Thursday, October 1, 2015
Monday, September 21, 2015
Wednesday, July 15, 2015
Friday, June 26, 2015
Change in Plans
Oh, the predictably unpredictable life of farming.
We won't be selling our (delicious) chicken at the farmer's market this year due to licensing requirements. It's long and complicated, and I see the reason behind it, but we aren't big enough farmers to eat the cost of the license right now. Maybe in a year or two.
Our onion crop is nearly a total loss. Between the baby, the warm spring, the wet May, and our other projects, we don't have much to show for all the onions we planted. Hey, it happens.
The potato crop currently stands at 240 pounds, split equally between red and white potatoes. This may be our best crop ever, despite the weeds. I spent two early, early mornings digging on my own, as the wee ones can't be trusted out at Purgatory Ranch yet.
Purgatory Ranch will probably be allowed to lie fallow next year. Getting out there to weed has been nearly impossible this year, and we must spend our time as best we can. Maybe, when the babies are bigger, we will return, but for now we must reduce.
Strawberries are growing, but slowly. The heat has slowed down the formation of berries. The new strawberry bed is planted, drip hose laid, and mulched.
All our long term projects have taken serious time away from the current garden. The above new strawberry bed as well as 50 new grape vines will pay off in the future, but this year, we are simply behind.
I also forget that no matter how lovely our baby is, between her mobility and needs and her brother's developmental issues (a story for another day), we are behind. I can't tackle my usual projects, which leaves more for James, and he can only do so much, as heroic as he is.
Garlic leaves are browning, so it's time to gather in that harvest as well. I hope it does not disappoint.
This probably reads as a long, drawn out complaint, but I don't mean to complain. We have been blessed abundantly by our Creator this year, as in past years. There will be plenty of produce to gather; and we are all healthy; and our farm is just changing!
Until next time, remember, this is not paradise. It's Purgatory Ranch.
We won't be selling our (delicious) chicken at the farmer's market this year due to licensing requirements. It's long and complicated, and I see the reason behind it, but we aren't big enough farmers to eat the cost of the license right now. Maybe in a year or two.
Our onion crop is nearly a total loss. Between the baby, the warm spring, the wet May, and our other projects, we don't have much to show for all the onions we planted. Hey, it happens.
The potato crop currently stands at 240 pounds, split equally between red and white potatoes. This may be our best crop ever, despite the weeds. I spent two early, early mornings digging on my own, as the wee ones can't be trusted out at Purgatory Ranch yet.
Purgatory Ranch will probably be allowed to lie fallow next year. Getting out there to weed has been nearly impossible this year, and we must spend our time as best we can. Maybe, when the babies are bigger, we will return, but for now we must reduce.
Strawberries are growing, but slowly. The heat has slowed down the formation of berries. The new strawberry bed is planted, drip hose laid, and mulched.
All our long term projects have taken serious time away from the current garden. The above new strawberry bed as well as 50 new grape vines will pay off in the future, but this year, we are simply behind.
I also forget that no matter how lovely our baby is, between her mobility and needs and her brother's developmental issues (a story for another day), we are behind. I can't tackle my usual projects, which leaves more for James, and he can only do so much, as heroic as he is.
Garlic leaves are browning, so it's time to gather in that harvest as well. I hope it does not disappoint.
This probably reads as a long, drawn out complaint, but I don't mean to complain. We have been blessed abundantly by our Creator this year, as in past years. There will be plenty of produce to gather; and we are all healthy; and our farm is just changing!
Until next time, remember, this is not paradise. It's Purgatory Ranch.
Saturday, June 13, 2015
Zucchini!
Until next time, remember, this is not paradise. It's Purgatory Ranch.
Wednesday, June 10, 2015
Farm Life
When the rain stopped, the heat rolled in. After days of sweltering 90+ degree highs, the deep cracks have already reappeared. I am not made for the heat. My face turns bright red, I sweat profusely, and I can't drink enough water.
The June-bearing strawberries have pretty well concluded their season. We had a successful first year offering pick-your-own, which was lovely. Another 400 plants have been planted and hooked up to the watering system on a plot of the neighbor's land.
James managed to plant 50 grape vines, and only five show no signs of grown. That's fabulous, given that we planted in the worst of the clay mess and days of rain. Now most of the posts are up and only a few still need cement. Next will be the wire and strings. All in good time.
James has also tackled the weeding of the main bed and refilled where the corn didn't come up. Thanks a lot, pantry moths. I despise pantry moths. We'll plant sorghum for the chickena and see if we can provide some winter snacks for them.
I think we'll skip radishes and beet next year. We don't eat them, and we're not ready for market in June. We might skip the greens too, as I'm the only salad eater.
I can't remember if I mentioned our bush sweet cherry harvest was over in one day. The cherries were small, probably due to the dry, unusually warm spring. Our kids and friends picked all the cherries and enjoyed every last one of them. It was beautiful!
Our chickens have really ramped up egg production. We gathered 25 eggs, including one from Soup in her new coop. The pullers should begin laying in late June or early July.
The meat chickens arrived a week late back in April, so they weren't big enough by the butcher date of June 2. This reality makes me slightly sick to my stomach, as the massive amount of feed required each day clogs up the barn and is hard to obtain. What's up with no chicken feed in the stores? The meat chicks will be gone on Tuesday, so not much longer.
Laundry, spilled milk, books, and chaos fill our days. The weeds are growing to race the crops, but we're up for the challenge!
Until next time, remember, this is not paradise. It's Purgatory Ranch.
The June-bearing strawberries have pretty well concluded their season. We had a successful first year offering pick-your-own, which was lovely. Another 400 plants have been planted and hooked up to the watering system on a plot of the neighbor's land.
James managed to plant 50 grape vines, and only five show no signs of grown. That's fabulous, given that we planted in the worst of the clay mess and days of rain. Now most of the posts are up and only a few still need cement. Next will be the wire and strings. All in good time.
James has also tackled the weeding of the main bed and refilled where the corn didn't come up. Thanks a lot, pantry moths. I despise pantry moths. We'll plant sorghum for the chickena and see if we can provide some winter snacks for them.
I think we'll skip radishes and beet next year. We don't eat them, and we're not ready for market in June. We might skip the greens too, as I'm the only salad eater.
I can't remember if I mentioned our bush sweet cherry harvest was over in one day. The cherries were small, probably due to the dry, unusually warm spring. Our kids and friends picked all the cherries and enjoyed every last one of them. It was beautiful!
Our chickens have really ramped up egg production. We gathered 25 eggs, including one from Soup in her new coop. The pullers should begin laying in late June or early July.
The meat chickens arrived a week late back in April, so they weren't big enough by the butcher date of June 2. This reality makes me slightly sick to my stomach, as the massive amount of feed required each day clogs up the barn and is hard to obtain. What's up with no chicken feed in the stores? The meat chicks will be gone on Tuesday, so not much longer.
Laundry, spilled milk, books, and chaos fill our days. The weeds are growing to race the crops, but we're up for the challenge!
Until next time, remember, this is not paradise. It's Purgatory Ranch.
Saturday, May 30, 2015
Rainy Farm Life
The blessing of moisture in the form of rain frequently, for this farmer, becomes a moment to practice humility. The weeds and volunteer sunflowers have turned our lovely garden/field into an untidy disaster, but there's not a thing I can do to change it. Even if I pull weeds, I'll probably get stuck and lose a boot or two. The areas vacated by the chicken tractors are a wee bit smelly as old bits of food and dried manure have turned into a slimy mess. I can't do a thing to change that either. Nor can I change the "off" smell in the office after the kids stepped on a drain (again) and diverted the run off directly into the corner of the house.
But we need the rain. Never, ever forget that we need it. The pond is finally full, Six Penny Pond out at Purgatory Ranch is again full, our plants are growing by leaps and bounds thanks to the rain. Irrigating our crops has nothing on the beautiful of rain on the fields. We hear a giant bull frog most nights, and he would vacate if our pond dried up. The cats, strange beings that they are, prefer to drink rainwater out of puddles over bowls of clean well water. Our dirt roads are temporarily not dusty!
We've opened out strawberry patches for pick-your-own by appointment, and so far we are keeping the patches well picked. I think tomorrow, as a treat, I'll pick a bowl or two of remaining berries for the family. Tonight, I cut three large bowls full of damaged berries, and every single one was eaten. Our strawberries can finally keep up with demand!
The meat chickens and turkeys are rapidly growing, although the balance between feeding enough and too much for the meat chicks is on my mind. We haven't yet lost a chicken in late stages to heart or bone problems, and I'd like to keep it that way if possible. Part of the impetus behind growing our own meat is to treat the animals well while they live, and starving or over feeding don't seem like good management.
We celebrated our tenth anniversary this week, and James built me a new coop as a gift. He even painted it blue! We intend to paint our others, but time, paint, and weather haven't coincided lately. Today we moved Soup and her brood into the coop, and they really love the fresh grass. The fixed yard will have a chance to recover before the next birds arrive.
James is currently mowing. He has three yards to mow and an area to till here before the next rain arrives, and we have 400 strawberry plants waiting for a bed. We're behind, and that's the story of a farmer!
Until next time, remember, this is not paradise. It's Purgatory Ranch.
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