Gardening/Horticulture/Agriculture Thread

[Melkor]

Scorrreeee

It looks nice, too, so your landlord shouldn't give you shit about it.

[Refugee]

Hawk's daughter doesn't even remember the bows!  I'm surprised, she messed with them as much as the rest of us.  But she says she bets it was cotton string, because they used it for everything.  Maybe he braided it?

[Melkor]

Tightly-braided and waxed cotton would work, though I've never seen one.

I mean technically, you can make a bowstring out of any cordage. When I start the tillering process of a bow, I use a length of 550 paracord tied with a slip-knot and a timber-hitch.

[Refugee]

I guess I was 11 or 12, so it's been 45 years ago.  I can't remember many details about how it was made.  But I know the only way I could pull it all the way was to stick the arrow in the ground, nock the bow and use my weight, lol.  My uncle had a 50 lb compound bow and I couldn't pull that with the same technique at that time.

I forgot when listing my orchard plants, I've a couple of concord grape vines too.

[Melkor]

I guess I was 11 or 12, so it's been 45 years ago.  I can't remember many details about how it was made.  But I know the only way I could pull it all the way was to stick the arrow in the ground, nock the bow and use my weight, lol.  My uncle had a 50 lb compound bow and I couldn't pull that with the same technique at that time.

I forgot when listing my orchard plants, I've a couple of concord grape vines too.

Man. The only grapes that do well in Florida are Muscadine, and they are a bitch to sex. Something like 1 in 10 are producing females, so the best way to get them growing are to take clones of someone's producing vines.

lol kids. I woulda smacked you for drawing a bow like that xD. Yeah, it was probably around 40lbs. I think I was like 12 or 13 before I could draw a 45lb compound bow, and thus be legally allowed to hunt with a bow. I have an 70lb compound right now that sits in my shed, pretty neglected. It has several hogs, turkeys, and rabbits under its' belt. That oak "tiger bow" I carved is probably around 80lbs at full-draw.

[boog]

Muscadines are muscadisgusting.

[Melkor]

ba-dum-tissss.

[boog]

How do I convince my mother to let me have chickens at her house?

Hrm.

[BadSkeelz]

Just drop a bunch off unannounced in the dead of night. She probably can't catch them all.

[boog]

I'd have to make them a chicken run first, because there are a lot of dogs that roam free in her little 'neighborhood'.

Hm.

[Refugee]

I was going to suggest bug patrol, but that won't work if you're going to keep them in a run...unless you put them in a tractor?

[boog]

Ah, I go down there like 3-5 times a week. She lives about 10-15 minutes away depending upon traffic so it's no big whoop. I'd just put them in a run with a mobile coop to keep them in at night and a run for when I'm not around.

She does hate bugs, though. Hm...

[chrisdcoulombe]

Leaves are staggered on the twig, not in pairs. Veins branch from the central line on the leaf. Edges seem both serrated and smooth? Idk. Also, I dont remember these trees blooming/fruiting in the last year, though I may have just not noticed.

I think its some type of alder tree, not positive cause its hard to tell in pictures.

[Melkor]

If you decide to use a chicken tractor, it has to me moved DAILY, or else the lawn will get patchy.

A Coop and Run seems more convenient. After a few months in the coop, you can let your hens out to hunt bugs; they know where home is.

[boog]

My mother's lawn is already patchy as fuck because she didn't buy full sun grass seed. She swears it's the septic tank but the ground wouldn't be damn scorched if that were the case. Jayzus.

[Melkor]

@ Boog. Also, check with city ordinances, and any other regulations pertaining to where your mother lives. Would suck to buy chickens and build a coop, only to be slapped with a fine, and have to get rid of it all.




4 month old avocado tree from a frost-hardy cultivar grown locally. I am told the tree the fruit came from was the grand-daughter of  the original avocado tree on the gentleman's property, so this one should produce just fine.

[boog]

A max of 5 chickens per backyard, which is insane. Only the backyard. And no roosters, but I know that fucker across the street has a rooster because it shouts every god damn day that I visit.

Nice on the avocado tree. I want one!

[Refugee]

I didn't know avocados grew in Florida.

[Melkor]

5 australorp hens means about 30 eggs per week. Sounds good to me.

Roosters aren't necessary, unless you are trying to breed your hens. That being said, they are awesome protectors. Roosters fight to the death to protect their hens.

Thank ya! I had a fully-grown avocado tree down south that produced deeeelicious avocados, but it was not frost-tolerant at all, so I couldnt grow it up here. The one I am growing now is a central-american cultivar, shiny green skin.

[boog]

I know! Australorp are my absolute faves. I like Rhode Island Reds, too, but Australorp are also ... decent eating when they're, y'know, beyond laying eggs.

[Melkor]

My girl's grandfather raises Reds. Gorgeous birds. Australorps are arguably one of the best breeds. There's an awesome website for all things chicken. backyardchickens.com. Once I handle a few financial priorities, I am going to get a few chickens of my own.

My father has fighting-cocks where he lives in the Philippines; the hens over there are goddamned delicious. 

[Refugee]

I've got 15 Australorps ordered (2 roos), along with 5 Buff Orpingtons.  My hope is that the Orpingtons will be broody enough to raise lots of generations of Australorps for meat and eggs for ourselves and the dog.

Also going to raise rabbits.  I've got them already arranged to pick up next week (except for one doe who is too young to leave mama yet).  I've got two Rexes, a little amber buck and a chocolate doe.  A young pure California doe and three meat mutts, one of them is an older buck who will go to freezer camp when the little Rex buck gets old enough to do the job.

Here's Buckthorn, the future patriarch of my rabbit empire:

[Melkor]

Thats perfect, Refugee. I love rabbit. for the last 15 years or so (Save the last 2, with my new work schedule) , I go out every easter at 4am and bring home a rabbit for lunch. I have never raised rabbits, though. If I did, I would not be able to resist naming them after the rabbits from Watership Down.Any plans for what to do with all the pelts?

Fun bit of trivia, your australorps and Orpingtons are cousins separated by just a few hundred years. Australorps are Orpingtons which were brought to Australia during the initial colonization.

[Refugee]

I didn't know that about the chickens.  Australorps are not known for being very broody and Orpingtons are, so I'm hoping they will do enough of that so that I don't have to buy chicks all the time.

Buckthorn is a name from Watership Down!  But he's not for eating, not yet anyway.  I hope he will make lots of babies that we will eat lol!  I don't plan to name them.  The names of my other five "foundation" bunnies are Pinto, Holly, Coco, Peppercorn, and Clover.  Pinto is the older buck.  Peppercorn is an older doe who I'm getting free, and she will mostly be to foster kits if the other girls don't do well with their first litters.  Holly and Peppercorn will come to me already bred so there will be kits soon, with luck.  Moving pregnant does can cause problems.

I don't have plans for the pelts.  Rexes have really nice pelts too.  I would like to be able to use as much of the animal as possible.  The woman that I am getting the Rexes from sells rabbit feet key chains, I didn't know those were still a thing. 

[Refugee]

Peppercorn


Clover