Bell peppers
I am so jealous of your beautiful green bell peppers! What kind are they? And where did you get the seed?
Audrey Dee Bennett
Belvidere, Tennessee
They are King of the North, and I saved seed from way back in New Mexico — the last place I was able to get mature peppers! They are an open pollinated variety, available from many seed houses. — Jackie
Building a log home
You are truly a life changing event for me! I have been increasing my farming experience, working at self reliant gardening,milk goats, poultry, pigs, beekeeping and have become seriously more self-reliant through years of practice, on my 1 acre homestead, where I also supported myself and 3 children with a Christian daycare. I’ve been a single mom to 3 children for most of these years…Now I am trying to buy forest land and build my own dream home. You also did so much alone while parenting! Do you have any advice on how to build, as a single person, a log home — or is it simply too much? I honestly think I am tough enough, smart enough, and self reliant enough. Can one person actually build a little log home, alone? Not to mention…all the other farming, too? Please answer! All advice is appreciated, and I will keep you completely informed how we’re all doing.
Laura
Stanwood, Washington
Yes, you can. But it would be a great idea if you picked up a good, inexpensive tractor with a loader. This is what my son, Bill, used when he built his big log home. He used it to lift the heavy logs up into place safely. When he had his house up, he sold the tractor for what he’d paid for it. Or if you are going to do farming, keep the tractor to use around the homestead. It saves your back a whole lot! Do be aware that building with logs is hard, heavy work. Read Dorothy Ainsworth’s articles on how she built not only a large log home (twice!), but other buildings out of log on her homestead, as a single, working woman. You might want to consider what kind of living arrangements you need while you are building. My son built a two car, stick-built garage. He lived in one side, in an apartment, while building his house; it took nearly 5 years before he and his wife moved into the new house. We hauled in an old mobile home to live in while we built. The trick is to know you will be building for awhile, and to pace yourself, living reasonably comfortably while you build. The rest of the homestead stuff is a piece of cake for a single mom!
Remember to check building codes where you plan on building; it greatly impacts your choices. In some areas, you must have a building inspector for each step. Some areas do not let you live in a garage while building, some require you finish within a certain length of time, etc. Check before you begin to build. Please let us know how you are coming! — Jackie
Growing potatoes with tomatoes
This is my first year for growing potatoes. I put them in a tub with holes in the bottom. Then I planted tomatoes on the sides and let them hang over the edge. I had run out of room to plant the tomatoes. All of a sudden the potatoes plants died. I know I have potatoes in there but should I leave them until the tomatoes are done or work them out gentle so they don’t rot?
Jana Bisgaard
Thornton, Colorado
I think I’d try to work the potatoes out, as by watering the tomatoes you might rot the potatoes, underneath. Let us know how they did. — Jackie
Growing onions
I have been trying to grow onions for a while now and they never seem to grow or get bigger than a bulb in size. I have been told that even though they are supposed to be the big white and yellow and purple ones that they don’t get big? That one stumps me. What do you think I am doing wrong? Is it the seed I am trying to use or? Shallots grow fine.
Robert Duke
Poplarville, Mississippi
If your shallots are doing fine, it shows that you don’t lack for water, soil fertility, or weeding. It may be the variety of seed you are using. Be sure to use short-day varieties. If you are using long-day requirement varieties, such as Walla Walla, they won’t do much in Mississippi. You might also have better luck growing onions from sets if plants aren’t working for you. If the plants are set out when quite little, sometimes they just seem to sit there when hot weather comes. — Jackie
Water hydrant
Thank you for taking time out of your hectic life to answer questions, I know from reading your blog you are one busy person. Well here goes, we have an outdoor one armed water hydrant like the one that you have posted on your blog and we have a dilly of a time getting it started when the hydrant has not been in use. It is connected to a buried water line that was t’d off of the main line that is going into our basement and is fed from spring on the back of our property. Inside works great but outside is not working. Any suggestions? Our hydrant is a frost free also I believe.
Michelle
Fresno, Ohio
If the handle raises the rod, I’d guess that maybe you have got sediment built up in the valve that drains/opens the water line. You could probably back-flush the hydrant by attaching a hose with an added female end onto the hydrant faucet, raising the handle, then running water from the house to the hydrant. Or maybe attaching a hose to pipe fitting, then building a fitting to receive an air valve and flushing it with an air compressor. To keep it running, try opening it a couple times a month, whether or not you need it. — Jackie
have read articles on your saving seeds and thought you might be interested in the article “seed saver’s exchange, svalbard, and corporatism” – don’t want to be in the magazine and don’t need a reply – just thought you might be interested to look it up on the web.
A note to Laura in Washington – try looking into “cordwood” building. I entertained the notion of building a cordwood home myself, though have since settled into a ‘suburban homestead’ outside of Vancouver BC. Cordwood building can be done as time allows, and from all I have read, it is possible for one person to complete a project – with occasional help if it is available due to the height of the walls. You’re basically using cordwood like bricks, and running mortar to add the next run of wood on top of the last. If you’re looking to build a small home anyway, there are lots of ways you can adapt what you have – even working in some cob construction, which is also in use here in the Pacific Northwest. Artistic builders can work bottles and found windows into the design for light, and added interest, and the insulation value is high.
Some one wanting a Christmas Pickle recipe This may help it is reallly pretty.
Spiced “apple ring” pickles
1 gal large cucumbers, peeled, sliced and cored, I cut mine in sticks like french fries
1/2 cup vinegar
2 oz red food coloring
1/2 Tablespoon powdered alum
2 cup vinegar
2 cup water
8 cup sugar
4 sticks cinnamon
5 oz red hots candy
Method, Soak cucumbers 24 hours in l gallon of water with l cup poowdered pickling lime. Drain wash in clear water, soak in cold water 3 hours and then drain.
In a large kettle combine the 1/2 c vinegar food color alum and enough water to cover cucumber slices. Simmer 2 hours and drain. Make a syrup of 2 cups vinegar, 2 cup water, 8 cup sugar stick cinnamon and red hots. Boil and pour over pickles repeat the process three days Third day put picles in canning jars and seal. Makes about 7 pints of “spiced apple rings” They are bright red and pretty on a Christmas relish plate
I too have always wondered why my onions did not get very big. This year I heard they need several applications of fertilizer, spread between the two rows of onions (about 8″ apart). It worked…my onions this year are the biggest I’ve ever had…will try even harder next year.
About growing onions. I grow them in Mississippi. I get sets and usually put them in in February. The problem I had was that when I first planted I listened to someone who said they knew what they were doing and told me to plant the entire bulb in the ground. Works for shallots, not so much for regular onions. Only plant the root part in the ground, leave the rest of the bulb above ground and you will get better and larger onions.
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