all those eggs but in my state we are allowed to sell "country eggs" without inspection or licensing as long as the carton is clearly labeled. We can use cartons we've collected as long as the original printing has been obliterated in some way and we've re-labeled them. We do have to wash the eggs well before we sell them, of course.

Technorati Tags: gardening,weather,homesteading

How to heat this winter?

I am really looking for a good way to heat my small house without going broke on electricity. We aren't allowed to have gas or wood in this house. Well, we can have gas heat if it's vented, but there really isn't a place to put a vented gas heater. So, it means I have to use electric heat instead.

I currently have three of the oil filled radiator heaters, but I'm seriously considering replacing two of them with one infrared heater. The wattage is about the same, but I think the infrared will give off better heat plus it's fan-forced.

Do any of you have any experience with these? I know it's only August and still hot weather, but I really want to be ready when cold weather does come along.

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Surviving

There is a movement afoot. It's a prep movement, and it no longer includes "crazies" who are trying to build a fort against the onslaught of the government and their neighbors. It's ordinary, everyday people trying to live more sustainable lifestyles and getting prepared for whatever nature or the world economy may throw their way.

Some of these folks are in small, efficient cabins and are working toward living off-grid. Others are using RVs, campers, and motor homes. They are making sure their 5th wheel insurance is paid up, but they are also making sure their RVs are more self-sufficient than ever, including adding solar panels and battery banks, composting toilets, and water filtration systems.

In a sense, I'm among them. I live in a small house and I raise much of my own food in an organic manner. I've got a generator, solar panel, batteries, and propane stoves. I've even got kerosene lamps. If the power goes out, or if I can't afford electricity, I can still survive.

What about you?

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Fried gardens

I have my work cut out for me. It's been viciously hot the past few weeks, setting new records for high temperatures. One day, we surpassed 115 degrees F. here, a new all-time high. That's not the kind of records we really want to break!

In the meantime, we've laid low during the day, opting instead to remain indoors and cool. Because of that, we've really fallen behind on our outside chores and projects.

I had hoped by now to have a feed/garden tool shed built. We started it, but didn't get very far on it. We still have to build more rabbit hutches and quail coops if we are going to be able to live more self-sufficiently throughout the winter.

The gardens have really suffered with the heat, too. My tomato plats practically fried with me not having gotten a single fruit from them. I don't think even a raleigh business lawyer could find compensation for the damage this unusually hot weather has wrought.

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Training for home business

I am hoping to develop my quail operation to the point that I can actually earn a little income from the sale of birds and eggs. I might also be able to sell chicken eggs, since country eggs in our state do not have to be from a licensed farm.

I know not everyone can do these things, but there might be other options for generating income where you don't have to go to a regular job every day. For instance, you might look into chiropractic school. You could set up your own small clinic and help people with this alternative form of medicine. My own sister has used a chiropractor several times over the years to relieve the pain she sometimes gets in her back.

You also might look into cosmetology and have your own hair salon at your home or build a small shop near your home for it.

Just use your imagination -- what are some things you could train for that would allow you to stay home and still earn income?

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Fresh quail and eggs

I have entered into a new phase of self-sufficiency. Besides raising chickens, which will begin laying eggs very soon, I've started raising quail.

We began with three different breeds but have decided on one breed that is larger and they are more docile. Quails generally are still wild birds and behave that way every time you approach the cages. The most skittish ones we have are Golden Manchurian and White Texas A&M. The more calm ones are Jumbo Brown Coturnix.

All the females will lay eggs -- up to 300 a year. We've already enjoyed several dozen eggs from them. We had too many males so we killed some and had them for a couple of lunches. I figure that keeping the quails alive till we're ready to eat them is better than having to process them all at once.

These birds will give us a source of meat and eggs that are fresh all the time, and we know they haven't been fed hormones or antibiotics.

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