"Tis The Season....

I don't plant much, but what I DO plant has to get into the ground SOMETIME.
Once again, this year, a neighbor gave me some leftover seed corn that will be put to good use. Last year, I harvested enough to keep my chickens fed for most of the winter (and some for the goats, too...). It saved a lot of money for us.

This year, I planted almost the same amount. I would have liked to plant more, but didn't have a larger field ready. This will have to do - for now. Maybe next year.

I had the stalks from last year shredded down, and had been putting the "cleanings" out of the barn on it all winter, so it SHOULD have some good fertilizer this time.

My neighbor came over and used his disc, earlier in the week, and I harrowed it to smooth it out. I figured that yesterday (Saturday) was a good time to plant it.

It was in the mid 40's when I finished milking and the other chores, and a bit breezy, but I got the planter and tractor ready to go.

The old John Deere 2 row Lister has planted a lot of corn (and milo). I used my IH 454 to plant with it last year, with mixed results. While having more horsepower then the 8N, it also had "hydrostatic steering". This is like power steering in your car, only WAY more touchy. It works great for loader work, but is a pain for any field work.

The 8N is MUCH better suited for working in the field.

So, I greased, and oiled the planter and tractor, then put gas in the tractor - and seed in the lister - and headed out.

Here is a photo of what I use to plant:



Deb came out and took a few photos of me planting. This one is during a round, and then one when I stopped to make sure I still had seed. I finished up with about 1/2 a coffee can left over. I'll probably toss it out by the creek - and maybe it will sprout.





When I bought this planter at a farm sale (I paid $7 for it), it didn't have lids on the seed cans. I did some measuring and called a John Deere dealership about finding some. I was told that they were available but, they cost $75 EACH.

Not gonna happen.....

We took a trip to Deb's mom and dad's place shortly after that. I noticed a "popcorn can" there, with a lid. I thought it looked close, so I measured it. Come to finding out, it was a about 1/4" too big. At least it was CLOSE. We went to an auction later that day, where I spotted 4 popcorn can lids in a pile of "stuff". I was bidding against a lady who wanted the other things in the pile, so I made a deal with her. She bought the pile for $2, and I gave her 25¢ each for the two lids I wanted.

When I got home, I took the lids and compared them to the planter seed cans. They were just a little too large for the cans, so I took out my trusty pliers and bent a small "dent" in three places on the top lip of the can.



Now the lids fit pretty well, and have never blown off, even in the 60+mph winds we've had.

One of these days, I need to put some paint on the planter.

What do you think?

Red?