Market Farming

["gutierrez-lagatta" <gutierrez-lagatta AT charter.net>]

Re:  Grasshopper Bait
> > from wheat bran,
> > molasses, water oil and liquid Sevin..
> Is this a crop oil that you used or the other type, motor oil?
Phil, the grasshopper bait called for vegetable oil.  Here's the
recipe.  I cut it down by about 90% for my 3000 sq ft greeenhouse and
mixed it in a ziplock bag.)

Homemade Grasshopper Bait Recipe
--------------------------------------------
20lb Wheat Bran
2 Gallons Water
1 Qt. Cottonseed or Other Vegetable Oil 1 Qt. Molasses
1 Qt. Flowable (Liquid) Sevin or Sevin XLR
Large Rubber or Metal Tub (For mixing)

Mixing Instructions:

Mix Molasses, Water and Vegetable Oil together in a suitable container
(bucket, etc).
Add 1 tablespoon of liquid dish soap to emulsify the oil and water
mixture together.
Mix the liquid Sevin into the oil/water mixture, stirring well.
Slowly add the water mixture to the wheat bran in a tub or other
suitable container and mix together. Allow this mixture to sit for 24
hours to allow the wheat bran to absorb the liquids.
Stir the bait after the soak period. Apply the bait in small piles
around fruit trees, garden areas and other places where grasshoppers
are causing problems.
This bait works better on young grasshoppers, but works on large ones
as well.


Re: Lettuce germination
> When seeding lettuce in summer, cover your just-seeded flats and put
them in
> the refrigerator for two days.  Take out and you will see
germination in
> about a day.  Even though we have grown many lettuces before, trying
to get
> one that works, this is a first for us.
You don't need to go the trouble of refrigerating, simply bring the
flats into an airconditioned space, or any place with a temperature
lower then 85 degrees. I used to start flats in my bathtub when I
lived in Florida.  The trick is to get them into natural light as soon
as you see leaves or they will get spindly and never recover.

Re: Mesclun
> We do not use Jericho in our mesclun mix.  Mesclun was grown under
shade, on
> drip.  Typical days from seeding to harvest was 16-17 where as
spring and
> fall sowings are 21 days from seeding to harvest.  We could only get
1
> cutting from a mesclun seeding, whereas during the winter we get as
many as
> 6 cuttings per seeding.
Do you pre-mix your seed?  It sounds like it.  In my Florida mesclun
days I grew all of the components separately and mix prior to packing.
I could get two cuttings out of my lettuces, with the exception of
Cerize(now dano) from Johnny's which could get recut over and over
again for MONTHS.  Likewise Bianca Riccia Endive and Bulls Blood Beets
could be recut over and over.  But for cut-and-come again I would have
to wait almost 30 days on lettuce.  Now Mizunas, arugula, tatsoi and
most other things were ready in 14-21 days and even in summer I could
get 2-3 cuttings.  I guess if you find a coombination that works well
sown together it simplifies the seeding, harvest and packaging end of
things greatly.


Re:Hunting
> This is also true here in Northern Virginia.  How about other parts
> of the country.  Are the number of hunters decreasing?  Here, I
> think, it is because of urbanization and the demise of subsistence
> country people.  Hunting, is just not something that people do.
It's a big-time activity in Alabama at all socioeconomic levels!

Adriana