Hands in The Dirt......... Mulch, Worms, Weeds......

It's been a really busy time lately and I haven't had a lot of time to do research on many of the things I want to research.  Tonight however, things have just started presenting themselves.

I will start with a Facebook post that Jim tagged me in.  He made a comment about a neighbor's yard because I have been talking dandelion tincture.  His post included a link to a great page regarding the medicinal qualities of what most consider weeks!  Quite timely.

dandelion-for-food-medicine-tea-and-wine/

I would highly encourage everyone to at least take a peak at the article.

This got me started.......

The next topic this evening became mulch.  I ran into an article on Ruth Stout.  What a gal!  From reading bits and pieces about her experience with mulching, I  purchased her book.

I also did a little investigation on her, Born in 1884 in Kansas,  Her story is amazing!

Ruth Stout's Story from Wikipedia.

This story on Homestead.Org is really good also!
Ruth Stout on Homestead.Org

I can't wait to read the book.  Even the cover looks like my kind of book!

Finally, my last topic of the evening - Worms!  (the mulch led me to the worms).

Below is the article I found the most helpful.  I always knew that worms were good for a garden.  My dad had a massive garden in our back yard and I remember him telling me how good worms were (and the tiny fish I caught  while fishing with my brother.  I was about four and wouldn't let him throw it back in the water. We took it home for my dad's garden. This was my first "mulch" experience).

the-importance-of-worms-in-your-home-vegetable-garden

I think I see red wigglers in my future!

Evenings like this are so enjoyable to me.  I learn so much and basically get lost in the dirt.

Thanks for letting me share my findings!

Hands in the Dirt

This year my goal is to have my hands in the dirt as much as possibly.
I can feel the dirt calling to me. ....

Last weekend I worked in one of our smaller gardens.

My garlic that I planted last Fall is coming up.  It's beautiful. It just makes me feel good to see those green stems coming out of the ground. Thanks to Anna Hart for giving me the garlic heads to plant.  I fretted all winter as to whether they would actually grow.  So far, so good.

My chives are also coming up.  They continue to grow each year even though they were supposed to be an annual plant.

I begin to work on turning the dirt.  It is cool to the touch and crumbles easily in my hand.  Such a great feeling.

I bend over to pick up a pile of pine needles that have gathered at the base of my chive.  I pick the pile up and throw it over the garden fence and into the common ground.  As I throw them out, I notice movement.  I look down and realize it is a nest of some sort.  I run into the house and ask Jim to please come and look  He walks down and immediately recognizes it as a bunny nest.

Bunny nest under the chives

Note:  This is actually on Easter day.

The nest in inside my garden area.  What to do?

Jim gives me a couple of options and goes back into the house.  I finally decide that I can dig underneath the baby bunnies and scoop them out.  I have to be careful though not to hit the babies with the shove.

They squeal as I jostle them.  I look down the hill toward the bush in the common ground and see "Momma Bunny" .

I actually had a vision of her turning into a giant bunny and attacking me.  Can you say "It's just a harmless little bunny....?"

I relocate the bunnies with mo problem.  I move them to an area where I have seen the momma bunny  and cover them with the same pine needles from the original nest.  There are 4 of them and they are so newly born, their eyes are not open yet.   I am hopeful that momma will find them and protect them.

I go back to the garden and put rocks in front of the hole where I think the rabbit was entering.
Fingers crossed.

Now, onto planting. I continue to till the ground to prepare it for planting.  I have radishes and carrots.  I am starting out small so I only plant a couple rows of radishes and a couple rows of carrots. I've read that the radishes will harvest in about 30 days and the carrots in about 70 days.

Happy, happy!


Next, I have herbs to plant.  I have purchased a few of the ones I have wanted.

Rosemary
Lemon Thyme
Peppermint
Spearmint


I am trying to keep my herbs in small planters on the back deck this year so I can walk out and easily snip them as I need them. Last year I had to walk out the door, down the stairs and down the hill to get to them.

This is just the beginning of what I believe will be a great growing year.

I get them all replanted but I have chosen to keep the herbs inside for a couple more weeks.  They have a spot in front of a large window where they get lots of morning sun.

Each morning I check on them and each morning I see them doing their morning yoga stretches, reaching toward the sun.  Beautiful!  Can't wait to plant more!



.

Off the Grid - Day 7

Another wonderful day at the farm.  I have taken today and tomorrow off from work.

Jaimey came out this morning to spend the day relaxing and enjoying the farm.  It is her first day of Spring Break.  What a great way to begin a break.

Very few eggs today.  Only four.  Hopefully I haven't done anything to offend them! :-)

Each day continues to bring a new learning experience. Today as  I am walking around I see the bee hives.  One of them has bees swarming around it.  I begin to think about the bee keeping process.  Do the bees leave for the winter?  Do the same bees come back?  Do they hibernate? Jaimey and I discuss the topic and neither of us has any clue!  So of course tonight, I use "The Google" and find out that bees stay where they are in huddle formation and keep the Queen Bee warm  (at least that's what I have read). Fascinating!  I will have to ask Korey and Anna more about this when they return.

Another learning experience:  Chickens can get hurt and the miraculously mend.  I walk outside today and one of the hens is laying on the ground.  She is still pecking at the ground so I don't

think anything of it.... until about 4 minutes later when she is still laying on the ground. I walked over to her and realize she is hurt and can't get up.  Normally if I got that close she would have moved away.  What to do?  I call Anna.  Anna walks me through options but basically tells me to pick her up, put her in the spare coup and monitor her.  This actually scares the "you know what" out of me but I keep my cool and ask "Can  I actually pick up a chicken?"  Anna replies "Oh, sure!" - easy for her to say.:-)

I hang up with Anna and walk outside.  Luckily Jaimey is here so I don't have to go it alone.  I look down and the chicken, call for Jaimey, look back at the chicken and watch her walking around like nothing happened.  What the heck!?  So I have been in near-panic for the past 20 minutes for no reason.

I am also learning more about the behaviors of chickens/roosters.  Wow.

- They do have individual personalities.
- The dominant roosters will bully the other roosters.
- They will jump in the feed barrel while I have my head in the barrel scooping up feed!  They are fascinating!

On another note, the newborn babies are getting cuter by the minute.  They are going out in the yard and playing.  On top of that, they walk over to the fence to introduce themselves to the bigger pigs.

Jaimey and I take a great hike today around the property and had a great time.  Nothing like being out in the fresh air. We see a bunch of little frogs hopping around.   Who could not love this place!

We end the evening by starting a fire out in the firepit.  Life is Good!

Off the Grid - Day 6

I am amazed at how much I love farm life.  I'm sure it will be much different when it is our own farm. The weather is good right now, the animals are all behaving.... I know this is not always the case.

What happens when it is our own farm, the snow is 10 inches deep and one of the chickens, pigs, goats, cows, etc.... have gotten out of the fence? May be a little different.  Right now, everything is wonderful.  Plenty of firewood, plenty of food for everyone and the sunsets are beautiful.

This morning is a beautiful Spring morning.  I start off taking the trash to the road.  One of those necessities.  When I come back to the house I go to feed the pigs.  They are ready!  Very noisy group this morning.  I get the toddlers and the adults fed.  Next up........ Momma and the babies.  She (Momma) and the babies are so wonderful.  Momma lets me pat her head as I feed her and the babies are sound asleep.

I turn around from feeding Momma and see a rooster head sticking out from behind some wood.  I begin talking to him ("Buddy, what are you doing?  Come on out of there.  Come on Buddy")  Not working.  I see him twisting his head and moving back........ a little.  I then realize he is stuck.  I go into Rooster Rescue mode.   Hopefully he is not going to be an angry rooster when he gets out!

I move a few pieces of wood and then the final piece that I hope will set him free.  It works...  he wiggles his way out ......... and then the SECOND ONE come out!!!!  There were two of them. One on top of the other. They had apparently been roosting above and ended up in a "tif" and slid down a piece of smooth "something" and ended up stuck.  When they fly out they have no interest in me whatsoever.  They shake their feathers and immediately begin crowing!!!!!  And crowing!!!! And crowing!!!!!  I guess they want the world to know they are out and doing just fine.

What a way to start the morning.  Next....... chickens.   The last thing  I do before leaving for work is to let the chickens out.  Always entertaining.  They know when I'm coming because I start saying good morning before I open the door.  When I open the door they all come running.  They run across the driveway very quickly and then stop......  Quickly...... They turn around and look at me.  Not sure what they are thinking. ????

I check the eggs and there is only one. One single egg.  I take it inside and hope when I return there are more.

I head off to work............................... blah blah

I come "home".  As I pull up, I see June eating an egg.  Does this mean there are no eggs in the chicken coup?   I take everything in from the car and head to the chicken coup.

FIVE more eggs.   I love these hens.  I thank them all.

Now it's time to take care of the birds.  They still have food, but are getting low.  Hank and June are faithfully following me as I fill the feeders.

As dusk arrives, the chickens all head to their coup.  They are ready for bed.   They are so much fun.
 

As the evening chores end, it's time to relax, take the chill off the house and enjoy the peacefulness. 

Looking forward to another day tomorrow!

Off the Grid - Day 5

The things I am learning....  Amazing.

I wake up to a beautiful morning,  The sun is coming up, the roosters are crowing.  What could be more perfect.   Well actually, someone making tea for me would be pretty cool but oh well. :-)

I'm getting my schedule down.  I wake up, I brush my teeth, I make my tea!, I feed the dogs. Next, I go to feed the pigs.... still in my pajamas (trust me, the pigs don't care).

The next question is do I take a shower and then get everything ready to go to work or do I get everything ready and then shower?  Decisions, decisions.

This morning I decide to shower, then get everything ready.  Showering is easy. Everything else, well.......  Do the plants need watered, do the birds need food? The birds are fine so that's easy.  The plants do need water and need to be rotated in the window.  The sprouts also need to be rinsed and turned.  My chores begin.

I finally am ready to head off to work but one last thing.  Let the chickens out and collect eggs.  This is tricky because I try to be dressed for work but I can't let the dogs get me dirty.  I put a sweater on over my clothes and say a little prayer.  This morning I am so sad to say there are no eggs.
I am leaving a bit early because I have to vote. Hopefully when I get back after working there will be a few egg.

I go to work and think about getting back to the farm. Luckily when I vote, I am able to see Jim for a while since our voting place is a couple blocks from our house.  So nice to see him!

When I get back to the farm everything is fine. I always worry while I am gone whether they can fend for themselves.  Of course they can.  The pigs run out to greet me.  The toddlers, actually.  They are all busy rooting until they see me.  Then they look up at me and start running. They are absolutely adorable.

I go out to the chicken coup to see if there are any eggs and I realize the chickens actually have ME trained.  They surround me as I am going out to the coup.  I gather the 5 eggs they have graciously laid for me and head out to check the pigs.  The chickens surround me and "escort" me to the barn area where the pigs are.  They want their scoop of grain.  The are actually guiding my direction!

"Do chickens go after people if they are not happy with them?" Hope not.

The pigs are fine and I obediently grab a scoop of grain and take it to the chicken coup.  I am a good human.

I decide to take a walk around the property before it gets dark.  Such a beautiful walk. The dogs go with me of course, which gives me a little comfort.......... just in case I run into something.

We have a great walk around the farm.  So many beautiful sites. Great evening!  I put the chickens to bed and all is quiet for the evening.

The sky is a beautiful thing...........

Off the Grid - Day 4

Fog, fog, fog!  I wake up and realize I haven't heard the roosters. Then I open my eyes and really can't see out any of the windows.  The fog was quite intense.

Today I have to go into work.  I really want to stay here but I know I have other responsibilities.

I feed the dogs, feed the pigs and then get ready for work.  I want to wait until the last minute to let the chickens out.

When I finally have done everything I can, it's time to go let them out.  Opening that door is always a joy.  They all run out of the coup for about twenty feet and then stop.  I can almost hear them saying "We're Free!!"  I walk in to see if there are any eggs.  There are only 2.  :-(

I regrettably leave for work.  It's 9:00 and I hope to be back by 4:00, which I make.

It feels so good to arrive back at the farm.  I drive around the pig area to see how things are going.  Some of the toddler pigs are rooting very deeply around the fence.  I decide I should probably check it out.  I park the car and take everything inside.  Next, gear up.  boots and a old shirt.  I head down to the area I saw the toddler pigs and yep, they were still there.  Rooting away. It looked like they were trying to escape.  At least to me that's what it looks like.  What's a girl to do?   I finally decide to get some rocks and block the holes.  I watch the toddlers acting like, well, toddlers. They take off running for no reason and then stop as if nothing had happened.  I was laughing out loud at them.

After I realize everything is okay, I decide to come inside for a while.  Do some yoga, relax.  After  a while, I decide it's time to go feed the pigs.  I'm gettin' in the groove and even petting the pigs when I feed them.  The babies are doing wonderful.

After I finish with them, I give the scraps from the kitchen to the chickens,  I feel like the pied piper!  they are running all around me and talking away.  I throw the scraps out to them and they go crazy!

They are so much fun to watch!

I take a nice walk around the farm and end the evening relaxed.  Photos below:

Off the Grid - Day 3

Another drizzly day but it's still beautiful.

Today I have company coming!  Jim, Claire (Mom) and Jaimey are coming out.  We are going to take Jaimey out for her birthday in Washington.

I gather only 7 eggs this morning.  I'm a little disappointed but still so thankful that the ladies are laying for me.

Everyone is doing well.  The babies are getting much more active.  As I am in the barn, one of the babies is actually making his way back into the pin.  He is so cute coming back in. A little fumbley, but cute.

I walk the yard, do some yoga, read and relax.  What a great day!






The gang shows up around 3:30.  We go to the barn (all of us) and visit with the pigs.  The chickens follow us around as we walk.  Jaimey explores the barn and amazingly finds two eggs up in the rafters.

We leave to go into Washington so we can get back in time to feed the pigs and put the chickens to bed. Washington is always enjoyable and we have a fun time. We get back in plenty of time to finish my chores.

Now to let everyone see what it's like to feed the pigs. Jaimey helps me feed them.  Everyone gets to hear intensity of the noises they make. It goes from very quiet to very loud!

And then it's time for the chickens to go to bed for the evening.  Of course, that consists of nothing more than closing the door.  They have all politely strutted into their coup and are ready for us to shut the door.  So cute!

We end the evening by watching a beautiful sunset.  Beautiful day, beautiful sunset!

 

Off the Grid - Day 2

The answer to last night's question is Yes!  The rooster woke me up.  6:52.

I don't care though.  Today is my first full day at the farm and I want to enjoy as much of it as I can.

I get up and start thinking about what I get to do first. The good thing about being on a farm is you don't have to worry about anyone seeing you before you've brushed your hair, washed your face, etc.......

I step outside, put the muck boots on and take a walk around the farm just to see how everything looks.  The roosters that live in the barn are out and about already, crowing to their hearts content.

Very dreary day but everything looks peaceful.  I come back in the house and make some tea.  It's so quiet.

After my tea it's time to get busy.  Out to the barn I go.  I tell them all good morning and check on the babies before I feed them.  Everyone is doing great.  I get them all fed, check the water spouts bring some wood in to start a fire.  It's one of those days where it's not really cold but there is a chill in the air that makes it chilly.  It's been drizzling all morning also which made the chill worse.

I have to wait until late morning to let the chickens out so I come back inside to do my inside work. Feed the dogs, water the plants.





Finally, it's time to go let the chickens out and collect the eggs!  I am so excited to see how many eggs there will be.  First I have to find something to gather them in.  Decisions, decisions.  I end up throwing a towel in a pan and going out there. What an experience!
I open the door and they all run out the door.  It's like a chicken stampede. They all run over into the grass and stop in a big group. Now for the eggs.  I go in the coup and take a quick glance.  There's a lot!  I start collecting, being very careful with them.  Some of them are still warm.  I admire each of them as I collect them.  All different colors, all different sizes.  Nature is amazing.


After collecting them all I have a total of 12 eggs!  I am so happy. Somehow I feel that chickens liked me so they all were comfortable laying.

Guess what I am having for breakfast?!


As the day goes on, I check on the pigs, I check on the chickens, I walk around the farm.  Some of the things I am finding myself doing and saying are quite funny!  Time to take the scraps out to the chickens.  They seem to know what I am doing as soon as I walk out the door.  As I head to the chicken coup they all run in before I even throw the scraps in their bowl.  As I walk away, I turn and see one of the dogs standing in the doorway blocking a rooster from going in.  I find myself saying, "Hank, get out and let the rooster in."   How many people have an opportunity to say that?!

I take a walk this evening before I feed the pigs and shut everything down.  The dogs are with me of course. My protectors! Beautiful walk.  Still a dreary day.






Some sights from around the farm....

My Journey off the Grid

My journey starts with dear friends needing a farm sitter.  "Would we be interested ?"  ABSOLUTELY!   (My heart instantly jumped.....Is this really happening?  Do I really get to go stay on a farm and work with the animals?)  We work out the details and the plan is in place.

Two weeks before, I head out to the farm to get lessons on what to do. I take notes and try to think of as many questions as possible so I am fully prepared. It doesn't take long before I feel very comfortable with everything on the farm, so now it's just a waiting game.

Finally, the day arrives.  I've packed the night before so I can leave straight from work and head out of the city.   As I head out of town I am reminded of one of the many reasons I want to be out of the city......

STUCK IN TRAFFIC!


Luckily, not for long.  The drive to the farm is peaceful and uneventful with the exception of my anxiousness.  I just want to be there.  About 45 minutes later I arrive.  I've turned the radio off about 15 minutes prior just to start disconnecting from everything.  As I turn into the drive I am filled with a sense of calm.

Since it's my first evening, I want to try to get everything done by dark.  Just to make sure I don't have any problems.  I unpack the car as quickly as possible.  The dogs are happy to see me and follow me back and forth. The chickens are still out so they are talking and following me around also  (of course I am talking back).

Now it's time to head to the barn.  I'm in a dress and white sweater and dress boots.  I decide a white sweater was not the greatest choice so I throw a red vest over my dress, put on muck boots and head for the barn!  Woo Hoo!

The pigs are first.  8 scoops of feed into the troughs.  This becomes hilarious.  The chickens are following me through a narrow path to get to the troughs every time.  So when I put the feed into the trough and turn around to go back and get more feed, the chickens all have to turn around and go back also. We had a game of follow the leader going on.  And then the dog began going back and forth also.  It was like a family affair.  Everyone had to help feed the pigs.

Next came the new momma with her babies.  She seemed very happy to have dinner.  I'm sure the babies are wearing her out.  As for the babies, ADORABLE!  Baby pigs are the sweetest looking little creatures.  Momma moved out of the way once so I was able to take a couple photos, but most of the time her large body was blocking my view.

By this time it is getting to be dusk and the chickens have already put themselves to bed.  Well, most of them.  I didn't realize that some of the roosters actually lived in with the pigs.  So many things to learn!

At this point all is done with the exception of feeding the dogs and myself.

I spent a very relaxing evening reading blogs of other farmers.  I've found these through friend recommendations or searches on either "farming" or "homesteading".  I learn so much from these and truly enjoy the stories.

The evening is over and it's time for bed.  I wonder if the rooster will actually wake me up in the morning by crowing?  :-)

A few photos from the evening:

The path where the chickens followed me

Fashion Statement

The chickens welcoming me.

Rooster eating the pig food. 

The Babies!