Weekend of Jan. 22-23, 2011



Seedling Hoop House at our home in Memphis



Seedling Hoop House in the early stages



Our Composter - We have had it for over a year.




That is some BEAUTIFUL compost. :)

 We stayed in the 'city' this weekend to work on the seedling hoop house that will stay at our home in Memphis.  That way I can monitor the seedlings progress from home and keep them hydrated and hopefully they will grow up to be big strong plants.  We used pvc pipe and had the hoop house up in no time.  It is already getting toasty inside it.  We put our Rosemary plant in it and will build some tables to use for the seedling trays.

I also emptied out some of our compost from our composter.  The compost is really nice if I don't say so myself.  It does not smell bad at all, which is a good sign.  Compost is NOT suppose to smell bad if it has composted correctly.  I loaded it in the garden cart and will mix it with some peat moss then use that to fill our seedling trays.  The compost consists of a year's worth of kitchen scraps (vegies, egg shells, bread, paper towels), leaves and grass clippings (no chemicals on the grass).  You can't put anything greasy in  there like meat or butter.  You have to take this special compost tool (or a shovel) and mix the compost once a week to add oxygen to the mixture. You also have to keep it moist but not soggy and add a shovel full of dirt once in a while.  I am truly amazed at how great the compost looks and how it did in fact compost all the pounds and pounds of kitchen scraps we placed in there. 

We stopped by the Farmer's Market at Cooper and Young this morning and visited with our friend Walt who owns the dairy farm.  We also met some farmers from Mississippi and I gave them our e-mail address to keep in contact with...they were very nice people.  I have found most organic/non-chemical type farmers to be very friendly and eager to help.  I am not saying non-organic farmers aren't nice...I just don't know that many.   We talked to them about raising chickens and how the state of Tennessee won't let farmers butcher their own chickens to sell them at farmer's markets.  There aren't any butchers in the state of Tenneessee permitted to butcher them either, unless you are a huge farm with over 500 or so chickens to butcher at one time.  Makes it impossible for small free range farmers in Tennessee to sell butchered chicken.

We also stopped and had breakfast at the Trolly Stop Restaurant and Market.  The owners also own Whitten Farms and have branched out with the restaurant.  The market portion allows year round farmers to sell their items and the restaurant uses only local and or organic ingredients.  My breakfast was a farm fresh egg, fresh sauteed spinach with mushrooms and cheese on texas toast.  It was yummy.  I picked up some more granola that our friend, Uele sells.  It's called 'Groovy Granola' and it's the best I have ever had.  If you live in the Memphis area, you need to stop by the Trolly Stop Market. 

Cris and I may get a few chickens and put them in our backyard. (don't tell the neighborhood association!)  We have to build a chicken coop first and them we will get about 3 chickens...no roosters!  Roosters make too much noise and would give us away.  It would give our dogs a chance to get use to having chickens around and hopefully they will learn that chicken is our friend....and not something to kill and drag around the back yard.

This Is One HOT Cold House!

Alex helping with the hoop house

Preparing to install the doors

Doors

Preparing to put the sheeting up

Our Finished Hoop House

Inside - that's sheep manure

"Wiggle Wire"  - A must to have when installing a hoop house.  Keeps the sheeting in place.

Snow Day

Birds eating from the feeder

The hoop house is complete.  It is really considered a "cold frame" because no 'artificial' heat or cooling source can be used.  Just the sun and the wind.  We thought getting the sheeting around the long portion of the hoop house would be very difficult but it turned out to be very workable once we got the first section started.  Three of us worked on the hoop house and I must say, we did a great job. 

It was about 45 degrees out yesterday when we installed the sheeting and within 20 minutes, that hoop house was up to 75 degrees and humid.  The ground inside is currently covered in sheep manure to assist in preparing the ground....and let me tell you, 75 degree, humid sheep manure stinks! I can see us planting in the hoop house in February without any problem...once the ground warms up, we are good to go.  Irrigation will be easy enough.  We are going to install water lines that will run along the ceiling portion and attach sprinkler nozzles then use the pond water and a water pump to water the plants. 

We spent the night on the farm Saturday night thanks to the kerosene heater Cris purchased.  Poor Alex used a sleeping bag and slept on the floor while Cris and I had the double bed.  Even the dogs didn't want to sleep on the floor so they climbed into bed with us.  I think I will invest in a raised camping cot for Alex so he doesn't have to sleep on the floor.

We attended our monthly sustainable farming at our friend's dairy Saturday night.  I sat down and talked shop with one of the members who is a master gardener.  She gave me some wonderful advice on planting and what to plant with what, when to plant and how to plant.  She swears by the Farmer's Almanac and planting by the moon phases, which is also detailed in the Farmer's Almanac.  She must be doing something right, she wins prizes every year for her peppers, flowers and other vegies.  Cris brought his Scythe to the meeting and explained the uses and why he loves using it much more than a gas powered weed whacker. We talked to an older farmer about his bees and he mentioned that he is having trouble keeping his bees alive.  He speculated that it is because he lives near alot of row farms that grow corn, Cotton and soybeans.  He believes that the bees collect pollen from these row crops that have been covered in pesticides and end up dieing from the pesticides.  He made a very valid point.  We are not near row crop farms so hopefully our bees will stay away from that stuff.  We are trying to keep our bees close to home by offering them plenty of pollen filled goodies on our land.

We picked up our beef from the butcher a couple weeks ago.  We have ordered a side of beef the last two years from a farmer who raises grass fed beef.  They only eat grass .... no grain.... cows were not meant to eat grain but many farmers and beef lots feed them grain to fatten them up for quick sale.  It's all about the money.... but don't get me started!  Anyway, we really enjoy the grass fed beef.  I am getting used to eating deer meat too. 

Speaking of deer.... Alex and I were headed to our farm and darn if a deer didn't run out in front of me.  She was too close for me to stop in time and I broad-sided her.  I was able to brake so the impact was not as bad as it could have been.  She bounced off my car, fell in the ditch, rolled head over rear a couple times then got up and ran off.  We watched her run in the field to make sure she didn't have any broken legs but she seemed fine.  My car was fine too except for the deer hair in my Volkswagen emblem.  One the way home, darn if 4 deer didn't run out in front of us but they were far enough that we could stop this time....same street, same area.  Funny thing is, 3 of the deer ran across and one deer decided to turn back and head back to where she started....must of been the one I hit...she wised up. 

Next weekend we are staying home in Memphis to start work on a mini greenhouse for the back yard.  I need something to start the seedlings in here.  It is easier to have the seedlings growing at our home than the farm since I need to keep an eye on them and water them everyday. 

January 27-29 we will be in Murfreesboro, Tn for the High School State Bowling Championship.  Alex was 6th overall for our region in bowling so he will be trying for individual championship and he will also be playing with his team for the team championship as they were undefeated on our region.  I am looking forward to the mini vacation and also, there is a REALLY good German restaurant near Mufreesboro that we like to eat at!

Baby It's Cold Outside!

We decided to wait and put the plastic sheeting on the hoophouse next weekend.  They are calling for snow tonight and we didn't not want to have the sheeting halfway done and then something happen to it if it snowed.  I don't want all my hard work to be for nothing if snow messes up the sheeting. 

We cut and cleared more trees around the pond instead.  I can really see a difference now and it looks good.  We have hauled all the trees (thanks to my Polaris ATV) into the field and will rent a chipper probably next month to make mulch for the compost pile.

Speaking of compost, Cris and Alex left this morning to try and get two loads of sheep manure from our friend Susan's farm before the snow hits.  I got to take a day off from the farm but that doesn't mean I am sitting on the sofa eating twinkies and watching the Lifetime channel. (I do not like twinkies or the Lifetime channel....I am more of a SciFi girl)  No, I have to keep up with our city-homestead...laundry, ironing, cleaning. 

Our bees are staying very close to home these days.  They huddle together towards the middle of the hive box and keep the queen warm.  Must be nice to be the queen bee.  A mouse has taken a liking to one of our hives and Nugget (labradoodle) is hell-bent on finding that mouse.  We have had to set up barriers to keep him from chewing the hive box.  He has pulled out the bottom tray of the hive that is used to keep the mites away and the corners of the hive box are chewed up from Nugget.  Cris put up some sheeting around 3 of the 4 hive walls to help keep the bees warm and Nugget pulled those off in less than a minute.  I know he is just doing his job by being rodent control but this is becoming a pain.  Cris is going to set up a mouse trap under the hive box and hopefully we will catch the mouse.   

Our monthly dinner with friends will be next Saturday night.  We meet about once a month with a group of farmers, hobby growers etc to discuss various sustainability options.  We meet at a dairy that raises grass fed dairy cows and sells raw milk.  They recently installed a slow-pasteurization system so they can now sell their milk to restaurants.  One of the members of our little group has been growing vegetables for years and is knowledge on 'moon planting' where you plant during various cycles of the moon.  Many people swear by this way of planting.  I think I will do alittle research on the subject and see what it is all about.

Misc. Photos - click on the photo to enlarge it

CLICK ON THE PHOTO TO ENLARGE IT

The Alex's thought it would be funny to turn a hay roll over.... it wasn't!  Had to use the ATV to put it back up.

Our bees busy taking food to the queen.  They carry the pollen/nectar back on their legs.  They got into a hummingbird feeder because their legs are all red.

One of our compost piles...contains leaves, sheep manure and hay

Found this strange looking plant - reminds me of the crown of thorns.



Polyface Farms in Virginia.  Great farm that practices rotational grazing of their cows and they raise free range chickens and turkeys.

Birds have finally found the feeder.  We had 5 visit it yesterday.

My Lumber Jack clearing trees around the pond

The pond... a work in progress - we want to clear the trees that run along the edge of the pond

Cris has the hoop house 90% complete.  We plan to install the sheeting next weekend so the hoop house starts warming up and get it ready to plant tomatoes in the Spring.  We should receive reimbursement for the hoop house by the end of January.  The gov't is actually giving us money back for a change!!  They have a grant for hoop houses but it has to be a cold house which means no other heat than the sun can be used and no other cooling than ventilation and all the plants have to be planted directly into the ground so we can't use it to start seedlings.  We are eligible for on hoop house a year for three years I think.  The hoop house is good to grow tomatoes, lettuce and other things that need a little shielding from the direct sun. 

Yesterday we cut down alot more trees around the pond.  We will have alot of firewood for next year.  We are also using the smaller, but sturdier ones as fence posts.  The remainder will be mulched up and used in the compost pile. 

Things slow down on the farm in the winter.  Nothing is growing so there is no need to water or mow.  We have been cutting down trees around the pond to use as firewood and fence posts.  The hoop house has been ordered and will be delivered this week.  We hope to put the frame up the week after Christmas.  In order to prepare the growing area where the hoop house will be, we have collected bagged leaves from our neighbors and have made compost piles at the farm that are made of leaves, hay and sheep manure.

The outhouse building is complete but we have not installed the toilet yet because we are waiting until we get the hole dug for the homemade septic tank.

The field mice seem to like the barn and we have caught about 12 mice on glue pads. Once we get some barn cats, I think the mice will decide the stay out of the barn.

Cris and I are deciding on the plans for the cabin and are working on a farm calendar to plan our weekends so we get things planted on time this year.  We were late planting this year because we were determined to get the barn built.

The bees have slowed down now that it has gotten colder. We checked on them today and they seem to be doing well.  The fish have moved towards the bottom of the pond and the pond is back up to it's normal level thanks to some rainy days.

Amazing what creatures turn up on the farm.

This weekend we planted 75 daffodil bulbs on the terrace near the apple and pear trees.  We also worked on the inside of the pimped-up outhouse and have decided that we need to work on our drywall skills before we start on the cabin.  Installing the drywall is no problem but the plastering of corners etc... that we need to work on.  We just need the right tools I think and some patience. 

We installed the trim inside the outhouse and starting painting the walls.  Next weekend is the installation of the toilet and sink and outside rain water container. 

The seeds we planted (mustard, kale, turnips) have started to sprout and the seedlings we planted seem to like the cold, damp dirt in the ground so they are doing good too. 

We started cutting down trees around the pond to use as firewood and as fence post.  It will be nice to open of the pond area to get some sun. 

I took the dogs for a run - while I ride on the atv they like to run ahead and go exploring in the woods.  Sometimes they catch the scent of a deer and put their noses to the ground just like a bloodhound and start running and sniffing.  When they lose the scent they go all the way back to where they first caught the scent and start over.  It's comical.  This weekend they were so busy with their noses to the ground that they did not see the two deer on the hill in the woods.  They also were so busy sniffing around some logs that they did not see the big rabbit that ran out of the logs and got away.  They seem to be better at catching field mice.  One mouse decided to take refuge in Alex's atv and Nugget had a fit.  He was biting the front grill of the atv trying to get to the mouse.  Before they day was over though, they did manage to snag two mice. 

We took some time out of our busy farm weekend to attend the 1st Annual Chili Cookoff in Grand Junction, which is the next town over from Saulsbury.  There were 7 entries and only one of them was something I thought was any good.  I think next year Cris will have to enter his chili.  We had a nice time.  The city park it right next to the town's cemetery.  We strolled through the cemetery and it was as if we stepped back in time.... so many young men who had died in 1944 during WWII.  So many young children that had died as newborns in the 1800's and from various diseases that were rampet then.  Some families lost 3-4 children. It was sad.  As much as I love our adventure into living a self-sustainable life, I am not ignorant of how much good technology can also do.... and how wonderful it is to have some things that help keep us safe such as antibiotics and the availability of clean water. 

We are trying to decide now where to put the cabin and which direction to face it. I'm really excited about building the cabin... I say that now.... ask me in a few months when I'm sick of drywall and painting.

We have started feeding the bees sugar water now that it is turning cold.  This will help get them through the winter.  The fish aren't hanging around the pond edge as much because of the cold and the best part is that Nugget is not swimming in the pond anymore....just too cold I guess.  Nothing like a wet dog coming up and shaking right next to you and he always managed to take a swim right before it was time to get in the car to go home. 

Cris is looking into raising worms for compost.  Basically you buy a bunch of red worms, put them in a bin, add newspaper, some dirt and sand and then feed the worms the food you would normally put in your compost bin.  Then in 3-4 months you have wonderful compost that you harvest.  The worms are saved and you just start over again. 

I am 'beet' from all the winter vegie planting.

Outhouse - Outside is completed

We even add a little deck to the outhouse. 


This past weekend (Oct 30-31) was a nice Fall weekend though it did sneak up to 80 degrees on Sunday for a bit.  Because of the rain we received last week, we were able to plant all our winter vegies....kale, mustard, collards, beets, turnips, rutabagas, etc.  Our tomatoes are still growing, though they are green and not as big as they should be.  We have been canning pickled green tomatoes.... when life hands you lemons...you make lemonade...or in this case, pickled green tomatoes!  We were hoping for a bumper crop of tomatoes for can tomato sauce this year but there's always next year.

We were able to finish up the outside of the outhouse which included painting the outside walls, trim, adding the roof and the little awning over the door.  We also added a gutter in the back to collect rain water for the toilet. I painted the walls and floor on the inside. We have not dug the hole yet for the septic tank so we aren't going to buy the toilet and sink until then. 

Now that the winter vegies are planted, we are going to turn our attention to finishing up the outhouse, adding on to the barn (another 12x24 stall), and purchasing and installing the hoophouse.  Once we get the hoophouse installed, the Dept. of Ag. will come out, inspect it and then reimburse us about 80% of the cost of materials.  I think it's going to be about 30x100 feet and Cris and I will be installing it ourselves. 

The first of the year we will start on the cabin.  In between all these projects we are also clearing out trees around the pond and bushhogging some trails through the woods.  We have found some pretty steep ditches in our inspection of the wooded areas so we plan to fence these areas off to keep Alex and friends from coming upon them unexpectedly.  I'd hate for someone to fall in them and get hurt......especially me!

Our mushroom logs are FINALLY starting to show some promise.  I did a test and dropped one of the logs a few weeks ago to simulate a tree falling.  According to the mushroom people, if you drop a log onto the ground, it makes the mushroom spores think the tree has fallen to the ground and is in the process of dieing.  This makes the spores grow more quickly.....which is what happened on the log that I dropped.  It now has little mushrooms growing, whereas the other's do not yet.  So, next week we plan to drop all the logs onto the ground, then stand them up vertically and see what happens. I think the fact that it finally started to rain around here helped too.

We plan to visit family in Maryland for Thanksgiving. This will be the first weekend that one of us has not be at the farm since purchasing the property.  I took a weekend away to go to Maryland (but Cris stayed behind and worked on the farm) in the summer but other than that, we have been at the farm every weekend.... maybe not the entire weekend but we have spent at least one day of the weekend there since about March or April.  I so look forward to the day we have moved out there permanently. It will be easier to get things accomplished then and the peace and quiet out there is so refreshing.