Melonie Corder

I think the ability adjust to new discoveries and to change one's mind is a very admirable trait. Wishing you well on to the next!

I'm currently growing my first Lions Mane at home but have foraged them for years now. The color you see is usually age or bacteria. How are you growing them? Is there plenty of airflow? Cool temps? Personally I would cut away the discolored part and use what I can. Leave any new growth under for potential future harvests.

Edited to add. After another look at the pictures most of it may just be age. You want to harvest when the 'teeth' are obvious and prominent.

My immediate thought would rake in applications of DE throughout the spring. Actually my first thought was chickens, but DE would be my second choice. Or neem oil spray? Bio char to home potential predators? Just throwing out ideas, I'm sure there are more experienced permies. I really know nothing about these flies...Around my cherry I planted a ring of garlic to try to fence out ants.

A quick search tells me I should know! Traps are an option, which I'd be tempted to try some cherry juice traps hanging on low branches for a diy, or even on the ground for when they first appear. Looks like some sacrifice an entire harvest by picking while larva are still in the cherries, disrupting the life cycle. One site mentioned braconid wasps help in the home garden setting. That could be a good option for one tree.

Hope you find a good answer, keep us posted! I have a mature cherry in a two season old guild and haven't had much luck due getting cherries to unfortunate events. She seems a lot happier now and I'll be bummed if our first good harvest has maggots, will be keeping an eye out for the next few months.

Hi there, sounds like a beautiful place! Is there a National Park nearby?

Patrick Edwards wrote:Good to know. I'll have to see how the ones I have hold up. I may check out the Milwaukee Sawzall instead though. What about Makita? There was an old Makita drill that I liked but it was corded and for a lot of the work I have to do, I would need an extension to cover a few acres of space or have to haul a generator around with me.

I used to tote a 12v Makita at work, and while I used the drill less then it took a beating and kept on going. In fact I think it still rides around in one of our trucks...fifteen years of being abused and mishandled. So they at least used to be good. I have no recent experience as locally you can't really find "kits" and that is what I tend to need.

Patrick Edwards wrote:

Melonie Corder wrote:I use a battery sawzall often for quick pruning or cutting up larger branches, easy small tasks. Ours is an old 18v DeWalt but they aren't what they used to be. Try for Milwaukee or Rigid. A grinder of the same type is another handy thing to have. A good dolly get's used a lot here, wheel barrow or wagon with sturdy wheels. Good quality fencing pliers, wire snips, t-post puller, post pounder, splitting maul, post hole digger.  I don't have brand recommendations but always try to go with mid grade price wise and made in the USA when possible.  

I am big on the hand tools and anything where I don't have to replace blades or anything like that but man... I do love a good sawzall. I am eyeing some now actually. I was inclined to go with DeWalt just because I already have a 20v hammer drill/driver and impact driver from them. Battery interchangeability is a big bonus. I know some of their models have been deemed less than what they were but my understanding is that the XRs are pretty solid. I have also heard that Milwaukee customer service can be a huge pain in the butt. Although I have only heard good things about the tools themselves.

A dolly is an excellent suggestion. I had completely spaced it but they do get used all the dang time whenever I have had one. Got a favorite wheelbarrow? A friend had a two wheeled one I liked quite a bit. Although it was absolutely gigantic.  

I had an XR kit for work and the chuck on both my regular drill and hammer drill went out way too quickly. Donated the rest of kit to the crew and got Milwaukee. I had to send my Sawzall back about three months in when it just stopped working. I had my repaired saw back in two weeks. They offered a loaner from a 'nearby' store but here there aren't any really close. It was quick and simply.

No favorite wheel barrow but we are about to replace ours and plan on getting two wheels. Just easier to balance heavy loads, especially when there are always small children helping me.

Met my hubs at a week long work training. Numerous trainings later we hit it off and once we returned to our respective residences we started long distance dating. He relocated here a year later.

It is a true case of opposites attract.

Him, raised in large population on concrete, brought up in Christian private school, nature was somewhere you went to hunt/fish, always followed all laws, thought pharmaceuticals were the key to good health, believed all things at face value and taught that life was about working hard to have a good retirement, even if it meant spending ten hours or more per week in traffic and sacrificing happiness in our younger years. The gardening consisted of about a hundred foot squared of lawn that HAD to be mowed weekly and kept green year round no matter the cost of water. Roses on edge of lawn. Some tomatoes and peppers in barrels in the backyard. Him as an adult: OCD like routines, very clean, likes clear and concise instructions and ideas.

Me, raised off grid in the mountains, public schooled and passed between split parents, Christian like values but focused more on being kind to Earth and all inhabitants, lived morally versus lawfully, always went to food and herbs before Pharma, taught to question everything and live for each day, as we don't know if we'll get another. Our garden consisted of large veggie gardens at my Mom's and my Dad's had tons of naturally occuring snacks, fruit trees and mowing wasn't a priority for either of them. Me as an adult: Go with the flow, clutter bug, jumps into ideas without always knowing what step two will be.

He is my BEST FRIEND. Obviously we wear off on each other and for the good. Like I make my bed more often now :) Diversity is needed for survival!

I wouldn't. Drain lines may be okay, supply lines are a big risk in my experience. If your pipes spring a leak it takes a very long time to notice in a slab. By the time you notice a LOT of damage could occur as your walls soak up the moisture from the concrete. Then the repairs would include having to trench through your slab to access the pipes which is a costly and MESSY process.

A lot of old houses have electrical wiring under them as well, make sure that isn't your case.

If questions or doubts, call up a local plumber. Ask them their experience with slab versus crawlspace. Most experts will willingly share their stories. May even be worth a consultation fee.

I use a battery sawzall often for quick pruning or cutting up larger branches, easy small tasks. Ours is an old 18v DeWalt but they aren't what they used to be. Try for Milwaukee or Rigid. A grinder of the same type is another handy thing to have. A good dolly get's used a lot here, wheel barrow or wagon with sturdy wheels. Good quality fencing pliers, wire snips, t-post puller, post pounder, splitting maul, post hole digger.  I don't have brand recommendations but always try to go with mid grade price wise and made in the USA when possible.  

Quick, friendly tip. Your title does not draw attention. Give it a better name, there are newbies all the time. Let them know what your looking for :)