In spite of burying the main stem, trying the wire through it, and I have been taken out by vine borers. I see after covering the large main stem they are hitting higher up on the hollow stem???? I can't wrap all of it how to win, help! Pulled the worst plants ,have cut out worms on the rest so we'll see. The weather here in central fl we had no spring went from cool to July 90's, so bugs all at once and dry. Now this week rain for several days coming ..read more

So we have a rooster we don't want to make dinner, so far we haven't lost a hen to a hawk. He is tearing up our girls backs, one is his favorite and pretty much bald. We've tried the saddles with wing covers and he gets right under them with the claws. I see some covers for spurs but that doesn't seem to be the issue, it's the claws. Is there such a thing as a cover for the claws? Any suggestions appreciated aside from telling me to kill the chicken ..read more

A copperhead under the zucchini plant. Found it while weeding ..read more

Putting mulch around my blueberry plants I noticed ants all over the place. Any home remedy to kill ants near food plants? There are tons of chemicals you can spread around for ants but I don't dare put that near food me and my family will eat. Any help or ideas are appreciated. Happy growing everyone ..read more

I have wanted horses since I was a kid. I am now in a position (kind of) to purchase them. Not this year. I would like to at least start gathering information on what it cost to own them. Can someone breakdown what the monthly/yearly expenses are for owning them ..read more

Hi folks. Today I was doing a bunch of weed trimming, and noticed that we had excessive amounts of Burdock growing this year. So, I dug up the roots of nine or ten plants, trimmed and washed them, let them sit in the shade outside to dry off a bit, chopped them up, put them in a little jar and just covered them with 80 proof vodka (my alcohol of choice for tinctures). I labeled the lid and put the jar in a darker corner of the counter to infuse for a while. Burdock root is purportedly a... Making Burdock Tincture ..read more

We are buying a home that is pretty much wooded but there are a few areas that I'd like more privacy from neighbors. I want it to be year 'round so I'm looking for evergreens--which I realize are usually slow growing but am hoping for exceptions. Any ideas on what would grow fast for privacy in the St. Louis area? Thanks ..read more

They are intentionally spraying wheat fields with crop-killing chemicals and claiming insurance payouts more than normal, betting the grain is not worth harvesting, Reuters found on a three-day tour of the state. Other growers are turning over dismal-looking fields to cattle for grazing. Abandoning fields will lead to a smaller U.S. wheat supply in the world's No. 5 wheat exporter, with stocks seen falling to a 16-year low. High rates of abandonment deal an economic blow to farm towns and... Drought Devastates Kansas Wheat ..read more

This is the last year I will raise these birds. They are way to sensitive. Plus they just **** non stop. I like the concept of free ranging our livestock. Cornish are the antithesis of that concept. We have raised them off and on over the last 5 years. This year is the worse year of seeing them grow to maturity without losing more then a couple. Did I mention they are ugly. I’m just venting. Had Another bird dead today, and just butchered another one that was lethargic. I’m going to... Cornish, hate them ..read more

We have three absolutely huge ash trees on our property. Tall, provide a ton of shade, and are just flat out awesome and old. The question I have for those of you with more experience in trees and gardening is do I need to be concerned about these trees falling. The two that I can see from the ground appear to be rotten in the center but still alive. Is there anything that can be done to keep them from becoming unstable? Or are they just taking time bombs waiting to fall over... Ash Trees ..read more