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I got a new heating mat and controller this year and I really like it. Yesterday I temporarily moved the flat of flowers I was starting off the mat. Then, before heading to bed I put it back on the heating mat and turned on the controller, which is set to 75 degrees F. It wasn't until I woke...

Welcome from also Northern Michigan (UP). Glad you're here!

I've tried burying them deep when I transplant and they don't do well for me. I think it's because of our heavy clay soil and that the ground is still so cold 8-10" down. They always seem stunted even though I harden them off plenty. This year I'm hoping to get a head start on root...

I'm sure there are other good options, but I might recommend Southern Exposure Seed Exchange for pinto beans. No kidney beans, though. I've gotten popcorn from them in bulk before and maybe they would consider that if you ask...

Found a use for those left over coffee cups. I'm hoping this allows the tomatoes to develop better roots. I always feel like they don't have enough soil depth when repotting.

I’m probably a bit later than most, but we still have snow on the ground so that's ok (I keep telling myself). I have three kinds of hot peppers, five kinds of tomato, some tomatillos, and a bunch of potatoes started from seed. And some sorrel I started in a tray thinking I would just grow...

Cleaned up my Christmas trees this weekend and ended up with a nice pile of bean poles. My son enjoyed trimming them up with me and asked if we could do it again next year - “unless Christmas trees go out of style.”

I write in cursive all the time and I'm not an old folk! There is one other logical conclusion to this... I find that writing in cursive is easier with a fountain pen than a ball point pen or pencil. Doesn't have to be a fancy one. Actually one pencil is easy - my Apple pencil. I've written...

I've also never grown pole beans on poles before. I've grown them on corn stalks and on chicken wire stretched between t-posts. This year after Christmas I was thinking about what to use and it occurred to me that a lot of people were getting ready to throw out their Christmas trees, so I...

I like the idea of drawing off lard as it renders. With the roaster oven I usually ladle it off as I go, but now I'm wondering if I could use our stream juicer (Mehu Maija) to do the job. Will try the cracklins with cheese and soy sauce for sure!

Thanks - that sounds amazing!

I usually thin using a handwidth for spacing (4-6 inches) and I've found that works well. A couple times I haven't thinned in time and they have grown pretty thick, but those are usually the rows that don't get weeded as well as they should so I can't compare. Reading Ashworth's Seed to Seed...

Thanks @Dirtmechanic. I hadn't thought of it like cooking pork. When I smoke a pork butt I target 185-190 but I get impatient when it plateaus around 160 and sometimes I pull it early. I have added a little water before but I'm not sure if want to boil it. Though that might render a mild...

It's time to render lard again (we usually save it in the freezer until we're ready) and I'm wondering if I should use a lower temperature this time. I use a large roasting oven. I think I've used 325 degrees Fahrenheit in the past and I got some sticking to the sides of the pan. I'd like to...

Wow - beautiful pictures all, @heirloomgal! How is your test germination coming, @Bluejay77? Do you let them go a week before checking?

So after three years of growing them, we finally had enough Haricot Tarbais to make cassoulet. It was the first time I have had the dish and, though it wasn’t quite what I expected, I thoroughly enjoyed it. I’ve wanted to make it for many years, so it was a good excuse to grow the Tarbais...

Thank you much, @Bluejay77. It's certainly possible that the beans had some freeze damage - we're often fighting wet weather and snow/frost late in the season. Unfortunately I didn't keep good notes during harvest so can't say for sure. The bleach was just a what-if experiment since I was...

Thank you all for contributing such interesting and informative content here. Do you know last year it was end of July before we got to page 30 in this thread? Maybe this will be a record year for beans! I would like to know if anyone has a trick for getting beans to germinate. I’ve been...

Let’s see how long I can keep my ”Chillin’ In The Garden” rank. It stopped snowing here yesterday long enough for the sun to come out. Checking snowfall records it looks like we got 38 inches since the beginning of February - most of that in the last week. That’s about a third of our snowfall...

I have a Meyer Lemon tree that I've grown in a pot for a few years. Like you, I've moved it outside for the summer and inside for the winter and I have lost leaves each time I bring it inside. Actually, I think mine looked worse than yours in that respect but it did get a few baby leaves last...