| Welcome to Surviving Minnesota. We hope you enjoy your visit. Feel free to post comments or questions and post topics you believe would be of interest to the group. You may do so without becoming a member. If you wish to post a comment as a guest, you first must hit the "submit" button and a space to post will come up. DON'T forget to fill in the anti-spammer question, (it looks like an ad) - if you don't your comment will not be posted. If you're serious about preparedness, self sufficiency, or simply want to learn more about it, we encourage you to become a member. Registration is simple, fast, and completely free. If you become a member we only ask that you introduce yourself to the group. Thank you for visiting! Join our community! If you're already a member please log in to your account to access all of our features: |
| Power Outage | |
|---|---|
| Tweet Topic Started: May 24 2011, 11:11 AM (993 Views) | |
| Mommacat | Nov 8 2011, 11:41 AM Post #41 |
|
Active member
![]() ![]() ![]()
|
Might just do that. Or, in the alternative, leave them alone and use them as a solar light - I don't recall ever seeing it etched in stone that they HAD to be outdoors and lined up beside a sidewalk! I'd think a couple of them would light up a room nicely and just put them outside in the morning and let them be in the sun during the day Might work, know it!?
|
![]() |
|
| Raven | Nov 8 2011, 12:55 PM Post #42 |
|
Active member
![]() ![]() ![]()
|
Hi kids, I am back. Actually got back Sunday afternoon but have been to busy/tired to get back on here for more than just checking things out. I was in MO for a Small Farmers conference over a long weekend. They gave several classes on topics that would benefit anyone interested in a self sustaining way of life. |
| The truth is not for all men, but only for those that seek it. Ayn Rand | |
![]() |
|
| Mommacat | Nov 10 2011, 10:25 AM Post #43 |
|
Active member
![]() ![]() ![]()
|
Welcome back, my friend, good to see you!! I think that would have been a good one to attend, sounds like there was a lot of interesting things to learn about. Did you bring me back a souvenir? You'll recall I asked for something tall, dark and handsome? LOL Oh well... I look forward to hearing about what you learned! |
![]() |
|
| Raven | Nov 12 2011, 08:46 AM Post #44 |
|
Active member
![]() ![]() ![]()
|
I took classes in MO for grazing to "make" soil and how to graze your animals so that you can double (at least) the output for your land. The farmer built up his soil so that he can now keep 80 cows in 2 acre pastures as long as he moves them twice a day. I thought that he was embellishing his numbers until he showed a video of his farm and how it works. It took him 5 years to build it up to that but his farm was sterile from chemical farming practices before he started. One farmer even gave a class on putting meat rabbits out to pasture. She gets $8.99/lb for pastured rabbits! She needs more rabbits because she can't keep up. I have several ideas in mind (poor Griz). HF- I asked about boron in our soils and was told to direct you to Midwest Bio Ag as they have a formula of bio-materials that will help your soil come "alive". You can't just guess though as throwing it out of ratio either way will not be able to give you optimum output. I was told to send a soil sample in to get a custom recommendation for your soil. |
| The truth is not for all men, but only for those that seek it. Ayn Rand | |
![]() |
|
| HandFarming | Nov 12 2011, 11:11 PM Post #45 |
Active member
![]() ![]() ![]()
|
Yeah, saw the movie DIRT and began our program a few years ago. DIRT is available for watching free online now. We started by adding rock dust (ground minerals) and compost bacteria of all forms - fish emulsion, bokashi, beer, bread yeasts and boron, ashes and hydrogen peroxide in the compost pile. It can take a few years for the microorganisms to break it all down and make it work but when it does the results have been encouraging. I used to get big leafy tomato plants...they were huge! But few fruit. Now I get big healthy plants and 10 times the fruit. I have a mix I use for root crops, a mix I use for berries, a mix for hot veggies and on. Now, with out chemicals, my plants get their perfect soil and though I haven't seen it in my pastures, I see it specifically in each plant that goes in the ground. I do put minerals, kelp, boron, peroxide in the pasture but just started. And, I know that the animals will have better natural health from better soil too. Let me know what you find out and the cost. I have a book that might help you if you need specifics. The other side is the plants used. To bring minerals up |
| You can lead an ass to knowledge, but you can not make it think. | |
![]() |
|
| Mommacat | Nov 15 2011, 04:16 AM Post #46 |
|
Active member
![]() ![]() ![]()
|
I think getting a soil analysis is a great idea for anyone that wants maximum output. You're right, Raven, just throwing a bunch of stuff (organic or otherwise) into your soil may not have the desired effect. And, it would also be helpful to have an idea of what the particular area would be used to plant, as many plants have preferences regarding acidity or alkalinity (is that a real word?!). Anyway, good idea and might be smart to have it done sooner rather than later. I wonder if there are any little kits you can get a person could continue to test with? I will check it out and get back on that.
|
![]() |
|
| Mommacat | Nov 15 2011, 04:25 AM Post #47 |
|
Active member
![]() ![]() ![]()
|
Ummm...about those soil test kits - yeah, they make them. They are ridiculously expensive!! Lowest price one on this site is $250 - higher prices ones available!! Yikes!! Anyway, here is the link to go to: http://www.gemplers.com/soil-test-kits Also, some interesting reading (I thought) on how to interpret your findings: http://www.soils.usda.gov/sqi/assessment/test_kit.html These tests go beyond the ordinary and appear to detect trace minerals, etc. |
![]() |
|
| HandFarming | Nov 15 2011, 06:04 AM Post #48 |
Active member
![]() ![]() ![]()
|
Well, I was just talking to one of the south central sustainable farming association people and they have a member who will be giving a presentation on organic soil additives. He tests the soil, finds out what you are growing and makes the mix. This is far different than what I have been doing. The first year I added chicken manure and got big leafy tomatoes, not much fruit. I added mineral dust and green sand and the production increased, so did the flavor of the food. I also add all other things, boron, peroxide, fish emulsion and lime, diatomaceous earth and kelp from the animals manure. Oh, and wood ashes for extra boost to potatoes and strawberries. I have done years where I added too much, in anticipation of getting even more, but only so much is needed. I'm trying to come up with a formula to get the it right for each type of crop, but talking to this guy wouldn't hurt. Also, he is looking for people to contract 1,000 acres at a time for organic soy beans and corn for supplying organic animal growers. I'm me if you want his email address. |
| You can lead an ass to knowledge, but you can not make it think. | |
![]() |
|
| Raven | Nov 15 2011, 09:39 AM Post #49 |
|
Active member
![]() ![]() ![]()
|
If I had 1000 acres I'd be all over that. The guy who gave the talk on soils said that his soil was dead, didn't even grow weeds other than scrub brush in spots. He mob stocked animals in it and in less than 3 years he has seen improvements. He now has clovers and grasses coming up and has found earthworms. The point is that usually, you don't need all of the fancy stuff. This guy doesn't even own a tractor. He mob stocks cattle in the area and distributes the manure in concentrated spots and then moves them every day. He starts out by buying old hay and has them trample it into the soil but he says that you have to get local hay/straw for this as the local stuff will have absorbed similar minerals etc that your soil should have. The cows trample this and poop all over it. Then in 24 hours, he moves them to another spot and does this all over. The guys name is Greg Judy and he has a couple of excellent books on how to do this. The before and after pictures are pretty telling. |
| The truth is not for all men, but only for those that seek it. Ayn Rand | |
![]() |
|
| Mommacat | Nov 15 2011, 12:43 PM Post #50 |
|
Active member
![]() ![]() ![]()
|
That seems like a very practical and easy way to go about it, Raven. It makes very good sense to use local hay and straw, too - I would not have thought of that. |
![]() |
|
| 1 user reading this topic (1 Guest and 0 Anonymous) | |
| Go to Next Page | |
| « Previous Topic · Alternative Energy · Next Topic » |





![]](http://z4.ifrm.com/static/1/pip_r.png)




4:37 AM Jul 12