Do legumes cross-pollinate? For instance, next year, I plan to grow a vining white cornfield type bean, a black bush bean, a soybean (bush), a green lentil, and a blue-podded pea (for dried/split). I want to save enough for winter-eating but also enough to plant true for the next year and years after that. So... will they cross each other? If so, how far away do I plant them?
The white beans will be in the 390 square foot "cornfield" in the fenced-in backyard. The rest of the legumes will go where-ever I feel the soil has been amended by the chickens and where there is support (for peas and lentils) or where there is room enough. AND where the goats can't get to them!
= = = =
We had a terrible storm last night. A town nearby made the news with so much hail that it looked like it snowed. Our goat pen flooded (thankfully the goat house was a little higher and was tight and dry). We have some work to do before the next storm. Lost some raspberry plants to the storm, and some beans.
Thunder, lightening and lots of rain most of the night. We even had a tornado warning so we (including mom-in-law) went down to the basement. That's ok.. the bunny wanted company!
Made my first goat milk ricotta cheese on Sunday and it was amazing! So easy! Can't believe I had never made it before, from any milk. Want to make cheese from the whey so I'll experiment with that when I have time. Chickens ate their portion like they were starving!
Found some storage bins made specifically for keeping "pet food" so we bought 3 (goat food, chicken food, bunny food). Need 3 more (oats, cracked corn, sunflower seeds) but have to wait until the store gets restocked.
Made some blueberry bread for my neighbor, and while I was delivering it, she gave me another gallon of goat milk. Gonna make more ricotta cheese and/or yogurt today. Also told me they had just planted some prozo, which I later found out was millet. Said she planted as late as August last year and harvested and fed their chickens on it most of the winter. So... I had some millet seeds in the freezer, because we eat it and I give it to the quail. Soaking some tonight in water, and will toss in a special patch tomorrow or the next day ... experiment to see if we can grow millet. If we can, wow! Perfect!
We're giving that neighbor our two quail, Pecka and Fella. She has only laid one egg in the last several months, and they've been so good to us, so ... well, two little quail won't be dinner, but maybe it'll be an appetizer for the family.
Showing posts with label Beans. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Beans. Show all posts
Heirloom seeds for next year
I'm always thinking about next year's garden... I know, I'm still planting this year's but still, hey, that's just me!
Followed a link from McGuire's Homestead to http://www.heirlooms.org/catalog.html and ... wow! I'm definitely ordering my bean seeds from there next year, and possibly tomatoes. The Mary Rose McMurray Tomato looks good (disappointed in this year's paste tomatoes) and that Black Pear tomato sounds interesting.
Need to find a similar place for corn ... this year's "crop" isn't gonna be ready in time. The soil is so depleted that it barely grows an inch a week. Still isn't even at knee's height! That's just the yellow bantam corn. The popcorn sprouted quickly, grew about 6 inches tall, and stopped. The black aztec corn from Baker's Heirloom and Seed Savers never sprouted. Guess we're not having fresh homegrown corn this year.
Hoping that once we harvest what we can actually grow this year that the chickens can be let out every day to fertilize and scratch until next Spring. Hope that's enough time to get some nutrients in the soil.
Don't you just love moving to a new place?!?!
As a side note:
Finally got the chicken coop finished, the dog kennel surrounding it, and the 10 8-week-old chicks in it last night. Was just as the sun was setting so they were a bit confused, and refused to go INSIDE the henhouse. We left them at about 9:30 huddled behind the henhouse. This morning I found 4 inside the henhouse and the other 6 scrunched up in the very small space between the henhouse and the kennel wiring. Tried to lure them out with oats, their favorite snack, but ... guess it will take time. That, and getting thirsty because the water is out in the open area.
The goats don't know what to make of them. The laying hen, Henny Penny, just ignores them. Henny gets a boyfriend today! The neighbor behind us is getting rid of an araucana rooster and offered it to us, so we said heck yeah! Hope he and Henny get along ok. We're naming him Lenny ... as in Henny and Lenny Penny. Sigh. I know. Baaad!
Making more goat yogurt today. Used up the last batch by freezing it as popsicles (flavored one with fruit punch drink powder and two with tang orange drink powder). Hubby and the Kid are clamoring for more. Since mom-in-law will be here this weekend, might be a good idea.
Well, have a million things to do today so I better get started.
Followed a link from McGuire's Homestead to http://www.heirlooms.org/catalog.html and ... wow! I'm definitely ordering my bean seeds from there next year, and possibly tomatoes. The Mary Rose McMurray Tomato looks good (disappointed in this year's paste tomatoes) and that Black Pear tomato sounds interesting.
Need to find a similar place for corn ... this year's "crop" isn't gonna be ready in time. The soil is so depleted that it barely grows an inch a week. Still isn't even at knee's height! That's just the yellow bantam corn. The popcorn sprouted quickly, grew about 6 inches tall, and stopped. The black aztec corn from Baker's Heirloom and Seed Savers never sprouted. Guess we're not having fresh homegrown corn this year.
Hoping that once we harvest what we can actually grow this year that the chickens can be let out every day to fertilize and scratch until next Spring. Hope that's enough time to get some nutrients in the soil.
Don't you just love moving to a new place?!?!
As a side note:
Finally got the chicken coop finished, the dog kennel surrounding it, and the 10 8-week-old chicks in it last night. Was just as the sun was setting so they were a bit confused, and refused to go INSIDE the henhouse. We left them at about 9:30 huddled behind the henhouse. This morning I found 4 inside the henhouse and the other 6 scrunched up in the very small space between the henhouse and the kennel wiring. Tried to lure them out with oats, their favorite snack, but ... guess it will take time. That, and getting thirsty because the water is out in the open area.
The goats don't know what to make of them. The laying hen, Henny Penny, just ignores them. Henny gets a boyfriend today! The neighbor behind us is getting rid of an araucana rooster and offered it to us, so we said heck yeah! Hope he and Henny get along ok. We're naming him Lenny ... as in Henny and Lenny Penny. Sigh. I know. Baaad!
Making more goat yogurt today. Used up the last batch by freezing it as popsicles (flavored one with fruit punch drink powder and two with tang orange drink powder). Hubby and the Kid are clamoring for more. Since mom-in-law will be here this weekend, might be a good idea.
Well, have a million things to do today so I better get started.
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