#agriculture help

[bameme]

"Pa! The Anarcho-primitivists got into the therapy talk!"

[tomorrowsgardennc]

so this is how i started down the rabbit hole of wanting/needing a frog pond...

it all started when i was dumb and left my gorilla wagon outside during that hurricane that came on through, beryl betty, beejou, beetlejuice... already forgot the name. but it dumped a TON of water in the span of only 1.5 days, so of course the wagon got full super quick. i guess it also rained frogs instead of cats and dogs because some frogs laid eggs in said wagon cart. now the thing is, i own this cart wagon gorilla because i need it. i use it quite often, considering how many raised beds i've been constructing and replenishing compost for. but frogs win over me.

i've been checking my no longer gorilla but now frog wagon cart daily since then, and now i'm down to i believe 5ish tadpoles just chilling in there. and yes i washed my hands thoroughly after this video. also wave hi to me at the end.

i believe i have picked a good dedicated space for a permanent frog pond in the middle of one of my raised beds in the front yard. i plan on surrounding it with vegetable plants all year round (dinosaur kale in the winter, then next year will be purple tomatillos). i had cantaloupe plants in it before but man i couldn't reach the middle both because of my back and because the bed is just too square.

so the only remaining question i have before i commit to this is that do i need a run-off drain drilled near the top for the next downpour, or does it just do that on it's own and no worries about it?? this is an old hydroponics bin that i used once and was like 'cool. but a tower would be better' so i don't plan on using it ever again for that purpose.

thank you to soooo many people who helped me when i first panic posted about what to do: @the-thing-of-worms, @martha-anne, @roseredsnow, and @mrsjdavis. without your advice or thoughts i would not have kept going with this idea!

i now know to add plants to the water, and going to add rocks of various sizes in and around the pond. i'm debating on adding fish, because as much as i would love that idea - i'm worried about the pond freezing in winter and also not only parsley but other cats in the neighborhood just coming and eating them all. but i guess that's nature for you. totes going to put in a water pump to keep the water moving, that will be like step 1.

oh, and a photo of the frogs that live in my yard. no idea of the species, but man they are everywhere.

[popsicle-stick]

YES!!!!!!!!!!! OH YEAH BABY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (sickos) OH YES!!!!!!!!!!!!

[queers4years]

Indigenous Hawaiians really had a good system going: wake up reaaally early and do most of the days work while it's cool and by the time the sun was up and it got hot the work was done and you're free to surf and socialize. I wish the white people realized they themselves could work smarter and not harder and get time to relax. Instead of calling Hawaiians lazy (and being genocidal about it)

[randomnameless]

Re about Faerghus and growing stuff :

We have the Nordsalat, being described as :

A magical vegetable that grows in frigid, unyielding environments. Cook into a dish that boosts charm.

In the JP version though, it's "magically" bred to grow in cold regions - so bar reigniting another round of "FoDlAn Is BaCkWaRdS" bcs even if no canons they can use magic to make things grow up in the tundra - this made me think of the AG mention, where apparently some members of the CoS are going to Galatea at the invitation of the count :

Recently, several of the church's scholars headed to Galatea territory, I believe at the invitation of the count. Galatea's evidently an impoverished place, devoid of anything but wild wastes. I guess they're working on some kind of reclamation project. In any event, I'm glad that both us and them are gonna be helping the people of the Kingdom.

Could it be that the "reclamation project" they're working on is sharing the, idk, "magic formula" to make nordsalat grow in Galatea?

The jp text for tomatoes mentions how it can only grow in greenhouses in the Monastery, and we know GM's greenhouse is somehow, powered bymagic. So maybe the CoS members are trying to teach to the Galatea peeps how to make magical greenhouses, or use magic to make plants grow?

Tl;Dr : Church BaD because they didn't share their magic(tech?) that make vegetables grow in poor soils and only do so when they are invited to :(

[melveres]

I’m so invested in wizard101 and its denizens that it has got me researching actual irl science and engineering so i could depict magic better

[vibinwiththefrogs]

I would really like somehow someway to put my education in agriculture towards a social movement -- in food sovereignty and sustainable systems, and things like that. But honestly I have no clue how to do so. Where I am agriculture is very dominated by more privileged white farmers that can afford technological and chemical solutions to problems, and so conventional ag is the dominant system. Everything I've read thus far makes it sound like the only way to influence that group of people is to establish a farm myself and have them come around eventually by proving I'm not insane (and proving that I make a profit), which would require personal capital that I simply don't have and couldn't get for years (if even, in this economy). There is a city nearby but it doesn't have an urban agriculture movement like a lot of major cities do, as far as I'm aware at least.

Idk, I've been spending a lot of time frustrated at the existing possibilities of what I can do where I am with my degree, that maybe I haven't been thinking and learning outside the box enough. I think I'm going to move towards learning more about grassroots movements and organizations and being a good community member. I feel that might reveal a door I can't see right now.

[watermelonstickers]

Some recent photos and a video from my friend Mohammad in Gaza. Luis, the turtle who fell over, was adopted by Mohammad a year before 10/7. Lisa, he found a couple weeks ago under the rubble of a building.

He and his family have used some of the donation money we’ve raised to start cultivating the pictured crops. They’re growing beautifully, and will soon be ready for harvest.

It is Mohammad’s wish to raise $600 by Eid al-Adha. Will you help him?

https://gofund.me/67750fc6

[werewolf-femboy-maid]

"gEt a CaReEr" bitch my career is the ground get out of my sight.

[just-call-mefr1es]

rlly torn on if i should keep griff in district 4 or move him to 11

like,, i like olympic swimmer griff™️ but also almost dying of starvation griff sounds more his character or something idk how to word

[jarvis-cockhead]

I need Americans to stop weighing in on the UKs indoor vs outdoor cat debate until they read up on our biodiversity crisis and learn exactly why our wildlife decline is so serious (spoiler: it's not the cats)

[bitchthefuck1]

what do you think kaz’s family grew on their farm

I mean, I always thought it would be some kind of grain, like wheat or barley, with a few chickens and maybe a milk cow.

I also have a mini headcanon that they had a few apple trees growing on their land and Kaz and Jordie would be the ones to actually pick them, with Kaz scampering up the trees and tossing the apples down to Jordie as he goes. He'd also probably primarily be involved with the livestock, especially the chickens, and the housework, since he'd have been too small to be much help in the field.

[woolandcoffee]

God folks in the pesticide manufacturing industry are so up their own asses. This is the most annoying call.

[circa-obsolete]

1940

[mings]

Yes, I've been quiet lately, and this is why.

Long story short - we were caught by the chicken bug. We went to see a breeder about some Gold-laced Wyandottes (look them up, they're simply gorgeous) and came away having agreed a deal to become a satellite breeder. We'll be hatching rare and endangered traditional breeds of poultry for which demand outstrips supply.

So, preparations are in hand. This is the first hen palace that will house four breeding pairs. It's actually a repurposed garage that someone just wanted gone. It cost a van hire and a couple of hours graft to dismantle it and bring it home, and that's when the real work started.

It was built from scratch on a concrete base, so I took it apart with a sawzall. After adding framing and tidying the cuts, I built a timber base. That was easy, but the site is on a 10° gradient, so levelling it was... interesting.

As we were blessed with a few days of high pressure and zero wind, we've been flat out before the weather turned on us. Bailey helped keep the roofing felt down while I cut it. Now it's up, the roof is on & and it's covered in creosote, which defeats red mites. Now I can start on framing the indoor runs, which will mean we can accept the birds. We'll add larger outdoor runs too, and then we'll start on the next henhouse because we don't do anything by half.

[wholelottabotany]

Food Growing Friday: Raised Bed Basics!

    Raised beds are a very simple, manageable, and accessible way for people to establish their own gardens. It is not as daunting as it may seem, and it can be as DIY as you want. To start, all you need to focus on is the Frame, the Fill, and the Flood.

    Frame: To start, you need a solid wood or metal frame. If you’re building your beds yourself, a great long-term wood choice is Cedar, which is naturally rot-resistant and not a bank-breaker compared to other woods. If you’re choosing metal instead, especially in wetter climates, you’ll wanna go with Galvanized Steel to avoid leeching and rust. Water Troughs are a great choice for this. You can customize the height of your bed to fit your accessibility and price needs, lower beds are more cost-effective, but higher beds are easier to maintain for people with disabilities and difficulty bending down.

You can also purchase easy-install raised bed kits from your local garden or hardware center, and not even worry about all this.    

Fill: Your soil mix can make or break your gardening experience. You have to make sure that you’re not sacrificing cost for quality, and vice versa. To do so, it’s good to mix about 50/50 with cheaper topsoil, and organic compost. The compost you can source from a bag, or you can make it yourself if you have the resources. Also keep an eye out for local compost bins that you may be able to source from. Topsoil also can come from a bag, or any construction and landscaping projects in your area. Never be afraid to find resources in the community around you!    

Especially with taller beds, it’s also smart to start with a layer of mulch, logs, or branches. Anything organic that can break down, but that takes up plenty of space in order to slow weed growth and lessen the burden of soil on your wallet.

Flood: Water! Water! Water! A garden can grow nowhere without it's beloved moisture. Different beds will have different watering requirements, depending on how well the soil drains, and how much the plants need. But for now, the set up. I have personally found the best way to irrigate a small bed is by drip watering, because it avoids issues like powdery mildew and water spots caused by overhead watering. You can either purchase grids to go across the entire bed, or you can get flexible irrigation tubing and directly target your plants.