Category Archives: Basic skills

by | November 16, 2012

Homesteading Series: Part 2: Next Steps

Homesteading Series

Part Two

Next Steps

Chicken coop, Sabine Farms, Marshall, Texas

Chicken coop, Sabine Farms, Marshall, Texas (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The next phase as I see it in regard to homesteading is to figure out your plans.  There are many things to consider that can play into the homesteading scene.  I will try to go more in depth with each topic, but thought is best to try to lay out the basics.  I will try to think of everything and am certain that I will leave some things out.

In the first part of this series, we talked about site selection.  For this part and moving forward, I am going to assume that step one has been taken care of.  I will figure that a water supply is secured and a home built.  (I suppose that a site could be purchased and set up in a different way than what I am describing here.  For instance, acreage could be obtained, yet the building of the house may be in the distance….so don’t lose hope if you can’t have the acreage and the home right off the bat.)  Some of these steps can be taken out of order.

  1. Animal selection.  I recommend starting with chickens because they are cheap and easy, yet you get the incredible, edible egg as a result.  Most consider a dairy cow or a goat for milk production.  Sheep provide wool.  I would also suggest a dog of some sort for protection and possibly as a working dog.
  2. Building selection.  This will need to be built around the potential animals.  For instance,
    Chickens in the chicken tractor at an organic ...

    A Chicken tractor. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

    a small outbuilding works great for chickens.  They can even be managed in a portable chicken coop (or a chicken tractor)which has a variety of designs.  A larger barn is necessary for cattle, goats, sheep, pigs and horses.

  3. Animal containment.  This will again depend on the type of animal.  Cattle and horses test fences in ways that are different from pigs.  Chickens are a whole another ball of wax.
  4. Plant Selection.  Do you want an orchard?  How about a berry plot?  A grape arbor?  And of course a garden.  I like Heirloom plants for seed saving, making yourself more self-sufficient in the process and potentially saving money down the road.
  5. Garden site.  Raised beds?  Traditional garden?  Should you build a cold frame or two? (yes!)
  6. Medicine strategy.  By this I am thinking along the line of herbs.  You will need to consider which herbs that you will need and want to grow.
  7. Storage Consideration:  With homesteading you will likely be saving root crops, making a root cellar a reasonable thought.  You will likely be canning, so you will need jars, lids, and a canner.
  8. Tool Selection.  What tools will you need to have on hand?  Again, you might want to prepare for the practical and think toward the possibility of major circumstances changing.  As an example, you may get a chainsaw and a really good handsaw, just in case fuel becomes scarce.  I will suggest some nice tools that I have found for the garden throughout that content of this entire blog site.

I am certain that I have left some things out, so watch for this one to get edited in the future.  I typically write these posts as they come to me, not well thought out and written down onto paper.  Any thoughts and suggestions are always appreciated!  I will get some more thoughts down on homesteading and put those thoughts into it as I review a few resources.

Until Next Time.

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by | September 24, 2012

The importance of water

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I continue to be amazed by the simplicity of water. It is all around us, yet so vital. I should not admit that I let the water run out in the chicken coop. I thought that they could just get water in the cow barn, so I did’t worry much about it. It occurred to me that our daily egg production was dwindling at about the same time. I put fresh water in the pen and the daily production doubled. So simple, yet so vital.  That is the importance of water in one example.

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by | September 19, 2012

Organic Apple Trees

So we have had a small orchard (well 5 apple trees and a struggling peach tree) on our property ever since we moved in.  Each year, these trees produce some fruit, get worms and end up in the compost pile or the chicken pen.  I am wanting to get apples for our use if possible.  Even cider apples would be an improvement over what we have gotten in the past.

Apple fruit

Apple fruit (Photo credit: @Doug88888)

Having watched this process for many years, I am ready to try to tackle the problem.  I am concerned about the amount of pesticides and sprays that I see used in our local orchards.  I am wondering if there is a more natural, organic or safer way to produce good fruit from these trees.  So far, I have been able to find some things about increasing airflow and sunlight.  This revolves around around pruning.  However, I can not find a resource that I can understand on how to prune the right way.

I recently happened upon some websites that promote dormant spray and lime sulfur. According to some, dormant spray is simply mineral oil.  According to one of the places I looked, mineral oil is simply a highly refined form of petroleum.

I have also read about using chickens (hey we have some of those) and pigs in the orchard to eat the bugs and drop apples.  I have considered trying this.  The main issue is

English: Apple orchard, Woolhope Apple trees i...

English: Apple orchard, Woolhope Apple trees in blossom in an orchard in Woolhope. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

keeping things fenced in.  I am not really excited about building a lot of expensive permanent fences around our property.  I do like some of the portable style fences, but am not certain that we can actually keep the animals penned in effectively.  We would also need to rely on electric fencing, so we would need some access to electric at those sites.

I believe that two major keys to growing organic apple trees are light and airflow. Aside from the worms that seem to infest our apples, most of our problems seem to be fungus related. Allowing better airflow and and for more sunlight should help to control fungus issues effectively.

Going back to a common theme…..”You are what you eat and what you eat is dirt,” one problem or solution is potentially to the soil that the trees are growing in. When a soil is deficient in a key nutrient or macronutrient, the overall health of the plant is lessened. A plant with a weakened immune system is more susceptible to diseases and pests. There are natural defense mechanisms that are present in healthy plants. These defenses help to both protect the trees against certain diseases, but also function to deter pests that may otherwise damage the plant or the fruit itself.

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by | June 23, 2012

Moving RIght Along

Today was a very good, productive day.  The morning began with the surprise of doughnuts.  It is likely to be a good day when somebody provides doughnuts!  That adage proved to be true today on the farm.  Shortly after partaking of the doughnut delight, we headed out to begin some much needed projects.  First off was borrowing the skidsteer from the neighbors.  While we were back the neighbor’s lane, the milkman was there.  We got to see what the milkman does.  My son and I watched as he drained the tank.  We got to see the agitator in motion, which stirs the milk.

English: Skid steer loader, Toyota Jobsun 4SDK6

English: Skid steer loader, Toyota Jobsun 4SDK6 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Once we arrived home, the work began in earnest.  Using the skidsteer, we moved a few telephone pole pieces that had been laying in the chicken pen.  These were moved easily up along side of the barn.  Next, we emptied the burn barrel into the skidsteer bucket and proceeded to dump the ashes out on the back hill.  The reason for borrowing the skid steer was to help hoist the set of seven headlocks into place and hold them while they were being mounted.  Prior to doing that task, I elected to scoop some manure and move it around the barn a bit.  This will help to dry it and turn it over.  I am also hoping that it may help stave off the flies for a bit.   One thing that I noticed today was the abundance of flies.  The other thing is the need for a good barn cat or two.  I counted at least 7 mice today alone.

Portrait of a male tabby cat

Portrait of a male tabby cat (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Angle grinder

Angle grinder (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

So the next project was to hang the headlocks in place.  We cut out the row of fixed gates that were up.  These were hung in the barn about 30 years ago.  The panels are rusted, but strong.  The section had to be cut out using a cutting wheel on an angle grinder.  The angle grinder was a Christmas present and this proved to be the first use of the tool.  Once the cutting was done, the old panel was removed.  The new (very heavy) panel of self-locking headlocks was moved into place and hung with very little effort.  Fortunately, I had measured the headlock dimensions perfectly.  They were manufactured to precision.  The only surprise was that the headlocks were not as high os the previous panel, so a bracket had to be removed and welded into place again.  The bottom bracket was moved up and set in place.  THe only thing left to do is to get two vertical braces and once more bracket for the I should mention that the tank is empty and the propane company was supposed to remove it months ago.  At what point do we simply own it outright?  Possession is nine tenths of the law, right?  i would call them, but we terminated our service and they want to charge us $100 for terminating.  I have not received an invoice, nor have they come to pick the tank up.  I may charge them $100 for tank storage fees and call it a day–LOL)

Okay so I digressed.  Now that the heavy lifting was done, the skidsteer was cleaned and taken back to the neighbors.  We headed out to the store for some more supplies and a rest.  Once we returned home, we finished the day with a nice dinner, some mowing, and a little bit of play mixed in.  My mom was here for a visit, so she decided to pick peas.  All of us shelled the peas and the were blanched and put up for freezing.  That was a nice addition to the day’s work.  The ladies ended the evening with some knitting, driven by the newest member of the Knitting club.  That would be my seven year old daughter, who learned to knit this morning and has already finished four projects!

Well that about wraps up the day!

 

Until Next Time!

 

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by | June 14, 2012

Enlarging the Garden

Tonight it was brought to my attention that we will not have enough sweet corn to last through the winter at the current size of our corn plot.  I guess we shall solve that problem tomorrow by enlarging the garden.  This will give us more food and less grass to mow!  Hopefully I will have some pictures up to follow at some point in the not so distant future.

We are enlarging the garden mainly for the purpose of growing a hybrid sweet corn type called “incredible.”  Though we like open pollinated/ heirloom varieties of plants, sometimes the hybrid is simply hard to beat.  We are currently looking at a heirloom type of sweet corn, which will be planted soon.  The issue with the heirloom corn is that the variety needs to be separated from other corn by 1/2 of a mile or more while the corns are in tassel.  The only other way around this is to plant the open pollinated variety 2-3 weeks earlier or later than the other corn varieties in your area.

I currently have a small plot of heirloom popcorn planted in the ground.  This will be followed by an heirloom variety (Bantam Sweet Corn) once the popcorn germinates well.

Until Next Time

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by | May 20, 2012

Homesteading Series part 6 plant selection

So now we move on to the selection of plants.  Again this may be higher on the list, but we will discuss it here.  The reality is that all of these parts are intertwined.

Selection of plants can be broken down into several categories.  First we need to consider what the animals will be eating.  So one consideration is the pasture, the other consideration is the crops.  Second we will look at the garden plants.  Third, and finally, comes the orchard and berry plants.

Plants for the animals.

Pasture:

Crops. View from a bridleway. The different te...

Crops. View from a bridleway. The different textures and colours are created by barley in the foreground, wheat behind and young sweet corn to the right. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

As can be noted from examining the blog here, we are fans of grazing systems.  This allows for less equipment and generally more self-sufficiency.  We prefer rotational grazing, but I digress.  So what plants do you want to have in your pastures?  Pasture should include one or two types of grasses.  Typical types include Fescue, Ryegrass,Timothy, Orchard Grass and Kentucky Bluegrass.  Other plants that are typically included in pasture are red clover, ladino clover, white clover and alfalfa.  It is recommended to have a variety of these plants within a given pasture to provide varying amounts of protein, vitamins, and mineral.  Certain plants also thrive at different times of the year.  By varying the types of plants within a given pasture, the grazing season can be extended both earlier and later in the year than normal.

Selecting Forage Crops

Carsington Pastures, Derbyshire

Carsington Pastures, Derbyshire (Photo credit: eamoncurry123)

Crops:

Perhaps crops are what many people think of when they think of plants on the farm.  Crops are used for many different purposes, the main one of which is food for the animals.  Field corn is a crop that is vital to many farming operations.  It is very versatile and can be fed to numerous species of animals.  Corn has traditionally been a very inexpensive feed source, though that had changed some with the subsidization of the ethanol fuel industry.  Soy beans are another crop that is grown in abundance in the United States.  It is used as a protein source and also as a way to fix nitrogen into the soil when used in a crop rotation.  Other crops that are commonly grown are Wheat, Barley, Rye, Oats, Spelts and many others.  Some of these, such as oats and wheat, can be used for two purposes.  The grain is harvested for use as a feed and the stalks can be harvested for use as straw (animal bedding).

Garden Plants

The vegetable garden is one of the main focal points of a homestead.  A garden serves to provide fresh food and also bountiful harvests that can be stored for winter usage.  The plants that can be grown in a garden are limitless.  We will discuss a few here, but the scope of this particular series does not permit for an in depth discussion.

USDA 98c0442

USDA 98c0442 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Sweet Corn is the starting point, as it is one of our favorites.  The only downside that I see with Sweet corn is the space required to grow it, though the space can be maximized by using interplanting (we plant melons within the rows of corn, which allows the melons to spread out.  Both melons and corn take a lot of space, but by growing them in the same row, we can capitalize on some of that space.)  Beans are another key crop.  We also raise green beans (Green Jade works well as a variety).  There are many types of beans, several of which can be dried.

Other vegetables that are traditional garden staples include lettuces, spinach, onions, beets, cucumber, zucchini, squash and many others. Heirloom vegetables are those that are passed from generation to generation. They serve to preserve the plant genetic variability. Heirloom plants (as long as they do not get cross pollinated) will produce seed that it is true, meaning that the seed can be saved and replanted. Once replanted, the seed will produce plants that are the same variety as the mother plant. Hybrids plants do not produce seeds that will grow predictable plant offspring. Oftentimes the seed is not viable. At other times , the seed will produce on of the parent varieties that was used to make the hybrid plant. An example of this is Incredible Sweet Corn. This is our favorite sweet corn. Saving the seeds and replanting them will usually produce a dent corn or field corn that was used in the cross pollination to get the incredible hybrid.
We utilize several varieties of heirloom vegetables so that we can save the seeds if desired. A few examples are blue hopi corn (Below)image

and golden bantam corn. Heirloom seeds can be purchased from several suppliers. We usually make our selection from Fedco Seeds.

Orchards and Berries

The third and final category for homesteading plants includes Orchards fruits and berries.  This category will be finished in another post due to space and time constraints.

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by | April 18, 2012

Cold frame take 2

Quick update on the cold frame project.  Less than 24 hours into the project, we had a severe wind advisory.  We went to close  the cold frame, which had been propped open earlier in the day and this is what we found:

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So tonight was spent picking up broken glass and placing new windows on the cold frame.  Note for this time: add a chain or piece of baling twine to prevent the window lid from opening too far in the event of a wind gust.

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by | April 17, 2012

Building a Cold Frame

Today we took up the task of building a cold frame to extend the growing season.  So we took off to the barn to look for materials that were laying around.  Our efforts provided us with wood and several old wooden windows that we have been saving.  I didn’t do specific measuring, so I will give you the generic version
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First we set both windows on the ground to provide us with dimensions that we would need.  We selected four pieces of wood for the sides of the cold frame. We chose a wider piece for the back and a piece not as wide to form the front.  This gave us a sloping frame that we could face toward the south to maximize the sunlight exposure.

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We laid the two windows side by side and the four pieces of wood on their corresponding sides. We then marked all dour sides in prefer to make the proper cuts.

The front and back were about 52 inches long and the sides were about 40 inches in length. The back ended up being 14 inches tall. The front is 12 inches tall. We would have liked to have more of a slope, but we wanted to create the cold frame for very little cost.
After cutting the four pieces for the frame, we found a 2 x 2 to make four corner stakes. These were cut to make four 2 foot long stakes that were pointed on one end.

We then drilled small holes in order to help get the nails started. The wood that we used was extremely hard, so much so that we bent several nails. Once we got the four sides nailed to one another, we set about attaching the comer stakes. These will serve to drive the cold frame into the ground and keep it in place. In order the keep the frame together and hold the stakes in place, we attached two c-clamps to the stakes and sides. These clamps kept the stakes in place as we drove the nails through the side panels and into the stakes.

Once all four stakes were secured, we laid the windows on top of the frame. With a huge sigh of relieve, the windows fit almost to a tee.
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Above you can see our stopping point for the day. The stakes are sturdy and the windows are resting on the top. We will need to add hinges and then located a prop stick, but the project is nearly completed. Now to finish up so we can set the plants in place.

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by | April 17, 2012

Advantages of a Cold Frame

Cold frame

Cold frame (Photo credit: castle79)

cold frame in situ

cold frame in situ (Photo credit: poppet with a camera)

A picture of my coldframe

A picture of my coldframe (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Cold Frame

I always wondered exactly what a cold frame was when I first heard the term.  I will try to get an official definition below from Wikipedia, but here is what I would define it as:

Cold Frame – An enclosed garden bed or container with a removable or hinged clear lid that serves to extend the growing season in northern climates.

From Wikipedia: In agriculture and gardening, a cold frame is a transparent-roofed enclosure, built low to the ground, used to protect plants from cold weather

So I got close off the top of my head…..anyways, why would you want to add a cold frame?

  • Extend the growing season
  • Allows you to grow crops that would otherwise not do well in your area due to the shorter growing season
  • Start Seedlings in the dirt
  • Satisfy that early spring itch to plant something
  • Easy to Use
  • Can serve a double function of being a raised bed
  • Nice project to do with the kids
  • Can be made out of materials that many people have laying around
  • Very versatile/ flexible design

These are just a few reasons that I can think of to build and use a cold frame.  We look forward to using our new one and  seeing what other benefits that we discover along the way.

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by | March 23, 2012

Spring cleanup

(Written Friday 3/23/2012)

Spring cleaning is in full swing around our farm.  Today we cut up more of the fence posts that we pulled last year in preparation for the new fence.  We cut the locust posts into 12 to 15 inch sections that will fit nicely into our woodburner next year.  We cut down to the portion of the fence that was underneath the ground. We figured it would add more creosote to the chimney if we burnt the portion that had all or the dirt and water damage. The three foot sections that were underground stacked very nicely for a bonfire. Hopefully that will be happening soon, complete with s’mores.
We mowed the grass yesterday. Can you believe that we are mowing four weeks earlier than normal? We also finished preparing the garden soil and purchased a few more seeds. At the curren

seed saving

seed saving (Photo credit: kt.ries)

t seed prices, we can definitely see that value to seed saving. We bought grass seed, radishes, green beans, and peas for a total of $22.00. Had we saved our own, that coat would have been closer to $8 for the grass seed and gas additive for the chainsaw.
We took the mowers in to the service shop today to keep them in good working condition.
So that covers the prep work. The rest of the day was spent cleaning indoors and out. We moved metal t posts to the barn, moved some old telephone pole pieces, and cleaned up inside the barn a bit. With the top of the barn cleaned out, the kids now have an additional play area.

Finally, we began trimming and pruning the fruit trees. I was surprised to see the multitude of bees busy at work pollinating the peach tree, which is already in bloom. I usually start pruning the apple trees by removing all of the water sprouts, which are those small branches that go straight up. I also trim out any diseased wood and branches that cross over others. These branches that cross over will cause damage to the bark as they rub against one another. I di fear that we may be too late to apply dormant spray. I need to look more into home remedies/ organic ways to manage fruit trees. It seems like the conventional guys are always out spraying their crops. Ours have been organic for the past 10 years, but we have never gotten fruit. It is probably because organic and natural in this case means neglected. Hopefully this will change this summer. We have already begun looking for recipes for homemade natural dormant oil sprays. It seems most are based with mineral oil.

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