It's going to be tight this year
11 Apr 2026 09:13 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ursulas_alcoveThe impacts due to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz have yet to hit us completely. The last tanker out of the strait just arrived into a US port. There will not be fertilizer for food despite farmers ordering early. There just isn't enough that arrived before the closure. We've been blessed in that we haven't completely run out of gas like some Asian countries. With that in mind, I'm working hard to make sure I have food in my yard, starting with calorie crops.
This is my makeshift bed. I have boards from my business that I no longer use, four cinderblocks, and 4 rebar stakes. The method I'm using was pioneered by Ruth Stout. Potatoes sit on soil and get covered in 8 inches of straw.
This year I am using all my grow bags. I have 24 planted so far. There is another 10 to go plus a few big plastic pots. I'm not a big fan of the grow bags but I will use what I have to maximize production. I have 12 Lehigh taters to plant yet, plus 10 yukon golds, and 10 raspberry red seed potatoes. In July if I can afford it, I'll get some organic potatoes at the regular grocery store to plant for fall. I can get two crops a year but finding seed potatoes in July is too hard. Yes, if you do the math, I don't quite have enough containers. I expect I can scour a few more big containers from the basement or garage.
Water trays for the bottoms are harder to find. The hardware store is already out, but then again, so is my pocketbook. I'll have to get creative.
I'm already starting to harden off plants. Beets, leeks, and celery are outside. Some of the herbs I overwintered in the house are also getting hardened off. My chives came back and several thyme plants did as well. In another week or so, I'll know whether my clove currant survived and my grapevine. There is asparagus to pick. Soon there will be rhubarb. Today I spent time up-potting sweet potatoes. I have 24 slips so far. My goal is 48. They won't go outside until June so there is still time. Meanwhile, the grow room is moving into up-potting as well. I have asters! They sprouted. I also up-potted lemon basil. There is so much more to up-pot so I can start another tray of seedlings. I need to get the dye plants started. My first attempt at madder failed. I'm going to try seeds from another company. It looks like I'll have one Florence Fennel and one chamomile for the herb spiral. I also moved the excess quantity of Autumn sedum to the way-back. The deer don't bother it.
I finally got a mouse trap that works. It's a live trap. I thought we only had one mouse but then I saw a second. I have caught three so far. I reset the trap just in case. I don't know where the mice are getting in. Today was spent cleaning all the surfaces in the kitchen. I'm hoping that is the end of it. After the mice set the stove/oven on fire, I have had it with them. They'd stored their seed stash next to electrical wires on the interior lining insulation of the oven. I'm sure they chewed the wires too. Anyway, with a new stove, I'm not doing a repeat. Everything is getting ridiculously expensive.
Taxes are done. That is a big relief. Somehow my business still made money. I owe the Fed but will get roughly the same back from the state. It doesn't always work out that way. As a business, I have to show a profit once every three years. They say five but it raises a red flag for auditing. A profit can be as low as $5. Or at least that used to be the rule; I haven't read the entire code lately. Don't quote me on this. I don't give tax advice. Bottom line is I'll survive April. Costs are rising and total sales are way down. I think a lot of small businesses will close this year. Doing the taxes was painful to see exactly how much I spent and on what.
Time will tell if my business survives or closes for good. Chrono will be at Oddities in Boston for MayDay and I will be at Great Lakes Fiber Memorial Day weekend- just Saturday and Sunday.
This is my makeshift bed. I have boards from my business that I no longer use, four cinderblocks, and 4 rebar stakes. The method I'm using was pioneered by Ruth Stout. Potatoes sit on soil and get covered in 8 inches of straw.
This year I am using all my grow bags. I have 24 planted so far. There is another 10 to go plus a few big plastic pots. I'm not a big fan of the grow bags but I will use what I have to maximize production. I have 12 Lehigh taters to plant yet, plus 10 yukon golds, and 10 raspberry red seed potatoes. In July if I can afford it, I'll get some organic potatoes at the regular grocery store to plant for fall. I can get two crops a year but finding seed potatoes in July is too hard. Yes, if you do the math, I don't quite have enough containers. I expect I can scour a few more big containers from the basement or garage.
Water trays for the bottoms are harder to find. The hardware store is already out, but then again, so is my pocketbook. I'll have to get creative.
I'm already starting to harden off plants. Beets, leeks, and celery are outside. Some of the herbs I overwintered in the house are also getting hardened off. My chives came back and several thyme plants did as well. In another week or so, I'll know whether my clove currant survived and my grapevine. There is asparagus to pick. Soon there will be rhubarb. Today I spent time up-potting sweet potatoes. I have 24 slips so far. My goal is 48. They won't go outside until June so there is still time. Meanwhile, the grow room is moving into up-potting as well. I have asters! They sprouted. I also up-potted lemon basil. There is so much more to up-pot so I can start another tray of seedlings. I need to get the dye plants started. My first attempt at madder failed. I'm going to try seeds from another company. It looks like I'll have one Florence Fennel and one chamomile for the herb spiral. I also moved the excess quantity of Autumn sedum to the way-back. The deer don't bother it.
I finally got a mouse trap that works. It's a live trap. I thought we only had one mouse but then I saw a second. I have caught three so far. I reset the trap just in case. I don't know where the mice are getting in. Today was spent cleaning all the surfaces in the kitchen. I'm hoping that is the end of it. After the mice set the stove/oven on fire, I have had it with them. They'd stored their seed stash next to electrical wires on the interior lining insulation of the oven. I'm sure they chewed the wires too. Anyway, with a new stove, I'm not doing a repeat. Everything is getting ridiculously expensive.
Taxes are done. That is a big relief. Somehow my business still made money. I owe the Fed but will get roughly the same back from the state. It doesn't always work out that way. As a business, I have to show a profit once every three years. They say five but it raises a red flag for auditing. A profit can be as low as $5. Or at least that used to be the rule; I haven't read the entire code lately. Don't quote me on this. I don't give tax advice. Bottom line is I'll survive April. Costs are rising and total sales are way down. I think a lot of small businesses will close this year. Doing the taxes was painful to see exactly how much I spent and on what.
Time will tell if my business survives or closes for good. Chrono will be at Oddities in Boston for MayDay and I will be at Great Lakes Fiber Memorial Day weekend- just Saturday and Sunday.
