All posts by Ruth Brown

Buying from a Nursery

Nurseries’ can be found in most towns and cities in the United States.  You can find them Internationally such as in Mexico and Canada.  Nurseries may promote a specific type of plant, but in general they usually have roses.

Usually the bigger the nursery, the more choice you will have of plants.  Some nurseries offer to order plants they don’t carry or don’t have enough of what you want.  You might want to ask if they give discounts, such as military or senior citizen discount.  Smaller nurseries usually can give you a more personized attention, but the larger stores will normally have a larger selection for you to choose from.

When going to the nursery, ask them if they if they have info about all their types of roses.  If they don’t have what you are looking for, they may know of other stores they deal with that could help.

Getting in touch with your local feed store is a way to start your search for a nursery.  They will be able to point you in a good direction.  You may want to look for a garden club on the web.

Local nurseries are a good way to see the plants in different stages of growth.  It also allows you to see the plant before you buy.  You may find you want to start your plant at a different stage than you thought.

Having a nursery is more than just having a greenhouse.  There are many phases involved in growing plants.  Employees must learn how to handle and take care of the plants.  Temperature control is very important for the growth of the plants.  Each kind of plant require different types of fertilizers and the quantity needed.  They need to prune the plants to help them grow even bigger and healthier.

Starting a Worm Farm

Worm farming is becoming more and more popular in the United States.  You might be thinking of starting one yourself.  Here are some thoughts to consider.

When starting any business, you should plan on about 4 years before you show profit.  Doing your research up front will help you buy the proper equipment.  This could help you show profits earlier.

There are many different kinds of worms.  Finding which market you want to target will narrow your research down.  Once you’ve narrowed the search, you’ll want to find companies that sell that breed.  Then you’ll want to do price checking.  It’s not uncommon for businesses to over price their stock.  Then take into account how long it takes worms to multiply.

Other questions you might ask are:  Do you want to start small or go big?  Do you have room for the number of worms you want to start with?  How much money are you willing to lose, if things go bad.

Here’s a few tidbits to think about:

  1. If you walk by your worm box and say, “what’s that smell”? You might be over feeding them.  Keeping your feed loose will also help with air flow.
  2. Covering your food with damp cardboard will help keep flying insects down.
  3. The moisture level effects where the worms will be in the box. Too much moisture in the bottom of the box will cause them to move to the top.
  4. Ants could be one of the problems you encounter. If you have legs under your boxes putting liquid soap over the legs will help.

Worm farming is a great hobby to get started in. Many people use the worms to feed their livestock, to go fishing with, or to make money with by selling.  It can be a very low maintenance side income for anyone with a little room and some time to spare.

Selling Greenhouses to Farmers

Farmers face many challenges when working on the land. It isn’t solely a matter of making sure the soil is tilled, or providing fertilizer and water to the crops until the harvest. It is also about ensuring there will be plenty of stock to sell at the market by being prepared to fight off both disease and pests.

To make sure there are enough crops for all of the families in the community, the supplier needs to help the farmer with his job by selling the right kind of greenhouse that is needed.

This can be done by explaining what a greenhouse is. Since these are there to help the farmer grow crops in a controlled environment, pest and diseases will become a problem of the past.

Since these come in various sizes, the designer can bring a brochure to show what is available. If the space cannot accommodate the existing models, that person can also offer the farmer to make a customized version according to the layout of the land.

This will involve measuring the area where it will be and the type of weather that is prevalent in the area.

There are two things that make up a greenhouse. The first is the structure. You will need to see if the proposed area has strong winds. If so, then the supplier should recommend the kind made of metal. This will keep the greenhouse on the ground and will not blow over due to a storm.

The second thing is the panels. Both panels and frames are made up of different materials which are a change from how these were made years ago. Should the farm be in a place that has frequent hail or snow storms, the supplier can recommend panels made of Plexiglas or plastic. You can either try to install these yourself or get a professional home renovation company to do the work.

Using this type of material will save the farmer money since these will not break or shatter like glass. By explaining the benefits of using the right materials, money gained from selling crops can make further improvements in the farm.

Buying Antique Farm Machinery

It might seem like a niche market, and in a way it is, but there are a lot of people out there who like to collect antique farm machinery. This is something that is not commonly heard about, but it has a devoted following who are always looking to expand their collection. There are even museums that showcase this type of antique, and they do rather well. These things are a part of history, and they can tell a lot about where we came from and how far we have come.

Some of the most popular antique farm machinery pieces are ones that are made by John Deere. There are a lot of other things that John Deere made that people collect as well, and some of them are toys. Some like to collect the baseball caps as well. A carpet cleaner near me was telling me how he has every John Deere hat that has ever come out in his collection. However, the antique farm machinery is by far the most appealing thing. Some take them and display them, and others use the old parts from each one that they find to try to build one that will work. It’s much like finding and buying old classic cars and fixing them up as well.

Though a lot of antique farm machinery is too big to be found in many antique stores, you can find other farm and building items. There are some dealers who have nothing but old tools and other related farm items. These can go for quite a bit of money, depending on what the item is, where it came from, how old it is, and of course, how rare of a find it is. These might include old hammers, saws, building nails, items that are no longer used, and some that might have historical importance.

When looking for antique farm machinery, one of the best ways to find new things is to look online. There might be problems with moving large pieces over a long distance, but you can also look for things that you know you could go pick up. There are plenty of websites that have this sort of stuff, and there are always finds on eBay for those who don’t mind fighting it out with others. These items can greatly go up in value if cared for properly, so treat each item as an investment, and enjoy the hunt. As with any type of antique, these are not always going to be easy to find, but the good pieces are out there if you know where to look and how to negotiate.

Getting The Right Saddle for Your Horse

Ensuring that you select the right saddle for your horse is vital. It not only affects the position in which the rider will sit, and therefore can be beneficial in preventing back ache or muscle pain, but it also affects the horse. No responsible horse owner would want their steed to be in discomfort and pain and so choosing the best saddle is very important. There are companies available who will measure your horse and recommend the saddles that they think are most appropriate but as with most things this service costs money. I highly recommend this service as it ensures that you will not be causing any distress to your horse when you ride it.

Once the correct saddle has been purchased it is important to remember that positioning the saddle on the horse’s back is also vital in ensuring your horse is comfortable when ridden. There are three main muscles in the horse’s back which can be affected by the use of a badly positioned saddle. It is important to familiarize yourself with these and their locations before attempting to position the saddle on your horse. This will give you an idea of where the saddle needs to sit in order to be most comfortable for the horse.

In addition to the muscles which can be affected by the saddle you must remember that the saddle is positioned on the horse’s back and so this can have an effect on the spine and its vertebrae. Remembering this should remind you of how important this lesson is and that you cannot afford to take risks with your horse if you want it to lead a long and painless life.

Firstly, place the saddle on the horse’s back, forward of the wither. Once you have done this, slide it back along the back of the horse until it cannot comfortably go any further. This will vary dependent on the shape of the individual horse but the lowest point of the saddle should correspond to the lowest point of the horse’s back. If the saddle is in the correct position, the saddle tree will not be pressing on the scapula (the shoulder of the horse) but will rest in the natural grooves behind them. The most common mistake is to position the saddle too far forward and this then causes the saddle to press on the muscles in the scapula causing pain, impeding movement and creating the possibility of saddle sores.

Once you have learned how to position the saddle you will find it comes naturally after a time. It is worth taking the time to do it properly though if you wish to remain the owner of a healthy, happy horse.