Category Archives: Homestead

Summer 2020

Summer has come and gone without a single post on this blog. That’s not too surprising, as summer is one of our busiest seasons and this summer seemed especially packed. We rearranged our business model, added in milk, took care of an elderly parent who had a fall and hosted our niece for two and a half months. All the while the garden grew, presented new challenges and fed our family. I decided to do a photo dump of our summer, since I don’t have the time to recapture it all. Summer 2020 will go down in the record books as strange and wonderful.

Pep

Preparing Spring Beds

Despite being February and technically still winter, it is spring here on the farm.
I love spring.
All summer long I am busy making compost, in “cold” piles and with the chickens but as much as I work to make as much compost as I can there is never enough.  Because of this and because we are adding 450 feet of market beds we purchased and had compost trucked in.
Last Fall we staked out the new garden.  Previous it had been a big pumpkin patch, but we needed to move it because of squash bug issue and I wanted my new market beds closer to the established garden area.  The pumpkins will go in the new, raw area, they are a good plant to break in a new place. We made each bed 30″ wide and 50′ long.
Not wanting to disturb the soil already there and not wanting to churn up weed seeds we are laying six inches of compost right on top of the soil and not mixing it in.  Well made compost can be planted directly in, it won’t be too hot. The isles will be planted with mini clover, that will help keep the weeds and dust down and when it is mowed we will rake the clippings right into the garden beds, and as the plants grow we will add mulch and cover crops.
I love this picture, it shows the steaming compost both in the pile and in the wheelbarrow.  This shows how well the microbe activity is, good healthy microbes mean good healthy soil. It is also nice on a cool morning to be able to warm up at the pile!

Our beds are all ready to go.  In about two weeks I will be starting seeds indoors to be planed out the first part of April.  The Peas will be direct seeded mid-march, carrots and beets will also be direct sown in April.

I am so excited for the season to begin!

Raspberry Fields

Working on the future raspberry patch. There are twelve 50 foot rows.

One of the projects we have been discussing and planning for almost forever has been a rather large raspberry patch.  Ultimately we would like to run some sort of pick-your-own or selling shares of some sort, but to get to that point we have a lot of planning, planting and work to do.

As we have talked about before, the soil here is very barren and can be challenging to grow in.  When its wet it is thick and sticky, when dry its almost like powder. We have found various permaculture methods that work very well in our arid climate and low fertility, including deep mulch, no-till and low-till.  Another methods that is quite effective is the combination of hugelkultur and swales, often called “drop dead swales”.

Hugelkulturs are hills or various sizes made by piling old logs and branches then covering the up with compost and soil.  The hugelkultur then naturally collects moisture in the old, dead wood and as it breaks down creates nutrients for the plants that are planted in the hugelkultur. The problem with classic hugelkulturs in our climate is that we have a hard time having enough natural moisture to keep it wet enough.  We are just too dry, in my opinion.  So we add in the swale.  A swale is a man made natural depression in the land that helps collect rain water.  Instead of the rain water running off it collects and soaks into the earth naturally crating pockets of fertility.  a swale can be as big or little as needed.

We combine the two.

Loads and loads of horse manure hauled down from our very gracious neighbors.

In areas where we will be planting perennial beds and trees we use the “drop dead swale” method to help create water retention and fertility to places that cant always have piles of compost added easily. In theory once the perennial plants get going they will naturally create their own fertility as long as they have enough water.

A swale filled with old wood, ready to have leaves and manure added.

To create a “drop dead swale” we first dig a nice big trench, about two feet deep.  Then we add wood.  Our property came with a lot of old, dry construction debris.  Mostly 2×4 ends that have been laying exposed for close to 15 or more years.  This stuff is dry, and perfect.  We fill the trenches about half way.
On top of the old wood we add dead leaves and then horse manure and bedding. We almost completely fill the trenches.  This adds organice matter that will increase the water storing ability of the soil and the manure adds nutrients.  These will also attract beneficial micro-organisms and worms.

A swale with wood, leaves and manure.

When the trenches are filled in there is enough dirt to leave a nice ridge on the downward slope side of the field, so as rain comes and snow melts the water wont just run off the land, it will stop and soak into the dry wood waiting for it. This will reduce the need for supplemental water during the long, hot, dry summers.

A swale being cover with a small ridge left to catch water run off.

We are furiously working on this before the snow comes, we want it ready for raspberry planting this spring.  This is long hard work, with the promise of fields of raspberries some day.

Meadow

The “Orchard Meadow” thick and green, full of a variety of grasses and perennial weeds.

When we moved to the farm almost seven years ago the area that we now call the “Orchard Meadow” was barren, except for tumble weeds, some cheat grass and burrs. It was pretty sad.  Our efforts to reclaim the land, to restore and add fertility and productivity were really quite simple.  All land will eventually restore itself and naturally move towards supporting life and fertility within its sphere, we were looking to accelerate that process and add a bit more.

Common Mallow and White Clover, both have a very important roll in the health and vigor of the meadow.

To begin with we mowed down all the weeds and planted trees, mulching them deeply with horse manure, straw and wood chips. The second winter we over seeded the whole thing with drought tolerant pasture grasses and in the spring white clover and sweet clover.  We irrigated the entire meadow and let the grass, clover and weeds grow.

Comfrey, the deep tap root bring important minerals to the surface and when mowed deposit them where the trees and grasses can most benefit .

Yes, even the weeds. Weeds in the context of reclaiming pasture are not a bad thing.  The earth naturally reclaims herself, and what we would call common weeds are some of the first plants that come into an area to help restore, rebuild and nourish. And we had a lot of weeds, big tall lambs quarter and hog weed, and we mowed them a few times and in doing that created a layer of natural mulch. Every year the grass, clovers and good perennial weeds got thicker and the starter weeds became less and less. We added animals in movable pens to eat down the grass and fertilize.

Alfalfa, creates a lot of biomass and fixes nitrogen from the air and makes it bioavailable in the soil around it.

This year our trees are bigger and the grass thicker and greener than it’s ever been.  I still have to water at least once a week because the trees are still young (some only a year old, we lost a few to gophers) but soon the plan is to only water every few weeks as needed.

Plantain, not only great for the pasture, but very medicinal.

 

Autumn

Autumn or Fall as some people refer to it is one of my favorite times of the year.  To me it is like the Earth taking in a deep breath just before a long slumber.

Even in a person
most times indifferent
to things around him
they waken feelings
the first winds of autumn

— Saigyo

 

Everyone feels the pull of Autumn.   Plants and trees make their final push to grow, dig deep, and get ready for a long sleep.  They then blanket the ground with their leaves, knowing that they will help them survive and produce for another year.

Autumn is a time for reflection, and a time for thanksgiving.   It is a time to look back over the year, applaud your accomplishments, and to learn from your mistakes.  It is a time to reflect on what worked on the farm or in the garden, and what did not work.  A time to make goals and plans for the next planting season.  It is also a time to slow down, to enjoy, and rest.  Autumn issues in winter, and winter is a time when the Earth sleeps, and gets ready for the wakening of Spring, and the hard labor of Summer.

I enjoy Autumn, the change changes in the color, the changes in the weather.  It is the time of preparation for the next planting season.

I hope that everyone will allow some time in the next few weeks to look at the Earth, what it has given us this year, and be thankful for its bounty.   And to also reflect on next year, and what we will do with the partnership we have with it and nature.

liddy

Front Yard Spring

998130_10151736568511584_589948297_nThis is one of the views you get when you travel the roads that lead to our little piece of heaven.  To get to our farm, you have to drive on a gravel road.  Being isolated like that gives has advantages and disadvantages.  This year has been the year of replacements.  We have replaced our water heaters, air conditioner, furnace and who knows what will happen next.

When I got home from work on Monday, I noticed that there was a nice sized puddle at the end of the driveway.  I did not think much about it at first, but then after noticing it again a little later I started to ask what caused it.  We had rain the night before, but not enough to have generated that puddle.  So I asked if the kids had been playing with the hose, etc.  After eliminated everything that could of caused it, my oldest said, “Dad, come look at this.”  We walked out and she showed me a little spot in the puddle that had water bubbling up from the ground.

I am like YEAH, we have discovered a new spring.  Maybe it will be high in salt content so we can start harvesting our own salt. (Like what Eustace does in S5:E15 of Mountain Men).  Or we now have a way to water the livestock without having to use city water to do so.  But of course, the new found spring was related to the higher water bills, low water pressure, and the noise the pipes in the house would make on occasion.   We had a main water line leak.  From what I could tell, the water line between the house, and the city water meter had sprung a leak, and had finally saturated the ground so much that it had stated to surface.  And of course, the leak was coming from under the concrete portion of the drive way.  I just wanted to sit down a cry, a repair like that can be very expensive.

So I called a friend of mine to see what he would suggest we do.  This friend owns a company called Mr. and Mrs. Handyman.  Jeramiah has helped us with a few projects in the past (Finding the Septic Tank, Installing the Wood Stove, New Bathroom, and the list goes on), and I figured I could pick his brain for a minute to see what he would do.  Within 20 minutes he showed up with his mini-x and we started digging to see what was going on.  (He had just finished up with another client, and had replaced their waterline, so he had everything he needed already loaded.)

14444776_10154612486261584_549593418792284411_oYup, we found that the water leak was coming from under the driveway, so we then went to work on the side closest to the house.

14358845_10154612563171584_6850956663760246985_nIn a few hours, we had both ends of the driveway excavated down to the pipe and knew what needed to be done the next morning.

14470487_10209336788369839_8300368970339853482_nJeramiah showed up early in the morning and the work really started.   We wanted to avoid digging up the driveway, so Jeramiah came up with the idea of using a connector and hooking the old water line to the new water line, and then pulling the old water line from under the driveway and keep pulling so that the new water line replaced it.  It worked well, we were able to pull the new line under the driveway without having to cut any concrete.

We then dug the trench from the driveway to the meter box by the street through our gravel driveway.  Hooked the new line up to the house, and the meter, turn on the water, looked for leaks.  And verified that the meter showed no new usage (after everything refiled in the house).   At that point, we started to back fill the trench, and compact it in layers as we backfilled.

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You can see Tom having a fun time playing in the dirt, and watching as the trench was dug.

14440671_10154614468796584_1457433882002849893_nAfter everything was said and done, we had 80 feet of new water line ran, and the driveway was now usable again.

I am just very grateful that we found it now, and now during the winter.  I am also very grateful for my friends, and their willingness and ability to help do things like that.  If you EVER need a handyman, I suggest you contact Jeramiah and see if he can help you out.  Our house has given him the ability to try a few firsts.  Like extending the neck of a septic tank that the home builder buried under 8 feet of dirt, to pulling a new water line under a driveway without having to cut the driveway.

Beans

I almost always plant a lot of green beans, they seems to grow well under any circumstance, and it seemed like this season it would be the same. Except it isn’t. Everything seemed to start off well, the beans popped right up and got big and strong at first, then they stalled a bit, and started to look a bit poorly. I got an organic fertilizer, and some of them perked up a bit, but not all and not for long.

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I love the look of pole beans in the garden, the vertical towers add dimension and depth.

A few weeks ago they looked big enough to start staking and a few started their journey up, but as you can see in the photo, they aren’t very lush and look a bit, sad.
IMG_6705The green beans were planted in one of the two beds that we didn’t sheet mulch.  We didn’t have time to get it done before planting season and I figured that since they were such a hardy and easy-going plant that they’d do just fine with a little manure raked in.  I was wrong.  I think they might be jealous of their neighbors, who are planted in several inches of good compost and mulched heavily with bark and leaves.  Who knew green beans could be such divas?

In reality, I think 4 seasons of planting have taken every bit of fertility the land could possibly give and she had nothing more. In the next week I plan on taking out half of the pole beans and giving the land a nice layer of compost and bunny manure and then I will plant some short season bush beans for a good fall crop.  The other half I will leave, they seem to be doing a bit better and I hope to still have towers of green in my garden.

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buds just starting on my purple bush beans.

 

Goats on Pasture

The Goats are almost three months old now and fully weaned, its time they go to pasture and be trained on the line.
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Part of the purpose of our goats is weed control and sustainable grazing. Grazing animals can be very destructive to the land if their grazing isn’t focused and managed.  On the flip side, land that isn’t grazed by herbivores will become over grown and unhealthy, quickly pulling more from the soil then adding back.  They synergy between the grasslands and its herbivores is slowly becoming recognized and honored.
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When a herbivore eats the grass the roots of the grass die back a little, leaving organic matter and open channels in the soil for beneficial microbes to feast on and water to run down.  Then there is a flush of new grown, invigorating the grass, making it stronger and producing more roots to break up the soil and provide for those microbes I love so much.  In turn the herbivore leaves its manure, full of nutrients and seeds to further bless the land.  A pasture can be easily over grazed, if animals are kept on it continually with out a rest period, it becomes distressed and can’t sustain new growth. That is where management comes in.  We no longer have vast prairies with massive herds of buffalo and birds doing the job, we now have to facilitate the process, by using rotational grazing and letting the pasture rest in between grazing.
IMG_6694Here on our farm we don’t have vast pastures, we have small meadows and paddocks, but that same principle applies, just on a smaller scale.  We set the goats out daily to graze, watching carefully so as not to over tax the land and then move our animals so the plot can rest and rejuvenate, making it more fertile and productive.

Planting Permaculture Style

One of the hallmarks of permaculture is using deep mulch to build fertility, slow down weed growth and preserve moisture. We’ve spent many hours gathering yard waste, chipping and shredding it and spreading it in the garden beds. In some of the beds we already had plants growing, in those beds we piled the mulch around the seedlings. But in other beds, that hadn’t been planted yet we covered the entire thing.
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Which makes things a little different come planting time.  In the past it was fairly straight forward, hoe a little row, sprinkle seeds, cover and water.  Done.  Simple.

When using deep mulching the trick is to get the seeds in the soil, to dig past all the mulch to the actual dirt.  People do this two different ways, some people dig down, and some people dig a little hole or row and fill it with compost for the seeds to grow in. I used the “dig down” method.  Having ten 50×4 foot beds to plant, that is a lot of compost to haul around and add!
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Using a hoe I dug down, a good six to eight inches to reach the soil for my little seeds.  I was amazed at the difference in the soil already, after only having prepared the beds a few months ago.  It makes me excited, I am looking forward to seeing how great the soil will be next year and the next!

Building our own soil, building our fertility, growing food for our family and for others, making the world beautiful and productive all the while honoring the natural systems that have been here from the beginning.  That is the goal of Quail Run Farm and one of our greatest labors of love.
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Goats

Guest Post by
Kit 

On May 28, we had some new additions to the farm, three little baby goats. At only a month old, they had never been away from their mother, we had to become their moms. First we named them, we took a family vote. We all decided on Dolly for the girl, she is the most stubborn, and she gets her way. We have to hold her the most and get her used to us handling her because we will be milking her in the future. Then there is Jeb, he is the one with big black patches on him, he has the biggest horns and just likes to play. Lastly we have the runt, Jethro, he looks just like Dolly, but he is the littlest and just likes to be around us.

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Dolly the little girl

They totally depend on us just like they had with their mother. So we had to get them used to us so they thought of us as family, and they would trust us so we can feed and milk them. We got them and we just played with them, all the little kids were holding them. They really loved all the attention. we got little harnesses for them, so we can let them graze and can control where they go. Then we showed them their house and the yard they would stay in and graze.

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Jed learning how to use a bottle

Because we are their “moms” we have to feed them just like their mother did. It was hard to get them to take the bottle, we had to get them to open their mouths and to actually stay drinking it. It was very messy. When we first started they would hardly have anything, and they needed three ounces each feeding, three times a day. Now that they have been with us for a week and a half, they have figured it all out. We got special goat bottles that are more like what they are used to so it got easier.
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Now we just hold the bottle out and they come and know how it all works, they even follow us when we have the bottle. That’s how we get them back into the yard now, just hold out a bottle and they will go where you want them to. Dolly took the longest to figure it out, and she wasn’t eating as much as her brothers, or what she needed to at all. She just figured it all out today, things have to happen when she wants them to or not at all.
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The first night we had them, they got out! lucky they didn’t want to explore, and just went to the house. we fixed the gate so they can’t get out anymore. one day we went out for their feeding and Jethro had his head stuck in the gate. Who knows what other surprises will happen with them. One thing the goats really like is to be held, one time Dolly was sitting on my lap and she fell asleep. First day we got them, Jethro let me hold him like a baby.
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It’s really cool and funny to see how much personality they each have. Jethro really likes to nibble on our clothes, fingers, and even hair, if he can get to it. Dolly always plays “king of the hill” (or in this case log, rocks, or even our backs if we are bending over) she can pretty much climb everywhere and beats her brothers at it. Jeb is just there, he kinda does his own thing but he is the first to get the bottle when ever he can just pushes Jethro out of the way.
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