I am a city person, all my life and not exposed to any serious gardening. I have been on this 20 acre plot for 3 years and have found ot the hard (expensive) way of what doesn't work. 800 Christmas trees are now down to 18 and have only gown about 8" in two years. I have about 10 unused acres of very rocky, about one inch of topsoil, formerly pasture land that I would like ideas and information to make an income from its use. Pasture land here only rents for 8 dollars an acre, annually, which doesn't even pay the taxes. I have planted about 80 apple and 20 other assorted fruit trees over the past 3 years and this should be the first year of a light to medium harvest. These are not in the 10 acres. With spike fertilizers and weekly watering from run off tanks from my pole barn, the trees seem to be growing just fine. We of course have our small gardens of tomatoes, strawberries, rasberries, blackberries, and any greens which we want for the year. Watermellon and mellons grow well but they must require a lot of extra watering. I joined the GS when brousing the internet for thistle. Love the wildlife here and this year the price of thistle is about $6.00 a pound, which is very high to feed throughout the winter. The Finches seem to do fine in the summer. I have read the listings under thistle but need a couple basic questions answered before doing a lot more research. Since I grow mainly rocks and weeds, this seems to be a crop that may work. How many pounds of thistle can you get from an acre? Will thistle grow in this type soil? Is it self sufficient or require a lot of care? I think that's enough for my first listing. Hoping to hear from a lot of you in the near future. Capt. Tom
Welcome Capt Tom. Glad you found us :-D My word, you have got a lot of land to manage, I can't say I envy you I'm afraid I can't answer your questions about thistle but I am sure you will get plenty of help from our very knowledgeable members. Look forward to hearing more about you and your land.
Welcome Capt Tom. Glad you joined our group and hope you find what you need. We have many knowledgable members that I am sure can help.
Hi Capt. Tom and a warm welcome to GardenStew from chilly Sweden. I think you should start a few topics in our other forums for your individual questions as you will get direct answers for each. Wonderful to have you join us. Don't forget to check out our blogs, member map and upload any plant images you have to PlantStew for all to see Details here: http://www.gardenstew.com/plantstew/help#3 // frank
Welcome from coastal NC, Capt Tom. We should have some farmers in our group. Happy to have you in the "stew"
I so understand what you are saying. I only have 5 acres, but I've tried scratching an income out of it for years. If the thistle thing doesn't work out for you (I know the regulators around here would never allow it!) the best thing would be greenhouses with raised beds. You'd need to put landscape fabric beneath to keep the soil from washing down. If the weather there is warm, I suppose you could skip the greenhouse part. But use your space to grow specialty plants for restaurants and the like, maybe herbs, peppers, etc. I tried grazing animals on my rocky ground but wound up spending way to much on supplemental feed; guess there's a reason no one had ever lived on my prairie before. Best of luck to you!
Please don't get the impression that I am a farmer or grower in any manner. I am in my mid 60's and do everything by hand, riding mower, trailer and wheelbarrow. You know, pick, shovel, rake, axe, maul, sledge hammer, wedges and broom. That's everything. All I have is time and very little bucks.
Ah, now I see what you are looking for. I'm sure someone with experience will come along soon. I realize you said you have already been searching the internet, but if you haven't seen this yet perhaps it will be of interest to you. It is authored by respected authorities in the field, an there are informative inks regarding other birdseed options. http://www.ebirdseed.com/nyjer_niger_th ... dseed.html
I forgot to tell you that I get my thistle from a co-op and it is only 99 cents a pound...quite a difference.It is a place where you can buy all kinds of seeds for many purposes.
Hi, Capt. Tom, and welcome from the Norwegian coast. I have to say your first post had me enthralled, I tried to visualize your plot and what you've got on it. I like your plans for growing bird food too.
Critter Painter - Thank you...This is the most informative information I have yet received. I guess I will be looking for an alternate use of the land, including a different type of seed as mentioned by another member. As for the 99 cent price, the $5.99 is the local farm store seed price. I am going about 15 miles today for something else and pass a Farm Bureau store, not insurance, and will see what they charge. Thanks again to all of you for this most important information for me. Capt. Tom I will leave this topic open in case others have alternative ideas for the land usage.
Finch Seed Cost Sherry 8 - Thanks very much...Stopped at the Farmers Co-Op yesterday and got my Nyger for $1.00 a pound in a 50 pound bag. You saved me a lot of money and fed a lot of birds this winter...Capt. Tom
