Which cow? The jersey kissing the camera is not a meat cow. She's actually an open heifer that will be sold once she's bred, as my grandfather raises and sells replacement Jersey heifers. At least he used to. I thought we were done with the Jersey thing, but I guess after 60 years of owning Jerseys, he just can't give them up! The hereford laying down is actually Pickles the bull. He's a hereford/red angus cross. Most mellow thing in the world. But don't get me wrong, when I'm in the pasture I know exactly where he is and keep my eye on him. Growing up with jerseys, I learned very quickly to NEVER trust a bull... never. You just don't know what they'll do. At least all his women are bred, so he's a bit calm when it comes to horomones!

naturegirl_2007 - I have heard nothing but bad news coming out of Michigan regarding fruit tree production. Apples bad, cherries bad, peaches bad. I have not heard how the Michigan blueberry crop has fared. Minnesota apple orchards were hit hard by late frosts last spring as well. I have been seeing news reports that state that the growers do have apples but they are telling customers not to delay their purchases because they will be running out quickly once the harvest season goes into full swing. Add together all the nation's fruit and vegetable losses, corn losses, high feed prices, high fuel prices, and inflation of the fiat dollar (that the gov't says is not occurring), and we have the makings for a huge spike in food costs this winter. I am canning and freezing triple the usual amount of fruits and vegetables this year, just to be prepared. I do not need it but I know of others around here who might. I make the harvest boxes. They are multi-purpose. The ones without handles I use to hold my individually potted starter plants in spring until they go into the gardens, then I use them for harvesting summer/fall and storage winter. The bottom is made of slats for drainage and ventilation. The ones with handles I use for planting (a standard 1020 seedling flat fits inside - hated carrying those floppy flats out to the garden), harvesting, and then I use them for storing my onions and potatoes in a shelf system that they slide into. The bottom is made of slats for ventilation and the sides have holes for ventilation as well. The general dimensions of the crates are approximately the size of a standard 1020 seedling flat: 21"l x 13"w x 4" deep. I have made many of these two crate designs over the years and sold some and traded away a bunch of them for other stuff. :) I am always urging gardeners to network - find out what neighbors or friends might want and grow extra if you have the space. It is great to give stuff away and I do a lot of that because sometimes it is just the right thing to do, but I often get something in return as a thank-you down the road when I least expect it. But it is also nice to barter for stuff you want but do not have, or do not have enough of. I also suggest folks do some division of labor and use your strengths to your advantage. One lady near me has a pear orchard. Every year I grow tomatoes for her because she does not like to garden but wants tomatoes for processing. In return I get so many pears that I often have to give some away myself. She takes care of her orchard, and harvests my pears when ready, and I take care of my gardens and harvest her tomatoes when they are ready. Been a great arrangement for both of us. Production failures have occurred on both sides of the deal occasionally, but things have generally evened out over the years. -Tom

Some updated photos: Day 24: Day 29: Day 35, just after first mowing: Overall I'm very pleased so far, thank you so much everyone for all of your advice! I did get a lot of weeds, but most appear to be annuals and should be cooked soon. I have some bare spots due to anthills and some reeeally hyper squirrels, but they should fill fine. And I am afraid I may have a fungus problem in some spots (I have another thread on that), but I think I can address that. Still this has been the most satisfying seeding I have ever done. Thanks again!

Following up on some greenhouse questions- Westgirl - I did design it myself, I wouldn't call it easy but, you can certainly do it yourself. One recommendation - if you do build your own start in spring, this way you have a lot of time to work out the kinks. My watering setup is a simple timed based automatic irrigation system, normally off until the summer, When they need watering every other day. In the winter I just water by hand as needed. Mike - The frame is 2'' PVC. its strong and flexes a little, its available and not that expensive if you mess up a cut. The plastic is called greenhouse film, 6mil bought from a greenhouse supply store online. Heating is electric with a backup gas heater, just in case. Mksmith - Dimentions are roughly 30ft long 12ft deep and about 9ft at the tallest spot in the center, its a decent size. Heating is a challenge sometimes. Like I mentioned above, Heating is electric with a backup gas heater, just in case. The good thing as its fairly well insulated but, last night when it dropped to 16F it struggled to keep it above 40F, but it did :)