My PC died!

The PC started rebooted it self at random for the last few days and it finally died today. I set up a very old pc I had running Win 7 and figured I’ll see if it can be upgraded.  I thought Win 10 required  fairly modern PC parts. Not so! I 1 GB CPU and 1 GB of memory is the min. specs needed to run Win 10 along with space on the hard drive for the OS.

I moved a couple of the SSD hard drives from the dead PC to this one and it booted into win 10 on it’s own. Heck I figured I might as well see if my  Win 7 HP laptop with an intel I5 CPU could load Win 10. I have a Win 10 disc. You can’t download Win 10 from Microsoft but a disc will work just fine. Loading Win 10 on the laptop took several hours so it is not fast but it does work. I opened a browser surfed the web started fortnite so it is doable!  I have to remove more of the WIN 10 bloat and spyware in the future. I marked NO to all of the stuff the Win 10 wants to install to “help me” be productive. there is still more junk/bloat to clean up.

Window 7 OS is loosing the support of most software companies and internet browser, but Win 10 is still supported by most companies. It is the nature of the Microsoft beast. Everyone runs windows so almost all hardware companies work on newer versions of windows. Same thing for most software.  I still want to try a linux build on an old PC once I get in the parts and build a more up to date PC. I have to admit I was completely wrong on the PC specs needed to run Win 10.

That said, PC part prices are still insane. My build cost came in around $650.00 and I bought AMD parts that at least 2-3 generations old. Now this will be a big upgrade for me but if you are building or buying a pre-built PC for gaming, streaming, rendering and things like that you will pay for it! Now building your own  PC tends to give you the best bang for your buck. Compared to buying a built PC in a store or online.  I would say you can build a very good mid-range PC for around $1000.00 and buy about the same midrange PC in a store/online for around $1500.00.

Once I get all the parts and build the new Desktop PC I’ll give you my total cost of parts and if it works, all the bench marks and impressions of how it works. If it doesn’t work I’ll give you the details and the work arounds that were needed to get it working.

If you have an older AMD4 mother board from 2018 or newer you have a lot of upgrades you can make for relatively little money as AMD is very backward compatible with it’s parts. AMD is hinting that it will be doing another big change so backward compatible and buying a mobo for future growth/upgrades might be going away soon. Intel is making the fastest stuff right now but I have know idea how backward compatible Intel CPUs and Motherboards are today or how well they can be for future upgrades.

Computers and smart phones are part of daily life so you will need them but you can also limit them from spying on you. You can build a descent desktop for under $1000.00. I think it is good that every one have a laptop as a back up PC and I saw a Dell running an I5 Intel CPU on Win 10 for $200.00 on newegg.com. You can still get an older good basic laptop for low cost. Building or buying a good desktop will cost some bucks.

I doubt CPU and graphic cards will drop in price in the near future. I had hope when the Crypto bros. started getting hammered with fraud coin mining GPUs might start coming down in price. Now all the idiots are chasing AI and powerful GPUs are a cheap way to train AI.  AI is not really AI it just simulates AI.  Just like us humans AI is subject to GIGO (Garbage in/Garbage Out).

Work day for Mom/Mother’s day gift

I helped Mom get a few jobs done though the day had a few glitches.

Mom wanted to me update the back up on her computer and clean up the laptop files.  Mom could not find her backup hard drive.  These things happen to everyone. You think you have a thing in a certain place and then it is not there! The drive is somewhere in the house it will take a bit of time to find it. I was able to take some junk files and bloat ware off the laptop. Mom says the laptop seems aa bit faster, so one job done.

I brought out my weed eater to help Mom cut down the weeds around her wood pile area and Mom’s weed eater finally died after acting wonky for a couple of weeks. I will tear the bad weed eater apart and see if it is a pulled wire or in line fuse popping like my Ryobi limb saw.  I got to use Mom Bushwalker weed eater after some cussing getting it going for the first time this year. We had all the issues. Flooded carb, cable to engage the cutter acting a bit wonky. Normal stuff you deal with getting gas powered equipment going after it has sat for awhile/6 months.

I cleaned out Mom’s wood stove stove cap and it was a little gunky with creosote but not as bad as I expected. I think Mom’s chimney will need to be clean from the top/roof down to the wood stove rather than from the wood stove up. I’ll need to add a few tools to remove the top pipe of the chimney but I think it will actually be an easier chimney cleaning compared to working the cleaning pipes through all the angles from the bottom up.

I gave Mom a few tomato, bush bean and pepper plants from the local farm store to start getting her garden planted. I gave her a few seed potatoes for her to plant. I think she might plant the potatoes in planters rather than the garden.

We didn’t get everything done that we wanted but we still got a lot done!!  Laptop files cleaned up and running faster. Wood pile area cleared of weeds and ready for the wood delivery next week. Garden weeds knocked down so a person can  get to the garden beds and a few starter plants ready to be planted. The plants don’t care if you started them from seed or you bought plants at the local mega-mart/greenhouse.  Never let “perfection” be the enemy of good enough.

I’m going to update/upgrade my PC and I bought an okay for upgrading though the MOBO is old it can still get a boost in performance adding newer components. Sad to say that most folks can’t get away from using Windows OS but I think I have a plan to stop the OS from “phoning home to Microsoft” as much as MS wants. I want to set up a Linux OS on one of my older PC’s and see how well it can work for a basic computer for Email, web browsing, Word processing and just to see how an older PC can still do a lot of things outside the norm of gaming or using up to date software and are there work arounds. Ease of use for the average PC user will be the focus. I I’m hoping I can make a Linux system that is close to a Windows OS with a bit more control if you want to get into Cmd lines and a little bit of programing.  I doubt I’m the only person with an old PC or laptop that can not be upgraded to Win 10 or Win 11. You might as well try some sort of Linux OS to keep using that PC.

Potatoes finally planted!!!

I was worried I would not give the potatoes enough time to chit before planting and many got a lot more time than I had anticipated due to the wonky weather.  I used a kiddie pool for the last of the red potato plantings. I added some cardboard walls around the pool so I could mound up dirt/straw as the plants grow.  I covered the pool with some fencing to keep the pets out of the pool until I can start adding straw mulch, as the mulch keeps most critters out of the beds.

I really like using the frost cloth or bird netting to cover the garden beds, compared to putting up fencing around the garden. For one thing my cats can get over 3 foot fencing with no problem, birds and squirrels don’t give a second thought to any fence I have put up.  I’m going to set up areas that are fenced off in the garden rather than try and fence off  all of the garden area.

I did a bit of shopping and Grocery Outlet had some large self watering planters that are as big as the party buckets I was going to buy, but if I can get a self watering planter for the same price of $10.00 I’m going to buy it. I looked up this large planter and the price for it at Home Depot is over $30.00!  Thing is about Grocery Outlet is you have to buy when the store has it in stock as there no guarantee it will be in stock long term. I love large planting pots as you can use them anywhere and if a plant does not like one place because of to much or to little sun you can move the pot to a new spot.  I lost one of my soaker hoses over the winter so I bought 2 hoses as I don’t like the sprinkler that I tried out for the potato rows.

For Mother’s Day  I am giving Mom a work day of  helping her do some yard and garden clean up.            I bought some tomato and pepper plants for my and Mom’s garden as my starting plants are not great.  This will get both of our gardens started off with some plants.  I gave Mom a 4 ft. .x 4ft. raise bed and the walls for building a compost pile.  My Mom is a little strange as she would prefer aa garden box and work rather than diamonds or pearls.  Perhaps more people are thinking that way again, or it is just my hope.

Get those gardens in and have ways to preserve whatever you grow. I have a great talent of finding what does not work. Occasionally I find ways to make stuff works by trial and error.  I would prefer that my starter plants did well but they haven’t so far. So I buy starter plants or direct sow. Those options tend to work well for me. This ain’t Instagram or Social media what ever works to produce what you want/need for food is a good thing. If you grow herbs in a windowsill for the cost of seed packet and don’t pay $4.00 for some herb in a store good on you! If you pay $5.00 for a tomato plant and get several pounds of tomatoes and don’t pay mega mart prices. Good for you!!  It is okay to start small with a balcony or patio garden of pots even if you have a yard. There is nothing wrong with buying from a Farmer/Farmer’s Market if you don’t have the space for a garden. I don’t have space for a cow. That does not mean I won’t buy milk or beef locally!

Change your mindset! Do what you can and if you can’t do a thing find someone locally that can do that thing you need. At the end of the day no one cares if I suck at starting seeds and have lousy starter plants besides me. No one will care how you make your garden but you.  No one cares more about you than you! Not the government.  I have built up an impressive wood pile and I’m the one that cuts the kindling.  Always remember who is doing the work when people try to gaslight you. You are doing the work!! If the gas  lighters have better plan. Let them “trot” it out. The gaslighter’s always play to your emotions and not logic. I know common sense can be very rare but always test shat the PTB’s say.

Working in the garden and it’s been chilly.

I got a couple of the old party buckets moved to the potato patch but one of the buckets has a huge crack in the lower part of the bucket so it is a no go for potatoes. One bucket is in great shape so I can plant a few more potatoes. I might have to buy a few of these large buckets at $10.00 to finish planting all of the potatoes. The nice thing about the broken party bucket is still holds soil. I can use that extra soil to mound up around the potato plants. I want to lay down some of the galvanized fencing over the potato rows as my pet seem to think the frost cover is a blanket for them to lay on.

The garden fencing over two of my raised beds is doing a great job so far keeping the critters out of the beds. I have bought more of this type of fencing for the rest of the garden but I’m paying about $9.00 per compared to $4.00 for the Miracle-Gro stuff I got from Grocery Outlet in late March early April.  I would recommend getting this type of fencing/barrier if you have pets or to deal with small pets, squirrels and birds getting into your garden beds.

I moved a couple of the kiddie pool planters into the garden area.  It is amazing just how much dirt is in a small pool and how heavy it can get.  I’ll use the pools for leaf lettuce and spinach as those plants have shallow roots. I have seen gardeners add some low fencing around these kiddie pools and plant root crops by building up the depth of the soil. I have not tried that but it could be an option for a low cost bed. These kiddie pools are a great option for growing herbs as herbs like mint can spread if not contained.

It has been getting a little chilly at night.  My temp. gauge registered 31 F. overnight and it looks like we might see 30-35 degrees F. until May 8th. I added some frost cloth over my Strawberries that are starting to blossom. I’m not sure if the blossoms are affect by frost but it is easy to drape the cloth just in case.

I have added fire wood as the house can get a little cold overnight. I just start a fire during the day and the house holds the heat for at least a day.  This is Idaho and I have seen it snow as late as May 18th. Being prepped for cold weather is a year round thing.

I was having a heck of time keeping the chickens water food and water dishes clear of dirt/debris. I don’t mind cleaning/adding water a few times a day but the birds need access to clean food and water to stay healthy.  Mom suggested putting the feed and waterers up on cinder blocks and by golly it worked. While there is some straw and a little bit of stuff in the waterer and feed it is easy to remove and does not clog/fill with dirt. I have added an extra bowl of oyster shell and grit so the birds can get what they want. This seems to work better than adding it to the regular feeder.

I did a bit more shopping and added another 15 bags of brown mulch from Lowes. This is much better  bagged mulch that you can get from Home depot. You get 2 cubic feet compared to 1.5 and the quality is better in my opinion.  I bought a few concrete blocks that are for making raise beds but I think the blocks might work for building a greenhouse foundation. I can play around with it and see what I can come up with on the job. I can see how these blocks would be great for a new gardener using raised beds. If you placed a bed in the wrong spot just move it and it costs nothing but a bit of work.

Yard work today

I got the lawn mowed again as the last mowing was not very good since the grass got so tall. My little electric mower struggled to get through the grass and the mower bag filled up so fast that I had cut grass clump spread all over the yard.  I got out an old mower blade and sharpened it up a little bit using a file. There were some gouges in the blade I did not file out. I just wanted to see how a little bit of sharpening the blade would affect how the mower cut grass. Even that little bit of sharpening with a file made a difference on how well the blade cut.  I want to use my bench grinder on one of the mower blades  to remove the gouges and get the blade sharpened up. Then I can switch out the blades and sharpen the back up mower blade.

The mower still struggled a bit on a section of taller grass but I got all of the lawn cut to the same height. It should be easier to maintain it going forward into summer. I still need to add some of the bug killer and grass seed in some bare patches but the weed & feed application did a good job limiting most of the weeds and growing the grass. I don’t expect perfection, just progress!

I gave the chickens a lawn mower’s bag worth of grass clipping from the front yard. My birds are not eating a lot of the chicken feed I offer but I have added some of the old compost pile, straw and grass clippings for the birds to scratch around in the run. I added a large food dish with Oyster shell and grit and the birds liked that better than offering it with the normal feed. The waterers is the biggest problem as the birds tend to scratch dirt and straw into the waterers and foul the water.  I have been using bricks to elevate the waterers but Mom recommends cinder blocks for water/food containers in the chicken pen. In May I can afford to add a couple of blocks and see if the waterers stay cleaner.

Folks, save egg cartons for people that sell or give out eggs. Give them to people that offer eggs for sale. I know wee live in a disposable society but egg cartons are great for folks that want to sell/give away eggs for free to help people out.  I have bought egg cartons  for .39 cents to 42 cents and I have seen folks give away eggs for free all they want is the egg carton returned. Try any farmer’s market that has people that sells eggs and give/sell egg cartons for  a dime or a quarter or work a trade.

We have a light frost forecasted of temps that might 30-32 degrees F. locally. I’ll add a frost cloth over the straw berry pots but most of the garden plants can handle a a lite frost.

My plants started indoors look pathetic. I think it is a timing issue and I’ll try again  starting plants mid summer. Until then I’m focused on making new garden rows and direct sowing.  My starting plants does not work. I just don’t know why it doesn’t work!!

Most plants need less than 180 days to harvest even if direct sown. I’ll plant seeds and see how that works out.

Keep at it but don’t stress if things don’t work out. Mama nature has a strange sense of humor.

I got half of the potatoes planted in rows

I got a little more than half of the seed potatoes planted in rows and then ran out of space. I have a couple of large 18 gallon “party”  buckets that I can use for planting more of the seed potatoes once I get them set into place. I know I’m a bit late but “life” happens and something has to give when you run out of energy.  My physically energy is limited by my disability. Other people’s energy and time is limited by jobs and family. There are only so many hours in a day and sometimes you just got to accept you don’t meet all the timelines on the stuff you want to get done.

I finally got the lawn mowed and the grass was so deep my electric mower struggled cutting it. I need to add some bad bug killer on the lawn and then give it another mowing but the lawn is looking much better this spring compared to last year. The front yard bed I planted in Garlic and peas is looking good so far. Laying down the galvanized fencing has helped keep the cats and squirrels from digging up the pea plants.

I started the weeding/cleanup of another raised bed and the soil in this bed is not as good the first bed but I can add some soil and amendments to improve the soil. I’ll direct sow some root crops and leafy stuff like lettuce and spinach to maximize the growing space.  I bought a bit of garden netting early this spring and I love it!!  This netting can be draped over garden beds like a frost cloth and it keeps out pets and other small critters. This netting is cheap compared to using a fence and if you have cats you know a fence is just a simple challenge to them. I’m sure more experience gardeners are saying well DUH!! But using this type of fencing/drape across garden beds is new to me.

Boomer the dog pushed his way into the chicken pen.. He did not hurt the birds but he scared the birds.. I added some fence posts and tighten up the wire to keep the doggo out of the chicken run.  Boomer showed me the weak spots in the run and no birds were hurt in the process. Now if a coon or a large cat had found those weak points in the run I might have had a dead or badly injured chicken. So overall it worked out well.  I want to add large pavers to the chicken run for the water jugs, since chickens scratch and don’t pay much attention if they dirty the water or feed. An 18 inch paver should help keep the water cleaner from the scratching chickens.  Give your chickens compost to work. If you use a bagged mower dump the grass in the chicken pen and let the chickens scratch through it then add it to the compost pile.

Moved the compost pile and added an extension to the chicken run

I know it is early days with the chickens and they are a bit stress with the move and dealing with my dog lunging at the birds to see if they will react. A couple of the birds dropped some feathers but I think it is a stress reaction and not a true molting. I’m getting 2-3 eggs daily from three birds so the feed and coop is probably good.  I moved the Chicken house extension where I keep the compost heap and shoveled some of the compost into that extension for the birds to scratch around. I added a couple of burlap bags to the chicken run to block run wall to block my dog lunging and trying to spook the chickens and added a small tarp to the chicken extension so the birds start feeling more secure.  A couple of times Boomer the dog followed me into the coup and he did not lunge at the birds. He was just curious about this new things.

I have read Apple cider vinegar can help with stress in chickens and a good supplement to keep birds healthy. I don’t have a good organic Apple sider vinegar on hand but I added some to the chickens water jug. I added plain water in a smaller jug in case the chickens don’t like the apple cider vinegar.  I added some perching area but I may have to make some adjustments plane the boards a bit smaller and easier to grip by the chickens.  I want the chickens to be happy and while I’m getting good egg output so far. I want to make the best coop for chickens in my power.

Yep, inflation is ramping up. I spent $50.00 and filled 2 gas cans. I splurged and bought ethanol free gas for $4.29 per gallon. I notice that diesel is cheaper per gallon than gas here in SW Idaho. Six weeks  ago gas was about $3.20 per gallon now it is $4.20. You won’t see your wages or Social Security payments keep pace with that level of inflation.

Mom is coming by to get her new phone that is better for texting. We will do a little gardening cleanup and I hope she will bring her dually truck to load up a raised bed and parts of my compost heap.  It is hard to run a truck that gets 8-12 miles per gallon at best. If you have heavy load. MPG is no problem.  Running around town with that gas consumption is a bitch.

Bi-Mart is having another Cyber sale of a large can of Yuban coffee for $5.99 per 37 oz. can. Don’t assume you can buy things on sale. Or things will always be available at any price. Coffee bean prices are going up because Africa has weather events not conducive for a good coffee harvest. Cocoa harvests look bad for Africa and America because of the weather. It’s not climate change it is weather. We had aa Strong El nino in the Pacific ocean last year now we have an La Nina event. That has happened for centuries and is well documented. Nothing new, just adapt and overcome.

Funny how bird flu became a thing. When people started keeping chickens, and refused to pay for cooperate $3.00-5.00 for a dozen eggs. .Now Avian Flu is infecting Cattle. Yet no cattle have been put down because of avian flu. Funny that.

I have chickens and rototilling the potato bed

My aunt dropped three chickens today. She has been very busy with her goats so it was very nice of her to get me the chickens considering how busy she has been this spring.  I’m glad I started off with 3 chickens as the chicken run looks a lot smaller with three full size chickens pecking and scratching.  The chickens figured out the ramp into the chicken house and three seem to fit in the house without crowding. The only way six chicken could fit in this house is if the bird were a small breed like bantams. From the reviews I have read and seeing the chicken in the house and run, I guess most manufacturers overstate the number of chicken a run/house can hold by a third at best. 

Boomer the dog was very interested in the chickens and barked, charged the birds for a bit after the delivery. Thee chickens were a little flighty being in a new spot but adding some grass clippings and scratch helped calm the birds down. I kept Boomer the dog indoors for about 30-45 minutes after the chicken delivery so all of the critters could calm down. I added a landscape log in the run along the wall of the run as Boomer was pushing the door and it was starting to open.  I added a few more zip ties to secure the chicken wire that started to gap after the chicken delivery. I will get a few of the landscape timbers to line the inside of the chicken run, to prevent chickens getting out and my pets getting in the run.  The first day of having chickens went well.

I got the potato bed roto-tilled. I moved the 4’x4′ raised bed and the bed was in better shape than I had anticipated. There is a little bit of rot but I made the bed out of reclaimed deck boards. So a little rot is no surprise. Mom wants this raised bed box for her garden since I’m not using it. I think Mom can get another year or two use out of the wood framing for a raised bed. 

I roto-tilled the potato rows adding in the rabbit manure I got from my aunt last year and the soil I recovered from the 4×4 bed I just removed.  I thought I might have some celery that reseeded but it was a couple of parsnips that had grown this spring.  Pretty impressive that the parsnips grew to a nice size after winter and growing in the spring. I had a few small carrots coming up but they were very small.  I need to rethink how I plant root crops as some seem to survive a mild winter and start growing quickly in early spring.

I set up a couple of the raised beds with Miracle-Gro “deer” fencing I bought on sale at a local Grocery Outlet store and I’m thrilled with the product. I doubt many deer would be restrained by this fencing but it is a netting with a small weave that will obstruct smaller critters like cats, squirrels and even birds from getting into your garden beds. I have two garden beds 2.5 feet wide x 10 feet long with an 18 in. walk way between the beds. The 14 foot deer fencing will cover both beds if you use 24 inch pvc pipe or wood supports like for frost cloth. 

Good news on the front yard garden beds. the peas are starting to come up and the garlic is growing better than I expected after planting in early Spring rather than late fall. I mowed the grass patch in the backyard. Though mowing the front lawn needs to be done and it will be chore as the grass has gotten a bit over grown. The weed & feed treatment was not perfect on the lawn but weeds in the front yard seem to be a bit less this year. 

Jury duty done. Yard cleanup and garden work

There was a bit of screw up on my jury duty as the case was set to go to trial and then some conflict on a witness caused a plea agreement rather than a trial. Worked out great for me as I get credit for jury duty and have a two year exemption from jury duty and the rest of April is cleared for any jury duty.

I was physically wiped out going for jury duty as my sleep schedule tends to get a bit wonky in the Spring. I’m a bit of a night owl and getting up early after a few hours of sleep does not make me a happy camper. I got a garden bed cleaned up and let’s say my legs have not built up the gardening muscles and I was more than a little bit sore.  The little garden cart made cleaning up the bed much easier. I’d rather have sore leg muscles than low back muscles bending over a garden bed.  Given time the muscles will build up and the garden work will cause less aches and pains.  I was going to cut up the root bed raised box but Mom says she might want to use it if the box can last another year or two raising plants.  Since I’m trying out a traditional row method Mom is welcome to the box for her garden.

I was the idiot on the big trash pick up/trash cleanup week. As I was doing my taxes I found the trash department bill that had the trash schedule and I missed it. Though you would think the company would have that on the monthly trash schedule online. I have to admit I dropped the ball and it will be a bit of a scramble to get all of the bulk trash items out by April 15th.

The front yard lawn has grown like crazy this month and needs a mowing. I put on some weed and feed and I have a few dandelions but much less than some of the neighbors and much less weeds compared to the last few years. II think I still have some bad bugs in the lawn that need to be eliminated. Then I can add some grass seed this spring on a couple of bare spots.

Next week or two I’m going to focus on the garden prep and the fire wood stacking will be moved down the priority list. While I have started started seeds indoors I’m impressed with the reseeding of plants and how mama nature seems to be better at growing plants in my garden than me.  This year I’m working with what is growing already in the garden and adding plants and sowing seeds around the growing plants. Using the chickens to make compost and adapting my mindset of letting the garden grow as it will and I just make some minor adjustments/improvements.

The herb pots have put on a lot of growth and I can set them outside to harden them off. The peas in toilet rolls has been a complete failure. I think I did not set them up correctly as they did not get/keep enough water for the seeds to grow. The peas in the front yard are not doing well but the garlic is putting on green stalks/leaves like gang busters. Finding out what does not work in your garden is as important as finding out what does work.  The Strawberries are putting out runners and the Raspberry plant is putting lots of green growth. Growing berry plants in the large 18 gallon party buckets is a winner.

At the end of the day every garden and every gardener is unique. You can study, take advise but the only way to know if something works is to do the work and garden might still grow in ways you did not anticipate. You can do everything right, follow all the “rules” of gardening and the garden fails. You can do everything wrong and somehow the garden grows.

All you can do as a gardener is stack the odds in your favor and that starts with building good soil. That takes time more than anything. Sure I added bagged soil and compost to my raised beds but I  added mulch, made my own compost to augment it. I added natural fertilizer and I rotated crops over time. Just to name a few things I have done in the garden.

I think many Americans don’t understand how time makes a difference as we are to use to paying money for convenience. Or get it shipped to you in 24 hours or less.  We don’t know how to slow down and just let things happen naturally. Everything in the USA is on demand by consumers but nature does not work that way.

I know many beginning gardeners can feel frustrated when the garden does not work out like the book, youtube or garden club said. Sorry to say that is your tuition cost. Sometimes everything goes to plan and sometimes it does not. Your garden is not a failure. You are just learning what works for you.  Heck I was afraid to weed my garden in spring as I had no idea how garden plants looked in the early stages of growth until I started plants indoors.  Even if none of my early starts from indoors survived I learned the difference between a weed and garden plant I wanted to grow.

It is okay to feel a little frustrated. Don’t give up!  You will become a better gardener in time. Heck people spend a couple of years learning a trade. Four years in college getting a degree. I would say give yourself 2-4 years trying to grow a garden before you give up. Heck if you buy plants at the local garden center and you get a harvest. Good for you!! It is your garden you make it the best garden for you!!

One garden bed cleaned up and Jury duty

Nice day of 65 degrees F. and the soil has started to dry out a little bit from all the rain. I need to get the potatoes in the ground this weekend. I have to move a few things around before starting the potato rows. One of the things I need to move is a raised bed I used for root crops and celery. I’m finding volunteer celery and carrots growing in that bed. So I need to move those plants before I tear out that bed. I have a bed that is growing volunteer onions. I cleaned out all the weeds so I can move the volunteer celery and carrots to the bed of volunteer onions.  I used a hand garden fork to clear the weeds out so I did not destroy the onions. That bed’s soil is a rich black color and I basically turned over all the soil in that bed using a short one hand little garden fork.  This is the bed I’m moving the volunteer plants from the root crop raised bed that I’m removing for the new potato rows. I found a small tree starting in the bed but I can’t tell if it is a cherry or apple tree but it is putting on buds so I potted it up to give to Mom’s orchard.

I have been amazed by how many volunteer plants I am getting in my raised beds!  It seems that Mama Nature does a better job starting garden crops early outside compared to my starting crops indoors.  I have been reading that many seeds need cold weather to help with the germination process, but I had an explosion of volunteer tomato plants last year as well.  I’m beginning to think is my job is to provide good soil, some protection, regular water and soil amendments and Mama Nature will handle the planting. even if the garden is a little higgledy-piggledy and not neat rows.

While I have cole crop starts for this spring planting. This fall I’m going to plant cole and root crops in October/November weather permitting and see if those crops grow as well as the volunteer plants that have come up the last couple of growing seasons.

The Jury duty timing is less than convenient this month but I will  do my civic duty. I doubt many lawyers would want me on any jury as I believe in Jury Nullification and I have conservative/Constitutional legal views. From what I understand most lawyers prefer a jury that can be persuaded rather than a jury with black/white views of the law. I might be deemed unacceptable to be in the jury pool and get kicked.  But I got my stuff for lunch as eating at a restaurant costs to much and I doubt I’ll have the time or the gas to drive home for lunch since jury duty pays a pittance.

I’m going to move part of the chicken house run section to the garden area as the chicken Isolation area but I need to add another feeder.  I have enough chicken wire from the chicken run to cover the open area of the house run and I think I can set up some solar panels on the roof and power my solar generator. I will gain space in the chicken run to set up a composting ring that the chickens can enjoy and make compost for the garden.  It might be awhile before I get chickens from my Aunt as she is working as late as 10 PM at night feeding baby goats and doing the cleanup after feeding. I need to add a feeder to the Isolation chicken run but over all I think everything is ready when the chickens arrive.