Hello

[Billk]

hello from northeast Ohio. I have gardened on and off for about twenty years but I still have much to learn. I hope to gain more knowledge and meet new friends.
Billk

 

[marlingardener]

Hello, and welcome to the forum! We are in central Texas on a small farm. My husband was born and raised in Columbus, Ohio, so I know Ohio turns out good people!
What kind of gardening do you do--flower, herb, vegetable, in containers or in-ground, raised bed? We want to know!

 

[Billk]

Hello, and welcome to the forum! We are in central Texas on a small farm. My husband was born and raised in Columbus, Ohio, so I know Ohio turns out good people!
What kind of gardening do you do--flower, herb, vegetable, in containers or in-ground, raised bed? We want to know!

Great to hear from you and thanks for the welcome.
We do a little of everything, mostly vegetables, but herbs and flowers as well. Most of it is in ground although this year I'm using a pallet to grow some pole beans. I'm growing several types of beans, Arikara Yellow, Speckled Cranberry, and Turkey Craw. I am going to attempt to learn how to dry beans for winter use this year. We re growing Sugar Magnolia sweet corn and Black Aztec corn. I also planted some Cinderella and Long Island Cheese pumpkins. There are also peas, chard, several varieties of kale, cabbage, leeks, tomatoes, peppers, broccoli, and heirloom beans. We found two new seed companies, Seed Savers Exchange and High Mowing Seeds that carry a large selection of heirloom seeds. These seeds are of the highest quality, nearly 100% germination rates and great yields. Although we are having a dry summer in northeast Ohio, we are still getting good returns and expect a decent harvest. I only have about 700 square feet to work with so I have to be creative, a lot of companion planting.
What sort of farming do you do? Any livestock? We're thinking of raising chickens, maybe next year. Let us know what you do. We'd like to know.

 

[Beth_B]

Welcome from Michigan! Hot and dry here too but the upside is, slugs and mosquitoes are minimal for a change.

Your garden sounds awesome; did you start those beans from seed I assume from the places you mentioned?

Growing up we had chickens (and goats and sheep and geese and ducks...) and I had chickens for a while as an adult but that was in a much warmer climate. I can have three here per township rules but figured I'd be eating $20 eggs after the expense to keep them safe, and warm in winter. I do buy eggs from a local heritage farm though.

 

[Billk]

Yes, the beans were started from seed. Some of them can be used as snap beans now and then later left to dry for winter use. I've never dried beans and I planted a lot of them so it will be a learning experience I'm sure. Our town requires at least two acres for livestock but other folks here raise chickens for eggs. I agree though, the cost of keeping them might be too high. This summer is the driest we've had in awhile. We could use the rain but I don't miss digging drainage trenches to drain two inches of standing water out of the tomato patch. Thanks for the welcome and hope it's a good summer up there this year.

 

[marlingardener]

We have only 9 1/2 acres, so no hoofed livestock. We use the pasture and pond for wildlife.
We do have chickens--Lordy, they are funny, make you wonder if you or the chickens are smarter, and it's well worth the effort to keep hens. Start-up costs can be high, but that depends on how you start out. We were able to convert two barn stalls to chicken coops, and then build an outside coop for the ladies to enjoy during the daylight hours. It wasn't cheap, but still less cost than cable TV, and a lot more entertaining!

 

[Becky]

Hello and welcome aboard!