They will rebuild the ruined cities and live in them. They will plant vineyards and drink their wine; they will make gardens and eat their fruit.
Finished shaping the garden beds and mulching the pathways, just before sunrise this lovely Good Friday morning. Not bad looking! This is the last year we should have to do such extensive shaping. Starting this fall we will simply be top dressing with screened manure/compost (big dreams there!) and adding a few wheelbarrow loads to… Continue reading Garden Beds and Soil Temps
The weather has been unseasonably warm, and we have unconfirmed reports that the soil temperature is over 50 degrees farenheit. I say "unconfirmed" because Evie checked the soil temperature, and no grown-up has had the time to recheck it behind her. But she is a smart cookie, and we are taking her word for it.… Continue reading First Seeds
Last week, on Tuesday, we got out to the farm. Didn't get as much done as we had hoped, but we did make some forward progress. We planted asparagus, and wild flowers. The flowers will border parts of the garden. It is always a good idea to interplant flowers, or at least have them on… Continue reading Flowers and PEX pipe
Really should have been done in November. The deep bedding system builds a thick pack of hay, shredded paper and poop over the year. This ultimately goes into the garden or the orchard or the compost pile. Frosty but clear. Listening to “Bible in a year” and moving wheelbarrows. Our flocks and herds, scratching the… Continue reading Cleaning out the hen house
It was actually sunny outside yesterday, for part of the day. Daddy and the kids continued working on the garden gate/fence project. Of course this involved digging. Lots of digging. This took us through the coolest part of the morning, and by the time the air temperature was above 40 degrees we were ready to… Continue reading Dog by the Garden Gate
We have been having issues with the dog lately, running back into the berry patch behind the garden. He likes to run back and forth along the fence separating the berry patch from the old orchard, barking his head off at the pigs and the geese, trampling the goumi berries and disturbing the mother goose… Continue reading Down by the Garden Gate.
The thermometer in the shop where we were keeping the pumpkins, squash and onions read 30 degrees after the propane stove failed. While the pumpkins and squash might be salvagable, the onions are almost certainly lost. As soon as they thaw they are going to turn into a nasty slimy mess. I suppose then we… Continue reading Preserving the Pumpkins
Time to start planning next year’s garden. The two littlest “helped” count the seeds we have. A good many seeds remain from last year, but obviously there are some glaring omissions. Fortunately, we have a seed catalogs!
We had quite a lovely day on the farm last Monday. Afternoon, really, but in our world that counts as a day. The dorking chickens still aren't too sure about their new home. They don't wander too far from the chicken tractor. Mommy and Winnie did not come to the farm, because Mommy is making… Continue reading More Garden Prep
We had a wonderful squash harvest this year, but now we are having trouble keeping it. Pumpkins and winter squash are suppose to be harvested before the first frost, and allowed to cure in warm temperatures (>80 degrees) in the direct sunlight for a week or two before being put into storage at 50-55 degrees… Continue reading Moldy Squash
Little Farm in the Big City 