| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| JamieWJ |
Posted - Mar 21 2013 : 06:51:36 AM
Hello to all,
I'm a new, Minnesota farmgirl still buried under 3 feet of snow, declaring "it is spring!" by joining the Farmgirl Sisterhood. I've been reading MJF for a year, dragging my feet on joining, and alas, here I am.
I'm a true "citiot" (city+idiot) and just before fall 2012, moved to 40 untilled, hopefully! useable acres in the middle of wonderful nowhere. There's no chapter up here and aside from having farming in my Grandparent's DNA, I have no practical experience what-so-ever. HELP! Not ready to start my own chapter as I'm sure a chapter leader has to have SOME practical knowledge, right?
My first question is really business - Merit Badges. I'm hoping the Merit Badge incentive program will give me the little boost of courage I need to experiment. I have visions of a mass of hexagons on my wall to remind me that, yes, despite my late start and lack of knowledge - I can do this!!! I am so motivated by those little high-fives and trinkets of accomplishment. Can we earn badges for past achievements? (If I'm already a sewer, can I apply for a merit badge for that or do I have to submit a new project?)
Forgive me if this topic has already been discussed ad nauseum, I couldn't find it in my first search, just point me in the right direction.
Second question - I received a pack of tulip bulbs for an autumnal house-warming gift. I just found them under the box of kid's toys. Oops. Any hope of resurrecting them? I can't get to earthen dirt, what about a planter and soil from the hardware store? Any hope of blooms?
Thanks to all who respond, I'm sure I'll have more questions soon!
-Jamie from MN
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| 14 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| mrssarahhall |
Posted - Jun 06 2013 : 11:16:48 AM
Welcome Jamie! I am new too. :) I look forward to getting to know you.
Sarah
Farmgirl # 5223
All good things are wild and free- Henry David Thoreau
A true friend is one who thinks you are a good egg even if you are a little cracked. |
| JamieWJ |
Posted - Jun 06 2013 : 06:44:21 AM
Well, one lone tulip did rise out of the bunch! I'll keep all the bulbs one more season and see what happens; I had many leaves, but only one bulb.
We also got three 6' pines put in and cleared a little bit of land in back. Progress!!! Anyone have good advice with tilling experience? The high grasses, shrubs and little trees were cut down, but everything is very uneven and thick. Lots of roots and stumps. I'm hoping to make friends with a farmer and trade some yummy baked goods for his tractor/tiller to detour onto my backyard.... If that strategy doesn't work, does anyone have experience with owned or rented equipment?
The lilacs have JUST bloomed, I see one Iris popped yesterday, and I think I found some wild raspberries mixed in with the invasive buckthorn in the back woods. Spring IS coming, despite the rain, rain, rain!
Thanks sisters! |
| JamieWJ |
Posted - Apr 16 2013 : 10:30:08 AM
Yeah! That's good and hopeful news. It's a story of the winter rose. I will keep you posted on mine. I've been terribly delinquent with so much of my gardening endeavors. I'm praying for the resilient will of nature to override my negligence!!!! -Jamie |
| TexasJo |
Posted - Apr 15 2013 : 10:40:01 AM
Hi Jamie, I wanted to pass on some encouragement about the tulips. I "forced" some tulips indoors a couple of years ago in a vase of water and when they were done, I put them in a pot of dirt (because it was winter still) and come spring I set the pot outdoors in my flowerbed intending to transplant them to the ground. I am sad to say I was a bad gardener and didn't get them in the ground (I was pretty sick last year) and totally forgot about them. Early this year, when it appeared spring was trying to arrive, I found the pot and almost cried. I put moved the pot to my vegie garden so I would remember to do something with the dead bulbs, for I was sure the winter must have gotten to them. I sure was surprised a couple of weeks ago when I looked in my vegie garden and saw tips peeking out of the dirt in that pot! I guess it took them two years to grow after being forced indoors, but they are alive and well. I will have to get them in the ground for sure (once the snow goes away!)... we are up to about 10 inches this morning and it's still falling. Tulips are much hardier than I thought! Best of luck to you with yours. :)
We can do it! |
| littlepurpleflower |
Posted - Apr 04 2013 : 5:18:13 PM
Welcome! I live in Northern MI and the snow is starting to melt away here as well. I can't wait to hear how your tulips turned out!
Michelle
Farmgirl #4962
a flower to bring a smile! :) |
| bboopster |
Posted - Apr 01 2013 : 8:07:35 PM
Welcome.. I am down in Wisconsin and we can almost see the ground.... Welcome! I would like to invite you to the WI, Glamping Weekend Sept 19-21st. I have a post under Gather Up....Again glad you found us..
http://www.settlersparkmarket.com/
https://www.facebook.com/SettlersParkMarket
Nana to 5
3 Blue Star Mother and Proud of it!
Pray for our troops to come home safe and soon.
Enjoying the road to the simple life :>)[/size=1] |
| sonshine4u |
Posted - Mar 30 2013 : 12:22:16 PM
Jamie!
Welcome fellow Minnesota farmgirl! I'm about an hour and a half south of you and we have a chapter of gals from all over the twin cities metro (River Valley Farmgirls). I do know that there are some gals up closer to you in Foley. Send me an email and I'll get you on our list of MN ladies so if we do a MN gathering, you can be included! Welcome and here comes spring....I think...lol!
~Hugs,
April
Playing in the Sonshine
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| Bear5 |
Posted - Mar 30 2013 : 08:51:58 AM
Welcome, Jamie. Enjoy your time with us.
Happy Easter!
Marly
"It's only when we truly know and understand that we have a limited time on earth- and that we have no way of knowing when our time is up- that we will begin to live each day to the fullest, as if it was the only one we had." Elisabeth Kurler-Ross |
| JamieWJ |
Posted - Mar 30 2013 : 06:27:47 AM
Thanks so much for all these warm welcomes! I shall give the tulips a try and post the result. Thanks for the tips. Our 3 ft of snow has melted to one foot and I see a patch of grass!!!! The gravel is turning to mud and I'm looking for bog boots to get through my back yard.
Does anyone know of a sister (or a posting )who turned feral land into functional? I honestly don't know what's under all the prairie grass and fledgling trees. What is the best equipment to get "to the bottom of it?" Bobcat or tractor. Can a girl drive a tractor in a skirt? My goal this year is to clear a space. I don't need to plant, I just want to claim some land for gardens next year.
Happy Easter to all!
-Jamie |
| darlenelovesart |
Posted - Mar 25 2013 : 8:39:32 PM
Welcome Jamie
Glad you are here.
hugs
darlene
I have learned that to have a good friend is the purest of all God's gifts, for it is a love that has no exchange of payment.
by Frances Farmer
Just follow God unquestioningly.
Because you love Him so, for if you trust His judgment there is nothing you need to know.
I trust in you Jesus... |
| HemetGardener |
Posted - Mar 25 2013 : 1:16:21 PM
Hi Jamie,
Welcome and Farmgirl Hugs.
Try this link on what to do with your bulbs.
http://www.wikihow.com/Plant-Tulip-Bulbs
Terri
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| HodgeLodge |
Posted - Mar 21 2013 : 4:13:23 PM
Jamie, welcome and when you find the answer to this I'd love to know. Please keep us posted. Have you joined in on a swap yet? Jump in, Wildflower17 has some wonderful ones going on.
Farmgirl #4817-The greatest gift of the garden is the restoration of the five senses. ~Hanna Rion
https://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Hodge-Lodge-Clothesline/285366378259342
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| jan49829 |
Posted - Mar 21 2013 : 12:59:29 PM
Welcome, Jamie. I live in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, and we too have 3 feet of snow yet on the ground. Our high temp. today was 26 degrees!!! Spring has not sprung here yet.
I cannot answer your questions, but there will be someone for sure that can. I just wanted to welcome you and hope to get to know you better.
Janet
Farmgirl Sister #3340
http://hardatworkcrafts.blogspot.com
http://Jan49829.etsy.com
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| brightmeadow |
Posted - Mar 21 2013 : 11:26:42 AM
Welcome to MJF, Jamie. I know you will find many kindred spirits here.
3 feet of snow? Oh my, does it ever melt? Is this an unusual year or is it like that every year in MN?
As to your questions, I am sure you have already found, the rules for the merit badges are at http://www.farmgirlsisterhood.org/merit-badges.asp but for your specific question of whether past experience counts, I would let someone official from MJF answer that one.
And for the tulip bulbs -- I don't see any harm in planting them this spring, either in a pot or outdoors when the snow melts. My guess is that they would do better in the actual ground, rather than a pot, but have no experience to back that up. If they come up, great (they may not bloom this year but the leaves will store food in the bulb for next year). If they don't come up, what have you lost but a little bit of time?
I'm in the same boat. I have some iris tubers that are still in the bag, I bought them more than a year ago, and I was wondering whether they will come up, so I will take my own advice and plant them outside when the ground thaws also...we can compare notes in July to see what results we each got! We still have snow in Michigan but not quite so much!
You shall eat the fruit of the labor of your hands - You shall be happy and it shall be well with you. -Psalm 128.2
Visit my blogs at http://brightmeadowfarms.blogspot.com (farming) http://brightmeadowknits.blogspot.com (knitting) or my homepage at http://home.earthlink.net/~brightmeadow |
