Friday, April 29, 2011

Nightly Garden Update

Well since it's about 11:30 pm this is gonna be a NIGHTLY Garden Update (see how that works) It was going to be a regular ol' Garden Update post but I was getting silly with the camera and long exposure pictures so I thought I'd post this photo and some notes about how the garden is doing.

In this picture you can see on the left starting in the foreground some Potato plants followed by the Corn, now reaching at least 5' high. Summer Squash is in the center foreground, followed by the Spinach and Beets plot. This past week I've been harvesting bagging and freezing Spinach (not to mention putting it on sandwiches) Beyond that plot you can catch a glimpse of Romaine (now starting to "bolt" meaning produce seeds) and in the background is the Carrots.
In the right foreground you can see some Tomato plants doing really well, followed by the Garlic plot. Next to the Garlic is a row of Cabbage and beyond the Garlic plot is the Onion plot. The Onions have recently started producing "seed heads." The seed heads get cut off so the plants put their production into the bulbs. Not pictured are the Bell Pepper and Asparagus plants which are doing great.
Ok that's about it, thanks for reading, check back soon for more posts!

Monday, April 25, 2011

A week of work

Been keeping a journal to give you readers an idea of some of the projects and tasks required for Homesteading. Just wanted to give you an idea of the work involved with caring for the garden, animals and chores. I'll try to post a summary each week. Thanks for reading!

4-24-11
Fed chickens
Worked on milking parlor
Fed dogs
Garden watering and weeding
Installed more insulation in milking parlor
Collected and cleaned eggs
Fed turnip greens and broccoli to chickens
Garden watering
Transplanted Mint, became root-bound
Fed cows, dogs

4-23-11
Fed cows, dogs
Grazed goats
Mowed front yard for grass mulch
Watered garden
Fed broccoli and turnips to chickens
Fed cows, dogs
Collected and cleaned eggs

4-22-11
Fed chickens, dogs
Changed dog water
Watered 1/2 garden
Moved chickens back to coop area
Added green mulch to compost pile
Weeded two plots
Misc garden watering
Note: Sorghum sprouted
Collected and cleaned eggs
Updated blog with kid goat update
Fed goats, cows
Milked goat
Washed dishes
Fed dogs, chickens

4-21-11
Watered garden
Fed chickens, dogs
Planted seeds
Transplanted Artichoke
Washed clothes
Watering trees throughout the day
Repaired section of fence
Grazed goats
Collected and cleaned eggs
Fed goats, cows, dogs
Milked goat
Assisted in helping newborn goats to drink from their mother
Got back from feeding the cows MORE food cause they wouldn't shutup HAHA

4-20-11
Fed chickens, dogs, cows
Watered half garden
Made egg salad (used 12 eggs from the chickens and spinach, carrots, and onions from the garden)
Installed 20% of needed insulation in milking parlor
Organized tools in and swept milking parlor
Collected and cleaned eggs
Fed chickens, dogs, goats, cows
Washed dishes
Cleaned kitchen

4-19-11
Fed chickens, dogs
Added leaf mulch to potatoes
Weeded onion plot
Trimmed bushes
Swept back porch and organized tools
Transplanted Eggplants
Swept floors
Vacuumed rugs
Collected and cleaned eggs
Random weeding
Fed dogs, chickens, cows

4-18-11
Fed chickens
Watered garden
Planted Sorghum, 1 plot, 4 rows
Trimmed 1/2 goat hoof
Washed dishes
Cleaned kitchen
Collected and cleaned eggs
Fed goats, dogs

Friday, April 22, 2011

The goat invasion continues...

Well what do you know just yesterday another goat gave birth to TWO more little goats. This brings the total goat population at the Homestead to 17! Both of the kids born are males. Here is a picture I snapped of the critters.

The mom goat had a slight case of Mastitis but we treated her with some antibiotics and she should be just fine. Stay tuned for more riveting posts!

Saturday, April 9, 2011

Poppy finally POPS!

On April 7, 2011 Poppy the goat had her kid. Giving birth to a female goat quite in her likeness. Here's a picture of the little varmint.

The kid is doing well and so is Poppy and we'll post some more updates and pictures in the coming weeks!

Friday, April 1, 2011

Garden growing + other projects

Hello this is Frank to give you an update on the progress of the garden. Here are some pictures of some sprouting plants. To the right we have corn, and below is potato, beans and asparagus. All are doing really well and should make a lot of food. In addition we have tomato plants doing nicely as well as some cabbage just starting to sprout.
In addition to growing the garden we have also expanded the water system, digging a trench and putting in 3 new faucets. This will make watering the garden easier and will provide water for future garden plot expansions.

We have been working on other projects as well, including an outdoor shower dubbed the "Shower Tower" which also functions as a lookout tower and thanks to Michael and Dara the back porch got renovated and re-screened, creating a nice sitting area free of bugs.



Check back soon for more details about these and other projects!