COMSTOCK SEED

Babies take flight...

2011-06-28T08:23:00.000-07:00

Just too hot in the Hoostel, so the babies decide to leave.

2011-05-29T11:56:00.000-07:00

Only two weeks earlier, the parents were tearing off small pieces of meat and feeding the babies. This film is a hoot. Cheerios; Ed

2011-05-17T11:39:00.000-07:00

Hi folks;
Yes, we had a tomatoe fashion show. We planted the tomatoes in 5 gallon pots in our hot house two weeks later than last year as they were overgrown last year waiting to go out to the garden; the hoophouse was not closed in yet. However, this year winter refused to let up and once again, the tomatoes were overgrown in their pots. They don't transplant well when they get older. I finally put them out in the hot house and prepared for a cold dip which came on Sunday night. I was prepared with garage sale sheets and two 1500 watt heaters. The hoophouse only dipped to 32 degrees and all the tomatoes survived. My wife has given up on my "crazy" endeavors but I will persist in my efforts to get the earliest tomatoe in Douglas Co. Anyway, we also learned something else. In the fall when the temps drop, the hoophouse remains somewhat moderate as I think there is plenty of stored heat in the ground. Unlike the spring, we don't have that stored warmth and the interior of the hoophouse rapidly catches up with the cooling temps each night. At this point, I don't much advantage with the spring and cold sensitive species like we get in the fall. We are harvesting much lettuce, beets, chard, and bok choy right now. Cheers; Ed

Putting frames together on 1851 barn

2011-04-08T13:39:00.000-07:00

We are working on the D bay right now which includes one of three long round beams that extend 34 feet from floor to ceiling. These will be open in the center of the house. Once we have assembled three sections like these on the other side of the foundation, we will be ready to rent a crane. Then the real fun begins. Stay tuned; Ed

2011-03-26T14:28:00.000-07:00

The weather is trying to be spring. This is the F bay in our barn. (one of six) All the knee braces are now finished and this bay goes out to the foundation and gets pegged. All six bays should be assembled before the end of April. Then, the crane. Cheerios; Ed

New pluming 3-6-11

2011-03-06T15:15:00.000-08:00

We installed a high pressure line into the hoophouse and hooked up a hose and a cleaning/weighing station.

Planter flashing installed

2011-03-06T15:08:00.000-08:00

This photo shows the flashing installed in one of two interior garden beds. Soon, soil will be added to these beds.

Cannabalism 2

2011-02-23T19:11:00.000-08:00

This film shows the male swallowing whole, three connected bones from the wing of a baby owl. The female isn't visible. The male hasn't flown away much with plenty to eat.

Cannabalism 1

2011-02-23T14:25:00.000-08:00

The morning after the chicks died, the parents began eating them. The literature says that cannabalism is common with barn owls. It is still early in the mating season and we expect another batch of eggs. Stay tuned. Ed

Baby owl death

2011-02-22T16:21:00.000-08:00

The blizzard on the 18th of February left the parents challenged to find sufficient food for four hungry mouths. By Saturday night, the babies were dead. This film isn't too pleasant but I have been told that they will commence the whole process all over again. The season is still young. Stay tuned; Ed

4 owls babies! 2-19-11

2011-02-19T10:42:00.000-08:00

2-18-11 Snow storm of the decade

2011-02-19T10:10:00.001-08:00

Howdy y'all; In the last 24 hours, weve had 1-2 feet of snow. Sure's pretty. Stay tuned; Ed

Chickens riding out the storm

2011-02-19T10:04:00.000-08:00

In the last 24 hours we had 1-2 feet of snow. We are fortunate that we created a dry area under the chicken coop. It is the only place they will be able to go for the next few days. Stay tuned; Ed

Rototilling in a blizzard

2011-02-17T07:54:00.000-08:00

I bet that we were the only folks in the Carson Valley rototilling during the blizzard on the 16th of February. It was so dusty in there that we had to pressurize the irrigation system and get a hose going. What fun!

Spring wake up baby tortoises

2011-02-05T16:53:00.000-08:00

They've been asleep under the rocks for several months. They were thirsty. This is our version of ground hog day.

Beams are ready 2-5-11

2011-02-05T16:49:00.000-08:00

We've gone through many gallons of linseed oil and paint thinner. All the important beams have been located. We actually found code letters on several so we know exactly where they go. The rest are like a big puzzle to be teased out. Spring is close and all these beams are going out to the foundation to be assembled laying on the ground. Stay tuned. Ed

Family baloon ride

2011-01-28T07:42:00.000-08:00

Folks have asked how we got the picture of the balloon shadow on our Blog page. Well, here you have it. Our family went up for a ride in April 2003 and floated north to a soft landing at the County airport. I looked over my shoulder and took a picture of our farm as we floated away. Cheerios; Ed

Fall bonfire at the farm

2011-01-28T07:17:00.000-08:00

We have bonfires at our farm and occasionally bury food in a pit under the fire. This event was during the fall of 2008. Ed is showing off his medieval marshmallow stick. In the picture below, the band strikes up a tune. They were a motley bunch but enjoyed having a place with lots of space where the decibels could climb to the stars. Michael "bones" Chambon is a member of the Barbecue Boys playing the steel guitar in the center. Our computer guru, Kevin Cantley from Computer Zone and his singing daughter have teamed up for the lead. Scott Rankin is strutting around with a bongo and Ed is on the drums trying to keep up with the band. Thems were good times. Cheers; Ed

2011-01-24T12:43:00.000-08:00

It's been a little chilly on the farm recently. We had frozen fog called "Pogonip" which covered the farm for a few mornings in January. This photo is a wllow tree at sunup.

Barn house progress

2011-01-24T12:32:00.000-08:00

It's barn building time. Now that the foundation is up and the weather is smiling on us, we are taking the beams out of their dusty storage, washing them down, and applying linseed oil to them. Last, we sort them into vertical members and horizontal members. One big puzzle. Stay tuned.

VINEYARD IN WINTER

2011-01-04T08:58:00.000-08:00

These vines look so humble, meek, sticks in the snow. I hope they are all alive under their blankets of snow. I'm optimistic. We'll be expanding this vineyard with 70 new vines next March. We will begin building a trellis system as soon as the ground thaws. Stay warm; Ed

Preparing the stemwalls for beam construction

2011-01-04T08:27:00.000-08:00

Here we sit waiting for better weather to bring out the big beams. We will be assembling six bays with steel and mortise and tenon joints and then get a crane to stand up the bays. The center point of the bays will be about 30 feet in the center. The top surface of the 12 by 12's in this photo will be expose as the first floor flooring will be set flush with these beams. Stay tuned; Ed

Winter at the farm

2011-01-04T07:42:00.000-08:00

We have had continuous snow cover as the temperatures have remained low. The storm fronts keep passing through with rare periods of high pressure.

2011-01-03T13:39:00.000-08:00

Happy New Years from Comstock Seed. The hoophouse is dry and cold; good for drying out seed.

2010-12-03T08:17:00.000-08:00

We put the babies back into the living room terrerium for their second winter. Unlike last year when they were out every day trotting around, they sleep all the time this winter. When they do come out, they tend to drink and go back to sleep. Cute huh? Stay tuned; Ed

2010-12-03T08:01:00.000-08:00

We added 18 inches of topsoil and drip lines under the pv array. We basically neglected this area all summer but the shade allowed the vegies to thrive during the hot summer. A positive note on the pv system... Our actual payback on the system slowed during the recession as we were not able to maimize our tax deductions and take all the allowable depreciation. Recently though, we noticed we still had a significant suplus in electrical production so we converted the house water heater from propane to electricity. Our annual propane bill will probably drop from $1300 to $400! We'll know soon enough but this savings will shorten the payback period on our initial investment. Stay tuned; Ed

2010-12-03T07:45:00.000-08:00

By late summer, we had quite the jungle on our hands. The netting was put up to protect the tomatoes from magpies. Both magpies and ground rodents moved into the garden as the hoophouse provided protection from the hawks allowing this bird pest problem. We also had a white fly infestation late summer. Production was successful through the fall and lasted for a month past the first freezes. The hoophouse worked well extending the harvest for an extra month. We'll see how well it works next spring. Stay tuned; Ed

2010-12-03T07:37:00.000-08:00

This foundation detail on the hoophouse shows the rigid styrofoam that we buried 18 inches down into the ground. We are hoping this helps to keep the cold out as well as prevent rodents from getting in. You can also see the track that the plastic will attach to and, flashing over the edge of the styrofoam for protection from shovels. Stay tuned; Ed

2010-12-03T07:34:00.000-08:00

Once the framing was up, we promptly added 30% shade cloth across the top. During the summer, it was quite pleasant in the hoophouse. You can see the ends framed in and we will not finish the plastic until the fall chills. Stay tuned; Ed

2010-12-03T07:26:00.000-08:00

Then, the concrete arrived; three trucks came; two hours and 20 yards later, it was all finished. Nothing will now blow away in the wind. Two days later, winter began with a succession of snow storms. Stay tuned; Ed

2010-12-03T07:21:00.000-08:00

This image shows the steel anchors that will be attached to the 8 by 8 wood beams. We used cinder block columns for most of these anchor spots as they were wider than the styrofoam block. Stay tuned; Ed

2010-12-03T07:15:00.000-08:00

After the footings dried, we layed out the styrofoam block and added rebar to the top edge. We spraypainted the outside with a tan water based paint to slow down the uv exposure. These styrofoam blocks have a very high r value and will help the house to retain heat. Stay tuned; Ed

CHICKENS IN DECEMBER

2010-12-02T08:50:00.001-08:00

Welcome back; it's now December and we occassionally leave a warming light on in the coop as we think this keeps the egg production rolling. We average 2-3 eggs per day with our four layers. Once the temperatures dropped to single digits, the hoop house froze out and we have been bringing swiss chard plants over to the coop. The ladies dig right in. Who knows, maybe we will get green eggs! We recently had an invasion of Starlings and they were eating all the chicken feed so we installed netting above the coop and that seems to have done the trick. Cheerios; Ed

Venus & the sunflowers

2010-09-24T11:53:00.000-07:00

Sorry for our absense! We've been very busy!

Feeding time

2010-07-30T09:08:00.001-07:00

Fraiser and the babies enjoying some mallow for breakfast.

Comstock Seed in the Reno News & Review

2010-07-28T14:55:00.000-07:00

Link to an article about Comstock Seed:

First egg continued 6-28-10

2010-06-28T08:20:00.000-07:00

Just to let you all know, the egg was for real. Cheerios; Ed

Completed hoophouse 6-28-10

2010-06-28T08:10:00.000-07:00

Well, we have finished the new hoophouse until fall when we will lower the sides, hopefully before the first frost. All the tomatoes are hanging by string from the hoops. We used Lexan on the ends to keep out the rabbits and voles.

Comstock Seed flowers 6-28-10

2010-06-28T07:58:00.000-07:00

Our flowers are beautiful this year. It has been a slow but perfect spring

Flower bed is a knock out

2010-06-26T16:36:00.001-07:00

Spring flowers in June!

First egg 6-25-10

2010-06-26T16:25:00.001-07:00

We had our first egg yesterday morning and it made a fine breakfast the next morning. I hear that we will have plenty more.

What's growing on the Farm today?

2010-06-17T10:23:00.000-07:00

Office flower bed
Buckwheat sulfur in rows

Penstemon eatonii in between Great Basin Wildrye

Our little turf experiment. Barely starting.

Owl sign off for the season

2010-06-01T08:23:00.000-07:00

Here's a baby peeking out of the Hoostel.
The Owls are mostly gone now. It's too hot in the barn during the days and the Owls are definitely out and about. They do occassionally come in during the night as we are still cleaning up after them. I sure hope they are eating voles on our farm and not venturing too far away. We'll check back in next winter and see who shows up. Adios; Ed The two adults and 2 of the 3 babies.

Lupines!

2010-05-27T09:38:00.000-07:00

Lupines blooming beautifully today! I think I spotted our first California Poppy blooming in the bed as well. Around town, they've been blooming for a month!

Full grown baby barn owls 5-22-10

2010-05-23T21:11:00.000-07:00

The house is full. Generally, the parents were sitting outside the house during the days while sleeping as the babies filled the house. This movie shows a third smaller baby that the mother is sitting on. The babies now fly and we've seen them on the far end of the barn perched on the window sills.

Hoop house under construction

2010-05-20T10:20:00.001-07:00

Hard day at the office...

2010-05-07T15:38:00.000-07:00

Fender Blender in action...

2010-05-07T13:30:00.000-07:00

A visit from C C Meneley 3rd graders - Part 2

2010-05-07T12:34:00.000-07:00

Filling seed packets with Shawn.

Making smoothies on the kid powered "Fender Blender"

The only teacher to give it a whirl!

Smoothies consisted of orange juice, bananas, frozen strawberries and a little plain yogurt. Yum!

A visit from C C Meneley's 3rd graders

2010-05-07T12:12:00.000-07:00

The bus arrives around 9:30 am

We find out that instead of two groups of around 40 kids, we have one HUGE group of 71 kids!

One group on tour with Ed

Linda shows her group the solar panels

Students feeding the desert tortoises dandelions.

It's up!

2010-05-06T13:15:00.001-07:00

Many mornings/days of wind have prevented the guys from installing the "wheel" of the windmill, but today, finally, the weather cooperated! Beautiful morning!

owls 5-4-10

2010-05-04T19:18:00.000-07:00

The juveniles are taking on color and are out growing the house. Both parents are now routinely sitting on the rafters outside of the owl house. With warmer temperatures, the juveniles are no longer in need of mother's warmth. This movie shows the parents bringing in mice that the juveniles swallow whole. We can count three juveniles for sure but the camera angle prevents viewing. Very soon, we expect the juveniles to come out of the house and try the perches. The attached photo shows the parents sitting in the rafters near the house. Stay tuned; Ed

Earthday activities...

2010-04-28T15:17:00.000-07:00

Ed spent Friday at Dry Creek Gardens' new windmill site in Washoe Valley. Our booth included solar information as well as information on our seeds. NV Energy and the USDA were present to talk about Dry Creek's new 2400 watt windmill. Thanks to NV Energy's rebate and a rural development grant from the USDA, Dry Creek is now producing much of their own power. Good luck Dry Creek (John and Nancy Strickland)

Linda spent both Thursday and Friday at Capital City Farm Days. She brought the baby tortoises to "show and tell" to about 700 elementary school children. Thursday started with around an inch of snow, so the tortoises were one of the few "critters" that came to the exibit. We took a picture, but it didn't come out.

Here's the local newspaper's article about it:

http://www.recordcourier.com/article/20100421/NEWS/100429965

Also, Linda and Ed attemded Douglas High School Environmental Club's Earth Day celebration. They brought the "Fender Blender" and the students made their own smoothies. The link to the Record Courier's article is here:

http://www.recordcourier.com/article/20100507/NEWS/100509873/1062&ParentProfile=1049

What is that purple flowering weed?

2010-04-23T11:11:00.001-07:00

(click on photo to enlarge)

This one is the commonly called "Stork's Bill" or "Filaree". The scientific name is 'erodium cicutarium'. It has a small purple flower that turns into a two to three inch spike (thus stork's bill). It is a low growing annual that flowers from about February through May. It is supposed to be great forage for cattle, sheep and other wildlife. The baby tortoises seem to really love it!

New chicken pics

2010-04-23T11:01:00.000-07:00

They love to jump up on the sticks.

All the other chickens are bigger than the Leghorn now. Foghorn started out much bigger than the other 3.

The black and white ones are extremely friendly.

Rainbow

2010-04-20T09:09:00.000-07:00

big babies 4-12-10

2010-04-12T11:47:00.000-07:00

We haven't had the cam up for a week and the babys have grown rapidly. There are three for sure, one being small and late hatching. We hope the best for him/her in this crowded house. When the male flies in with mice, the congestion is overwhelming. Soon, we should see the babies out of the box on the perches. Stay tuned; Ed

2010-04-01T16:16:00.000-07:00

Finally; two chicks are evident in this download. Still plenty more eggs but time is running out as the competition in the nest will be fierce. Stay tuned; Ed

The windmill has become a monster; preassembly

2010-03-23T17:20:00.000-07:00

We have assembled the windmill on the ground to make sure all the parts are present and operational before we go rent a hoist to get it to the top of the tower. Stay tuned; Ed

Grapes are planted 3-23-10

2010-03-23T17:17:00.000-07:00

All 230 vines are in the ground. Now lets see if we can keep them fed and irrigated; keep the weeds down, keep the voles away. Stay tuned; Ed

Chickens finally ventured out doors! 3-20-10

2010-03-20T17:40:00.001-07:00

The chickens have finally ventured outdoors and are busy chopping down all the live grass. Venus, our dog has recently discovered the chickens and is hell bent on getting into their pen. Stay tuned. Ed

windmill tower completed; 27'; great view from above

2010-03-20T17:27:00.000-07:00

We are preassembling the windmill in our barn to make sure all parts are present and functioning as we only want to rent a hoist once. We should have it completed in a few weeks. Stay tuned; Ed

So many eggs, female flies off, male visits

2010-03-19T07:28:00.001-07:00

Egg hatching is close at hand! I can no longer count the eggs as they are just a pile. I bet the female is tired of sitting around. She flies off for short (3 minute) periods but otherwise, just rotates herself once and awhile. The house is littered deep with mouse carcasses and the female seems to randomly pick through the heap. Maybe all the fur helps keep the eggs warm. Stay tuned for hatching in another week? Ed

4 eggs!

2010-03-14T16:28:00.001-07:00

This latest owl cam shows the female standing up and revealing at least 4 eggs. In another two weeks, we should have hatching. Stay tuned; Ed

They're growing up...

2010-03-05T09:47:00.000-08:00

Chiquita, Sky, Loca
Chiquita and Foggy (short for Foghorn Leghorn)

Aeromotor windmill installation

2010-02-26T08:07:00.001-08:00

Well, it's about time. We purchased a 1934 Aeromotor windmill 8 years ago. It has a 27 foot tower and will pump well water. We poured the footings on Feb 25th and hope to have the tower up shortly. Stay tuned; Ed

Owl cam female leaves nest, three eggs in view

2010-02-21T14:23:00.000-08:00

Hi folks; This is our first recording of the female leaving her nest. The actual time that she was gone was 3 minutes. Bird friends tell me that the male is bringing her mice but we haven't seen this on the films. Most of our films are made between 5:30 and 7:30 p.m. as they wake up each evening. I hear the eggs will be hatching in another 20 days and we will be providing film of hatchlings for a few months. Stay tuned; Ed

More coop pictures

2010-02-20T08:44:00.001-08:00

Finished chicken coop 2-19-10

2010-02-20T08:29:00.001-08:00

Hi folks; We not only finished the chicken coop but we now have 4 resident chicks. They will be "cooped up" for about a month with a brooder box inside the coop to keep them warm. The coop is solar heated during the day and actually climbs to 80 degrees when the sun really shines in. An infared bulb keeps the brooder box in the low 90's for the time being. I can't wait for a month from now when spring weather allows us to open their doors and let them try out the two runs adjacent to the coop. Stay tuned. Ed

New chicks...

2010-02-19T13:00:00.000-08:00

4 baby chicks joined the Comstock family yesterday. Any ideas on names?

owls mating and first egg viewing 2-14-10

2010-02-16T08:45:00.000-08:00

Happy Valentines Day! We knew something was up when we noticed one of the owls (the female) was sitting down all the time instead of sleeping on one foot. She's sitting on eggs and if you watch carefully, you can see an egg by her feet when she stands up. We will move the camera up at some point to get better views of the owl house floor.

Owl cam mating 1-29-10

2010-02-08T08:47:00.000-08:00

We hadn't seen a female present during the first two weeks of filming. If you look carefully to the left of the owl box, you can see the male looking towards the camera when the female comes through the wall. Stay tuned; Ed

Barn house construction update

2010-02-04T07:03:00.000-08:00

The barn house foundation is progressing. This photo shows the five cinderblock columns installed. Once the weather warms, we will be installing a styrofoam block stemwall that will help keep our solar home warm. After that, we will be bringing the beams out for assembly. Stay tuned; Ed

New chicken coop

2010-02-04T06:50:00.000-08:00

A good friend is moving to France and needs a "caring" home for her three hens and one rooster. Do we know anything about chickens? Only from books and warnings from several friends. This coop is rising in the corral next to our tortoise corral. It will have two chicken wire runs as well as three doors. I designed it both for winter warmth and summer coolings. Most walls open up to good cross ventilation and summer shade. I'm hoping for year around organic eggs and yet one more activity to keep Linda and myself busy as the kids are leaving the nest. We are using leftover greenhouse glazing for doors, as well as light and warmth. Stay tuned; Ed

Vineyard installation

2010-02-04T06:41:00.001-08:00

Working with Tahoe Ridge Wnery and Full Circle Compost, we have plowed up 1/2 acre of old pasture that has well drain soil. In a few weeks, we will rototill the field and begin forming rows. On March 1st, 300 bare root Frontenac red wind grape vines will be arriving from New York. We will be ammending the soil and augering the holes in early March. We will be putting up grape trellises and installing a drip irrigation system. The grape variety belongs to a group of species called "interspecific hybrids" that we hope tolerate extreme drops in temperature as well as widely fluctuating temperatures. Stay tuned; Ed

1851 barn restoration into our new house

2010-02-01T07:41:00.000-08:00

Many years ago, we dismantled an old barn in Quincy, California. We transported the pieces to Gardnerville ten years ago and worked on plans, engineering and permitting for several years. We have now begun construction and the footings have been poured. The following series of pictures show the dismantling and early construction. We are awaiting spring when the stemwalls will go up and we will begin assembling the barn sections. The design is completely solar, off grid, with a constructed wetland as a black water sewer. Stay tuned. Ed

This photo shows the footings that will hold the new structure. It is positioned for maximum solar gain.

new aerial photo of the farm

2010-02-01T07:32:00.000-08:00

This aerial photo better defines our farm.

Venus - the wonder dog...

2010-01-29T14:22:00.000-08:00

Owl cam in action

2010-01-14T16:53:00.000-08:00

Our barn owls sleep all day in the "Hoostel" while the seed cleaning machines make so much noise. By dusk though, they begin to stir, hanging out in the Hoostel for a short time then checking for mice in the barn before they head out. They keep a supply of dead mice on the floor of the Hoostel and leave behind a soft carpet of fur. Soon, they will leave a clutch of eggs on the "carpet" and we hope for a successful hatching. Stay tuned. Ed

Comstock Seed's 9 kilowatt photovoltaic solar system

2010-01-14T09:44:00.000-08:00

Hi folks;

A year ago November, we turned on our new photovoltaic solar system. We spent a year preparing for the system which included getting a rebate lined up with NV Energy and obtaining a USDA Rural Development grant from the Federal Department of Agriculture. These two funding sources paid 1/2 of the $82,000 cost of the system. We calculated that 9000 watts would adequately supply our business (Comstock Seed), our farm, and our home needs.

We are now keeping monitoring records to see how close the system performance meets our design criteria. Thanks to Leslie Ames at Tahoe Solar Design for helping with the design, construction, and grant assistance. Stay tuned.

Visit our booth at Eagles & Agriculture 2010

2010-01-13T10:49:00.000-08:00

On Friday February 19th and Saturday February 20th we will have a booth at the Eagles & Agriculture event at the Carson Valley Inn in Minden, Nevada.

Visit the Carson Valley Chamber of Commerce website for details on this and all of the other activities for the weekend:

http://www.visitcarsonvalley.org/

The "Owl Prowl" on Saturday is your chance to visit the "Hoostel" located in the seed cleaning barn at Comstock Seed. Ed is working on a live webcam in side the "Hoostel". Check back for updates!

Baby desert tortoise

2010-01-13T10:01:00.000-08:00

In 2009, 3 baby desert tortoises were hatched. Eggs were laid on the 4th of July, and hatched between September 18th and the 20th. They are amazing time wasters. You can waste an entire day just watching them roam around their terrarium.