Chicken Egg Price Solution

Chicken egg prices are $6 a dozen in Walmart where I live. The boxes of 5 dozen eggs I used to pay $9 for years ago are now around $30. When people ask me about raising chickens to save on eggs, I share this: (I do keep three breeds of chickens, btw.)

I recommend raising jumbo coturnix quail. I do. The feed ratio conversion is better than most livestock. I get an egg a day from my hens. The eggs and birds I sell to pay for my feed costs. The meat and eggs I get are free most of the time. 

The yolk-to-white ratio is larger than a chicken egg. Scrambled, they are fluffier. They make baked goods have a lighter and fluffier texture too. Boiled, they are excellent. They are wonderful pickled with different seasonings. Then there are the Scotch eggs. 

The boiled eggs have about 17 calories and 12 grams of protein each.

My girls love taking boiled quail eggs into theme parks to snack on to avoid the expensive and junky foods they sell. They make great meals when out to avoid buying fast food too. Quail eggs make wonderful party and holiday appetizers which are always a hit. I took them to an art gallery and they were consumed before anything else. 

There is a quail egg peeler on Amanda for around $30. It works great if you follow the directions. I have two because when I give eggs away, people often want to borrow it.

There is a protein in them that works like an antihistamine. Last year, I noticed my seasonal allergies had improved, but I had no idea why. I have a customer who buys them for his daughter who has asthma and allergies. He is the one who informed me about the medicinal effects. I later found research online to support it. He said quail eggs work better for his daughter than the medications did. 

You've heard of chicken math, let's do some quail math: I get one egg a day from my hens. It costs me about 5 cents to feed one quail a day.  3-4 jumbo quail eggs equal one chicken egg. 5 cents x 4 = 20 cents to equal one chicken egg. 20 cents x 12 = 2.40 for the equivalent of a dozen chicken eggs.

They are very easy to incubate and hatch around 17 days or so. 

Quail can be kept where chickens can't. I know people who raise them as quiet pets in apartments. They are also being raised in garages, basements, etc. I raise mine in a shed. Keeping them in a building protects them from predators and helps protect them from the germ infecting the wild birds and chickens. 

Added: One advantage of the quail over the chickens is that they are easier to house indoors to protect from the hyper-response to diseases. I agree with Joel Salatin and others that you do not slaughter every bird. You keep the survivors and breed those for a stronger, healthier flock. This wisdom in livestock management has been around for many centuries because it works.

Egg Shortages Egg Prices What to do?

I saw it coming. As a Proverbs 31 woman, I made a move to prepare for it. This is the answer I shared on a forum when people asked what to do about the egg shortages and egg prices.

A lot of people are raising Coturnix quail. They are small and quiet, and their care is minimal. I know people who are raising them in apartment buildings and garages. In most of those instances, no one knows the birds are there. I raise my jumbo browns in a shed next to my house. The hens are very quiet. The males have a softer (and less irritating) crow that most people are unfamiliar with. People who are keeping quail in situations where others might object keep only hens. 

My birds have automatic waterers, autofeeders, and poop collection trays. In the summer, I run a fan to keep them cooler. They give me an egg a day for half a cent of feed (cost will vary according to feed costs). 3-4 quail eggs equal one chicken egg. Jumbo quail eggs require 3 eggs to equal one chicken egg, but let's go with 4 to equal one quail egg to be generous and to make the math easier. My cost for four quail eggs would be like paying 2 cents per chicken egg or 24 cents a dozen for chicken eggs. I know!! I am getting a bargain! There are things I could do to lower the feed costs, but I am happy where I am at.

I get more eggs than my immediate and extended family and friends can eat, so we sell the eggs and use extras to feed our livestock. Most months, the egg sales pay for all of the quail feed, so we are getting meat, our eggs, and extra livestock feed free. I also incubate the eggs and sell the chicks. And, I give lessons on raising them, harvesting, etc. 

If you have allergies or asthma, consider looking into quail eggs. They have a protein that inhibits the release of histamine. I noticed a reduction in my seasonal allergies, but I did not put it together until a customer told me why he was buying so many at one time. His daughter has allergies and asthma. The quail eggs are a natural medicine for her to keep both under control. 

Research says to eat them raw, but she and I both eat them cooked and see big benefits. This particular customer often gives me $40 tips because he does not feel I ask enough money for the eggs, and he wants to keep his daughter's supply coming. He says our quail eggs are the freshest he's ever purchased. (He float tests them.) 

I charge $3 per dozen. If you are OK with them being packed in a bag instead of a carton, the price is $2.50. If you have plants or produce I need, we can trade. If you need the eggs for incubating, please specify that.

If you are in Richmond, VA to the Hampton Roads, VA area and interested in quail eggs, quail for meat, breeding groups, harvesting lessons, etc, you can TEXT me.

7 five 7.

five owe six. 

8 five-five owe.

mention you "saw the ad on the blog"

Send a TEXT and I'll get back to you.

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About that Plantain in Your Backyard. Plantago spp

Plantago spp is a good herb and edible to start foraging.

It grows all over the world. It has no deadly look-alikes and most people can easily identify it. It is abundant so you can take all you need. It will grow back! It is so useful, I call it a medicine cabinet in one backyard plant.

I have over 10 pages of handwritten notes of things I have learned on Plantago aka Plantain over the years. I can't share everything here. Hopefully, I have shared enough to make you more aware of how very useful this plant is. This is the plant many of you made "guns" out of with the stem wrapped around the seed head.

Depending on what you are targeting, the leaves can be used fresh or dried. It can be used as a food source, tea, capsule, decoction, salve, ointment, tincture, and poultice. I have both the narrow (aka lance) leaf and broad leaf on my place. All I found recently was the lanceolata (narrow) leaf (pictured).

Plantago is superior to Jewelweed when treating poison ivy, oak, or sumac IF you know the correct method to use. Here it is:

Boil the leaves. Strain and cool them until it is hot but not enough to burn/damage the skin. Leave until it cools. Then change it out with another batch of boiled leaves. Do this 3 times. On the third time, bandage the poultice to the body. The heat causes the histamines to be released all at one time. Then you have the anti-inflammatory effects and the chemical compound allantoin which is a cell proliferator (speeds cell turnover rate which speeds healing). It works better when caught sooner.

For a spider bite, boil a potato until it is very soft. While still warm apply to the skin until it cools. Then follow the instructions above. The potato contains among other things starches and hyaluronic and azelaic acids which help soften the skin. The heat pulls blood to the surface which also moves the venom to the surface. All of this makes it easier for the plantain poultice to draw the venom out. This method has spared people from necrotizing flesh as seen in brown recluse spider bites.

The allantoin in plantago is good for healing bruises, fractures, pulled muscles and ligaments, sprains, strains, and osteoarthritis. Neosporin uses allantoin in some of its products like their wound gel. You can harvest allantoin from your backyard and use it for free.

Plantago spp will also heal the intestines from inflammatory conditions. It normalizes stomach secretions. It is good for the immune system. It is good for UTIs and other bladder/kidney conditions. It helps drain mucus from the head and can be used for asthma and bronchitis. The seeds are what is in Metamucil (psyllium husks come from Plantago ovata) because they have a laxative effect. It helps with thrombophlebitis. It reduces intestinal absorption of lipids, lowers cholesterol, food poisoning, snake bites, spider bites, bug bites, and is a very effective drawing agent (pulling splinters, pus, or venom).

It was so valuable as medicine that many English settlers brought different varieties over with them. The Native Americans called it "White Man's Footprints" because it popped up wherever they went. There was one variety already here, but we have many varieties in the US today. For the medicinal properties, it is a fairly consistent plant across the different varieties.

To use as an edible, people eat the young tender leaves in salads much like you would lettuce. People wrap sushi in them and throw them on top of their burgers. Older leaves get cooked. Dried and powdered, the leaves are used as thickeners in soups. The seeds are ground for flour. Plantago is high in vitamins A, B, C, K, calcium, iron, magnesium, potassium, and selenium.

Medicinal properties: antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antiseptic, anti-cancer, vulnery (heals wounds), decongestant, demulcent (soothes mucus membranes), drawing agent, laxative, and it is considered analgesic due to the anti-inflammatory benefits. The NIH says the pain-relieving properties are probably due to the tannins and one paper says plantago the plant is good for: infectious diseases, digestive issues, respiratory organs reproduction, circulation, certain cancers, and reducing fevers.

Many of you have been asking me through text and IM how to get started. Here it is. It is up to you to make something of it. And, I apologize for not answering phone calls but I do try to reach out through text asap. My phone is usually in the house while I am outside.

Goldenrod Better For You than Green Tea

Today's foraging harvest was goldenrod. My girls learned from me as we harvested and prepared it. Goldenrod is NOT what gives you allergies. It is insect-pollinated (heavy, sticky pollen). It is ragweed and other wind-pollinated plants that cause hayfever, etc. Goldenrod HELPS allergies. It also treats pain, sore muscles, colds, flu, and contains powerful saponins and antioxidants that we need for good health. Goldenrod tea is higher in antioxidants than vitamin C and green tea. The flowers and leaves can be used for tea, linaments, oil infusions, tinctures, etc. The tender leaves in the spring can be used in a salad or soups. Goldenrod is anti-aging, anti-inflammatory, anti-fungal, and has some antibacterial properties. It has been used for diabetes, enlarged prostates, liver problems, gout, arthritis, muscle strains and sprains, skin wounds, fungal infections, kidney issues, etc. It took us 30 minutes to pick and prepare enough of this natural medicine to last us a couple of years. We made a linament and a tincture. I have more drying in my attic for teas and a salve that I will make at a later date.

Beauty Berry

The berries, we used to make a beautiful jelly. We will be using the leaves to make an insect repellent. The leftover stems will become compost. The Native Americans used different parts of the plant to treat arthritis, colic, dysentery, and more. This plant contains an antibiotic that targets certain strains of MRSA and salmonella. Beauty Berry is a cooling astringent herb with diuretic, antibacterial, antiviral, astringent, antifungal, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant properties. Thanks to a great friend who spent a day foraging with me in Suffolk and NC, I was able to harvest 20 cups of berries, a couple of paper bagfuls of leaves, and three bushes of my very own!

Canned Quail

I started pressure canning in my early 20s. I had no one to teach me, so I learned from books I purchased. Today it is easier and free with online resources. At first, I would not pressure can meat because I could not get around how it looked. It took a few years, but I grew up mentally. Today, I love it for the time-saving and convenience. It also doesn't cost me anything for it to sit on the shelf. Food in the freezer requires electricity (actual cost goes up as long as it is in your freezer) and is vulnerable to power outages. This is how I do "fast food" for my family. Open and add spices, heat, and eat. I can serve a meal faster than I can drive to the restaurants within 5 minutes of my home, wait for my food, and drive back home. This is part of the quail four of us harvested earlier this week.

Snakes and Coturnix Quail

About a month to a month and a half ago, Emily and Hannah found a snake in the chicken pen. It was eating a young pullet and had already killed another one by constriction. It had been stealing eggs and small birds for a while before we caught it. I always try to hatch plenty of extra birds because losses like that happen. I am proud of my girls taking care of it themselves. It was the first time they did not call me to deal with a snake.

I normally take care of our quail but this morning, I asked the girls to do it because I am trying to work in time to do some research on herbal medicine for Mercury's allergies. They happily did it for me to give me the extra few minutes. They came back much sooner than I anticipated but there are two of them doing the job.

Emily started off with, "Mom, I am sad to tell you, but there is a problem that needs your attention in the quail shed." My stomach dropped. She continued, "There is a snake in one of the cages, and I have no idea how to get it out."

I knew snakes were likely when I started raising the quail again, but I hoped they'd stay away since the shed is closer to the house and there is plenty of noise and activity. Ah, nope!

As I was putting on my shoes she finished, "And, its ate one of your quail and there is another quail dead beside it." 

Me internally: "WAAAAARRRRRRR!!!!"

I hate killing anything, and I do not like dealing with snakes. I grabbed my welding gloves and went to see what I was in for. This is what I saw:

My original plan was to put on the gloves, remove the feed trough, pull the snake out, and end my problem. I was concerned about getting bit which can lead to a nasty bacterial infection, so I put the gloves on my hands. I asked Hannah to find me something to dispatch it quickly with. She came back with tree pruners. They looked small enough on the business end to get through the door which gave me an idea. I took off the gloves, opened the door, and managed to get hold of the head with the pruners and did what had to be done. Then I pulled it out.

The snake chose a very lazy way to get food. Just like humans eating fast food, bad choices lead to bad consequences. 

Many years ago, I gave up my learned response to snakes and accepted them as one of God's creatures and part of the earth we are to be stewards over. I do not enjoy killing them, but I also acknowledge there are times when there is not another choice. It is illegal to relocate them without a landowner's permission, and I know of no one who wants a snake on their property. For a few years, we tried relocating them on the far end of our property, but they just came back to eat more eggs and birds. 

From years of experience, I know the raptors in our area will come and take the slain snake, so I put it in our long driveway. For some reason, the birds take them sooner from the driveway than they do from our compost bin. Some big bird will get a good meal tonight and my quail will have peace.

For those raising quail or other small birds, I thought sharing these details might be helpful: 

When moving around my breeders and noticed some of my numbers were off. Instead of having 12 birds in a cage, I only had 11. I chalked it up to faulty memory due to the farm hustle, a family member selling a bird from the wrong cage, or an escapee. 

I also have been having some losses that I thought were strange. I had been finding some birds dead in the cage. Their bodies looked flattened. I now realize they were constricted and the snake did not finish eating them or was too small to swallow them. 

I also had one bird with an odd wound on its side. It was sort of round but more like a U shape. I was perplexed at how that type of injury could have happened inside the cage. Well, the dead hen beside the snake had the same injury in the same place. I postulate that is where the snake bit while trying to swallow the hen. I looked up some pictures of an Eastern Rat Snake bite and the marks look very similar. My poor birds have been terrorized, and I had no idea! I know what to look for now.

Please be gracious in grading my writing. Penny kept growling at the thunder last night until I figured out she was likely afraid and put her under the covers with me. I had very little sleep and overslept by 15 minutes which doesn't seem like much but it threw everything way off. In addition to dealing with the snake, I have spent hours researching Mercury's health issues and the ingredients in the very high-priced chews that seem to be helping. I also cleaned our vacation spot and the building inspector came. I processed the last 1.5 bushels of pears today. The apples, tomatoes, cucumbers, and figs were picked. Then I packaged egg sales, cleaned house, and spent time with a friend undergoing some serious health challenges. 

Rambling about Losses on the Farm

I am very tender towards losing little creatures. A rural upbringing and our homesteading have hardened me somewhat, but sometimes the losses still get to me. It is harder when it is something young. I don't cry or talk about it out loud. It just affects my inner person and I have to work through it. 

When I say I would not wish anyone, not even someone who behaves as an enemy, to go through baby losses, I mean it. It is too difficult to work through and affects you for life. It changed me. I know it was a refining from God and opened the door to ministering to others, but it was a challenging time. There is peace knowing that those children went straight to Jesus and never had to experience the struggles and sorrows in this life. 

Sweetheart is a cat given to us by Amanda when she moved. Amanda found the kitten abandoned, dirty, wormy, sick, and emaciated. Amanda nursed her back to health. Before Amanda moved, Sweetheart escaped the house and got pregnant. 

Sweetheart is a first-time mother, so we put her in a crate in a spare room before she went into labor. The big thunderstorm that went through put her into labor. Two of her babies died right away. 

Three days later, she brought the third one and laid it in my path. She immediately started meowing very desperately and loudly. She clearly wanted my help. I looked down at her lifeless baby and my heart seized. I couldn't fix it for her. I immediately started thinking about how awful it was to lose babies to miscarriage and stillbirth. My heart was struck with compassion for the poor mama cat. I didn't tell her she'd have another litter because that ignores the current loss. I just sat with her, petted her, and talked to her. She couldn't understand my words, but we communicated and understood each other.

Years ago, I stopped hatching from my incubator because the losses were too troubling to my heart. This was during the time I was losing babies. Also last week, we had an incubator malfunction driving the temperature up to 109F. The approximately 450 eggs were just a week from hatching. They were all lost. I put them on the compost pile expecting something to use them. The next day, I saw crows going back and forth with them in their beaks. They were feeding them to their young. I had losses, but their babies will benefit from their deaths.

Also last week, we had a 6' black snake devouring our young pullets. Emily and Hannah caught it in the act and killed it. It is illegal to relocate them and if left here, it will keep eradicating our birds which will feed people for years. I feel bad for the snake not only because its repeated choices for an easy meal cost it its life, but because Emily and Hannah ganged up on it. Those two girls are ferocious when it comes to protecting our livestock! That was also the first time they ended a snake without me. A milestone of farm life!

I told Clint the other day that I am sick of death and feel like my body produced enough of it for me. I said that in frustration over the incubator losses and while reeling over news from a friend.

A strong Christian friend of mine is in a slow process of dying right now. My heart is overwhelmed with the concern for her suffering, and her family, and with grief that I will soon lose her fellowship. But her death will bring her relief from the extreme suffering she is enduring. Death will also usher right to Jesus where she will know no more pain or suffering ever. It will let her see and know Jesus face to face and reunite her with loved ones. She'll see what's behind the veil. 

Death is not something we consider good, but it is not always bad either. With perspective, we can find it can serve many good purposes. I am thankful to Jesus I will only have to die once and will not face eternal death. If you want that same freedom, all you have to do is believe in Jesus.

 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. John 3:16

My Garden Nursery on the North Side of the House

I reposted this one because I just saw the second picture HTML was incorrect.

This picture was taken in March. Lord willing,
I will share the current view where everything has grown.

I place my plant starts on the north side of the house. This protects them from too strong of light until they are strong enough to be moved.

Updated Picture:

A Tip for New Homesteaders

Last week, I was asked to share a tip for people new to homesteading or raising animals. My answer was a little different from the others, and people liked it.

My answer:

Invest in good infrastructure. Put in strong pens, fences, manure collection systems, auto feeders, auto waterers, slant cage bottoms so eggs roll out, etc. You will save money and will be able to efficiently manage your workload. I like being able to "eyeball" the food and water and keep moving in the mornings.

Want to Raise Some of Your Own Food?

One of the highlights of my farm chores is collecting the 7-8 dozen quail eggs a day. We have raised them off and on since 1995. The humble quail eats very little but gives so much in return.

We use every part for people food or dog food. Absolutely nothing gets wasted. We enjoy the meat and eggs. The remaining parts are used for fishing bait or dog food. Even the feathers are cooked and consumed by our dogs. (FYI: Feathers are used in commercial dog food.) Their poo is composted to eventually fertilize our garden which feeds our family, friends, and our livestock. The eggshells go to our chickens.

Both quail eggs and quail meat are considered gourmet delicacies, and I am thankful I can offer these to my family and friends. Raising quail is a great place to start if you want to raise some of your own food.

Random thoughts on Jumbo Brown Quail

A friend has been picking my brain about releasing some coturnix quail on his farm. He just wants to see them around and realizes they may not do that well. It's not something I would personally do, but it's his farm and his right to do so. I respect that freedom. I answered him and thought others would like to glean info on Jumbo Brown quail from my response.

Jumbo Brown are considered adults between 6-10 weeks. Some JB breed and lay eggs earlier than others so it can vary bird to bird. I imagine they could be released at 6 weeks or so.

You'd probably have better luck with the Bobwhites if you can find someone raising them. They are not as domesticated and should do better in the wild. I've had them before and they are more jumpy/wilder than the coturnix. Murray McMurray had BW chicks for sale this year. I've never ordered any from them, but I've ordered chickens, ducks, geese, etc. MM hatchery always compensates with a credit for dead chicks if you let them know within 48 hours. You can also get BW eggs from eBay and Amazon to incubate.

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An incubator can be built with a $6 controller from Amazon. The controllers I use are in Celcius - I just use an online C to F calculator. I have stuck with these controllers because they have done very well for me once I get them at the right temp.

I use 50w ceramic heater bulbs which are about $10-15 each.

GoVee's $12 thermometers work well. With those, I can check temps and humidity with my phone so I don't have to open the incubators and mess up my humidity levels.

For humidity, I use a container with slots cut in the lid for sponges. I keep that filled. I also use some sponges on the racks.

Clint uses small fridges people throw away to make our incubators. I also have a large freezer and a large 2-sided fridge made into incubators. Birds are going to hatch in them, so you don't need anything very fancy. You can even make one from a cooler if you don't have too many eggs.

Clint built me racks that I can shift ("rotate") with a wire that sticks out of the top of the incubator, but you could use the cookie cooling racks.

For rotating the eggs, years ago I used to lift one side of the minifridge and push a brick under it and then later do the opposite side 3x a day. 3-5xs a day rotation ("side to side shift") is all you need.

Hatching birds is fairly easy and doesn't have to be as complex and pricey as people make it. I read historical accounts of pioneers hatching chicks in boxes next to woodstoves.

Even if something goes wrong like the power is out for 12 hours, the egg will hold temp inside. Some may still hatch but your hatch rate may be lower. I had that happen this year and still had a 50% hatch rate.

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I do sell quail chicks, adults, and eggs. If interested, 757-eight1four-2eight three5

Hatching Time Quail Cage Update

Because I recommended the cage to so many, I want to give a full disclosure. 

I am using JB Weld Water to fix the leaking issues with our 5-layer Hatching Time quail cage. This is a very common problem with all of Hatching Time cages going back many years. One can find plenty of evidence of this if one looks at forums and groups and the different websites with reviews.

The first cage was a pain to assemble due to holes and plastic pins that did not line up well and flash (excess plastic) in the holes. Reviews show a lot of people have struggled with putting it together.

The second cage was much easier to assemble (holes and pins lined up), but it is leaking like crazy from five different places. Five gallons of water on your floor makes a mess and can damage things.

The square plug that you see is one leaking issue. This area is assembled at the factory. The gasket is pushed out on this particular one, but the others don't have this showing..and they still drip. We have three of those square plugs leaking. I contacted the company, and they said they would send replacement plugs. From the reviews, they will most likely leak again or develop a leak over time. JB Weld solved the issue in an hour. However, I will not be able to remove the square water pipe intact again.

The black hoses are leaking from three places. I made sure they were seated with no gaps, but they still drip. Clint checked my connections and said they were correct. We are now trying to get hose clamps to work on that side. I am close to having it resolved, but I am days into it. I don't like using my time to fix a known issue. Hatching Time should provide better support and should come up with a better watering system.

I researched the competitor, Wynola Ranch, who makes a nice metal stackable cage that can be used indoors and outside. It is predator-proof and has a float valve on the water troughs. However, I learned from several reviews that the wire floors are tearing up the birds' feet which is worse. Bumblefoot is not fun to treat. I'd rather work out the water issues than have injured birds.

If you buy an HT cage, expect to have to work with the leaky water system. So many of their customers are having a problem, I guess it is a given it will be a problem. It is very frustrating with the $826 total for one cage. It should be a turnkey system, but it is not.

Clint did not have the time to build cages, so I had to find something I could assemble quickly to accommodate our birds who needed to be moved out of brooder boxes. I strongly recommend you build your own if you have the time and skillset. You can save yourself time, money, and frustration. If you can't do that, maybe you can contract someone to build one.

For a more affordable indoor system, Amazon sells sets of six cages (24x16) for around $150 with slide-out trays. I THINK three of those are close to the space in one row of the HT cages. Even if it takes all six of them to equal the space, it is still a much better deal. For the savings, they can affordably be modified with auto feeders and waterers and placed on inexpensive plastic shelving. The trays are not very deep, but they can be suspended over containers with the tray removed. I can not speak for how well the birds' feet will do on the wire in the cage, but that can be modified with coated wire or plastic grid. If it still flexes, a support in the middle could help. I am just throwing out ideas for others. I kind of wish I had gone that route, but I did not learn about it until after my purchase.

As a side note, we have hard well water that will clog up the water system (ask me how I know), so we collect rainwater for all of our nipple watering systems.

If you have any questions, please see the header. Our email is there.

Update: Hatching Time sent out five entire water pipes (the long square-shaped pipe with water nipples that runs along the back of the cage). They arrived about two days after our emails with them.  It is more than we expected or needed. It will allow us to replace all of the pipes in one cage. We could have fixed the issue with two of the $3 square end plug. We are very pleased with their response to the leaking issues we experienced.

How I Start Off Plant Cuttings

I recently shipped a young friend a box of cuttings, plants, etc from our farm to get her started at her new home. She asked me if she could put the plants on her porch to protect them from the deer. This was my reply. I am sharing it here in case it helps another new gardener. Take what you can use and leave the rest. My love to all!

I don't know the light conditions of your porch, so I'll tell you what I do. I start my cuttings off in pots in the house. They stay inside in bright but indirect sunlight until I have good root growth.

Then I harden them off right against the north side of our house. I try to do it on an overcast day if possible. I use a 20-minute timer on my phone to remind me to check on them. If they look good, I reset it for another 20 minutes. I move them back inside as soon as they look like they are starting to droop or wilt. Once I get them to 5-6 hours, they are hardened off and can stay outside. If I have a lot of plants (like the 250 tomato plants I am selling this year), I will leave 2-3 out instead of all of them. That way I don't lose too much if things go wrong.

Once they are hardened off, I leave them on the north side of my house for about a year, sometimes two. They get some direct light (about 2-3 hours) but it is mostly bright indirect light there. The cooler side of the house helps protect them from too much heat/drying out while they are getting established. As they grow, I plant them in 5-gallon buckets with drain holes. 

The buckets can be placed in kiddie pools with an inch or two of water (enough to be taken up into the bucket as needed but not so much the plant's roots stay soaked.). I learned this practice from a master gardener. 

If it rains, I have to drain some of the water out of the kiddie pool, but I use my heel and crush the side of it down to let water out. If you know you won't use the kiddie pool for anything else, you can drill a hole in the side of the pool at the height you want the water. My pools get recycled to my waterfowl or dogs, so I don't put holes in mine if I can help it.

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Plant Tags

(I am an Amazon affiliate. They pay me a tiny commission for sharing links. I appreciate everything you purchase through one of my links.) 

I gave up buying the write-on plant tags a good while ago. They quickly became illegible because of the outdoor conditions. That is very frustrating when you are tracking when you planted or propagated them, the source, the plant name and variety, and other info. 

My solution was to engrave tags I cut from aluminum drink cans. I do not drink soda, so I have people who save them for me. I do infrequently consume a health drink in an aluminum can, but I need many times more for my gardening needs. 

I cut the ends off of the cans with a sharp paring knife. Then I cut the tube down the middle with a pair of scissors. Then it is easy to cut off the tags in the size you need. After that, I use a ballpoint pen on a paper tablet to engrave the information I want. I punch a hole with a single-hole puncher. Then I use galvanized wire to attach it to the plant. I started doing this several years ago, and the plant tags are still legible. I am not losing pertinent information any longer.

If you do this, you do so at your own risk. You should wear gloves and work in a way so you do not cut yourself. However, I do not wear gloves and have never been cut doing this, but I take my time and try to do it when there are no distractions. 

If I am short on time and have a job that I need to do quickly that requires only a few tags, I will buy a pack of ready-made engravable tags. These ready-made tags are good in a pinch, but the cost adds up when doing hundreds of plants at a time.

Fertile Egg Seller Recommendation

KingsHatchery on Ebay: I paid for 210 quail eggs. They sent 258. Of those, 215 hatched. That is an 83% hatch rate. I've ordered from them twice before and have another order on the way. They have packaged and put them in the hands of the shipper the same day each time. If you incubate or want to eat fresh quail eggs, I highly recommend this seller.

Seed Organization Part 2

A few years ago, I reorganized my seeds and put the packets into folders in bins because no other organization method works.

 

Shortly before a singular audacious murine vermin invaded my containers, I had been introduced to an older gardener who kept his seeds in 5-gallon buckets in sheds! Can you imagine having enough seed of anything that you needed to store it in a 5-gallon bucket? Wow! He also had some recycled spaghetti jars full of tiny seeds. I thought that was cool too!

Then, the mouse got into my seed bins. I did not lose many seeds, but, oh, it made me so mad! Everyone in the house knew it because I fussed about it out loud. The nasty, stinking, whizzing all over everything, little vermin ate through some of my paper seed packets and chewed on a few of the mylar ones. (It did not seem to like the mylar and did not chew all the way into any of those.) It ate seeds that could have fed my family or livestock. It only got into one of the boxes though.

I have no problem with mice. They make sweet little contained pets for those who want them. Here, they can live outdoors as long as they stay out of my grains. If they get into the livestock feed shed, it's game on. If they come into my house, it's war! As long as God gives me strength, ANYTHING that comes into my home and steals from my family is not going to fare well. Our seed-stealing invader did not last long once I discovered the issue, and I spotted the destruction fairly quickly. I lost two seed packets.

Fed up, I decided then and there that I was going to redo the seeds into something chew-proof. So, I made some cosmetic jar purchases and rounded up some things I had saved for "just in case." I save all glass jars and bottles that have a lid because there are so many uses for them. I also save old bottles that held pills and had a few Rx bottles someone gave me. I also purchased some 4 ounce canning jars.

I changed everything over to appropriate-sized containers, and I am happier about it. It takes up less space and is much easier for me to manage. I don't have to bend over under the stairs and shuffle the file boxes anymore. My husband, right after his chainsaw injury, made me a double-decker rolling wooden cart that comes out very easily. It makes more efficient use of the space too. The top is for my cool-season seeds with some tools and fertilizers. The bottom is full of warm-season seeds with a few other gardening tools. It worked out so well, I KIND OF happy the mouse came so I'd redo it this way. Kind of. 

I was also really happy when I realized I had enough corn seeds to fill up a spaghetti jar. :-)

Anyway, that is what I decided to go to once the field mouse invited himself to my seed buffet. I think it is going to work out even better than the folder system. As I was working, I remembered my paternal grandmother, Elsie aka Buttercup, kept hers in containers also. She kept some Sevin dust inside to keep the bugs away. I add DE to mine. 

Happy Gardening to all!

Rooting Thai Basil

rooting station with Thai basil cuttings

Thai basil is savory and spicy and pairs well with beef or chicken. We like it in Pad Kra Pao (Thai basil beef). My whole family LOVES it. Medicinally, it promotes better digestion and is also anti-cancer, anti-viral, antibacterial, and antifungal. 

Since the sweet and often generous Korean lady closed her shop, I only have one store where I can get it. It is a bit of a drive, so I don't get there often. I have grown it, but it takes so long to harvest. Rooting the cuttings will cut the time down considerably. I am also experimenting with dehydrating it to see if it will still be OK when cooking.

I use hydrogen peroxide in the water to help facilitate rooting. I also use a rooting hormone extract made from our poplar tree. You can make your own with willow or poplar cuttings. Place the chopped tender (green) cuttings in water in a clear jar. Then set the jar in a sunny window for a few days and it is ready to go to work for you. 

After I take the cuttings I plan to root, I dip them in a watered-down honey and cinnamon solution that helps kill bacteria and fungus. It is 1 tbsp honey to 1 cup water with about 1/8 tsp cinnamon.

I have six sets of the nifty test tube jars for rooting. I am an Amazon affiliate and that is an Amazon affiliate link. I earn a very small commission if you click the link and make a purchase.

Incubating Quail Eggs in a Pan of Rice

My incubator is homemade. I've used it for several years, and Clint just overhauled it this year. To test it, I purchased quail eggs.

I did not have quail egg trays, so I used rice in an aluminum foil cake pan. I have not seen anyone else doing this anywhere (and I searched), so I thought I'd share my idea here.

I put enough rice in the pan to hold the eggs-big end up. As you can see, it worked great! I did not have to spend the money for quail egg racks I may never use again. I will also not have to find a storage space for the quail egg racks, and I can easily repeat this any time I need it.

I plan to reuse the rice at least once. Then I'll see how the rice looks. If it looks fairly clean, I'll reuse it again. When I am finished with the rice, I will boil it with the eggshells and feed it to my chickens. No waste!

Colorful Eggs

I have had all of the colorful egg layers over the years, so they aren't a big deal to me. However, my sweet Emily said she wanted some green and blue eggs. So, I bought her some chicks. :-)

These are from Meyer's Hatchery which allows you to do smaller orders.