May Lotito

I have a native Arkansas yucca so I cut a few leaves to process for fiber. Same technique as in this thread on plantain fiber except I scarified the leaf surface with a serrated knife to make the tissues more accessible to microbes. The fibers are so long and durable. I am ready to make more. This plant is very common along the roads on woodland edges.

Sorry for your loss. Hopefully the two missing are just hiding somewhere. It is sad to lose almost the entire flock you cared for. Was there a roo in the pack? Usually roosters will make very loud noises even though can't fight off the predators. If you happen to be home you may be able to hear the alarm and take quick action.

When my home made potting mix contains organic matter that is not decomposed far enough,  it will attract gnats because they can utilize the materials for growth. When it runs out, the infestation will stop. It can take awhile. How about bringing in a pot of fly trap plant to catch and recycle the gnats?

Here in midwest it is common practice to have someone with the equipments to cut and bale the hays and pay half the bales. Is it the same way in other places? The farmer should have better motivation to make quality bales since he's taking them too.

I heard about shiso being used in cuisines so I bought a pack of seeds to plant two years ago. The taste and smell wasn't what I expected and I let the plants be. This year volunteers come up in very acidic soil, in the shade of my yew and oak trees mostly, where nothing else would grow. They have their roles in reducing erosion and feeding soil microbes in those spots so it'snot a bad thing to me.  It seems that they get competed out where soil is richer with more optimal pH range. I am wondering if places with perilla taking over could indicate something is off balance? In that case, remediation such as liming will bring back more species to keep it in check.

Are you experiencing drought as well? We had a wild year, near record wet spring followed by record dry August. September isn't looking good either. My maple tree is already turning color at the top. Do need lots of watering to keep the tomatoes and chayote going. I broadcasted leafy greens a few weeks back but they were slow. Will your turnips form big roots before frost or they are for the greens?

I am in SW Missouri with an elevation of 1300-1400ft so my winter can be quite harsh. I used to blame on weather and genetics for winter kill but I started to wonder if my fruit trees weren't unleashing full potential because of the soil. I tested the idea out and so far had very positive results. Anyway, my fruit trees have healthier growth this season and I am expecting the cold hardiness should be improved as well. I have a second CH fig bush to be left unprotected for comparison. Some other varieties are developing breba fruits.  I don't want to risk the fruits and will protect those as best as I can.

I grow a few volunteer black oil sunflowers in a tall and highly branched pattern for wildlife. There are dozens of flowers on each plant that attract pollinators over a long period. Since the seed heads are smaller, they won't droop and goldfinches can easily get to the seeds. The seeds are mostly gone before they can mature.

I also grow black oil sunflowers for my chickens. By different nutrient management I can get them as single stalk plant with a large head. The birds have difficulty hanging upside down so the seeds are spared.

I think preventing desiccation of the barks would be the key. Figs have very thin barks and pithy core. Soil holds moisture and heat so the skins won't dry out. But this year I am going to test another method which is bark coating. I will paint the trunks with lime and latex. Then wrap with straw and cardboard for extra protection.

How big is your fig?

I plan on amending an area specifically for the Inca corn, building richer soil and having more microbial activity so that soil will warm up early in Spring. Seeds will be planted in the first week of April to stretch for a 210 day season. My summer is a lot hotter and sunnier than mountainous Andes so that will make the corns grow faster too. I will try some tricks to shorten the vegetative stage too, I had success with my sunflower this year. Other corns will be stagger planted so some can get pollinated by the Inca maize and have fun hybrid seeds.