John Donovan jr

Wax moth larvae maybe?

If you know where to look you can find dirt cheap property in Maine.  As the paper industry dies a lot of the mills are closing up shop which means a lot of mill workers are moving out of state to the few places left in the country that are still up and running.    

I watch a lot of channels that are listed here mostly for enjoyment.  The one channel I have got the most out of is the gardening channel One Yard Revolution OYR.  The channel is full of knowledge on gardening and soil health on a budget.  I recommend people give it a shot.

The only problem with hardiness zones is they need to start taking into account the extremes we seem to be experiencing on a more regular basis.  

I worked as a landscaper for many years and if there is one thing I learned it is that unless you have excess resources you want to focus on native plants and trees.  Young trees not native to desert environments are very susceptible to sunburn which weakens the tree in a vicious cycle until death.  You mentioned that it is also windy.  Wind and hot dry air pull moisture from plants extremely fast.  There is a reason why desert trees and plants grow slowly or have long periods of dormancy.  I have seen people grow food forests in desert environments but they completely transform the property creating a micro climate with lots of shade cloth and drip irrigation on top of 5 inches of woodchip mulch.

I want to thank everyone for the replies.  I asked this same question on some other forums and was told what I was doing wasn't homesteading which is funny as I never said I was.  All I asked for was advice just like my original post.  This seems like a greet community so once again thanks for the positive feedback.

Your best bet would be a old fashion bicycle tire patch.  It should be super cheap and effective.  I have used bike tire patches on my waders for years.

I will have to look into those essential oils thanks for the tips.  He told me for the chickens I just need to let them out in the morning and lock them up at night.  Other than that just daily feeding and watering with the occasional mucking out the coop.  He did tell me if I was feeling adventurous I could butcher and eat some of his birds.  It is funny that I have been catching and cleaning fish for 30+ years but the thought of doing the same to a chicken makes me a bit squeamish.  

A friend of mine is going on a national parks tour and asked me to watch his property.  He leaves near the end of April and will not be back until end of September.  Here is the catch he lives in northern New England on 30 acres with almost no luxuries.  He does have electricity and wifi but that is it.  All his water comes from a spring which means no plumbing.  He has a small wood stove for heat and both a small camp propane stove and oven.  My only real duty will be to look after his chickens.  I am a city boy that has spent time in the outdoors for a week or two to enjoy nature.  The advice I am looking for can be anything from tools to reading material to tips on what to do.  My biggest fear in doing this is dealing with ticks.  He said they can be really bad.