Toni Brock

Hi James-
You've already gotten many great replies but I can't help putting my two cents in.
I have been growing wonderful potatoes for several years now.
The first year I just planted some left over store bought russets. They were the biggest, creamiest, most beautiful, most delicious potatoes I had ever eaten!
The next year I bought some seed potatoes at a local nursery and planted those and my left over store bought potatoes, and once again the store bought russets far outperformed the seed potatoes in taste, size, and production.
I even had some seed pods form and planted those to get little seed potatoes which was fun but not very productive.
Anyway, I love growing potatoes, especially the russets from the store

I did a Berkeley pile last year (with a broken leg!) And that was too much work! But man the soil it created was AMAZING! It made the most wonderful seed starting mix. I also do the "Ruth Stout" bury in the garden method. I have a vermacomposting bin. I am just trying them all. I am trying to include some pics of my compost and seed starting mix.

Wonderful update! Great info and very fun to learn what works and what doesn't. I need more info on over pollination-i am not really sure how he is going to correct for a more consistent production...?
Can anyone elaborate on that? I had a problem with not much production this year either, but I don't know how to correct.

Wow! I am soooo glad Paul sent a notice about this out in his email! I woulda missed it otherwise. I would love to do this. How do we keep up on what is going on? Do I need to RSS a specific post? I would like to participate and would be sad if it went on with out me

David Heaf wrote:Hello everyone from wild, wet, windy, west Wales, where it actually brightened up enough this afternoon for me to nadir three Warrés that were pouring in the pollen.

Hi David ~ what does nadir mean...?

Thank you David and Matt for taking your time to share your expertise here at permies. I personally would like to send out a great big thank you to Matt for putting on a wonderful beginning bee keeping class at his shop last week. I was so greatful for the opportunity to attend. I learned many things. One being my mistake of putting uncapped honey in the brand new Top Bar hive I purchased from Matt. I learned it would attract bees alright, but the robbing kind, and as long as there was robbing of an empty hive going on ~ no bees would move in! Well, so much for me trying to lure a swarm... Now I am trying his recommendation of simply putting white new comb in with a sprinkle of lemon grass oil at the entrance. Oh, I have such high hopes. I also learned to open only one end of the hive with about 10 bars instead of the middle with only 5 bars. Boy, am I a newbee... ha ha.
My question for either David or Matt :

I purchased a used Langstroth hive and was told to char (with a hand torch) the inside and all frames... I have done that, so now do I wash it somehow or just leave the messy soot?

Also, do you create a smaller opening in the winter only, or all year?

Thank you both for being here.

Toni Brock

Hi Paul & Jocelyn - we live about 20 miles South of Portland Or on 13 acres and I would love it if you would stay here. I have tons of questions for you

Toni

Craig Dobbelyu wrote:Last year I had to shoot 5 woodchucks. I woke up one morning to see the largest chuck I've ever seen, eating my newly sprouted bush beans. It turned out that it was the mother of a whole family of 'em which by then were weened and making holes all over my property. A well zeroed .22 rifle and constant vigilance for a few weeks took care of all of them. I actually had one under the hood of my truck which I had to "fish out" on two separate occasions. That one eventually found greener pastures elsewhere.

Check for burrows. There is usually a couple of exits to each one. I pee in the burrow, fill it with dirt sticks and rocks then keep an eye on it for a few days. Usually they don't come back.

Hey, thanks Craig ~ I spent everyday for many many months putting pee and dog poop in active openings.... they just moved over a foot or two. We are on about 13 acres so they just move a little bit and then come right back. Also, I got the gun out a few times ~ this GREAT BiG head popped out, reached over and took this GREAT BIG Thistle back into the hole! I thought that was awesome! So, they lived on to eventually get into my best perennial veggies. I am really torn cuz I think there is some value in having them,,,,, just not in my garden