It's illegal to shoot songbirds here, at all. We just cover stuff up OR share, mostly the latter when it comes to the fruit trees.Originally Posted by JTN
It's illegal to shoot songbirds here, at all. We just cover stuff up OR share, mostly the latter when it comes to the fruit trees.
Serious question about gardens... how big is too big for a couple of retired folks to manage easily? We've only had a 40x20 strip in the back yard and have an opportunity to buy a couple of acres behind us to start a bigger one.
Blue Jays don't sing, they squawk. I've never seen jays show any interest at all in apples. They swipe a few blueberries but not enough to make a diff. They mostly focus on acorns and whatever is in the birdfeeder.
Too many variables. Some farmers manage hundreds of acres. My dad had 2 AC of veggie gardens up until he was around 80. Mostly gave away the produce that he slaved over all summer. I prefer the smaller "victory garden" approach (high yield, small space).
Some stuff is labor intensive to grow and weed control is a big question. Mulching takes effort up front but saves weeding down the road. How about water. Will you need to irrigate or water stuff regularly?
Buy an empty 40' container. Hydroponics, year round food, no bending, no soil, easy.
Solar on top, water collection into a tank, enough to supply a restaurant & your family.
Chemicals to feed the plants, LED lighting, rainwater collection will need 15G/day.
Best of all ... very low entry cost, no extra taxes, easy to secure, no birds or deer.
And the output of a 40' container is equivalent to 2-3 acres of seasonal farming.
Bunnies, squirrels, deer and a few other critters prevent us from planting anything. There are a few Farmer's markets nearby and a guy that has a garden which looks like a medium security prison nearby that sells his veggies which gets our business.
This reminded me of an old saying by BIL had about gardens....You eat what you can and what you can't you can.
2016 Nitro Z21
"They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety." Benjamin Franklin
A few years ago I was given a couple of tame balckberry plants. Just took them and stuck the plants in the ground near our home. Now I am giving away blackberries to the neighbors and my kids. The freezers are full of the things and I have thought that next year I will ask folks if the would like to pick their own and just give me what they think to be enough !!!!!! These things are as big as your thumb--and, best of all-------NO THORNS !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Our growing season is long gone. Bought these at the store. $0.99/pint.
Getting them washed up, making berry cobblers for us & our neighbor.
They are US produce. Not sure what state, but they are whopper sized.
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