Farm Happenings

Spring 2024

• Started a new flock of laying hens and a new batch of 30 meat birds. The meat birds are currently in the chicken tractor being moved to new pasture daily.
• The two bee hives survived the winter. I caught a couple swarms but they didn't stick around.
• The garlic from the fall is growing vigorously. Not much else is planned for the garden this year. I'll sow some buckwheat in the large garden.
• Our cow turned out to not be pregnant. She stayed with a friends bull for a few weeks and we'll be testing her soon.
• The Cayuga ducks have started laying their black eggs. They are a fun addition to our pond.
• The blackberries are growing well. The raspberries seem like a lost cause. The two apple trees are alive but haven't done much.

Fall 2023

We have recently celebrated fall Embertide, a time to pray and fast and give thanks for the fall harvest and prepare for the coming winter. Here are some highlights from the farm we can give thanks for this year:

• Tyshia’s pumpkin patch was a great success. We sowed in to hills of compost on the spot where we had our pigs during the winter. The weeds got out of control and we thought the pumpkin patch was a failure, but then the vigorous vines climbed up and over the weeds, yielding a couple dozen nice pumpkins, including two giant pumpkins weighing in at 74 lbs and 85 lbs. In an age of heavily subsidized industrial agriculture, maybe growing our own decorations makes more sense than growing our own food. Hmmm…
• I started a tray of 72 tobacco plans in the spring. 36 Harrow Velvet Burley and 36 Virginia gold. Unfortunately I planted mine in some newly tilled soil that was too thick and wet, resulting in stunted growth. Then the bugs ate all the leaves (joke’s on them, they’re addicted to nicotine now) and the weeds overtook them. Fail. My one potted plant I brought in to work did OK, so I’ll have a little bit of tobacco from that, and the plants I gave to friends are doing great, so all is not lost.
• Speaking of fail, the large garden began with naïve optimism as always, and ended again with weeds and disappointment. We got some cucumbers, a decent yield of potatoes, a couple carrots, more lettuce than we could possible eat, and enough corn stalks to decorate the front porch. The Mangel Wurzels barely sprouted even after multiple reseedings. We are planning to experiment with black weed fabric next year to help with the part time problem.
• The raised beds gave us a little more luck. The Chesnock Red garlic planted last fall did fantastic and yielded 72 bulbs. Some pepper plants a friend started gave us plenty of green peppers.
• The three Red Wattle Hogs we started last October and slaughtered in May continue to feed the family. Perhaps someday I’ll detail the story of trying to load up three hogs to take the butcher, and only loading one and butchering two myself.
• Our Milking Shorthorn cow we purchased in February is due to calve in December, if she is in fact pregnant. To Do: Draw some blood from cow and do that pregnancy test I’ve had sitting around for 6 months.
• The two new colonies of bees seem to be hanging in there. I bit off more than I could chew this year so they have been mostly left to their own devices. To Do: Feed sugar syrup, treat for mites.