Hello from South Carolina

[Benjy136]

Briansworm:

Gotta love it. When I was a boy the comics didn't even dream of such a network. We dreamed up space travel and the time machine but something like this wasn't even in the offing. Dick Tracy's Wristwatch radio was futuristic but believable. But to reach so many people with the click of a key. Wow! One would think something as unbelievable as this would lead to world peace. If something like this were possible the next step is to build translators into the system and it would be like in the Book Of Acts when the apostles spoke and it reached the ears of every person in his or her native tongue. We would understand one another's desires, wants and needs. Well, it has done a lot of good. Look at us. People on the opposite sides of the world able to stretch accross the planet and discuss different aspects of the same thing. Finding that we have things in common, in some cases, more than the person accross the street or in the adjoining farm. One has to ask, "why has this not led to a better relationship arround the globe. Of course the answer is really apparent. When something as amazing as this comes along there will always be some who will find ways to use it for personal gain "at the expense of the naive, gullible and mentally challanged" with no regard for the misery they inflict.
What happened to my joyful entrance? My garden, by and large, is doing well. I talked to Bruce the day before yesterday and ordered a pound of Red Wrigglers. I'm setting up a bin for them. My neighbor came over yesterday and we exchanged produce. I came home last night from our penny poker game with a whole dollar more than I left with. Wow! They are calling for some rain tomorrow. I can't complain about my life, so I'd better log off before the guys in the white coats get wind of my whereabouts. Won't take long with today's technology. Lol
Benjy

[farmerd]

Farmerd

Sounds as though you have a well rounded out crop. My worst pests have been the squash vine Borers and slugs. The borers deposit the eggs early in the life of the plant and you don't know about the damage until after the fruit comes on and you get a couple pickings. Then the leaves droop and the next morning you come out to make another picking and the whole plant looks as though it just laid down and died. I don't know how long you've been gardening organic but it takes quite a while, usually, to build up a good preditor population, and once they've cleaned up Dodge they go looking for more outlaws, but they usually leave some eggs behind if the conditions are right and some of the smaller wasps can survive on nectar if the right flowers are there. If you have a lot of birds,as I do. the larger predators, like praying mantids, don't survive the birds for long. The smaller wasps love my Rosemary and other herbs when they are in bloom.
I'm going to try some pyrethrian and rotenone at the base of my new squash plants and along the long stems. Got to keep it away from the flowers because it;s not too selective. And tonight, after dark, I'll work on the slugs by dusting my susceptable plants (cabbage, lettuce, celery, strawberries,etc) with food grade DE.
How large an area do you have in groceries, and are you planning on selling to stores or roadside or just keeping your friends happy and foes jealous? Probably should strike that last remark, as we don't usually have enemies. Just some friends closer than others, as long as they refrain from telling what and how much of any food, drink or smoke I can consume. Darn! Didn't mean to get into politics Oh well. Got to get things ready for tonight. G'night. Sleep tight, and don't let the Squash-bugs bite,

i know what you mean about the borers! they tore us up last year, but havent been much trouble this year. ive been using an organically approved slug bait, and havent had much trouble with them.

right now, i have the back yard of a city lot full of raised beds and containers. when we're able to keep it rolling it keeps us in fresh produce, but it doesnt produce as well as i would like due to some shading in the morning and afternoon. my goal is to get at least an acre prep'd and cover cropped by next spring so i can begin shifting my production out to the farm in gadsden. we hope to move out there for good in a year or so.

for us, the goal is to run a small market farm with a food forest. we'll have a small poultry flock, a couple grazers, and an aquaculture/green house setup. we should be able to supply most, if not all, our own food as well as sell enough to make a small living.

[Benjy136]

fARMERED: tHANKS FOR THE REPLY. i USE THE SLUG BAIT YOU SPEAK OF, BUT THEY ARE STILL TRYING TO WORK ON MY MORE SUSCEPTIBLE CROPS. tHE BAIT WON'T RID YOU OF THE BORERS, THOUGH. (Yeah. I had my caps lock on) The booger that lays the borer eggs looks like a wasp with a colorful back. She lays the eggs, usually, in a leaf stem. The egg hatches and travels down to the main artety and then does the real damage. I've been checking my squash stems, now, every day now and when I see a damaged one (the leaf will usually be turning yellow and you'll find a brownish soft area somewhere on the stem) I cut it off at the base and pile some dirt on the wound. So far I haven't lost another plant. I'll keep you advised. I was going to use pyrethrian and rotrnone on the stems, but once the grub is inside its protected by the stem.

I was thinking about the way the birds wiped out my blueberry crop this morning and waxed poetic. I thought the wormies on Bruce's blog would appreciate the humor, so here goes on this one.


BLUEBIRDS AND WORMS

A BLUEBIRD FOUND MY BERRY PATCH ...I WATCHED IN FACINATION
HE PERCHED UPON A LIMB CLOSE BY ...ASSESSED THE SITUATION
THE BERRIES, RIPE, BUT SMALL HE SAW ...NOT TO HIS SATISFACTION
COULD IT BE, IN HIS MIND, HE SAW ...A NEED TO TAKE SOME ACTION
WOULD THIS NOT DO AT ALL FOR HIM?... A BIRD OF NOBLE COLOR
IT WOULD BE EMBARRASING ...THEY MUST BE FIRM AND FULLER
WITH A SCREECH OF DISDAIN ...HE QUICKLY TOOK TO FLIGHT
A BLUR OF BLUE AND HE WAS GONE ...SO QUICKLY OUT OF SIGHT

I RETURNED TO HOEING WEEDS ...IN MY EXCUSE FOR VEGGIES
PUNY PEAS, BITTEN BEANS ...AND LETTUCE FAR TOO LEGGY
SHORTLY, THOUGH, I TURNED MY HEAD ...TOWARD A SOUND I HEARD
DID I HAVE A VISITOR? ...I TURNED TO SEE THE BIRD
I LOOKED AND SAW WITHIN HIS BEAK... AN OBJECT THAT DID SQUIRM
ON CLOSE EXAMINATION ...I PERCEIVED IT WAS A WORM
TO DESCRIBE THE BIRD'S EXPRESSION ...I CAN'T EVEN TRY
BUT I SURMISED HE SAID TO ME ..... "YOU NEED THIS MORE THAN I"

[briansworms]

i know what you mean about the borers! they tore us up last year, but havent been much trouble this year. ive been using an organically approved slug bait, and havent had much trouble with them.

right now, i have the back yard of a city lot full of raised beds and containers. when we're able to keep it rolling it keeps us in fresh produce, but it doesnt produce as well as i would like due to some shading in the morning and afternoon. my goal is to get at least an acre prep'd and cover cropped by next spring so i can begin shifting my production out to the farm in gadsden. we hope to move out there for good in a year or so.

for us, the goal is to run a small market farm with a food forest. we'll have a small poultry flock, a couple grazers, and an aquaculture/green house setup. we should be able to supply most, if not all, our own food as well as sell enough to make a small living.

You are probally having less borer problems this year because they have moved to Ben's place lol. I would like to start a veggie patch but my yard doesn't get enough sunshine because of the trees. I have thought about a plot in a Community Garden which are becoming popular over here but it is not the same as your own backyard. My worm farms take up a lot of time too so I guess I will just keep supporting the farmers.

[briansworms]

fARMERED: tHANKS FOR THE REPLY. i USE THE SLUG BAIT YOU SPEAK OF, BUT THEY ARE STILL TRYING TO WORK ON MY MORE SUSCEPTIBLE CROPS. tHE BAIT WON'T RID YOU OF THE BORERS, THOUGH. (Yeah. I had my caps lock on) The booger that lays the borer eggs looks like a wasp with a colorful back. She lays the eggs, usually, in a leaf stem. The egg hatches and travels down to the main artety and then does the real damage. I've been checking my squash stems, now, every day now and when I see a damaged one (the leaf will usually be turning yellow and you'll find a brownish soft area somewhere on the stem) I cut it off at the base and pile some dirt on the wound. So far I haven't lost another plant. I'll keep you advised. I was going to use pyrethrian and rotrnone on the stems, but once the grub is inside its protected by the stem.

I was thinking about the way the birds wiped out my blueberry crop this morning and waxed poetic. I thought the wormies on Bruce's blog would appreciate the humor, so here goes on this one.


BLUEBIRDS AND WORMS

A BLUEBIRD FOUND MY BERRY PATCH ...I WATCHED IN FACINATION
HE PERCHED UPON A LIMB CLOSE BY ...ASSESSED THE SITUATION
THE BERRIES, RIPE, BUT SMALL HE SAW ...NOT TO HIS SATISFACTION
COULD IT BE, IN HIS MIND, HE SAW ...A NEED TO TAKE SOME ACTION
WOULD THIS NOT DO AT ALL FOR HIM?... A BIRD OF NOBLE COLOR
IT WOULD BE EMBARRASING ...THEY MUST BE FIRM AND FULLER
WITH A SCREECH OF DISDAIN ...HE QUICKLY TOOK TO FLIGHT
A BLUR OF BLUE AND HE WAS GONE ...SO QUICKLY OUT OF SIGHT

I RETURNED TO HOEING WEEDS ...IN MY EXCUSE FOR VEGGIES
PUNY PEAS, BITTEN BEANS ...AND LETTUCE FAR TOO LEGGY
SHORTLY, THOUGH, I TURNED MY HEAD ...TOWARD A SOUND I HEARD
DID I HAVE A VISITOR? ...I TURNED TO SEE THE BIRD
I LOOKED AND SAW WITHIN HIS BEAK... AN OBJECT THAT DID SQUIRM
ON CLOSE EXAMINATION ...I PERCEIVED IT WAS A WORM
TO DESCRIBE THE BIRD'S EXPRESSION ...I CAN'T EVEN TRY
BUT I SURMISED HE SAID TO ME ..... "YOU NEED THIS MORE THAN I"

Ben you are a man of many talents, well done. I think I get more inspiration from you that I could ever impart on you.

[Benjy136]

to Brian"

Oh! golly and shucks, You're turning my ANs red.

[eco4560]

This Ladies and Gents is what is called Bromance....

[briansworms]

This Ladies and Gents is what is called Bromance....

Ben and I have been swapping posts on The Worm Expert. He has plenty of go in him for his 81 years and I thought this Forum would be right up his alley. Seems I was right and he found a neighbour. His AN's are African Night Crawler worms, just thought I best clear that up lol. The ants he is having trouble with is Fire Ants so if anybody has any ideas.

[Benjy136]

Brian

Thanks for that introduction, Brian. The book you reccomended is out of print & out of stock. I believe they ought to pay you a commission. I found a few other worm books and ordered them while that one is on backorder. Theres probably more info on this site than all the books flying around. Y'all should get together and colaberate (or however you spell it).
Thanks again....

Ben ..............Bromance? C'mon. They can do better'n that. Where's that Aussie wit? I saw croc Dundee.

"You call that a kni....worm?"

[eco4560]

I think you are right Brian - he's going to fit in here just fine!