Hi Ashley. I have two questions. First, have you ever tried making your own sunflower oil or nut oil? I recently watched a video online where a gentleman used a Oil Press Machine from Vevor to make his own sunflower oil. I understand how the machine works but was wondering if it would be worth it. What could you do with sunflower or nut oil that you couldn't do with Lard, tallow, etc.? And what would the shelf life be for homemade sunflower/nut oil? Could you seal it in a jar like you do with lard?
My second question has to do with Pyrethrum, Dalmatian (Pyrethrum cinerariaefolium. This plant is used in natural insecticides to help with squash beetles. Last year all my squash plants were killed by squash beetles so I reached out to Jackie Clay, from Backwoods Home, and she told me to get a specific all natural insecticide. I did and plan to use it this year but I also bought seeds of the Pyrethrum plant and plan to plant it throughout the space where I plan to grow my squash. Do you think this will work or will the plant need to be ground and possibly made into a liquid for it to be effective. Do you have issues with growing squash and if yes, how have you dealt with it.
We've looked into seed oils, and honestly, I don't think it's worth it at home. If you're a devoted vegan maybe, but there's really nothing that a seed oil can do that a little lard or tallow can't do better. Duck fat fries better than anything, and leaf lard is perfect for deep frying and works great in baked goods.
We also looked into oil presses, and watching them run it seems like you're expending more calories getting the oil out and fiddling with it than you could ever re-coop eating it. (That was specifically the Petiba press, which is really labor intensive and finicky...it's all manual, so literally heated with a candle.)
I do really love the idea of extracting acorn oil, and I've tried acorn oil from Sam Thayer. It's lovely, and a fun idea...but you need a heck of a big press to make that practical. He uses a big commertial press to harvest it in sale-able quantities.
For Pyrethrum, I have used it and it's incredibly effective. We use it for little worms that get on our gooseberries and some others that destroy our asparagus. We don't have many pests, but those two are catastrophic for us if we don't beat them back. It's the only thing we ever spray on anything, and it works instantly.
A couple of things with it...it degrades rapidly, which is great as a human that's going to eat that stuff later...but it also means you can't mix it up in advance or store it too long.
Whether or not it works to just plant the plants nearby...I'm not sure. I believe it's to kill the pests, rather than repel them, so they need to be in contact with it. I'm not sure it'd work as a repellent? I don't know for sure though.
Thank you so much for your response and such good info! I really appreciate it. Quick follow up...I recently purchased a freeze drier. Do you think I could freeze dry the Pyrethrum flower and then grind them up when I need to make my DIY spray? Last thing, if I freeze dry Stinging Nettles do I need to blanch them first or would the freeze drying process make them safe/sting-free?
Just seeing this now, sorry about my late reply. I'm not sure on freeze drying either of those. I would assume that the pyrethrum would still work, but I have no idea in reality. Worth an attempt I'd think?
For the nettle, I've read that dehydrating negates the sting, so I'd assume freeze drying would also do that...but I have a viscous allergy to stinging nettle, so I don't touch the stuff. It's the only thing I'm allergic to...so I don't have much personal knowledge there.
If you had to start all over, how would you lay out your garden? How would you plan what to grow, how many plants to grow, and where to put them in the garden? How would you choose how much to grow if you were just starting out verses running a sustainable homestead? I’m just starting my first in ground garden after doing some small raised beds last year and I’m trying to plant enough but not bite off too much.
Oh man...that's a question for a whole book! We are about to move and start over, hopefully this year, and I've been thinking about this a lot.
I think the main thing is I'd be sure there's enough space for paths, as I tend to try to cram everything in really tight and don't leave space for a wheelbarrow to bring in compost or clean things up.
As to how many plants to grow, that really depends on your family and what you eat. Melissa Norris has a book called The Family Garden Planner that really helps answer that question in a personalized way, taking you through tables based on your families preferences.
I would say grow what you absolutely love to pop in your mouth fresh right out in the garden first. The things that are really special when super fresh, rather than anything in bulk, when you're just starting out. That's the most magical part about gardening, and what makes it worth it for me (and most people really). Fresh strawberries, perfectly crisp harcot verts (grocery store green beans don't compare, they really need to be super fresh), super sweet cherry tomatoes and fresh summer carrots. Things that degrade really quickly, but that you can enjoy at peak freshness if you grow them.
It pretty much covers everything we need, though I wish it could handle a larger wood chipper. It does 5'' now, and you'd think that'd be enough...but we do a lot of work in the woods. It's the most I'd ask of a tractor though, for anything bigger you really do need a stand alone wood chipper.
We have a backhoe attachment that's amazing, and it's a great wood splitter too. I love that thing.
Ashley, ok, I'll ask. Last year I tried growing strawberries. Mind you, I know nothing about growing them. Bought some "ever bearing" plants. Wow, that was disappointing. I live right on the edge of zone 6, just below zone 5. Any articles, recommendations would be great.
Most strawberry varieties don't really get established until there 2nd year, and don't really produce much in their first. Everbearing are supposed to be better about that, and produce better the year they're planted...but that's not always the case.
Are they in containers? They do really poorly if soil temperatures get too high, especially in mid-summer.
They also do poorly if they get too much nitrogen fertilizer, in which case they'll only produce foliage and not fruit.
What'd they do? Did they die, or just not produce?
Reading this made me shiver. So far my small garden (2nd year gardener) is showing beets, spinach, mint, celery, bok choy, & eggplant. And tomato seedlings are just beginning . if I am not mistaken… I think I have a raspberry tree! I thought I killed it last year, and used it as compost in one of my containers lol! Oh wouldn’t that be so lovely??!
I have a question you might be able to help me with. Sweet Potatoes.
For months, I had these beautiful long vines coming from the container where i put a couple sweet potatoes ends with long white stringy roots. When the vines froze In January, they died, but there was only one sweet potato. Am I supposed to to cut the vine and put it in water to develop roots, or get the root from the sweet potatoes? Any answer will fill in the many gaps I have trying to comprehend growing sweet potatoes. Thank you for all you do! I appreciate you.
It is the time of year when all my evergreens are putting out their new fresh, tender shoots. So this is what I want to gather for Pineneedle tea. Can I dry these shoots and enjoy this tea All year? Or is Pineneedle tea always best fresh cut?
They produced very slightly and what they produced were tiny strawberries at best. I had them in a grow tower in, what I believed, was good soil. Eventually they died... I believe due to the heat. Last summer was pretty hot for this area. The fertilizer I used was a 3-10-5 mix. I treated them at the beginning of the season and again when they started producing those small strawberries.
Hi Ashley. I have two questions. First, have you ever tried making your own sunflower oil or nut oil? I recently watched a video online where a gentleman used a Oil Press Machine from Vevor to make his own sunflower oil. I understand how the machine works but was wondering if it would be worth it. What could you do with sunflower or nut oil that you couldn't do with Lard, tallow, etc.? And what would the shelf life be for homemade sunflower/nut oil? Could you seal it in a jar like you do with lard?
My second question has to do with Pyrethrum, Dalmatian (Pyrethrum cinerariaefolium. This plant is used in natural insecticides to help with squash beetles. Last year all my squash plants were killed by squash beetles so I reached out to Jackie Clay, from Backwoods Home, and she told me to get a specific all natural insecticide. I did and plan to use it this year but I also bought seeds of the Pyrethrum plant and plan to plant it throughout the space where I plan to grow my squash. Do you think this will work or will the plant need to be ground and possibly made into a liquid for it to be effective. Do you have issues with growing squash and if yes, how have you dealt with it.
We've looked into seed oils, and honestly, I don't think it's worth it at home. If you're a devoted vegan maybe, but there's really nothing that a seed oil can do that a little lard or tallow can't do better. Duck fat fries better than anything, and leaf lard is perfect for deep frying and works great in baked goods.
We also looked into oil presses, and watching them run it seems like you're expending more calories getting the oil out and fiddling with it than you could ever re-coop eating it. (That was specifically the Petiba press, which is really labor intensive and finicky...it's all manual, so literally heated with a candle.)
I do really love the idea of extracting acorn oil, and I've tried acorn oil from Sam Thayer. It's lovely, and a fun idea...but you need a heck of a big press to make that practical. He uses a big commertial press to harvest it in sale-able quantities.
For Pyrethrum, I have used it and it's incredibly effective. We use it for little worms that get on our gooseberries and some others that destroy our asparagus. We don't have many pests, but those two are catastrophic for us if we don't beat them back. It's the only thing we ever spray on anything, and it works instantly.
A couple of things with it...it degrades rapidly, which is great as a human that's going to eat that stuff later...but it also means you can't mix it up in advance or store it too long.
You can make your own by basically blending up the plants in water, instructions here: https://www.organicgardener.com.au/articles/make-your-own-pyrethrum
Whether or not it works to just plant the plants nearby...I'm not sure. I believe it's to kill the pests, rather than repel them, so they need to be in contact with it. I'm not sure it'd work as a repellent? I don't know for sure though.
Thank you so much for your response and such good info! I really appreciate it. Quick follow up...I recently purchased a freeze drier. Do you think I could freeze dry the Pyrethrum flower and then grind them up when I need to make my DIY spray? Last thing, if I freeze dry Stinging Nettles do I need to blanch them first or would the freeze drying process make them safe/sting-free?
Just seeing this now, sorry about my late reply. I'm not sure on freeze drying either of those. I would assume that the pyrethrum would still work, but I have no idea in reality. Worth an attempt I'd think?
For the nettle, I've read that dehydrating negates the sting, so I'd assume freeze drying would also do that...but I have a viscous allergy to stinging nettle, so I don't touch the stuff. It's the only thing I'm allergic to...so I don't have much personal knowledge there.
If you had to start all over, how would you lay out your garden? How would you plan what to grow, how many plants to grow, and where to put them in the garden? How would you choose how much to grow if you were just starting out verses running a sustainable homestead? I’m just starting my first in ground garden after doing some small raised beds last year and I’m trying to plant enough but not bite off too much.
Oh man...that's a question for a whole book! We are about to move and start over, hopefully this year, and I've been thinking about this a lot.
I think the main thing is I'd be sure there's enough space for paths, as I tend to try to cram everything in really tight and don't leave space for a wheelbarrow to bring in compost or clean things up.
As to how many plants to grow, that really depends on your family and what you eat. Melissa Norris has a book called The Family Garden Planner that really helps answer that question in a personalized way, taking you through tables based on your families preferences.
I would say grow what you absolutely love to pop in your mouth fresh right out in the garden first. The things that are really special when super fresh, rather than anything in bulk, when you're just starting out. That's the most magical part about gardening, and what makes it worth it for me (and most people really). Fresh strawberries, perfectly crisp harcot verts (grocery store green beans don't compare, they really need to be super fresh), super sweet cherry tomatoes and fresh summer carrots. Things that degrade really quickly, but that you can enjoy at peak freshness if you grow them.
That's where I'd start.
I think your tractor is just like ours . My husband loves that thing. What do you use it for, and do you find anything lacking for what you need?
It pretty much covers everything we need, though I wish it could handle a larger wood chipper. It does 5'' now, and you'd think that'd be enough...but we do a lot of work in the woods. It's the most I'd ask of a tractor though, for anything bigger you really do need a stand alone wood chipper.
We have a backhoe attachment that's amazing, and it's a great wood splitter too. I love that thing.
My husband wants the backhoe attachment soooo much!
Ashley, ok, I'll ask. Last year I tried growing strawberries. Mind you, I know nothing about growing them. Bought some "ever bearing" plants. Wow, that was disappointing. I live right on the edge of zone 6, just below zone 5. Any articles, recommendations would be great.
Most strawberry varieties don't really get established until there 2nd year, and don't really produce much in their first. Everbearing are supposed to be better about that, and produce better the year they're planted...but that's not always the case.
Are they in containers? They do really poorly if soil temperatures get too high, especially in mid-summer.
They also do poorly if they get too much nitrogen fertilizer, in which case they'll only produce foliage and not fruit.
What'd they do? Did they die, or just not produce?
Reading this made me shiver. So far my small garden (2nd year gardener) is showing beets, spinach, mint, celery, bok choy, & eggplant. And tomato seedlings are just beginning . if I am not mistaken… I think I have a raspberry tree! I thought I killed it last year, and used it as compost in one of my containers lol! Oh wouldn’t that be so lovely??!
I have a question you might be able to help me with. Sweet Potatoes.
For months, I had these beautiful long vines coming from the container where i put a couple sweet potatoes ends with long white stringy roots. When the vines froze In January, they died, but there was only one sweet potato. Am I supposed to to cut the vine and put it in water to develop roots, or get the root from the sweet potatoes? Any answer will fill in the many gaps I have trying to comprehend growing sweet potatoes. Thank you for all you do! I appreciate you.
It looks like a few other people already answered, but I'll add a link. Here's everything you need to know about sweet potatoes: https://practicalselfreliance.com/sweet-potato-slips/
Hi Nichole. Go to Ashley's website and search 'DIY Sweet Potato Slips' and you'll find directions on how to start your sweet potato plants. Good luck!
Thank you!! I haven’t actually been to the website. The weekly info has been loads of info lol. I will do that. Appreciate the info
Thank you Haydn!
Hi Ashley,
It is the time of year when all my evergreens are putting out their new fresh, tender shoots. So this is what I want to gather for Pineneedle tea. Can I dry these shoots and enjoy this tea All year? Or is Pineneedle tea always best fresh cut?
Hi,
I remember that you sent something about buying books online through you. I can't find the email. How does the process work?
Thanks!
Gail
They produced very slightly and what they produced were tiny strawberries at best. I had them in a grow tower in, what I believed, was good soil. Eventually they died... I believe due to the heat. Last summer was pretty hot for this area. The fertilizer I used was a 3-10-5 mix. I treated them at the beginning of the season and again when they started producing those small strawberries.