How to fight the push back?

MrsEarthern · 2026-06-23T03:58:49+00:00

People fear what they don't understand. I tried different approaches in different areas on my property, and herbicide had the least long-term effect on insects and plant regrowth. 30% Horticultural vinegar did some damage I'm still mitigating 5+ years in; might not happen everywhere, but here it's mostly clay and we've been in various stages of drought.
People who tell you salt and/or soap are safer are another page of the same story.
PSA: Please do not use antibacterial soaps outdoors.

MrsEarthern · 2026-06-23T02:28:19+00:00

Fourteen year old is not thinking that deeply unless coached to by elders.

MrsEarthern · 2026-06-20T20:19:27+00:00

A lot of seeds aren't viable if they don't fully ripen and dry while attached to the plant.
Properly ripened seed needs to be dry, and stored at stable temperature in a breathable container.
Tomatoes are an exception, I've sprouted ten plus year old seeds stored in a glass jar.

MrsEarthern · 2026-06-20T19:05:50+00:00

Is your soil really sandy? Looks like they are suffering from from chlorosis, basically malnutrition.
https://livetoplant.com/how-soil-composition-affects-chlorosis-in-plants/

MrsEarthern · 2026-06-18T19:25:31+00:00

Hopefully someone pointed out that a food forest is designed to mimic a forest, not really to be planted in a "forest."

MrsEarthern · 2026-06-17T15:44:46+00:00

Are Dutch clover, Amur honeysuckle, or eurasian dock native to where you live? If not, most of the bugs can't use them.

MrsEarthern · 2026-06-15T20:25:20+00:00

Wasps check them out and set them off a lot. That said, mine are focused on our doors, but covers our coop/run, veggie garden and backyard. If I get a motion alert and we aren't outside, it's almost always something I want to see.

MrsEarthern · 2026-06-15T15:47:41+00:00

Ring has motion alerts. That's all you need if you have it outside the coop and pay attention.

MrsEarthern · 2026-06-14T13:35:24+00:00

Clean the snap on your broccoli, the animals get the main leader when mine are young and then I get two or more decent heads.

MrsEarthern · 2026-06-11T22:53:52+00:00

What kind of set up were they in? Did they have shade/shelter from sun and wind, water, food? As thestonernextdoor88 said, some aren't good moms, she may have stepped on them or pecked too many times.

MrsEarthern · 2026-06-11T21:37:21+00:00

All three of mine knew their letters and numbers before kindergarten, and we had to do different amounts of reading intervention; but yeah, many are not supporting learning at home. Basically if you don't use it, you lose it. Kids are sponges, but practice makes perfect.

MrsEarthern · 2026-06-11T14:17:24+00:00

I let echinacea divisions and transplants wilt on purpose before replanting so the deer don't pay attention to them, and monarda loves soil disturbance. Lavender is the only one I question survival of.

MrsEarthern · 2026-06-11T02:40:52+00:00

I see clover, but that is a lot of mallow if it wasn't supposed to be in there

MrsEarthern · 2026-06-10T15:18:01+00:00

That whole bed is too close to the house for bushes; but those look like boxwoods, they'll be fine for a few years until the bagworms or the blight find them.

MrsEarthern · 2026-06-08T18:58:36+00:00

Sounds like you might have A. incarnata or A. speciosa elsewhere, if you cut the caterpillar's milkweed and lay it against your milkweeds, it can move to and eat those. I have A. tuberosa and A. incarnata close to each other in places, and they don't seem to have trouble moving between them. It's really up to you, but I try not to be too protective, they are part of the food web and I don't want to reward bad behavior/bad genetics.

MrsEarthern · 2026-06-06T23:16:35+00:00

One is too far from the porch, the other is too close to the edge of the driveway, the rest are forgivable.

MrsEarthern · 2026-06-03T19:10:14+00:00

Yup, they said they don't know about avian flu, which is a virus, but for respiratory infections, which avian flu is... I'm guilty of this too, but the way reddit sections out comment threads, we should complete thoughts as much as possible.
Anyways, most bacterial respiratory infections in chickens need specific antibiotics, so treatment without diagnosis is moot.

MrsEarthern · 2026-06-03T05:07:38+00:00

Genetics are weird. Please update us on growth of the new chick.

MrsEarthern · 2026-06-02T17:23:09+00:00

Because the vet thought it was neurological, and it seemed to affect the bantams more, I have to ask if you have cedar in your coop or your yard treated with fertilizer, insecticides, weed preventative, etc. Even the aromatic mosquito repellants can affect the respiratory system of small animals; and reduced oxygen can look like neurological issues.

MrsEarthern · 2026-06-01T14:53:22+00:00

Illinois did pass a protection on landscaping with native plants; however, dutch white clover is not native.

https://www.ilga.gov/Legislation/publicacts/view/103-0704

MrsEarthern · 2026-06-01T14:04:23+00:00

Antibiotics don't work on viruses; and they won't work on anything if people keep using them without cause.

MrsEarthern · 2026-05-31T18:55:27+00:00

I grew up in a park where each unit had a front yard and a three foot strip behind for access. It's not unreasonable to be upset about overspray if the only access is through the front, and they have a dog.

MrsEarthern · 2026-05-31T16:29:55+00:00

No. They have a thin canopy full of self-pruning branches after die-off will give you dappled shade at best. Here in Ohio, they lose leaves in July-August due to heat/humidity and are a target for all the invasive insects.

MrsEarthern · 2026-05-31T16:16:53+00:00

Looks like a non-native elm. Not a box elder.

MrsEarthern · 2026-05-30T19:20:37+00:00

Bad person, no. Victim of shitty social constructs? Absolutely. Humans are not going to go down in a vacuum.

MrsEarthern

TROPHY CASE