http://tinyfarmblog.com/forum/ Tiny Farm Forum: Recent Posts en Tue, 09 Feb 2010 17:02:14 +0000 http://tinyfarmblog.com/forum/topic/seeders/page/2#post-2179 Mon, 08 Feb 2010 18:51:00 +0000 sarak 2179@http://tinyfarmblog.com/forum/ <p>Has anyone tried the European Push Seeder from Johnny's? This one is only $300, it's not the European model mentioned before. I'm curious how it performs with small seeds. </p> http://tinyfarmblog.com/forum/topic/anyone-have-a-hog-problem-in-texas#post-2178 Mon, 08 Feb 2010 12:18:45 +0000 Firefox 2178@http://tinyfarmblog.com/forum/ <p>Hey Everyone,<br /> I would like to take my Son and Daughter hog hunting but am willing to hunt anything that is a nuisance. I live in the DFW area and thought we could help each other out.<br /> Please message me if you have a population problem.</p> <p>Thanks in advance!</p> <p>Kevin M. 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After six years I agree I will never work a regular job again, but hey, I have never been a regular person anyway, LOL.<br /> We almost lost everything we worked years for but managed to keep, uh, our mouths out of the water most of the time and sometimes just our nose. But the thing is we did it, and we have an old farm house, about a 1920-30's model that I nearly finished remodeling befor I fell, and it's on it's own lot. 3.84 +/- acres.<br /> Then there is 58 acres behind here with the first of it behind the housr about 20 acres in fiels that hasn't been planted for probably 30 years, but has been bush hogged every year.<br /> And then there is about 38 acres that is just woods. Plenty of brush and plenty of fallen trees etc. but a lot of good timber. Just not enough for a logger to fool with. But I have built a saw mill with an eighteen H.P. engine and 36" bar on it. (It's a chainsaw type mill.<br /> There is way more timber than I will ever need for any type of buildings etc. and as you can expect, I can take a young buck like my futher SIL and easily cut enough wood for a 8' x 12' shelter for whatever in a day, even in the shape I am in. Need be I can have 4 yough bucks out there. </p> <p>The thing is, I want to, well actually my FSIL and 3 of his brothers can't find a job at all. A day here and a day there. The kids finishing school now can't find anything around here. But I want to farm the field and raise goats and pigs in the woods. I can fence it in with electric fenceing, and there is a small spring fed creek that runs the lenght of the left side and back of it for their water as they want it. </p> <p>A will also raise chickens for eating and selling eggs, and did so for two years until I bought 100 roosters for meat (don't ever do that) and they yelled for every fox in 10 miles to come and get it 24/7's. That won't happen again. </p> <p>I need some first hand advice. Really just to varify what I have already read that makes me wonder about it. </p> <p>#1,, I have read some pig farmers feed them dirt. ,,,, Say what??? I know they will root up the ground and eat the roots, but these people are saying they actually dig dirt for them during the winter. There has been several articles I have read that says they eat it like we eat steak and lobster.<br /> Is that true??????</p> <p>#2,, I have also read that an 8' x 12' pig tractor needs to be moved every two days if whats under it has pretty good growth and they will plow it and fertilize it at the same time. Now that makes sense to me. But that is only 96 sq ft. That would be less that an acre a year per tractor and they didn't say how many pigs were in each one.<br /> So I have 38 acres of woods that have all kinds of brush grown up anywhere the sun gets to plus plenty of brush in side the woods and downed trees also.<br /> So how much feed would I need to add to what they grub up???<br /> I am wondering if 40 piglets would be OK together if I built them about 10 shelters about 8-10' x 12-16'????????</p> <p>I'd appriciate any first hand input any of you could give me. </p> <p>Thanks<br /> Dennis </p> http://tinyfarmblog.com/forum/topic/learning-resources#post-1018 Wed, 20 Jan 2010 13:03:29 +0000 Itfarmer 1018@http://tinyfarmblog.com/forum/ <p>Hi Everyone !</p> <p>I'm a reader from PA, and I must say you have a top notch website, and a beautiful farm. I have a blog as well, geared more towards the learning aspect of gardening, from an IT guys perspective. I learned computers when I was young, and now I have the time to learn gardening. Plants are much more rewarding then computers ! </p> <p>My blog is at <a href="http://itfarmer.wordpress.com">itfarmer.wordpress.com </a></p> <p>Thanks;<br /> Jon Macpherson </p> http://tinyfarmblog.com/forum/topic/starting-a-csa-in-the-farms-first-year#post-795 Tue, 19 Jan 2010 16:01:52 +0000 eatlocalco 795@http://tinyfarmblog.com/forum/ <p>It is great to hear other experiences here! From my experience, it can be possible to start a CSA farm in your first year of farming. In 2009 my girlfriend &#38; I went from our personal vegetable garden to around a 1/8 acre micro-farm and CSA and it was very successful. We ended up with 25 CSA members, several who were working share members, and we also sold at our farmstand (one day a week) and to a couple restaurants. Using biointensive, intercropping and strictly organic methods, we grew around one pound per square foot of annual crops. We also have a perennial area filled with culinary &#38; medicinal herbs, as well as several types of berries.</p> <p>The hardest part for us newbie farmers was trying to figure out how much to grow, how much space it would require, and how many people we could feed. We tried several of the garden planner programs out there but none gave us all the data we needed... so we made our own farm planning calculator. We spent a ton of time researching the potential yields of various plants, and many other variables. During the growing season we kept detailed notes and compared actual harvest details with the data our farm calculator gave us, and it was really quite accurate! Seeing how useful the calculator was, we turned it into a web application so others could benefit from it. You can find it here: <a href="http://www.landshareco.org/tools/">http://www.landshareco.org/tools/</a>. The other thing we did was to fully document the entire process of starting a small CSA farm so we could share that with others as well. Our <a href="http://www.landshareco.org/grow-your-own-csa/">Grow Your Own CSA</a> article documents setting up the business and LLC, our budget, planning the garden, harvest totals, income &#38; and expenses, detailed labor info on all person-hours spent, as well as other info.</p> <p>Hopefully our article on starting a CSA, and our online farm &#38; garden planner will help others start their farms, or even home gardens. We've had several existing farms use the calculator and tell us it is a great tool, if any of you use it, we'd love to get your feedback.</p> <p>Jim </p> http://tinyfarmblog.com/forum/topic/farm-storage#post-442 Fri, 15 Jan 2010 23:35:17 +0000 Rinaldo 442@http://tinyfarmblog.com/forum/ <p>We used one of those buildings in 1998 as a gym/wrestling club room. We had an air conditioner as it was down in Orlando and it would get really hot in that building. If I remember correctly it stood up to 2 hurricanes and kept on going. It took us 3 weekends to get it set up after laying a cement foundation. It was a larger Steel building. It could easily keep 60 wrestlers and a few lockers.</p> <p>I'd imagine its the most efficient way to create a safe haven for animals, although during rain showers it gets really loud inside! Animals may freak out. </p> http://tinyfarmblog.com/forum/topic/seeders/page/2#post-441 Wed, 13 Jan 2010 20:46:30 +0000 Matthias 441@http://tinyfarmblog.com/forum/ <p>6 Row Precision seeder</p> <p>Hi, After reading a few comments on this seeder since my last post (last year)I'm back to update everyone on year two. I purchased the extended seed range shaft for the seeder last spring in order to plant larger seed (beet/chard) and i found it worked quite well. Just like carrots(pelleted seed) spinach, onion, and radishes, beets and chard grew in a perfect grid, evenly spaced. However I must emphasize, the seedbed <strong>MUST BE PERFECTLY SMOOTH</strong> in order for the seeder to work. It is also meant to plant <strong>BEDS</strong> of vegetables, not rows. Eliot Coleman's experimentation in intensive planting in fertile soil, led him to design a seeder that would accomplish that aim. The beds create canopy's of foliage that choke out weeds and really reduces weeding. It also allows for simpler harvesting of greens, like mesclun and spicy mix, by the use of another innovation, the greens harvester. Root veggies, like carrots, grow very well (my best carrot year ever was this summer) spaced on a 4 inch grid with this seeder. They all grow to full maturity, provided the soil is fertile, on spacing this tight and really cut down on weeding. Unlike single row seeders, the 6 row can cover a wide swath in a single pass. The seeder is 15 inches wide, so 3 passes covers my 48 inch tractor mounted rototiller swath, with a few inches on both sided for a path.</p> <p>However, this system is not foolproof. The drawbacks are the need for a very fine and level seedbed. Another drawback is that there is no way to mechanically cultivate between the rows. All weeding in these beds must be done by hand until the canopy grows in. Also, this seeder takes time and finesse to master, it can be finicky, it is a precision instrument that operated within very fine tolerances. But if you are patient enough to learn how to use it, the results are very rewarding.</p> <p>On the subject of larger seeders, this year we used the old earth-way for the last time. No matter how straight you try to manually plant a row, its never straight enough to cultivate with the tractor. So after 6 years, its bye bye earthway, and hello to something we can attach to a toolbar and plant with the kubota. 5 acres is just too much to intensively hand weed every single square foot, so the field crops (peas, beans, corn, potatoes) will be tractor cultivated from now on. We still need to do a bit of hoe and hand work in these areas, but the tractor can handle the major between the row stuff.</p> <p>SO I'm in the market, thanks for the info on the Jang, it looks pretty promising and also Mikes push model planet Junior comes in a tractor mounted variety. Anybody with info on a small scale tractor seeders, please let me know!</p> <p>As always, Thanks to Mike for creating the forum, its a great resource!</p> <p>Mathias </p> http://tinyfarmblog.com/forum/topic/grow-your-own-transplants#post-439 Wed, 06 Jan 2010 16:08:49 +0000 Judy 439@http://tinyfarmblog.com/forum/ <p>The basis of a healthy transplant is a good soil-less potting mix. Using a soil-less mix eliminates disease organisms, pests and weed seeds that may be found in soil. I prefer organic and mix my own. There are a number of potting mixes available at local stores including organic mixes. You may want to experiment with various mixes or mix your own.<br /> <strong><br /> Basic Organic Potting Mix Recipe</strong><br /> 2 parts <a href="http://uwharriefarm.typepad.com/uwharrie_farm/composting.html">Compost</a></p> <p>3 parts Sphagnum Peat Moss</p> <p>1 part Perlite</p> <p>1 part Vermiculite (optional)</p> <p>Add per every 8 gallons of mix:</p> <p>½ cup Bone Meal (Phosphorous)</p> <p>1 ½ cups Dolomitic Limestone (Raises soil pH and provides calcium and magnesium)</p> <p>½ cup Blood Meal (Nitrogen)<br /> ½ cup Kelp Meal (Nitrogen, potassium and minerals)</p> <p>Mix thoroughly and add enough water to moisten well.</p> <p>If you can't find organic fertilizers locally <a href="http://www.espoma.com">Espoma</a> and <a href="http://www.groworganic.com">Peaceful Valley Farm Supply</a> have a wide selection to choose from.</p> <p>Put potting mix in plant cells or 3 inch pots and add seed. As a general rule cover the seed with a layer of mix that is 4 times the width of the seed. Place in a sunny window, a greenhouse, or under florescent lights. Keep evenly moist. Most vegetables will grow quite nicely at temperatures between 70 and 80 degrees with 8 hours or more of sunlight or light from florescent bulbs.</p> <p>Growing transplants rather than direct seeding can give you a head start on the growing season. Transplants in the garden also have an advantage over the smaller weeds that germinate around them which makes weeding easier. Planting corn at 2 week intervals will give you an extended harvest. Using corn transplants rather than direct seeding makes better use of your garden area. No space is wasted because of poor germination and seed is not lost through plant thinning. I like to grow the following plants to transplant to my garden: Onions, cabbage, lettuce, broccoli, collards, tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, cucumbers, watermelon, cantaloupe, okra, pumpkin, squash and corn. </p> http://tinyfarmblog.com/forum/topic/seeders/page/2#post-438 Wed, 06 Jan 2010 15:18:15 +0000 greenuprising 438@http://tinyfarmblog.com/forum/ <p>It's important to keep the Earthway clean. I didn't and found the thing increasingly likely to grind seed. You can easily remove the wheel that holds the plate, clean it up, put a little grease on it, and put it back. But clean the plates, as well, and the hopper. It's also necessary to ream out the channel the seeds drop through, because spiders will nest in there and catch your seeds.</p> <p>I'm interested in more feedback on the 6-row precision seeder. It needs a smooth seedbed (which my little BCS largely provides), and, as Coleman points out, it's a tool, not a machine, meaning you have to tinker with it. I'd like to hear more from tinyfarm about the seedbed you tried it out on, etc. And from others who've tried it. </p> http://tinyfarmblog.com/forum/topic/tiny-tractor-requirements#post-436 Sat, 02 Jan 2010 02:01:27 +0000 Mike_S 436@http://tinyfarmblog.com/forum/ <p>I've actually built an electric tractor out of an old 1948 massey harris model 20.</p> <p><img src="http://i47.tinypic.com/34sfihd.jpg" alt="Electric Tractor" /></p> <p>I'm using lousy deep cycle marine batteries for the time being, but I'm going to get some golf cart ones soon that will enable me to work pretty well all day.</p> <p>I also updated it with a 3 point hitch system and I'm working on making implements for it. </p> <p>It's not quite finished yet, there's a bunch of cosmetic stuff to do, but all the things that you need to do work are in place and 100% functional.<br /> If any of you would like to see, please check out my website: <a href="http://electric-massey.blogspot.com/"></a> </p> http://tinyfarmblog.com/forum/topic/how-can-i-make-my-own-maple-syrup#post-434 Sun, 27 Dec 2009 17:33:12 +0000 Howling Duck Ranch 434@http://tinyfarmblog.com/forum/ <p>I've got a post on the topic, <a href="http://howlingduckranch.wordpress.com/2009/03/25/the-taste-of-place/">The taste of place.</a> Mine is a mix of birch and maple syrup but the process is the same for straight maple. </p> <p>cheers,</p> <p>HDR </p> http://tinyfarmblog.com/forum/topic/raising-white-rock-chickens-for-meat#post-433 Sun, 27 Dec 2009 17:30:05 +0000 Howling Duck Ranch 433@http://tinyfarmblog.com/forum/ <p>Mike, </p> <p>Would love to hear how the next 5 weeks fared? I raised Cornish Crosses this year (50 mix of hens and cocks) and despite dire warnings of all the ailments you mention, I couldn't put weight on them! Mine free ranged all over my 4 acres and eventually, I had to try to confine them just to keep/put weight on them. I nick-named them my '<a href="http://howlingduckranch.wordpress.com/2009/06/18/cornish-crosses-not-fat-enough/">Jenny Craig Chickens</a>'. This experience has given me the confidence to actually try the 'frankenchickens' since my experience shows that they will free range if they have access. </p> <p>Cheers,</p> <p>HDR </p> http://tinyfarmblog.com/forum/topic/how-to-butcher-tiny-farm-animals#post-432 Sun, 27 Dec 2009 17:23:37 +0000 Howling Duck Ranch 432@http://tinyfarmblog.com/forum/ <p>My goal is similar to Mike's. I quit my job 20+ months ago and returned to a small west coast village to live my dream: to learn how to grow all my own fruit and veggies, raise my own food animals, and of course, learn how to butcher them. City girl born and raised, I do not have an agricultural background so all this was new to me. Consequently, I consulted the 'old timers' of the area during my steep learning trajectory. </p> <p>Here is a link to my various 'how to butcher' pages which show step by step via photo documentary the butchering process. </p> <p><a href="http://howlingduckranch.wordpress.com/2009/07/15/butchering-chickens/">Butchering Chickens</a></p> <p><a href="http://howlingduckranch.wordpress.com/2008/10/26/butchering-day-turkeys-warning-graphic-photo-documentary/">Butchering Turkeys</a></p> <p><a href="http://howlingduckranch.wordpress.com/2009/10/11/goat-butchering-day-a-graphic-photo-documentary/">Butchering Goats<br /> </a></p> <p>In good food,</p> <p>HDR </p> http://tinyfarmblog.com/forum/topic/small-farm-irrigation-techniques#post-431 Sun, 27 Dec 2009 14:47:11 +0000 blackdog 431@http://tinyfarmblog.com/forum/ <p>For a community garden where I work, we have drip irrigation for about 2 acres of veggies. I like the drip irrigation a lot, but it is a lot of work to put out. The drip tape is not designed to last forever. We are continuously fixing leaks in the old drip tape.</p> <p>We get it from dripworks.com or Berry Hill Irrigation (have to google that one). We have our path centers spaced at 5 1/2 feet, so the bed is about 4 feet wide. We run two drip tape lines down each bed. Four rows for many crops (radishes, carrots, kohlrabi, onions, garlic, lettuce, spinach, maybe some others). So the 2 drip tape lines will water all 4 rows. 3, 2, or 1 rows in each bed for other crops.</p> <p>I think that drip tape is not so good for germinating seeds. We sprinkle with a hose to get the seeds sprouted, especially carrots.</p> <p>You will need valves to divide the space up if you do not have enough flow. A "normal" flow of 10 gallons per minute from a house spigot is not enough to water 2 acres. You will need valves and water only parts of the garden at a time. We have the 2 acres in 8 different 1/4 acre sections.</p> <p>Overall I like the drip irrigation. We can water every plant in the 2 acres by turning the water on. But it takes a lot of effort to set it up and fix leaks.</p> <p>I found that dripworks.com was very helpful to talk to to set things up. They are the ones that cautioned me to measure my flow first, which will determine how many valves and zones you will need. </p> http://tinyfarmblog.com/forum/topic/tiny-tractor-requirements#post-430 Sun, 27 Dec 2009 13:14:33 +0000 blackdog 430@http://tinyfarmblog.com/forum/ <p>I have a comment about the chisel plow. I went and bought a 1-shank soil ripper which is a bit heavier and longer I believe. My tractor is a john deere 955, 33 horsepower. It weighs about 3260 pounds with the loader in fluid in the wheels. This machine cannot pull the ripper if it is all the way down, about 24 inches. But I do believe the plan is to pull it just below the hard layer that I want to break up. It can pull the ripper just fine if I set it about 12 inches. The only issue I guess is that it is going to take a while to cover a lot of ground. I did a criss-cross pattern with about 18 inch spacing over 2 acres and that took about 4 hours.</p> <p>The field had somewhat poor drainage with heavy soil and being somewhat low. The ripping did help quite a bit with drainage, and my hope also is that the vegatable roots can go down deep.</p> <p>By the way if the ripper is all the way down, the wheels will spin. It is important to have plenty of weight, not just horsepower.</p> <p>I very much like the hydrostatic transmission. For something like the ripper or rototiller, you can go as slow as you want. It is also very nice for working with the loader. For a small tractor with rototiller and loader, I would highly recommend going with the hydrostatic transmission. </p> http://tinyfarmblog.com/forum/topic/seeders/page/2#post-429 Sun, 27 Dec 2009 12:58:06 +0000 blackdog 429@http://tinyfarmblog.com/forum/ <p>For planting carrots with the Jang seeder, is it best to use pelleted seed. Using pelleted seed, is it possible to plant them at 1 - 2 inches spacing so no thinning is required?</p> <p>I have not had much luck with the earthway seeder even with pelleted seed. It seems to jam up and grind the pellets up.</p> <p>I see that non-pelleted carrot seed with kelp added is mentioned above. How precisely can the seed be planted with this method? Precisely enough so no thinning is required? How much kelp do you add?</p> <p>Thank you for any info you can provide. </p> http://tinyfarmblog.com/forum/topic/seeders/page/2#post-428 Wed, 16 Dec 2009 15:15:09 +0000 ap19 428@http://tinyfarmblog.com/forum/ <p>used the Jang all season. incredible. the only issue is having to switch out the whole gear system everytime you change seed...in rocky soil the plates can get hung up and jam, so you gotta watch. for the money quite possibly the best seeder available. previously used three earthways, for three rows, still use those for lettuces sometimes. planting 300 foot beds is done in 1/4 the time. </p> http://tinyfarmblog.com/forum/topic/soil-blockers-for-seed-propagation#post-427 Sun, 13 Dec 2009 16:10:02 +0000 blockguru 427@http://tinyfarmblog.com/forum/ <p>OK, what one "thinks is influencing germination" and what is Truth, are completely different.<br /> The soil block is no different than the earth compressed underneath, say after a dear walks through your garden and compresses the soil underfoot. Don't you notice the increased germination rate in the footprint? What is effecting Michael's germination is stagnant air, stagnant water, damp conditions, no light, no heat, no fans, wrong compost, wrong manure...get the Truth, get <a href="http://www.pottingblocks.com" rel="nofollow">www.pottingblocks.com</a> </p> http://tinyfarmblog.com/forum/topic/free-screening-of-%e2%80%98food-fight%e2%80%99-%e2%80%93-%e2%80%9crevolution-never-tasted-so-good%e2%80%9d#post-426 Thu, 03 Dec 2009 15:27:11 +0000 newport 426@http://tinyfarmblog.com/forum/ <p>Join us for our CINEMA SAGE HILL event on Tuesday, December 8 at 7:30pm. The<br /> Newport Beach Film Festival and The Studio at Sage Hill will present a free<br /> screening of the award winning documentary FOOD FIGHT<br /> followed by a Q&#38;A session with co producer Thetis Sammons.<br /> FOOD FIGHT features Alice Waters, Michael Pollan, Bob Cannard and Wolfgang Puck.<br /> For information visit <a href="http://www.NewportBeachFilmFest.com" rel="nofollow">www.NewportBeachFilmFest.com</a> </p> http://tinyfarmblog.com/forum/topic/power-steering-or-hydraulics-on-a-deutz-10006#post-425 Mon, 30 Nov 2009 20:12:24 +0000 tonyw1 425@http://tinyfarmblog.com/forum/ <p>I'm having some problems..<br /> If you know anything about the power steering or hydraulics on a Deutz 10006, I would be really grateful to hear about it. Basically, it's not working. From what I understand, the pump is on the left side of the engine, but it is very small. I would have thought it would be bigger. I haven't checked the pressure, but the pump seems to be working. Any thoughts?<br /> __________________________________________<br /> Tony W.<br /> <a href="http://www.tractor-supply-store.com/Farm-Tractors/Case-IH">Case IH Tractors</a> </p> http://tinyfarmblog.com/forum/topic/farm-storage#post-424 Mon, 30 Nov 2009 09:48:41 +0000 angdeer 424@http://tinyfarmblog.com/forum/ <p>I recently inherited about a $100,000 from my grandfather. So we decided to put up a steel building. We don't have a huge farm or anything but its amazing what a few animals, some outdoor equipment and feed adds up to. We were having such a time keeping everyone/thing warm and dry that with the extra money it just seemed like a good way to spend some of it. Have any of you ever went with Steelbuildings <a href="http://www.steelbuilding.com/buildings/buildings_main.htm"> for your outbuilding? If so how did things go?<br /> We hope that we can get this thing put up fast. We live in northern Michigan and the snow should start falling really soon. I would prefer to have this whole thing wrapped up in a few weeks tops, wish us luck!</a> </p> http://tinyfarmblog.com/forum/topic/seeders/page/2#post-423 Wed, 25 Nov 2009 10:46:55 +0000 Anonymous 423@http://tinyfarmblog.com/forum/ <p>Colum, I think it will work well but our experience this year was that there were too many seeds deposited into each hole of the smallest wheel we had. This led to having to thin plants pretty aggressively. </p> <p>What would probably work better (we'll try this next spring) is to mix the seeds with kelp and put that mixture into the hopper. That way, the wheel hole is filled with seed and kelp which will greatly reduce the number of seeds per hole. It will also have the benefit of putting a good nutrient source in with each seed. It will take some trial and error but a friend who did this with her seeder said that it was very effective and totally eliminated the need to thin large plantings. </p> http://tinyfarmblog.com/forum/topic/seeders/page/2#post-422 Tue, 24 Nov 2009 12:10:53 +0000 Anonymous 422@http://tinyfarmblog.com/forum/ <p>Thanks jeffg. Can the jang with the correct wheels handle very small seeds like rocket. 2.5 kgs of rocket is enough for an acre using an air seeder. Some seeders would use this amount in 200m. </p> http://tinyfarmblog.com/forum/topic/tiny-tractor-requirements#post-421 Thu, 19 Nov 2009 15:22:09 +0000 Anonymous 421@http://tinyfarmblog.com/forum/ <p>Shankar,<br /> I've just seen your note, so let me share my experience, even if you may have already made up your mind on your equipment. </p> <p>We use a 13hp Grillo (G131 diesel), also from Earth Tools. We have a rotary plough and and a power harrow for secondary tilling. The plough is not appropriate for pioneering a hayfield or pasture-- we had a neighbour do a convential moldboard ploughing and discing to get us started. The Berta plough is great after that first stage and also forgoes the need for bed shapers. Joel from Earth Tools provides a handy description of how to make raised beds with the Berta. It works like a charm and saves hours of handwork in hilling, trenching and creating raised beds.</p> <p>We also have a flail mower which has been indispensable and the only other tool we're thinking of is a simple toolbar and cultivator that can easily be adapted for things like cutting covercrop residue, weed control, etc.</p> <p>Overall, we've been very happy with the Grillo's performance-- it and the tools have done exactly what we've asked them to do and what Joel promised they would deliver. </p> http://tinyfarmblog.com/forum/topic/seeders/page/2#post-420 Thu, 19 Nov 2009 08:01:47 +0000 Anonymous 420@http://tinyfarmblog.com/forum/ <p>We used the Jang this year for the first time and were generally happy with it. It was good for small seeds but corn presented a problem. A tip that we received was to mix kelp in with small seeds like carrots to act as a carrier and eliminate the need for thinning. We'll try this next year.</p> <p>As for colum's mesclun question, we simply ran the Jang up and down the raised bed to create 3 rows within the 3-foot wide raised bed. The back roller on the seeder lets you know exactly where you've been, so it was easy to ensure proper spacing. It also kept the heavier equipment out of the field. We only use a two-wheeled Grillo in the field but try to keep it out as much as possible.</p> <p>A friend sent me information on an Italian seeder that he uses. <a href="http://www.bassiebassi.com/en/smBassi.htm" rel="nofollow">http://www.bassiebassi.com/en/smBassi.htm</a> He likes the all metal construction and the ability to handle large seed. Not sure where to source this yet but will try Joel at Earth Tools in Kentucky.</p> <p>By the way, anyone interested in the Jang can find them at Willsie Equipment Sales in Ontario. They also attend the Guelph Organic Conference but only have a limited amount of product on hand there. They'll bring anything you request, however. </p> http://tinyfarmblog.com/forum/topic/seeders/page/2#post-419 Fri, 13 Nov 2009 13:48:45 +0000 Anonymous 419@http://tinyfarmblog.com/forum/ <p>I am tinking of trying the jang six row seeder on a tool bar on the back of a compact tractor to sow mesculin and rocket. i think i will have to use a stone burier on my soil. would then plan to harvest with the manual bag harvester on jonneys seeds site. dose anyone think this system would work producing 500kg per week approx.<br /> colum </p> http://tinyfarmblog.com/forum/topic/healthy-soil#post-418 Fri, 13 Nov 2009 12:32:40 +0000 Anonymous 418@http://tinyfarmblog.com/forum/ <p>That's a good description (or maybe 'prescription') for healthy soil. My own plans next year include cover-cropping (probably clover) my whole 1-acre garden early in the spring, then rotating pigs and chickens through the area. The garden will be progressively tilled as required for planting, behind the animals, keeping in mind the time limits you describe.</p> <p>We are also setting up a couple hives of honeybees to help with pollination; the clover should entice them to hang around and pollinate the rest of the garden.</p> <p>Scott </p> http://tinyfarmblog.com/forum/topic/small-farm-irrigation-techniques#post-417 Fri, 13 Nov 2009 12:24:47 +0000 Anonymous 417@http://tinyfarmblog.com/forum/ <p>I actually did try to reduce my irrigation this year (I use drip on a 1-acre market garden). I visited another farmer who used a lot of plastic mulch, and he told me he stopped using drip under the plastic 'years ago'.</p> <p>Well this was exciting because it would reduce my work overall. So I tried some beds covered with a biodegradable plastic but no irrigation hose. Overall not a great success, despite this being a fairly rainy season in my neck of the woods. I had to go back and hand-water most things when the season 'dried out' in August.</p> <p>Results are probably dependent (as suggested) on your particular climate.</p> <p>Scott </p> http://tinyfarmblog.com/forum/topic/preparing-land#post-416 Fri, 13 Nov 2009 12:16:53 +0000 Anonymous 416@http://tinyfarmblog.com/forum/ <p>I've got about an acre under cultivation in my market garden, and my last batch of piggies are in there right now cleaning things up. I just planted my garlic in a 'pig-prepared' patch of ground. I picked up the rocks they dug up, made a pass with the tiller and planted.</p> <p>I used the pigs last year to help expand the garden to its current size. They do a pretty good job of rooting up sod; I have been doing this for about 6 years and all my weaners of all breeds seemed pretty willing to root. I use portable electric fencing (electromesh) in a 165-foot length. This forms a pen about 1600 sq ft (40 feet a side approx). I move the pen once once or twice a week.</p> <p>They aren't neat about it, so you will have to clean up and level the soil after them. But they are pretty good at getting the sod busted up.</p> <p>Scott </p> http://tinyfarmblog.com/forum/topic/preparing-land#post-415 Wed, 11 Nov 2009 09:42:37 +0000 Anonymous 415@http://tinyfarmblog.com/forum/ <p>Fall plowing is the way to go. I just had a neighbor plow another 1/4 acre for me. It was really challenging to get started in the spring this year because the land hadn't been cultivated in 15+ years - it was wet and the grass was growing like mad. But, I grew a huge amount of stuff! Rented a heavy duty roto tiller twice in the season, and did the vast majority of my cultivating with a wheel hoe (Oak Valley tools).</p> <p>Pasture pork tastes excellent, but probably not the easiest way to get your field in shape. It seems like a lot of effort to get them to really dig (I've heard to using an auger to drill in corn for them to find, digging incentive), plus it might not be consistent all over a 2.5 acre field. </p> http://tinyfarmblog.com/forum/topic/healthy-soil#post-414 Wed, 28 Oct 2009 23:38:54 +0000 Anonymous 414@http://tinyfarmblog.com/forum/ <p> Healthy soil is the first line of defense against <a href="http://uwharriefarm.typepad.com/uwharrie_farm/insect-pest.html">pests</a> and disease in the garden. Healthy soil produces healthy plants which are not as susceptible to pests and disease.<br /> One teaspoon of healthy soil contains millions of beneficial microorganisms. Feed the microorganisms and they in turn will feed your plants plus reduce stress caused by drought, pests and disease. How do I feed the soil you may ask. The answer is simple - organic matter. What is organic matter? Simply stated, it is decaying plant and animal material, most commonly compost, green manure and animal manure. Applied to the soil they will help create healthy soil which supports healthy plants which help promote healthy people.</p> <p> The most basic compost ingredients are nitrogen (green plant material or animal manure), carbon (brown plant material such as leaves, straw or hay), a small amount of high quality compost or garden soil, oxygen and water. When managed well these materials will be broken down by microorganisms into a crumbly brown material with a nice earthy smell that is terrific for your garden.</p> <p> Green manure consist of plants grown for the purpose of tilling them into the soil to add organic matter. Cowpeas and soybeans may be planted in summer to add nitrogen along with organic matter. Sorghum sudangrass, millet and buckwheat planted in summer provide biomass, smother weeds and improve soil tilth. Rye, vetch, austrian winter peas or clover planted in the fall will provide a protective winter cover for the soil plus add organic matter to the soil when tilled in the following spring. Rye, vetch, austrian winter peas and clover also add nitrogen to the soil.</p> <p> Animal manure may be applied to the soil in composted or raw forms. US organic regulations require raw animal manure to be incorporated into the soil not less than 120 days prior to the harvest of a product whose edible portion does have direct contact with the soil; or incorporated into the soil not less than 90 days prior to the harvest of a product whose edible portion does not have direct contact with the soil surface or soil particles. Compost which contains manure should reach a temperature between 131 degrees and 170 degrees for a total of 15 days and be turned a minimum of 5 times.</p> <p> Fall leaves are another great way to condition and feed garden soil. Trees have extensive root systems that reach far into the subsoil to gather nutrients. Most leaves contain far more minerals than manure. When incorporated into the soil leaves add nutrients, improve aeration and soil structure plus encourage earthworms. Leaves are not garbage - they are a great resource!</p> <p> Finally, you should remember that chemical fertilizers, insecticides and herbicides can disrupt this natural nutrient cycle in the soil. </p>