Thom Bri

Generally leave a new swarm alone for a few weeks so they become accustomed to the new location. Much less likely to abscond.

I have had to cut comb off a lid as well. What a messy job!

It's often snow and frozen ground from November through February here. In the fall I dig deep trenches and bury all the fallen leaves, 3-4 feet deep, with thin layers of dirt between thick layers of leaves. Then cap it with a thicker layer of dirt. In the spring I plant right into that top cap. I leave one trench open all winter and dump all the paper, kitchen waste and fireplace ash and charcoal into it, and then it gets capped in the spring. A lot of wood gets in there too, from sticks to rotting tree trunks.

So each fall it gets dug up again and the deep layers are pretty well decomposed after a year. The only drawback I have seen is that if the top cap of dirt isn't thick enough, some plants have trouble getting deep roots through the layer of leaves.

Hugo Morvan wrote:My farmer partner always has a lot of haybails he leaves around his fields too long. Then the cows don't like them anymore. So free mulch. It's quite the job, but i mulch all the pathways between the beds. And newly to colonize parts to add to the permaculture project i dump a lot of mulch to kill the grasses over winter and remulch in spring and then dump manure on it. Grow pumpkins. Or just put potatos in it.

I got two of the large round bales this year. The farmer had been using them for a winter windbreak for a few years and they were too far gone for the cows. My whole garden got a layer of mulch which really saved it in the very dry spring we had this year. It was mostly grass hay, so I am expecting a good (bad) crop of weedy grass next year!

No. I bury an enormous amount of tree leaves in the fall but don't mulch on top.
In my other garden I stop weeding in midsummer and by fall it is mostly covered by a thick crop of 'weeds'. Natural mulch.

I use gypsum of parts of my garden. One garden is dedicated no external additions so it hasn't gotten anything in 2 years. Everything else has gotten some.

I generally remove such kernels as I shell the corn. If I see a patch of moldy kernels on one end I break the ear in half and discard that portion.

Is the purpose of the tiles to prevent dirt from touching the untreated wood?

Tyler Grace wrote:1
2. Using inert mediums to propagate with. I made the mistake of watching too many YouTube videos that claimed you have to use inert materials like sand or coco coir to avoid bacterial infection in young rooting plants. While this may be true, it's not necessary and is a pain once the plant becomes reliant on nutrients within the soil. I now use amended native soil and (dare I say it) bagged topsoil, usually Happy Frog.

One method I have used for seeds susceptible to mold is to pour boiling water over the potting soil. I use store bought and also home made potting soil and both sometimes get moldy. The boiling water resets the soil to nearly sterile, but keeps the organic matter intact. It also cuts the insect population way back. Seeds grow very well in this and get a good start.

I flood the soil with boiling water, then wait until it is just warm, then plant the seeds.

Onions look great!

I need to make something like that drying frame for my corn.

Worst was the squash. It was all destroyed by bugs.