Jay Angler

Nancy Reading wrote:... However I spotted this nut during the week! We're only the middle of August, so given a good autumn (and a lack of awareness from the wildlife) I'm thinking there could be a chance of this ripening?

That's an awfully tempting target! I sometimes cover my grape clusters with cloth bags to keep the birds from pecking every fruit, but I'm not sure cloth would do the job for a nut.

What are your most likely nut swipers?

That's a pretty fuzzy excuse for not getting your homework done!

Ooooohhhh.... Complete with a pressure tank. That is awesome, beautiful, functional, adorable... enviavble!

Two engineering majors meet. One tells the other what happened to him. “Yesterday I had the strangest of things happen. I was walking home from class when a young beautiful women on a bicycle stopped in front of me.” His friend begged him to continue. “So, she looked me up and down, ripped her clothes off, stood naked before me and said: ‘whatever you want - just take it’”. The friend looked puzzled: “wow! What did you do?” - “I took the bike and thanked the lady.”, said the first geek. The second geek nodded in agreement: “Makes sense, the clothes probably weren’t your size and she had ripped them apart!”

Burra Maluca wrote:Maybe it's a whole heap of pretty pillow cases? The advert said it was all bedclothes but maybe she inherited it and hasn't been through all the bags herself either, just wanting to get it out of the house to free up space.

I am always amazed at how much fabric is in a pillow case. I could totally see piecing free pillow cases together to make a skirt or top out of. If there are enough in that bag and you don't need them as pillow cases, I could imagine you might get a dress with some creative piecing. A pattern made of multiple panels would make it easier I expect.

Great score!

Chance Lunceford wrote: Deer are delicious, but there's only so much you can harvest.

I've never tried it, but have you tried Sepp's bone sauce?

Deer are delicious, but there are rules. Better fencing in key spots would be the easier path.

Sepp's bone sauce requires two large cast iron pots and a fair bit of babysitting. If I could find the pots at a reasonable price, I'd be willing to do the latter (particularly if I had some deer bones! Stacking functions!) Alas, for something I'm not sure will work, it's difficult. Part of the issue is that the deer get desperate during our summer drought. This year they even ate my Iris leaves and they've not done that in all the years I've lived here.

Chance Lunceford wrote:Jay, tangentially, have you brought in any tomatillos grown by short-season farmers or done a swarm?

Alas, I have incredible deer and rabbit pressure, and am surrounded by 60 ft+ tall trees. The deer broke into both my 'semi-secure' garden areas this year. Until I get those issues fixed, I am making do with tree pots and half barrels, so I'm not trying to buy more seeds, particularly not ones that will have to cross a border to get to me.

Any updates from all your experiments?

Were you actually able to end up with surviving plants?

Mandy Launchbury-Rainey wrote:I love madroños,  from the  Arbutus unedo (Strawberry Tree) that grows everywhere here on the edges of woodland paths.

They aren't native here, but they do grow. I have had no luck trying to root them though, although I recently learned a new rooting trick I should try on Strawberry tree if I get a chance.  

I should take the time to visit the local one and see how it's doing. I don't know if they will start from seed independently in this area, but I could look for babies as it's a semi-wild spot.