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Planting Yukon Chief Sweet Corn Video
In today’s video we demonstrate how we’re planting our corn this year and what we do to get it in so early, just a few days past the spring equinox. In this example, we’re planting Yukon Chief Sweet Corn which is known for its early maturing at 55 days and its dwarf stalks, coming in at three to four feet in height. Going against tradition of a much later planting time, we’re planning to have these stalks grow in our large greenhouse. Stay tuned for the journey in future videos!
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Food Forest Walkthrough Video
In this video we walk you through what our food forest looks like around the spring equinox of 2021.
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Homesteading Tool Must Haves – Forstner Bit
When it comes to boring deep holes in wood, it is hard to beat a Forstner Bit. Spade Bits You probably have some spade bits to go with your drill. These are fine for limited use. They dull easily and are not easy to sharpen. The spade bit seams to overheat quickly. They jam up suddenly at that can be a knuckle buster. Holes sometimes get out of round when the bit travels too quickly while drilling. Hole Saws You may also be familiar with hole saws. These are good for sheet goods like plywood and sheet rock, but are limited if you need to put a number of deep…
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Big Picture Plan: Keeping the Dogwoods
Yesterday the Wiggles went out into our woods. The lesson was about the Dogwood. This tree is a valuable component in my long-term Land Stewardship goals. It thrives as a naturalized understory tree on southern/eastern aspects in mid slope areas. It seems to like moist and richer soils, if there is such a thing on unmanaged Oak and Hickory woodland in central VA. The need for managing the land in three dimensions has become one of my criteria as I attempt to maximize land output while maintaining as low an input as possible. The land is a solar collector. The land that captures and retains the most energy will by…
