It is hard to write posts for our blog right now. We lived in an apartment this summer as we searched for a new house. During this process we had to give all of our animals away. We also didn't have a lot of time to prepare for winter in our new home. Therefore we don't have a lot to share with you in the backyard farming, gardening front. Be patient with us for now and we guarantee that early next year we will start to have more backyard farming experiences to share. Here are some of the things that we want to do next year on our property.
We want to build a chicken coop and get chickens. We plan on fencing our backyard area and we would like to get at least one milking goat next year. We want to start beekeeping and have at least one hive. We want to have portion of our front yard that is an edible landscape so it is both pretty, and also provides us with herbs that Marisa can us in her tinctures, and that I can use in my cooking.We want to add compost and sand to our soil (the soil is mainly clay out here) and prep a garden area, then plant a garden. We want to plant 4 fruit trees, a patch of strawberries, and a row of raspberries along our fence.
In addition to all of this, our lon
g term goals are to have a greenhouse, a root cellar, continue planting more fruit trees, solar panels on the house, more goats, a wood burning bread/pizza oven, and the list goes on and on. Now you know some of our goals.Winter is nice in that it gives us all an opportunity to plan and dream of harvests to come. What are your goals for your backyard farm next year? Leave a comment. Maybe some of your plans will give us even more ideas of what we would like to do.
Michael
I would like to learn how to graft. My espalier nectarine looks sunburned and truly needs some lower laterals. I don't know why; but I keep putting off trying grafting.
ReplyDeleteCorn may also be on the list of crops to plant this summer. I hesitate because of worms.
This summer will be less tomatoes and more beans to dry store.
If you want to get dairy goats you will need at least 2 as they need constant companionship. Otherwise they will be very unhappy and will make you very unhappy (constant yelling and escaping).
ReplyDeleteI think that sometimes winter planning is almost as much fun as the actual doing.
ReplyDeleteWe got our little chicken coop and converted it into a moveable "tractor" style coop over the summer. (Photo here: http://wheatlessfoodie.blogspot.com/2010/10/half-cow.html)
I plan to enlarge our vegetable garden - more vegies, less grass to mow! Right now, the girls are busy "tilling" and fertilizing the garden area.
Cindy
You're plans sound great! And you have to start somewhere, right? If you don't plan, you'll have the chicken coop where you later want to put an orchard, etc.
ReplyDeleteWe're still trying to get enough cash together to level a spot on the mountain for a mini-barn for goats, fencing, water, and so on for our future milkers. Bees will go in for sure this spring - the hive is painted and ready with the exception of adding a stand to it to keep ants out. I'll be using some pipes set inside cans with some kind of oil (I think...).
Have you thought of vermiculture? I'm hoping to start that soon.
ReplyDeleteMaybelline- Good luck on learning to graft.
ReplyDeleteRachel- I had forgotten that goats were social animals. We will have to get two. Thanks for the reminder.
Cindy- I like the idea of enlargening your garden and mowing less.
Amy- good luck with your bees. Have you had them before? If not we will be new beekeepers together.
Julie- Vermiculture seems like a good idea. Do you do it? If so what do you do with the worms in the winter?
We had worms when we lived in Phoenix (and had to bring them indoors in the summer).
ReplyDeleteDepending on the size of your bin, and the temp of your basement or garage, they could be stored there for the winter. If it is small enough, you could put it in a closet (or under the sink) in your house.
Now we live in Little Rock and will bring them in the garage in winter.
Your plans sound wonderful sorry you had to move and give away your animals, that must have been hard.
ReplyDeleteI was reading some of your chicken raising posts and love them. I also have chickens and I can't imagine having to part with them. Hopefully everything works out for the best for you guys.