Bill Astell

It was an interesting practice indeed in days gone by, from England to Iran.  I suspect the pigeon would have been a specialized variety that may no longer exist.  They would be birds particularity adept at earning a living off the countryside.  There are hundreds if not thousand of pigeon varieties created by humans for various purposes.  I have homing / racing pigeons.  They travel all over my 30 acres to graze but I have to feed them daily as they have huge need for food.  I do harvest great manure from them.  I think I once read it is 3 X stronger than chicken manure.  At one time I thought it would be an interesting to try the dovecote thing but today one would have to develop a pigeon strain that works with the system.  It could be done as pigeon are very quick to mutate and adapt to the needs of the keepers.

Go on google and type in feed stores your area.  The Co-op is one of the most widely spread.  You can buy a 80 pound bag of barley for around $15.      

For me record keeping has become one of the most important parts of gardening.  I keep an ongoing journal, which includes planting dates, best varieties and sources along with everything garden related.  Included in my journal  is planting locations.  When a written description of locations is not adequate I draw maps.  These maps are taped in the back of my journals and updated when new plant go in.  For me a journal is the cheapest yet most important tool a gardener can own.    

The solution can be fairly simple for the non vegan types like me.  Squirrels and rabbits are simply one more tasty part of a garden.  Eat your problem.  Shooting and eating squirrels is not common in Ontario but in some areas of north america it is.  Squirrels are quite edible.  Once you get the taste for them you will want more than your garden can provide.  

I wouldn't be too fast in planting comfrey.  If you get the wrong kind you will find it is a weed that you can never get rid of.  I had some arrive in my garden in some free topsoil 10 years ago and every year I try to dig it out but the roots go down to hell.  If I till it the plant becomes a hundred plants.  An old man's advise is back peddle  as soon as you see comfrey!  

Maureen Atsali wrote:Hi Everyone,
I'm in Vermont, which seems more like "the great white north" than Eastern USA.  I hope I'm in the right forum.  I spent the last 8 years in Africa. This will be my first year back in Vermont.  I'm feeling kind of bleak as I face the long, dark winter.  What do you do during the winter?

Maureen

Light the wood stove, carve spoons, sprout beans, make sauerkraut, play my instrument, make up an interesting tasty dish, surf the net to learn about anything, watch a movie, repot and care for indoor plants, scratch my dogs neck, feed the outside critters,  do some woodworking project, read a book / magazines, write in my garden journal, trim trees in my little forest, begin again!    

Kali Hermitage wrote:Apologies if this has been done to death, I haven't been able to find anything in my searches.

Do any of you with small backyard gardens have suggestions for recycling used potting soil? I have several pots worth of what was good soil that's used up, and my thought was to add chicken or steer manure along with other compost and use it on my beds as topsoil/mulch. Any issues with that or other suggestions?

Thanks!

I just throw the old soil and dead plants onto my garden a dig them under.  As I add compost, manure, dead leaves, whatever to build the garden soil the old potting soil will be recycled.