Annie Collins

Susan Boyce wrote:...I'm going to try to set mouse and rat traps under the leaves ...

Please don't; that would be cruel. After all, it's not the chickens' fault that they have such irresponsible owners. I think others' suggestions about catching them in a crate and re-homing them to responsible homes makes the most sense and would be the most humane for all involved.

Judith Browning wrote:Annie, we are zone 7 or so...maybe 7b?
this week we've had nights in the teens and expecting single digits on the weekend.

Sometimes our winters have long cold spells well below freezing.

In the winter of '75-'76 we had 18 below...real temp not wind chill.

I've seriously considered a worm bin...have some worm activity in the kitchen scrap piles but not red wigglers.

I've also looked into bokashi and am tempted by that also.

I'm trying to keep my wandering brain focused on one thing that might give our gardens the biggest boost this next year.😊

We're in the same zone and have also had some seriously cold weather. In fact, our HVAC system can't keep the house above 61 these days.
I dig down and check on the wigglers every time I add compost for them and always find them moving about. I've been adding more layers of cardboard on top for them this winter to increase the insulation, just to make sure they make it. But we've had brutal winters before, the worst in the last 30 or so years about 5 or 6 years ago, and they made it through that as well. They are a lot hardier than I thought and read about them.

Judith, I don't know what zone you are in, but we got red wigglers quite by accident when I ordered worm castings from a local person. There were 2 live worms left in the castings, which annoyed me because it was November, so a bit colder already, and I had nothing set up for red wigglers. I didn't know what to do with them so I just put them out in my little compost bin (we lived within city limits on a very small piece of property at the time), told them I was sorry, that that was all I had for them, and wished them well. I assumed they would die because my compost pile never heated up and it was not warm out anymore, plus we were heading into winter. I forgot all about them after that. Six months later, in May, there was something growing from the compost pile that had me curious what it was from, so I dug down a bit to see what type of produce was growing it, only to find literally 100s of red wigglers! I was shocked! Not only did they survive the winter, but clearly thrived! I have since moved to a larger property, but guess who I took with me along with the compost from that bin. So, about 10 years later, I still have an active red wiggler compost pile with the wigglers always surviving the winters even though the compost never heats up. It's wonderful to always have ready what I call super-compost to help get gardens going, compost teas, new compost piles, etc. The compost pile that has the worms I always keep separate since I know they don't do well with onion and garlic refuse, as well as citrus peels, and anything that has salt left on it, since that all burns their very sensitive skin. They also get corrugated cardboard in with them to lay their eggs in and help keep them warmer during the cold months, etc. They are so easy to keep. I love my wiggly worm friends!

Sarah Joubert wrote:That's the one disconcerting thing about pallets -what did they use to make them so impervious to bugs and rot? I'm sure 'using them as compost bins and raised beds is OK, but I would never bury them in a hugel for instance. I once tried burning the offcuts in my Walker stove and my husband's asthma was triggered very quickly!

As Phil stated, the pallets are stamped. Because I was fencing dogs, I always made sure the pallets were stamped HT (heat treated) so I wouldn't be introducing any toxins into my dogs' environment. The same with the bookcase I built which, 10 years later, I am still enjoying in our house.

Wow, some wonderful pictures of great projects on this thread!

I've built a bookcase from pallets, and also used them for fencing. For the fencing I set them up in a slight zig-zag fashion and at the corners gave a bit of extra support with a t-post. It amazed me how many years they lasted even though I didn't do anything to protect the wood. They make a very strong fence.

Carla Burke wrote:Please avoid tea tree/ melaluca for cats and dogs. It is highly toxic to them.

While I also heard that any essential oil is not to be used on cats, I have been treating the many dogs either in my home or under my care outside my home with Tea Tree Oil when necessary for about 25 years already. I have found Tea Tree Oil especially helpful for hot spots on dogs. It dried out the hot spots in a matter of a day or two, then I would continue spraying on for another day or two just to be sure it was all taken care of. I diluted the TTO with water making about 1:1 ratio. The stuff works amazingly for so many skin conditions and I never had a dog show a problem with it. Of course, I never gave it internally. I probably wouldn't use TTO for itchy skin though, preferring to address that internally, wanting to get at the cause rather than just treat the symptom externally.

I had a dog who was terribly itchy. Her coat lost its luster and she started getting little scabs on her skin as well. After much research, the thing that worked and turned everything around for her was neem leaves. I started adding about a tablespoon of the dried herbs (leaves) to her food and within a few days she was feeling much better, and within 2 weeks she was like a new dog. After the research, I was so impressed that I started making little capsules filled with the powder for myself as well. Amazing stuff!

Thank you, everyone, I appreciate your responses! I thought it may be a clay and/or cob mixture, but the slight sheen on it had me unsure.

In the following video link, titled "Tiny Homestead in the City Grows Half a Ton of Food Per Year",  at 8:30 of the video it shows a wood burning stove that has what I assume are heat holders on each side. Can someone give me ideas what material/s you think they are made of?


As an aside, the video was enjoyable to watch.

M.K. Dorje Sr. wrote:I might add that you might try  consulting with your local extension agent or fruit tree nursery person about the best varieties for your area. You want trees (and rootstocks) that are low chill, bear lots of delicious fruit, can take the heat, pollinate themselves (or each other)  and resist local diseases.

Yes! Local extensions offices are a wonderful resource (in most counties, anyway). The one where we live even sells many types of fruit trees in the spring, and at a very good price, too!