We have been SO busy on the farm lately! Planting is almost all done, baby animals are growing fast and we have tackled some big infrastructure improvements.
I have done almost all the garden bed prep myself this year, using my tried and true hand tools: broadfork, hoe, hand plows. My back is sore, but covering the beds with plastic all winter left them weed free and ready to cultivate. Andy is my weeding pro and he had so much less to do thanks to that plastic. A few of our beds are even looking like they have ‘soil’ in them, vs clay clods. Oh, what 7 years of rabbit manure and compost will do! I’m excited to be trying some new crops this year: blue corn (for fresh eating, canning and drying), amaranth and orach for salad greens and grains for our birds AND i’ve covered a new area to kill the grass for putting in some fall-planted grains to supplement our poultry feed next summer.
We built a new mobile coop this past winter: first using it for the first batch of muscovy babies, then moved it out for the chickens. It is working GREAT! Stay tuned for a blog post with instructions on how to build one for yourself. I can roll it all on my own if the grass is mowed and it stays warm and dry inside for the birds in even the nastiest weather.
Andy used his ‘extended spring break’ due to the school closures to frame and enclose the end walls of our greenhouse. He did such a good job!! You’d almost think he knew what he was doing. No more howling winds under the tunnel, though i now need to shell out some more change to buy some big ole fans: it gets HOT in there!
To facilitate fans AND make watering our flocks of duck easier, we laid in some underground water lines and included electric wires while we were at it. I will now have water spigots and outlets in my greenhouse, and Andy won’t have to string together 80 hoses just to fill the ducks’ kiddy pools! We are starting to look professional around here!
Add to all these projects a ‘new toy’ to help me battle our blackberries and scotch broom. I’m pretty stoked to finally eradicate (hahaha, ya right) these tenacious weeds and this new tool is going to help me get there with less elbow grease.
We love this time of year! The grass and trees are SO green, the swallows and other songbirds fill the sky with both their lovely feathers and beautiful songs, the ducks are all so happy to have fresh grass to wander through and the weather is just the right temp for hard work without sunburn or too much sweat.
I hope you’re having a great spring, too. Check out our Instagram and Facebook posts and stories for even more glimpses at our lifestyle. We are so happy to live the lives we do, and that’s a pretty great way to feel.
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