Greetings from NE Illinois

[FuriousOne]

I'm here out in the chain of lakes region of illinois about an hour east of Chicago.

I moved out here as a life style change from about an hour west of Boston a year ago. Here I have land (about 3 lots) and am having fun getting dirt under my nails and completing a wide variety of projects from home repair, organization, gardening , painting etc. I hope to become a chicken owner within a year (though town ordinances dont look good)

I love learning new things and love the amount of info that the web offers.

I love it in the midwest now if I could just get rid of the mosqutios from these bogs :p

[Aspen]

Welcome! Glad to have you with us! We love to share and learn new things.

Sorry about the skeeters.

[vermmy35]

hey, welcome I live in Chicago and I hope you have a fun time in NE Illinois their are lots to see and do. I hope you have luck getting your chickens, my wife put a no way in heck on that one for me. She allows bees, but not chickens, go figure:eek:

[Backyard Permaculture]

Skeeters Smeeters. The must drive you Batty!!!

So get some bats! You probably think I have bats in the Belfry. I do!

Seriously, bats are incredible skeeter eaters. Go to the site of the organization for bat conservation, and learn how beneficial they are, and how old wivsy tale those old wives tales are. Thier site is :
http://www.batconservation.org/content/Bathouseimportance.html

Put your bat houses where it is easy to collect the guano for your garden. What is guano? It is just bat poop which is supposed to be the best (step back chickens, goats, rabbits and any other) natural organic fertilizer.

Let me see, mosquitos eating me alive, or free fertilizer. no brainer

[FuriousOne]

We actually have a bat box installed in a tree near the two gardens...Unfortunately none have set up residence there as of yet and we can't find bat lure in this area.

We are toying with the idea of a water feature and are looking into stocking it with dragonfly larvae.

[gardengirl72]

Sorry you are no longer in Massachusetts, but very happy for you that you have land! Welcome to the boards!