tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1593178396392787391.comments2023-03-31T08:03:39.865-07:00 Texas Urban Homestead Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09584460551684159341noreply@blogger.comBlogger101125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1593178396392787391.post-82556507544072651552017-09-30T19:03:23.419-07:002017-09-30T19:03:23.419-07:00This has inspired me to be inspired. I'm 48 as...This has inspired me to be inspired. I'm 48 as well living in Wisconsin. Ready for a new chapter. Thank you. Would love to know how things are going on the homestead. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1593178396392787391.post-88878155618653869202017-06-14T14:45:03.684-07:002017-06-14T14:45:03.684-07:00I am sorry I don't know if this would hurt you...I am sorry I don't know if this would hurt your plant or not.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09584460551684159341noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1593178396392787391.post-24937835151207207272017-06-14T10:38:53.539-07:002017-06-14T10:38:53.539-07:00Wow! Would this work on indoor houseplants without...Wow! Would this work on indoor houseplants without hurting the plant? I have some that I propogated in water. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1593178396392787391.post-36593755209989164862017-05-20T21:29:03.802-07:002017-05-20T21:29:03.802-07:00Years later your delicious recipe from Texas reach...Years later your delicious recipe from Texas reaches the Adelaide Hills in South Australia. Wonderful. We've just finished lunch which consisted of Green Pumpkin Stirfry, oven-warmed bread, and sides of fried haloumi, pickled zucchini, beetroot and capsicum dip (just made), and a little tuna in olive oil. Very Greek, and a real comfort to the soul on a gorgeous Adelaide autumn day. Thankyou very much Florence.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11078787601251209533noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1593178396392787391.post-62913340032966054222017-03-19T14:39:28.813-07:002017-03-19T14:39:28.813-07:00Black Soldier Flies live in my area naturally, and...Black Soldier Flies live in my area naturally, and I found the larvae in my compost. I wanted to know what they were, so I looked them up and studied about them. I had no real use for them, but wanted to keep the colony going. I gave the larvae away to my friends who had chickens for a while, then I started trading them for eggs or garden produce, and sometimes I get money for them. I always thought I would get chickens myself, but so far that has not happened. <br /><br />I have helped one friend set up a colony, but it took two tries. The females are attracted to lay eggs in rotting vegetation, or they are attracted to the pheromones that a colony gives off. If you don't have enough of an attractant to the female flies it can be difficult to make the colony self replicating. I was lucky to begin with, and I have been able to keep the system going by just feeding them and protecting them from freezing in the winter. <br /><br />There are lots of places online where you can order bugs from though. You should try to get some of the bedding too, so that you can attract the females with the pheromones that will be in it.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09584460551684159341noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1593178396392787391.post-2009561323114011492017-03-19T14:03:47.946-07:002017-03-19T14:03:47.946-07:00Hi Florence, I was wondering how to started the co...Hi Florence, I was wondering how to started the colony? Did yo order the BSF's? I am trying to set up a Composter myself and am not sure how to get the Black Soldier Flys.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1593178396392787391.post-35997388039927752082016-07-07T00:59:18.155-07:002016-07-07T00:59:18.155-07:00A very small amount of cooking oil placed into the...A very small amount of cooking oil placed into the water will produce a thin film of oil, which will kill mosquito larva since they cannot breathe through itGwynniehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02461092246194717098noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1593178396392787391.post-74440055761686661272016-05-29T14:00:17.396-07:002016-05-29T14:00:17.396-07:00I periodically empty out the containers, so by al ...I periodically empty out the containers, so by al means if you see mosquito larvae in there then empty it out and refill with water. That's a good point. I use a product for mosquitoes in my rain barrels that contains Bt. It's supposed to be non-toxic, but I am willing to learn about it if it isn't : )Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09584460551684159341noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1593178396392787391.post-56502387035995907082016-05-29T04:43:39.338-07:002016-05-29T04:43:39.338-07:00What about mosquitoes? Did you have a problem wit...What about mosquitoes? Did you have a problem with them?<br />Everything Organichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07287370842306383972noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1593178396392787391.post-19463070786316437472014-12-01T06:43:40.671-08:002014-12-01T06:43:40.671-08:00No Mary, I did not bother with the seeds from the ...No Mary, I did not bother with the seeds from the green pumpkin. I did some research online and did not find anything saying NOT to eat the seeds from a green pumpkin. However I did find that pumpkin growers who sell processed pumpkin seeds wait until the pumpkins are fully ripe and orange to harvest them. I suspect that if your pumpkin is not very ripe, then the seeds will be too small to be worth all the effort to shell them. You can try it though and let us know if it was worth it for you :-)Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09584460551684159341noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1593178396392787391.post-80696576534236255142014-11-28T11:40:45.128-08:002014-11-28T11:40:45.128-08:00Have you ate the seeds from an unripe pumpkin?Have you ate the seeds from an unripe pumpkin?MaryBhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05230311730449451033noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1593178396392787391.post-77274896858212745862014-06-23T16:15:05.743-07:002014-06-23T16:15:05.743-07:00RJG, Maybe you could post a picture of your setup?...RJG, Maybe you could post a picture of your setup? <br /><br />I moved mine onto a side porch a while ago because of ants - for some reason they cant find it there - and it keeps it out of the rain. <br /><br />When it rains and the humidity is super high, they can crawl right out. I dont mind too much as I want some escapism to produce the adults.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09584460551684159341noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1593178396392787391.post-65505675530328839302014-06-23T14:33:24.708-07:002014-06-23T14:33:24.708-07:00Thanks Florence! I got mine up and "running.&...Thanks Florence! I got mine up and "running." I put it out by the garden, propped on rocks, but am thinking I need to move it under the car port and make a stand after all because my collection bucket gets water in it and I think they've been crawling right up the sides and out of it bc. of the moisture. The one modification I made that I think was good was to use a plastic drawer unit for my collection bucket and screw it right onto the barrel. It doesn't need a stand that way, and is easy to empty.RJGhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06018438618141380820noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1593178396392787391.post-57466132057961404262014-06-06T16:15:55.943-07:002014-06-06T16:15:55.943-07:00You can pile the stuff up in the end without the s...You can pile the stuff up in the end without the slit just fine. Stuff does not really last very long in there anyway as the BSF eat it all up pretty fast when you have a lot of them.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09584460551684159341noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1593178396392787391.post-7075894928622219192014-06-01T22:36:16.919-07:002014-06-01T22:36:16.919-07:00Thanks for posting this... I think this is going t...Thanks for posting this... I think this is going to be the basis of the design for one I make. I'm wondering though... is the usable volume of the barrel diminished by having it at an angle? can you pack scraps into the barrel above the level of the slit or not? I'm working on plans for 50 broiler chickens (and 10 turkeys?) here in a few weeks, and I'd like to raise enough BSF to be a major protein source, so I would need significantly higher yields than what you have pictured.RJGhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06018438618141380820noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1593178396392787391.post-22431635238903902492014-04-01T06:26:09.013-07:002014-04-01T06:26:09.013-07:00Zarah, The grass is always greener somewhere, righ...Zarah, The grass is always greener somewhere, right? And the weather never cooperates, but I still love it :-)Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09584460551684159341noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1593178396392787391.post-24705184689147284452014-03-31T22:28:14.570-07:002014-03-31T22:28:14.570-07:00I know your pain and I thank you for sharing. I&#...I know your pain and I thank you for sharing. I'm still working on mine as well. I have malabar spinach in my grow tent since I'm in zone 5 and hating it. I just want more green more than just pine, more than 5 months in a year.<br />Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03835224521156431755noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1593178396392787391.post-26502171689199281562013-08-11T19:21:21.349-07:002013-08-11T19:21:21.349-07:00There are no holes in the top, but if you look at ...There are no holes in the top, but if you look at the door, you can see that it does not fit snugly. I have watched the Black Soldier Flies buzzing around and they don't seem to have any problem finding the way in. There are some holes in the ends of the barrels also for ventilation, but I plugged up the ones on the low end, and left the ones on the high end.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09584460551684159341noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1593178396392787391.post-9580310519446811892013-08-11T17:05:03.149-07:002013-08-11T17:05:03.149-07:00Hi. I am looking into harvesting BSFs for my chick...Hi. I am looking into harvesting BSFs for my chickens and this looks great! How do the flies get in the bucket to lay eggs? Are there holes in the top that I can't see? The integrated ramp us brilliant. David Ghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16032489498485853432noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1593178396392787391.post-5309380397456179732013-07-26T15:55:42.872-07:002013-07-26T15:55:42.872-07:00Have you seen my post about the new and improved s...Have you seen my post about the new and improved set up?<br /><br /> http://texasurbanhomestead.blogspot.com/2013/05/my-new-and-improved-black-soldier-fly.html<br /><br />I have found that I catch a lot more of my larvae with the new set up. You are always going to lose a lot with ramps, but if you are catching enough to meet your needs than that does not matter. All you can do is try your idea. Just know that the larvae can squeeze through the smallest crack and the sludge pretty much clogs any mesh up pretty fast.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09584460551684159341noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1593178396392787391.post-38867924645782654162013-07-26T14:36:34.904-07:002013-07-26T14:36:34.904-07:00I have a semi large scale compost project in Savan...I have a semi large scale compost project in Savannah with worms and bsfl working together to make an extraordinary finished product. On one end of the pile veggie scraps, coffee grinds and brown matter are shrunk down to one third the original size within a week. This side is prominently bsfl at work. As you move down the line, worm concentration becomes higher and higher until the finished product- black gold with about 10-20 earthworms per handful. All this is just a pile on the ground that filled itself up with hard working bugs.<br /><br />In another project of mine, a tripple bin composter has tirned into bsfl sanctuary. I'm looking for ways to convert the bins to fit that role. For example: a fine mesh screen about half way up with bins underneath to catch the sludge and pipes coming out every so many feet for self harvesting. Any ideas?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1593178396392787391.post-79292054867766777692013-06-03T11:52:17.164-07:002013-06-03T11:52:17.164-07:00Heatherlynn, Soapy water works great for fruit fli...Heatherlynn, Soapy water works great for fruit flies. For the miller moths I use the lure traps I mentioned. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09584460551684159341noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1593178396392787391.post-68106536801497099762013-06-03T11:38:51.128-07:002013-06-03T11:38:51.128-07:00Thank you for posting about inside food sources. ... Thank you for posting about inside food sources. I have not found Millers to be extremely fond of wool but knowing what to guard against in my pantry has been a help. <br /> Someone once told me cats will chase them but mine prefers larger prey like pigeons and crows and simply cannot be bothered with the bitter taste of moths! ha ha ha<br /> My friend is the one with the problem and so I will be going to her house soon with caulking and weather stripping. As she said "if they would just sit still and not fly around, it wouldn't be so bad." Her 101 yr old grandmother has complained vehemently and so haste will be made! <br /> I will also be prepping her pantry for war!<br /> We live at high altitudes which they love during migration. <br /> Have you actually found the soapy water to be sufficiently effective?<br /><br />Sincerely, Heatherlynn, Colorado<br />Love Food Hate Disheshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00389848361181594897noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1593178396392787391.post-65055264206293522892013-04-24T23:06:24.399-07:002013-04-24T23:06:24.399-07:00Beloved this is an EXCELLENT recipe. I was just lo...Beloved this is an EXCELLENT recipe. I was just looking for one yesterday and sure nough found this today! YES!Mahndisa S. Rigmaidenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08507292526980604567noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1593178396392787391.post-23128861290342374052013-04-15T20:13:44.382-07:002013-04-15T20:13:44.382-07:00That's a big armadillo! I think it's great...That's a big armadillo! I think it's great that you're letting the big, little fella hang around! I am enjoying your blog, and I am new to the world of Swiss chard. I just bought my first chard plants this month which are covered with tiny insects or larvae, and I can't figure out what they are. They are so tiny I need to use a magnifying glass to make out the details then maybe I can do a more detailed search on the Internet.Vickihttp://www.retroloco.biznoreply@blogger.com