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TexasMadness Profile
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Registered: 03-2007
Location: Austin, Texas
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The corn is planted


Last week, I planted potatoes in the garden.

Wow, what a week it's been on the 'homestead'. Last year, our old Troy-Bilt tiller from the 70s finally gave up on us. My parents had handed it down to me since there vegetable garden is now a raised bed with perfect soil. I’ve been babying it along for some time – changing the spark plug, getting new belts, a new carburetor, etc. Finally, it just got too annoying. Half the day was spent with the engine in pieces and the other half was spent coaxing the tiller along in the garden. So we removed the old gasoline engine and replaced it with a diesel one. It’s sooo much more powerful (almost too much – it’s hard to handle now) and quieter. We also run it on biodiesel so I no longer worry about the fumes from the engine getting on plants in the garden that are already growing.

Image


Anyway, now the tiller weighs 60 or 70 more pounds than it did before. We use it at my brother’s house as well and he had it last weekend. I went to pick it up Saturday morning from him. I was about to unload it from my truck when things seemed “wrong.” There are two boards that hook onto my tailgate to act as ramps. Normally, you just turn the tiller on in low gear and drive it down the ramp. But it just seemed so heavy. I woke up Chad (who is still working night shift) and made him watch me through the window in case something happened. If the 400+ pound tiller with tines spinning were to fall on me somehow, I’m not sure I would be able to call for help. Newer models have an option to have the tines not spinning when the engine is engaged. I wish we had one of those. So down the ramp I went.

Half way down, I knew I was losing control. It was just too heavy for me to handle – you have to guide the tiller and hold it up so that the tines don’t hit the ramp. But now it’s really top heavy and you have to prevent it from tipping forward. It was a delicate balance and I felt myself losing it. I bailed – I let go of the handles and jumped off to the side. But I was a little too late. The tiller had already pulled me too far off balance and I didn’t clear the machine when I jumped since I was already moving forward. My left inner thigh hit hard into the spinning metal and the tiller crashed to the ground. Fortunately, the tiller didn’t have far to fall and I received a glancing blow. Still, I think I’ll let a stronger person unload the beast from my truck from now on! Or maybe I need some sort of ‘taming’ spell!

Right after it happened, my leg didn't look so bad...but that was before the bruising was visible. Ouch!
ImageImage


But, all in all, it was a good week. I got the chicken coop and run cleaned out. The material went on top of the lasagna garden which should be ready to plant at the beginning of May (it’s the squash plot). I turned a piece of sod into a garden with the tiller and got two rows of corn planted. I planted Country Gentleman, or ‘shoepeg’ corn. It is a white sweet corn whose kernels don’t grow in straight rows. I also planted Strawberry Popcorn – a short, roundish ear of corn that’s only about 2” long. I’ll plant the next two rows in 4 weeks so I can stagger the harvest and try to find an optimal planting time.

ImageImage


Next week on the homestead:

Taking the weekend off! I’ll be in New Orleans for the American Physical Society March Meeting. The week after that, I should be tilling yet another plot to plant beans!






Last edited by TexasMadness, 3/17/2008, 5:39 pm
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Firlefanz Profile
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Re: The corn is planted


Woah! That is a serious bruise! Poor TM, that machine really kicked hard there. Hope it's not too painful. emoticon

Congrats on getting the corn planted anyway. I do wish corn would grow well in a garden setting here, but it doesn't really. Let alone the trifling matter of not even having a garden!

Good luck for your corn! emoticon

---
- Firlefanz


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TexasMadness Profile
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Re: The corn is planted


Thanks Firle! The accident happened 4 days ago and the bruise is doing a lot better. It's already turning a bit brown and yellow. I thought is was just going to keep getting bigger after I took that second picture, but that's as big as it got - thank goodness. It's still really sore, but it doesn't hinder my motion anymore (at first, it hurt just from the impact of putting my foot on the ground). The only time I notice it now is when my fat cat jumps on my lap and lands her pointy little paws right on the bruise!

The corn should be sprouted by the time I get back from New Orleans. I can't wait! I'll let you know how it goes!
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Re: The corn is planted


Busy lil bruised bee you are Texas!!!

We can't think about starting the garden yet here. We're not out of frost threat yet. Saturday and Sunday were gorgeous....yesterday it rained all day, and today, we're back to being cold and dreary.

Glad the tiller didn't do any more damage than it did. That really could have been nasty!!!

---
Blessed Be,
~*~ Saijen ~*~

~~*~~ .~~*~~
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TexasMadness Profile
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Re: The corn is planted


Well, we are SUPPOSED to be out of frost threat by now. The average last frost is the beginning of March, but it looks like we are going to get a freeze here tonight. Ugh. The Travis County planting guide said to put corn in on March 1st though. So I did! That's another reason why I only planted half the plot. If none of these seeds make it, I can plant the other others and replant these and I won't have lost that many seeds. We'll see!
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Re: The corn is planted


Good luck, TM!

Depending on how deep they are in the dirt, a bit of frost won't hurt them.

  emoticon

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- Firlefanz


3/5/2008, 4:12 pm Link to this post Send Email to Firlefanz   Send PM to Firlefanz Blog
 
TexasMadness Profile
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Re: The corn is planted


I've been staring at the corn plot intently for over 2 weeks now! This morning, my daily vigil was finally met with signs of life! About half the sweet corn has finally shot up little tiny green leaves. It's exciting!
3/17/2008, 5:42 pm Link to this post Send Email to TexasMadness   Send PM to TexasMadness
 


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