Here are some photos from the garden
Trying sweet potatoes under a row cover with black plastic mulch. They like it hot!
New strawberry bed with a red/pink flowering variety.
Showing posts with label work. Show all posts
Showing posts with label work. Show all posts
Tuesday, July 2, 2013
Swinging into summer
Well Spring sped by at an incredible pace, helped by the fact that we still had lots of snow on the ground mid-April! The weather was tolerable outside but countless times I could not start a project due to snow. Fencing was put off, yard work was put off... And by the time it finally started melting I was full swing into lambing and kidding! That event went off without too much trouble and the weather stayed nice. Now we have hit the high temperatures of summer I feel my springtime enthusiasm for fencing waning... Much nicer to potter around in the shade of my yard! Cilantro has somehow naturalized in my yard and shows up at the oddest places- here with the onions (and chickweed!)
Potatoes are looking good. Decided not to hill them this year and see what happens.
Radishes inter-seeded with carrots. By the time the radishes are done, the rows are thinned for the carrots!
Beans with squash at the far end of the bed
Tomatoes behind the beans
Broccoli under a row cover to avoid cabbage worm
More tomatoes
Flowers in between to encourage pollinators Tomatoes and peppers under a row cover. Covers add heat and conserve moisture.
Friday, February 15, 2013
So... what is it you Do all day? A day in the life of me
So what do we DO all day? In Winter?
Well, it depends largely upon the day, the weather, but mostly there are basic chores that need doing every day. How long it takes to do them, depends on the weather, too! There might be snow to move to get at the hay bales and to get through gates. The snow might be blowing making visibility poor, or if its really cold the tractors might need some begging and pleading to start.... No two days are alike!
My day usually begins with a cup of coffee and a fruit and Kefir smoothie (Kefir is a fermented milk drink with lots of probiotics).
I like to wait until sunup to start chores - easier to get around that way.
So I fill a few 4 liter milk jugs with water - one for the hens in the back yard, and about 4 depending on the day, for my needy/sick/elderly goats I keep separate in the barn.
We suit up to go outside, the number of layers depend on the temperature and wind chill expectancy but my pink coveralls and Muck boots make up part of the clothing every day.
First stop is the chicken coop. I give them fresh water (they have a heated bowl that keeps their water from freezing) and top up their layer ration as needed, open their little pop door and throw a handful of grains outside for them. Normally they all burst out the door! Only when its really windy or snowy do they stay indoors.
Next stop the goats and sheep. I drive the 2km accompanied by my 3 dogs - the Jack Russel called Dude, the Malinois called Spice and the Heeler/Collie cross called Reno.
Normally the sheep are outside, but the goats are still in the barn. Remus, the guard dog will run up to greet us. I feed him and use Spice to kick the couch potato goats out the barn. I find that if I let them have access to the barn 24/7 they tend to spend a lot of time lounging around, so kicking them out when the weather is decent (in my opinion, anything warmer than -10 daytime and no wind...) makes them eat more... and distribute their manure out on the land where it belongs, not in the barn where it needs hauling out by bobcat come spring.
Moving them out the barn gives me opportunity to scan for any sick/injured animals. All look fine, so I head off to the other barn where the needy goats are, towing a toboggan with my milk jugs filled with water.
I water them, give grain and hay and treat whatever needs treating. The barn cat gets fed, and we are basically done here for the morning routine. We roll out hay every 4 days for the goats, so if this was a feeding day, I would use Spice to round up the sheep and bring them into the corral. Both dog and sheep are used to the routine and more often than not, the sheep are in the corral before Spice and I are through the gate... much to her disappointment!
Then we would move in 4 big round bales of hay, cut the strings and roll out the hay with the tractor. When the gate is shut, we open the corral and the animals happily run to the fresh hay.
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Now on to Larry's farm. Most days in winter he is out trucking for off farm income, so I go down there with the dogs to feed the cows. The cows need feed every 2 days, or every day depending.
So here I start the tractor to let it warm up and use Spice and Reno to move the cows from one pen to the next pen. I put out hay for them with the tractor, cut the strings, and open the gate. The cows come back for feed and I can check them over for any signs of illness. I check the water bowls to make sure they are open, then feed the calves in the next pen. Back in the yard I check the deep freezers to ensure they are working, we have a lot of beef/chicken/turkey frozen at any one time.
By this time its normally lunch time so I head back to my house. After lunch I do things in and around the house - cleaning, laundry, or other projects like accounting and financial planning. The office stuff gets neglected during the busy summer months, so there is a lot of catching up to do, filing papers, planning the new years budget, planning grazing and when to market animals, what the breakeven price is, that sort of thing. Also reading - I might spend some time reading articles on animal health, improving facilities, new vaccines, new fencing products, etc.
Then there are website updates and correspondence to keep up with. If we needed to run into town for supplies, now is the time to do it. Closest groceries: 38km one way. Closest city: 100km one way.
An hour or so before sundown I head out to go and give the sheep and goats a bit of grain - my hay tested slightly low on energy and protein so the animals get a little bit of supplemental grain to maintain their body condition as they are all bred now and due to kid/lamb come May 1. I fill 10x 20liter pails with grain, put it in my truck and use Spice again to move the sheep and goats into the corral, so that I can pour out the grain in troughs in the pasture. Then there is a mad dash as all the animals try to fit through the gate at the same time to get at the treat :)
I feed the guard dog Remus, check on my needy animals again and treat as needed. If its a nice evening I would take the dogs for a walk.
The snow is deep and I have to stay on top of the hard ridges or risk breaking through to knee deep and in some places hip deep snow. We admire the sunset, listen to coyotes howling in the distance and head back home.
At home I go collect eggs from the coop and lock the hens in for the night to avoid predators turning them into a midnight lunch.
Now it is time for my supper and a chance to put my feet up!
Well, it depends largely upon the day, the weather, but mostly there are basic chores that need doing every day. How long it takes to do them, depends on the weather, too! There might be snow to move to get at the hay bales and to get through gates. The snow might be blowing making visibility poor, or if its really cold the tractors might need some begging and pleading to start.... No two days are alike!
My day usually begins with a cup of coffee and a fruit and Kefir smoothie (Kefir is a fermented milk drink with lots of probiotics).
I like to wait until sunup to start chores - easier to get around that way.
So I fill a few 4 liter milk jugs with water - one for the hens in the back yard, and about 4 depending on the day, for my needy/sick/elderly goats I keep separate in the barn.
We suit up to go outside, the number of layers depend on the temperature and wind chill expectancy but my pink coveralls and Muck boots make up part of the clothing every day.
First stop is the chicken coop. I give them fresh water (they have a heated bowl that keeps their water from freezing) and top up their layer ration as needed, open their little pop door and throw a handful of grains outside for them. Normally they all burst out the door! Only when its really windy or snowy do they stay indoors.
The hens have a bit of straw to scratch in, they love it and keeps their toes off the snow :)
Next stop the goats and sheep. I drive the 2km accompanied by my 3 dogs - the Jack Russel called Dude, the Malinois called Spice and the Heeler/Collie cross called Reno.
Normally the sheep are outside, but the goats are still in the barn. Remus, the guard dog will run up to greet us. I feed him and use Spice to kick the couch potato goats out the barn. I find that if I let them have access to the barn 24/7 they tend to spend a lot of time lounging around, so kicking them out when the weather is decent (in my opinion, anything warmer than -10 daytime and no wind...) makes them eat more... and distribute their manure out on the land where it belongs, not in the barn where it needs hauling out by bobcat come spring.
Moving them out the barn gives me opportunity to scan for any sick/injured animals. All look fine, so I head off to the other barn where the needy goats are, towing a toboggan with my milk jugs filled with water.
I water them, give grain and hay and treat whatever needs treating. The barn cat gets fed, and we are basically done here for the morning routine. We roll out hay every 4 days for the goats, so if this was a feeding day, I would use Spice to round up the sheep and bring them into the corral. Both dog and sheep are used to the routine and more often than not, the sheep are in the corral before Spice and I are through the gate... much to her disappointment!
Then we would move in 4 big round bales of hay, cut the strings and roll out the hay with the tractor. When the gate is shut, we open the corral and the animals happily run to the fresh hay.
.JPG)
Rolled out hay. I took this picture in December before we had a lot of snow.
Now on to Larry's farm. Most days in winter he is out trucking for off farm income, so I go down there with the dogs to feed the cows. The cows need feed every 2 days, or every day depending.
So here I start the tractor to let it warm up and use Spice and Reno to move the cows from one pen to the next pen. I put out hay for them with the tractor, cut the strings, and open the gate. The cows come back for feed and I can check them over for any signs of illness. I check the water bowls to make sure they are open, then feed the calves in the next pen. Back in the yard I check the deep freezers to ensure they are working, we have a lot of beef/chicken/turkey frozen at any one time.
My helper Dude on good days, in the tractor
Happy calves on a nice day
Spice the archaeologist showing me her prize.... a dead calf skull and neck from the bury pit.
A not-so-nice day driving to the farm...
Windy and snowy and cold!
cow butts, heads buried in hay I put out
Dude on the not-so-nice days, stays in the truck
Cows sheltering at the windbreaks
By this time its normally lunch time so I head back to my house. After lunch I do things in and around the house - cleaning, laundry, or other projects like accounting and financial planning. The office stuff gets neglected during the busy summer months, so there is a lot of catching up to do, filing papers, planning the new years budget, planning grazing and when to market animals, what the breakeven price is, that sort of thing. Also reading - I might spend some time reading articles on animal health, improving facilities, new vaccines, new fencing products, etc.
Then there are website updates and correspondence to keep up with. If we needed to run into town for supplies, now is the time to do it. Closest groceries: 38km one way. Closest city: 100km one way.
An hour or so before sundown I head out to go and give the sheep and goats a bit of grain - my hay tested slightly low on energy and protein so the animals get a little bit of supplemental grain to maintain their body condition as they are all bred now and due to kid/lamb come May 1. I fill 10x 20liter pails with grain, put it in my truck and use Spice again to move the sheep and goats into the corral, so that I can pour out the grain in troughs in the pasture. Then there is a mad dash as all the animals try to fit through the gate at the same time to get at the treat :)
A snowy evening - can you spot the guardian dog in this picture? I just pulled up for evening chores when I took this picture quick before he moved
There he is!
STREEEETCHHHHH - bear in mind, he picked that spot for himself. He can go into the barn with the sheep and the goats, but he was comfortable on the straw bale stack.
Delays, delays.... snow blew in again to my 2nd barn where the needy critters are.
The top wire of the mesh sticking out above a snow drift. the wire that is just below my knee, should be waist high..... Remus runs over the fences, thank goodness the sheep, goats and horses haven't ventured out yet.....!
I feed the guard dog Remus, check on my needy animals again and treat as needed. If its a nice evening I would take the dogs for a walk.
Remus and Spice playing
A corner where 3 pastures meet... under 4 ft of snow
my well is completely covered now
The snow is deep and I have to stay on top of the hard ridges or risk breaking through to knee deep and in some places hip deep snow. We admire the sunset, listen to coyotes howling in the distance and head back home.
Remus on a windy evening walk
At home I go collect eggs from the coop and lock the hens in for the night to avoid predators turning them into a midnight lunch.
The hens waiting for their evening snack. See their fence covered in snow in the foreground? The hens only venture as far as the compacted path I made, they stay out of the deep snow.
A peaceful evening
Saturday, January 12, 2013
Blizzard Part 2: digging out
The wind blew relentlessly through the night.
The next morning even before it was light, I knew there was a LOT of snow.
Main Street was impassable. I was stuck until someone came to blade me out.
I spent the morning doing a few things around home.
Walked out to the hens and gave them fresh water and some scratch grains. The snow was over my knees on the way to the coop. My yard is pretty sheltered with a lot of trees so normally I do not get much for snow drifts.
I spent a vigorous 20 minutes digging out my truck, and then used the roof rake to rake some snow off my house roof - being an older house, it needs insulation in the attic and the heat escapes there, so ice dams could form on the roof if the snow is not cleared off. Insulating the attic is #459 on my to-do list for this year. :)
The wind was still blowing, I walked up Main Street a ways where a tractor had plowed a single lane - visibility was still poor and I had to wait for the street to be cleared because there was 20 feet of 3 foot deep snow between my truck and the lane.
Finally at 1:30 the wind had died down enough and the tractors started clearing the street (living in a very small town, we just have a neighboring farmer come and clear snow from the streets)
The bit of pavement out to my goats had drifts on it, but with 4x4 I could get through. The biggest drifts, however were at the goat farm. Oh my goodness!
One massive one blocked my access to the old shop - that's where I have some good square bales stashed in the back, and my more needy goats (the sick or old or injured) stay in the front. the drift was well over 6 feet high, and over 10 feet wide. Nothing to do but start clearing a track so I could open the little gate and get at some square bales to toboggan for the goats in the barn.
The next morning even before it was light, I knew there was a LOT of snow.
View from my livingroom window early morning. No main street visible... can just see the rink on the far side of the street
Going out to water chickens, snow over my knees
Dude looking hopeful that we can get in the truck
Garden shed
Main Street when it was still blowing
Main Street was impassable. I was stuck until someone came to blade me out.
I spent the morning doing a few things around home.
Walked out to the hens and gave them fresh water and some scratch grains. The snow was over my knees on the way to the coop. My yard is pretty sheltered with a lot of trees so normally I do not get much for snow drifts.
I spent a vigorous 20 minutes digging out my truck, and then used the roof rake to rake some snow off my house roof - being an older house, it needs insulation in the attic and the heat escapes there, so ice dams could form on the roof if the snow is not cleared off. Insulating the attic is #459 on my to-do list for this year. :)
The wind was still blowing, I walked up Main Street a ways where a tractor had plowed a single lane - visibility was still poor and I had to wait for the street to be cleared because there was 20 feet of 3 foot deep snow between my truck and the lane.
Finally at 1:30 the wind had died down enough and the tractors started clearing the street (living in a very small town, we just have a neighboring farmer come and clear snow from the streets)
Main Street
Abandoned house on Railway Avenue, magpie in the tree
Main Street after I got bladed out - still not cleaned up to go North.
The bit of pavement out to my goats had drifts on it, but with 4x4 I could get through. The biggest drifts, however were at the goat farm. Oh my goodness!
One massive one blocked my access to the old shop - that's where I have some good square bales stashed in the back, and my more needy goats (the sick or old or injured) stay in the front. the drift was well over 6 feet high, and over 10 feet wide. Nothing to do but start clearing a track so I could open the little gate and get at some square bales to toboggan for the goats in the barn.
The massive drift in front of the shop
I crawled up part of it to peer in
There I can see the goats and the top of the 4ft high little gate
I knew that under the snow was a 4 ft high, 8 ft long gate perpendicular to the shop and if I could find it, I could follow it to tunnel into the shop. The photo below you can see a slight line that is the top of the 4ft high gate. A goat is looking hopeful that I would reach them
Some serious elbow grease later! I can see the gate!
From inside the shop looking out.
That task done, I checked on the barn. All the animals had come up to the barn, and the track to the round bales was blown in. I trail blazed for them (no mean feat) and the horses followed, making an easier trail for the sheep who streamed out, grateful.
Snow drifts in the corral
Spice standing on top of a 4ft high drift
Putting the hay bales on edge, kinda makes its own little windbreak. You can see the snow piled on the North side of the bale. The sheep have been bedding in the hay that they are not eating.
Happy sheep this morning (Saturday)
At Larry's farm - laneway
Sheep and drifts
Closeup of wind sculpted snow
Drifts in the corral.
I tobogganed some square bales to the barn for some goats that were still reluctant to leave their shelter for food. Lucky everyone had survived the storm. Goats are finicky and might just get depressed and die if a storm lasts too long! Good thing I had forked in hay the day before, it was all gone.
The force of Nature is incredible. We will be dealing with the aftermath of this for a while. I had a friendly neighbor help me clear some snow at the goats, but Larry and I will have to dig out goats and clear a track in the pasture over the next couple days to be able to get in to feed. Monday is supposed to be +2 which should settle the snow so it quits blowing.
But yes, Mother Nature is a force to be reckoned with. :)
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