Thekla McDaniels

I’m going to read and reread every word on this thread!

I have a sheep skin from a beautiful ram that was slaughtered.

I read that you can freeze the hide to hold for tanning.

That hide is coming up on 2 years in the freezer 🤣. I need to get it out of there!

I sit in my pasture, it’s part of training my puppy.  He needs a chaperone 🤣.  Today the neighbor has moved his cattle into the neighboring field, but it’s always something.

The meadowlarks are singing now that it’s spring.  As soon as I try to get them on the soundtrack of a video, they are a lot quieter!

I’m posting a video.  I hope the soundtrack comes with it, but you might need to turn your speaker on.

One thing I have done to bypass seed buying is let some plants go to seed and rather than collect them, just let them scatter themselves.

Take the example of lettuce, let a few flower.  The seeds that will follow are a lot like dandelion seeds:  a tiny seed with a fluffy part that will carry the individual seed.  The lettuce seed will germinate when conditions are right.  Usually before seed packets or professional instructions recommend.  When plentiful enough, the little lettuce plants will shade the soil with early leaves.  They will keep the soil cooler longer, preventing the germination of warm soil seeds (often weeds).  

Sometimes I take the plant that has gone to seed and whack the ground to deposit seeds thete.

I like to “over seed” because there is some healthy competition between seeds - seedlings.  In that way the survivors are the best suited for my environment.  Or my gardening idiosyncrasies 🤣

When you want warm soil germination, just “clear cut” the lettuce, exposing the soil.  Or plant your started plants among the lettuce plants.

Hi Lissa, it has been a while since you posted your question. This is the first time I saw it.  I hope you’re getting enough satisfying results to keep you interested in continuing.

I know something about one species of Cleome. I don’t know if it is true for all species and you didn’t say what species you had collected seeds from..

Cleome serulata is a plant that is native to the western USA. It’s common name in these parts is Rocky Mountain Beeplant.  

It’s a beautiful plant, knee to shoulder high, covers itself in mauve colored flowers.  It had apical clusters of flowers and they are indeterminate.  The plant will keep blooming as long as conditions are suitable.  I have been told it is a “pot herb” and that the black color on Ana’azazi pottery was derived from this plant.  

To break dormancy on the seeds, the easiest way is to toss the seeds out in the fall in the place you want them to grow next year. It’s very common for people to put seeds in the refrigerator to break dormancy. With Cleome serrulata, the seeds need oscillating temperatures,  which is easiest to provide by having them outdoors. I have never tried putting a container of seeds outdoors for the winter though that may work.

I seed really heavily  because if I get poor germination I will still get some success.

Beeplant is a prolific reseeder.  Generally will return year after year.  At that point, I collect seeds to share and to get them started in new locations.

Lots of insects like it.

I have posted photos of seedlings, but they’re pretty small.

Confused understanding of the pecking order says it all.🤣. And I am glad to know how to unconfuse him, but in the case of young children being attacked, I don’t think I will take the chance.

At present, no toddlers present, all roosters gentle.

These really extreme roosters may be few and far between.  I have had a few dozen roosters at least in the last 35 years.

I had forgotten all about my little toddler in his overalls and the barred rock rooster I killed on the spot after he attacked my baby.

Bad idea Mr Chicken!  Human Mamas can be very protective of their young.

And I have heard of people who “can’t bear” to kill the gnarly rooster take the rooster and drop him off in “coyote country”.  

People grow field corn around here.  After the harvest they bale the corn stalks in huge bales (3x3x8 feet bales).  They’re pretty cheap, and I have to haul them, so it’s not “free”.

It’s excellent material as mulch, sheep and goats eat it.  I know the farmer, so I know it’s not GMO.  That’s important to me because there are a few cobs of kernels… and if the animals don’t find them, I don’t want gmo corn on my place.

Something to watch out for or at least be aware of I did not notice mentioned in all these wonderful sources of cheap and free materials is wormers given to livestock, which mostly comes through intact and kills insects and soil microbes.

Antibiotics are routinely fed to livestock to promote weight gain.  They too can come through the animal and kill soil microbes.

I would love some input!:

I live in high desert, normally arid conditions, and we got almost no precipitation the recent winter only a little more the year before.  There will be almost no irrigation water… maybe one 7 day cycle for me.

I have a willow and an aspen tree.  I get 10,000 gallons a month of domestic water.  I have a septic tank that is working fine.

I have been thinking I might shower outdoors until it gets too cold in the fall.  Warm not hot water solar heated by hose in the sun.

I have been thinking I could use bricks and or pavers for my “shower pan” and run the water to these water loving trees.  I am old so I don’t need much soap.  What soap I use I make, using biodegradable naturally occurring substances.  Lotion?  Same thing, though it does contain very small amounts of borax and plant derived stearic acid.  

I wonder whether I should be considering creating a worm habitat between shower and soil.

Are there some additional considerations I have missed?

Thanks

And another use!

A friend gave me a couple dozen strawberry plants and even if I only get 10% survival, it is worth the effort, but you know chickens!  Moist soil is a magnet for them…. And they have their own philosophy regarding appropriate use of strawberries.  They showed up as soon as I began.

Photo below.  I watered, loosened the soil, applied my amendment materials, put the pallet in place, then added the strawberry plants.  I will probably toss some seeds in there since I will be watering, probably white clover.

Another idea:  a guardian type dog who will tend to you if you fall or are otherwise immobilized out doors.

I guess you could keep a gun with you, and neighbors are aware of three shots or some other agreed upon code.

I like the idea of a whistle.  I even have one I could start carrying

When I bought my current place and met the neighbors, I thought of a flag pole and a “ need help” flag, but I haven’t done it.  3 sets of neighbors are within sight of a help flag, maybe more…

Also, it’s possible that it might be a good thing to not survive a catastrophic injury, in which case the delay that might be the thing that determines that.

I agree with Jay, luck is an important factor.