Best Ladder Rack

Every issue of Hobby Farms magazine, our editors search for items that are useful to hobby farmers, whether they're heavier equipment such as tractor attachments, useful tools, innovative helper items or accessories for livestock management.

Ladders Ladders of varying heights can be beneficial around the farm, but they're also a staple of modern country decor. Expect to Pay: As with shears, pruners can be obtained at a relatively low cost, often under $10.

This will give the tree a new central leader so that it doesn't form a fork.Trim the tree every year or two to take off any new growth. Loppers and shears are used when you can reach the branches or top of the tree from the ground, while tree trimmers,...

Spear and Jackson make especially fine ones; their Neverbend Professional Potato Fork has extra-wide, forged carbon-steel tines specifically designed for lifting potatoes. Their design makes them ideal for either right- or left-handed use and many retail...

Only harvest ripe dates, which are dark purple in color with shiny, slightly wrinkled skin. The date palm is native to the arid, desert regions of the Middle East, although it is now grown in many parts of the world.

I have also had some limited success with cooking the cherries down with a little water until they burst making separation from the pits easier in a Victorio, or chinois (funnel type), strainer.The wild black cherry, not to be confused with the chokecherry...

Killing aspen borers requires a systematic spraying of specially formulated pesticides.Examine the trunk of the aspen trees for signs of holes, which indicate the presence of borers.Fill a garden sprayer with an insecticide approved for use on aspens...

Rotate the sheets every few hours. The skin will peel up and you can pare it off.When choosing how to dry tomatoes, consider your weather. Make sure there are a couple of inches of air flow under the rack.

To finish the job, she rubbed some boiled linseed oil into the base and over the dowel sticks. A very special gift some years ago was exceedingly simple, yet very fulfilling. What caught my eye was the spalting that had occurred.

There are, of course, many other ways to support flowering vines for containers, but these three seem to work the best for me. For many gardeners, flowering vines belong at the base of a trellis, arbor or pergola; they don't belong in containers.

Hat racking destroys the appearance of the tree and leaves stubs that will eventually decay.Before you plant a tree, find out how large it will grow. Read on for tree topping information that can help you make better decisions about shortening trees.Topping...

As the stalks begin to shoot up, also plant a vigorous annual vine such as morning glory, which will weave around the stalks to help fill in the walls. Come winter when songbirds are hungry, move it out near your bird feeder and plant it in the ground...

To ensure safety, leave pruning tall, mature trees to a professional., before new growth appears. Cut downward from the upper side of the branch to meet the lower cut. Delicate, fernlike foliage and clusters of lavender blue, trumpet-shaped flowers make...

With enduring character, they're often an inexpensive choice for a unique lid on a cold frame. If you want a fresh look, sand the ladder and give it a double coat of outdoor paint in your favorite color—though leaving a well-used painting ladder spattered...

I built a temporary desk and Internet connection in the space where I plan to build a rustic kitchen to hold my coffeemaker, microwave and mini fridge. There are a bunch of big, old wine bottles—10-liter and 25-liter sizes.

Use it as an interesting quilt rack instead. You can also use small clay pots to hold utensils in the kitchen or for storing other items throughout the home, such as pens and pencils.and other similar garden accessories.

Mung beans and other sprouts will generally keep for about a week in the refrigerator and may even continue to sprout in the refrigerator during this time. Cut the netting so that it covers the tops of the jars and extends 2 inches down the sides of the...

The cells at this point are programmed to die as the fruit becomes ripe, until the stem releases entirely from the spur and the apple falls to the ground.The ideal time to pick an apple is when it is almost ready to let go by itself.

The bract color may be white, green, red or pink. Let the cut end callus for a few days and then insert it into a pot filled withKeep the perlite lightly moist until the stems root.

Materials You Need: 3/4-inch round or square steel for the tong bits (Approximately 2 to 3 feet is a good starting length to let you hold the metal with your hands, as you likely don't have tongs yet and might need to draw the handles out rather than...

Shell the nuts with a rolling pin to gently break open the nuts or individually shell nuts with a pliers or knife. If you're eating Chinese pine nuts (Pinus armandii, USDA zones 6 through 9), you might experience pine nut mouth, where all food has a bitter,...

Tags Chicken Quarters , chickens , coop , winter Ever since my husband put the walls, door and windows onto the new shed he built, I've been joking about how it would make the perfect new home for more chickens.

Starting in spring, as soon as gloxinias' leaves are big enough, it's their turn to go up into the light, replacing the kalanchoes.They bloom all spring until early summer, but when the sun is getting too strong, I move them in the back row and bring...

Tall plants and vines topple over and break in strong winds.and other perennials are pounded to the ground by heavy rains. I once used an old baker's rack as a support for clematis and then placed potted annuals on the shelves.

Then, they slowly walked past each other, switching sides again and again. Usually, the Polish is a docile and friendly bird. Read more of Chicken Quarters » Tags chicken keeping , Chicken Quarters , chickens , coop , flocks , hens , pullets

The coat color may vary from light fawn to reddish brown but should have no white on it except for the occasional white tip on the tail. American Blackbelly sheep have a hair (not wool) coat, with the potential in colder climates to grow a wooly undercoat...

Take a close look at the tree before you prune anything to assess the natural habit and make a plan regarding which wood to remove. Trim the tulip magnolia after it has finished blooming.Remove all the broken or damaged wood annually.