Joseph Treat

Lehman's in Kidron Ohio has everything non electric. They supply to the large Amish population every non electric item that you could imagine. You can search for what you need by website or a requested catalog.

I'm having the same problem with my peach trees. I have some ideas about why it might be happening to my trees but I would like to know if there are any known solutions short of chopping them down. I've included a picture to help with my story. The trees were planted 8-9 years ago and they have grown very well in that time. This year I hard pruned the trees to get them down to a manageable size. Last year I used a sulfur spray to try to get control of the fungus that causes the brown rot but I couldn't effectively spray the whole tree that is why I hard pruned this year. Peaches are one of the worse fruits to buy from a commercial grower due to how much spraying is done to get a good crop. I really don't want to be spraying for everything under the sun but I want peaches. Anyway enough drivel, the reasons that I can come up with that might be contributing to my problem with brown rot are
1. Location - The photo was taken looking north, immediately to the right or east is some large oaks which shade the peach trees until about 11am. I think the shade keeps dew on the leaves for too long.
2. Location - The trees are flanking my chicken coop. There's probably way too much nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium available for the trees to take up, I read somewhere that it can also contribute to the growth of fungus.
3. Growth - I didn't prune them for a open crown because of space. I wanted trees that were taller. The commercial growers all prune for open centers to improve airflow and light which helps prevent fungus.

These are the things that I can think of and the reasons why but I'm sure that I've missed something. I really don't want to chop down my peach trees but they can't stay if I can't get the fungus under control. If I must get rid of them to get rid of the fungus what should I plant in their place to provide some shade for the coop and food for me?

I have kept Rhode Island Reds, Golden Comets, Buff Orphingtons, Light Brahmas, Americaunas and Barred Rocks. My Barred Rocks have to be my favorite chickens and Rhode Island Reds are a close second. They are durable, resourceful, quiet, calm, excellent foragers and occasionally go broody. I don't currently have a rooster but I've been told that if you have a broody hen that raises her chicks successfully those chicks will be wiley and almost predator proof. As far as sick chicks I've had excellent results with a herbal product called VetRX which is available at most feed stores. Probiotics are the way to go for sure. Good luck with your chicken!

I am currently using a program for my computer called Keepnote and I have a similar program on my phone. I use to use a plain old notebook book but I find that I'm putting more into the electronic notebook due to the smart phone. I can photograph things and speak my note to the smart phone then later transfer it to the Keepnote on my laptop. If I have an issue with a plant I take a picture and note then I can go on line and look for a solution and put it all in Keepnote. That alone would be impossible to do with a regular notebook unless you just like a Polaroid and glue. Keepnote is FOSS (free open source software) which I prefer over MS or any subscription software. I use Libreoffice calc to make spreadsheets with and those can be inserted or linked in the notebook.

A 220V receptacle (6-15R) has two hots and a ground. One of the terminals will have conductivity to the semi-circular opening on the face of the plug. That's the grounding conductor which should be green in color. The flat openings are both hot conductors and it doesn't matter which hot wire goes where. The hot conductors will terminate into a 15A two pole circuit breaker so if I assume you are using Romex you will use the black and white wires for hot conductors. Go ahead and put some black tape on the white conductor to show it's no longer a neutral. If my memory is correct and this electrician hasn't had to many beers in aluminum cans, what I just typed should be correct.

I know this isn't what you asked for but I was myself thinking about building a solar food dehydrator and then I realized that I already have a huge one, it's my attic. I plan to build some simple racks that can be hung up in there and do my drying. Just don't forget that the stuff is up there. Maybe an option for you I don't know.