image from Old Farmers Almanac
image from free stock photo
image from Alwaysreview.com
We had a snowstorm this weekend. First had rain, which lead to freezing then we had snow on top of it. Made for a slippery walk on Sunday. When you get it cleared off, it is melting so that is good. Sunshine this morning, but now we are having clouds. Temperature at 3:00 Pm is at 25 degrees so that is nice. Now the storm is out east, and they are having lots of snow. Snow records… our next record will be this weekend when the temperature doesn’t get over zero for the high. BUT it is winter in IOWA. Stay safe, stay warm. This is a letter from the Old Farmer’s Almanac. Interesting facts about rotation of crops, raising chickens and dandelions. Enjoy!
Dear Friend,
Pests. Disease. Depleted soil. You already know these aren’t good for your garden. You also probably know that crop rotation is supposed to help. Moving plants gives the soil time to replenish nutrients, confuses pests, and kills off diseases in the soil. That’s easy enough if you have acres and acres of crops. Most of us, however, don’t have acres and acres of crops.
Even in a small space, though, crop rotation is both helpful and possible. One simple way for average gardeners to organize a crop rotation is to divide the garden into quarters and rotate your crops around a central point each year.
If you don’t have an abundance of room, however, or if you have a disproportionate amount of a few vegetables as compared to others, you can still rotate crops. For example, if you have crops like corn that are heavy feeders, be sure to rotate them with nitrogen-fixing crops like peas or beans.
Of course, whether you rotate your crops or not, one way you can improve your soil and have a much healthier garden is by adding compost. That’s a sure way to add the microorganisms and organic matter to your garden.
Your Chicken Is Smarter Than You Realize
In the animal kingdom, we don’t usually think of chickens as the brightest creatures. Dolphins, dogs, and even crows are lauded for their intelligence. Chickens, though? It turns out, you can train your chicken to come when you call it. In many cases, you can train a chicken even faster than you can train a dog. All you need is a hungry chicken and a supply of chicken feed.
The Delightful And Delicious Dandelion
Way back in April 2016 we published a story about the weed everyone loves to hate: the dandelion. The thing is, cultures around the world use every part of the dandelion as both nutritious food and powerful medicine. And believe it or not, they’re good for your garden in small doses. The bright yellow flowers attract pollinators in the spring and provide an important early nectar source for butterflies.
On the dinner table, young dandelion greens are great with a salad. You can also cook them with chopped onions and garlic, or add dandelions to a spring tonic soup with young nettles, parsley, spinach, kale, and chard.
There is, however, a trick to harvesting these culinary and agricultural delights.
Taken from Old Farmer’s Almanac
Till next time this is Becky Litterer, Becky’s Greenhouse Dougherty Iowa beckmall@netins.net 641-794-3337 cell 641-903-9365
Dear Friend,
Pests. Disease. Depleted soil. You already know these aren’t good for your garden. You also probably know that crop rotation is supposed to help. Moving plants gives the soil time to replenish nutrients, confuses pests, and kills off diseases in the soil. That’s easy enough if you have acres and acres of crops. Most of us, however, don’t have acres and acres of crops.
Even in a small space, though, crop rotation is both helpful and possible. One simple way for average gardeners to organize a crop rotation is to divide the garden into quarters and rotate your crops around a central point each year.
If you don’t have an abundance of room, however, or if you have a disproportionate amount of a few vegetables as compared to others, you can still rotate crops. For example, if you have crops like corn that are heavy feeders, be sure to rotate them with nitrogen-fixing crops like peas or beans.
Of course, whether you rotate your crops or not, one way you can improve your soil and have a much healthier garden is by adding compost. That’s a sure way to add the microorganisms and organic matter to your garden.
Your Chicken Is Smarter Than You Realize
In the animal kingdom, we don’t usually think of chickens as the brightest creatures. Dolphins, dogs, and even crows are lauded for their intelligence. Chickens, though? It turns out, you can train your chicken to come when you call it. In many cases, you can train a chicken even faster than you can train a dog. All you need is a hungry chicken and a supply of chicken feed.
The Delightful And Delicious Dandelion
Way back in April 2016 we published a story about the weed everyone loves to hate: the dandelion. The thing is, cultures around the world use every part of the dandelion as both nutritious food and powerful medicine. And believe it or not, they’re good for your garden in small doses. The bright yellow flowers attract pollinators in the spring and provide an important early nectar source for butterflies.
On the dinner table, young dandelion greens are great with a salad. You can also cook them with chopped onions and garlic, or add dandelions to a spring tonic soup with young nettles, parsley, spinach, kale, and chard.
There is, however, a trick to harvesting these culinary and agricultural delights.
Taken from Old Farmer’s Almanac
Till next time this is Becky Litterer, Becky’s Greenhouse Dougherty Iowa beckmall@netins.net 641-794-3337 cell 641-903-9365
