2 of our goats have kidded; one had twins, a male and female, and the other had 1 female. The single kid is obviously half La Mancha, with its distinct ears. The mama goats were already bred when we got them, so we don't know much about the fathers. We now have a total of 23 goats, although we plan to sell or eat the 4 wethers (castrated males). This is our breeding base.
The pigs continue to grow, weighing about 50 pounds now, still cute, but not as cute as they were when we got them. I am told they will be 250 lbs in the fall. That is alot of pig. So far the pigs gain about 1 pound for every 3 pounds of feed.
We are constantly composting and adding organic matter to the garden and have begun a little experiment. We planted corn in 2 differnt patches. In one, we composted heavily, and the other not at all, just turned the soil and planted the corn. Neither plot will receive commercial fertilizer.
I will let you know.
Tuesday, May 15, 2007
Tuesday, May 1, 2007
Progress
We are making progress. corn and the beans are starting to come up, and the vegitables are doing well.
We planted 5 plum, 6 apple, 4 peach, and 3 pear trees, along with 10 grape vines. So far, they are all alive. The trees are in their second season, and we expect some to yield next year. 2 of the plum trees are yielding right now!
We purchased a herd of dairy goats, 15 does, mostly nubian and alpine. We also bought 2 nubians bucks, so next years kids will be 1/2, 3/4, or full blood nubian. The goats are very low maintenance, living for the most part off of the land. We are not drinking their milk yet, as I am de-worming them. The milk is going to the pigs at the moment, but the goats produce far more milk than we require.
The chickens continue to lay about 6 eggs per day, and the chicks have feathered out. We also bought 3 roosters: 2 Rhode Island Reds, and 1 Jersey Giant. The Jersey Giant is truly a giant bird. We have one Jersey Giant Hen and she lays HUGE eggs, though not as often as the Reds. Although it sounds like we are self suffcient on eggs, we are not. To be truly self sufficient we need to grow our own feed, which we are in the process of doing - corn for this sumer and winter wheat for next spring. Each laying hen will eat about 100lbs of food per year, so we have to put up a lot of feed.
The chicks will not begin to lay until late August, right about the time that the hens will start to lay less due to lower light levels. We hope that they will make up the difference.
We planted 5 plum, 6 apple, 4 peach, and 3 pear trees, along with 10 grape vines. So far, they are all alive. The trees are in their second season, and we expect some to yield next year. 2 of the plum trees are yielding right now!
We purchased a herd of dairy goats, 15 does, mostly nubian and alpine. We also bought 2 nubians bucks, so next years kids will be 1/2, 3/4, or full blood nubian. The goats are very low maintenance, living for the most part off of the land. We are not drinking their milk yet, as I am de-worming them. The milk is going to the pigs at the moment, but the goats produce far more milk than we require.
The chickens continue to lay about 6 eggs per day, and the chicks have feathered out. We also bought 3 roosters: 2 Rhode Island Reds, and 1 Jersey Giant. The Jersey Giant is truly a giant bird. We have one Jersey Giant Hen and she lays HUGE eggs, though not as often as the Reds. Although it sounds like we are self suffcient on eggs, we are not. To be truly self sufficient we need to grow our own feed, which we are in the process of doing - corn for this sumer and winter wheat for next spring. Each laying hen will eat about 100lbs of food per year, so we have to put up a lot of feed.
The chicks will not begin to lay until late August, right about the time that the hens will start to lay less due to lower light levels. We hope that they will make up the difference.
Sunday, April 15, 2007
Frost is bad for your garden
We were fooled by 85 degree weather in late March and early April, and planted our garden with tomatos, bell peppers, brocolli, cabbage, and spinach.
Around April 7 the tempatures plunged to about 20 degrees for 3 nights in a row. We lost every tomato, brocolli, and pepper plant, and all but 2 of the cabbage. The spinich survived by being buried in straw. What a drag.
We had to replant using plants bought from a nursery. I realize this is cheating but it was either that or forget this growing season except for beans and corn.
We also bought 3 feeder pigs of about 15 lbs each.
Around April 7 the tempatures plunged to about 20 degrees for 3 nights in a row. We lost every tomato, brocolli, and pepper plant, and all but 2 of the cabbage. The spinich survived by being buried in straw. What a drag.
We had to replant using plants bought from a nursery. I realize this is cheating but it was either that or forget this growing season except for beans and corn.
We also bought 3 feeder pigs of about 15 lbs each.
Wednesday, March 28, 2007
Chicken Coop
We constructed a chicken coop out of cattle panels bent over a square of 8 by 8 foot 2 by 4's, covererd with chicken wire and a tarp. It can be dragged each day to a new spot of pasture, giving the birds access to new bugs, seed, and grass each day.
In addition to the 25 day old rhode island red chicks, we bought 12 layers or different breeds at a flea market. They are averaging 6 eggs per day, and consume about 2 pounds of feed every day.
6 of the 25 chicks died during the first week. I blame the post office, not the hatchery, as the post office let them sit for 1 full day beofre calling us.
In addition to the 25 day old rhode island red chicks, we bought 12 layers or different breeds at a flea market. They are averaging 6 eggs per day, and consume about 2 pounds of feed every day.
6 of the 25 chicks died during the first week. I blame the post office, not the hatchery, as the post office let them sit for 1 full day beofre calling us.
Wednesday, February 21, 2007
We ordered our chicks today. They will arrive during the second week in March as day old chicks. For the first several weeks they must be kept warm, so we set up a place in the garage.
Does anybody have plans or pictures (or both) of a chicken coop? I want to build a coop with a run so that this group of chickens avoids the fate of last year’s flock. Please email at the address below if you have anything.
Also, this might seem like a silly question (remember, we are new at this)… what is the difference between bush beans and pole beans? I am assuming that pole beans need a trellis…
Also, as soon as we have some dry weather forecast I plan to build some ferro-cement water catchment cisterns. That is unless anyone has a better plan for retaining rainwater for the animals and the garden.
We plan to plant tomatoes, sweet corn, several kinds of peppers, cabbage, spinach, carrots, beans, radishes, and lettuce. Last year we planted 5 blueberry bushes and 4 blackberry bushes, and several different types of grapes – but after reflection (and harvest) this was not nearly enough. This year I will ad 20 bushes of each and at least 10 additional grape plants.
Thanks!
Almostselfsufficient (at) yahoo (dot) com
Does anybody have plans or pictures (or both) of a chicken coop? I want to build a coop with a run so that this group of chickens avoids the fate of last year’s flock. Please email at the address below if you have anything.
Also, this might seem like a silly question (remember, we are new at this)… what is the difference between bush beans and pole beans? I am assuming that pole beans need a trellis…
Also, as soon as we have some dry weather forecast I plan to build some ferro-cement water catchment cisterns. That is unless anyone has a better plan for retaining rainwater for the animals and the garden.
We plan to plant tomatoes, sweet corn, several kinds of peppers, cabbage, spinach, carrots, beans, radishes, and lettuce. Last year we planted 5 blueberry bushes and 4 blackberry bushes, and several different types of grapes – but after reflection (and harvest) this was not nearly enough. This year I will ad 20 bushes of each and at least 10 additional grape plants.
Thanks!
Almostselfsufficient (at) yahoo (dot) com
Monday, February 19, 2007
Just starting out
“Just starting out”
Late last April 2006, my wife and I purchased a "hobby farm" in middle Tennessee.
A life long ambition of mine, (I am in my mid 40’s, my wife is in her early 30’s), my purpose in doing so was to raise livestock and grow fruits and vegetables in an attempt to see just how self-sufficient we could be. My wife is still not too sure about all of this, but I will get to that later…
We are not going completely “off grid”… or anything quite so dramatic. Nor do we intend to draw or sole means (or even an important means) of income from the farm – but we hope to make enough to pay for seeds, animal feed, equipment and tools, and to provide an honest summer job for our 13 year old son (our younger son is an infant), and we hope to leave less of an environmental impact by driving as little as possible and lowering our electricity usage as much as possible.
Our other goal is to produce most of our meats and vegetables, all of our eggs and milk, and most of our wheat consumption. Fruits, we knew, would take time just to supply a small portion of our needs.
I plan to keep a journal and post our experiences in this endeavor on this Blog, and I sincerely hope that people interested in a more self-sufficient, sustainable lifestyle would be willing to check in on this project and share ideas on everything from growing and preserving foods to maintaining sustainable heating methods. I have lived in the “city” my entire life as has my wife, and we are true neophytes.
To give you an idea of what we are working with, our farm is 14 acres, with most of it in pasture. I have a ½ acre vegetable garden presently, and am in the process of developing another 3/4 acre crop area to be split: ½ acre for feed corn for the chickens and goats, and ¼ acre for wheat for bread. I hope to have corn/wheat area producing for the 2007 growing season. We have a 5 stall poll barn with a 3 bay shed attached for stacking round bales, and a 30 by 50 metal outbuilding for storage. Our house is small and functional, with 1450 sqft of living space above a comfortably finished 800 sqft grade level basement where I work at my “real job”. It is quite enough for a family of 4. We do not have a woodstove yet, but plan to install one before Winter 2008. We do not have a wood lot but am looking for one nearby.
I should say that we made some small progress last year. Our vegitable garden was productive in that for 2 months we had all of the tomatoes, sweet corn, bell peppers, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, spinach, cucumbers, watermelon, and cantaloupe we could eat. We did not preserve anything, as we started small because we were deep into the growing season when we closed on the property. I hope the garden is much more productive this year as I have been adding a great deal of manure and other organic matter.
Our chickens (15 Rhode Island Reds) produced enough eggs but the goats (2 Nubian crosses) were less than cooperative when it came to milking. These were allowed to forage in the pasture with our 4 horses.
Unfortunately, in early winter our goats and chickens were killed by 2 dogs that had been abandoned in the countryside, something the animal control officers said was common in our county. We were devastated, as the goats, and even the chickens, had become family pets. We have ordered chicks from a hatchery and some layers from a local farm. This year, our animals will have a little less freedom than last year.
We plan to grow a much wider variety of vegetables this year and have purchased a variety of heirloom seeds. We hope to be able to preserve much of our produce for consumption over the winter and spring.
Last year our bean crop was a complete failure, and training a goat to let us milk her remained a “riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma”. This year we plan to grow potatoes for the first time as well as raise a pig and/or a beef calf for slaughter and others to sell.
Any tips, suggestions, or advice on ANY matter having to do with self-sufficient living would be greatly appreciated. You can post a comment here or email me at:
Almostselfsufficient (at) yahoo (dot) com.
Thanks!
Late last April 2006, my wife and I purchased a "hobby farm" in middle Tennessee.
A life long ambition of mine, (I am in my mid 40’s, my wife is in her early 30’s), my purpose in doing so was to raise livestock and grow fruits and vegetables in an attempt to see just how self-sufficient we could be. My wife is still not too sure about all of this, but I will get to that later…
We are not going completely “off grid”… or anything quite so dramatic. Nor do we intend to draw or sole means (or even an important means) of income from the farm – but we hope to make enough to pay for seeds, animal feed, equipment and tools, and to provide an honest summer job for our 13 year old son (our younger son is an infant), and we hope to leave less of an environmental impact by driving as little as possible and lowering our electricity usage as much as possible.
Our other goal is to produce most of our meats and vegetables, all of our eggs and milk, and most of our wheat consumption. Fruits, we knew, would take time just to supply a small portion of our needs.
I plan to keep a journal and post our experiences in this endeavor on this Blog, and I sincerely hope that people interested in a more self-sufficient, sustainable lifestyle would be willing to check in on this project and share ideas on everything from growing and preserving foods to maintaining sustainable heating methods. I have lived in the “city” my entire life as has my wife, and we are true neophytes.
To give you an idea of what we are working with, our farm is 14 acres, with most of it in pasture. I have a ½ acre vegetable garden presently, and am in the process of developing another 3/4 acre crop area to be split: ½ acre for feed corn for the chickens and goats, and ¼ acre for wheat for bread. I hope to have corn/wheat area producing for the 2007 growing season. We have a 5 stall poll barn with a 3 bay shed attached for stacking round bales, and a 30 by 50 metal outbuilding for storage. Our house is small and functional, with 1450 sqft of living space above a comfortably finished 800 sqft grade level basement where I work at my “real job”. It is quite enough for a family of 4. We do not have a woodstove yet, but plan to install one before Winter 2008. We do not have a wood lot but am looking for one nearby.
I should say that we made some small progress last year. Our vegitable garden was productive in that for 2 months we had all of the tomatoes, sweet corn, bell peppers, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, spinach, cucumbers, watermelon, and cantaloupe we could eat. We did not preserve anything, as we started small because we were deep into the growing season when we closed on the property. I hope the garden is much more productive this year as I have been adding a great deal of manure and other organic matter.
Our chickens (15 Rhode Island Reds) produced enough eggs but the goats (2 Nubian crosses) were less than cooperative when it came to milking. These were allowed to forage in the pasture with our 4 horses.
Unfortunately, in early winter our goats and chickens were killed by 2 dogs that had been abandoned in the countryside, something the animal control officers said was common in our county. We were devastated, as the goats, and even the chickens, had become family pets. We have ordered chicks from a hatchery and some layers from a local farm. This year, our animals will have a little less freedom than last year.
We plan to grow a much wider variety of vegetables this year and have purchased a variety of heirloom seeds. We hope to be able to preserve much of our produce for consumption over the winter and spring.
Last year our bean crop was a complete failure, and training a goat to let us milk her remained a “riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma”. This year we plan to grow potatoes for the first time as well as raise a pig and/or a beef calf for slaughter and others to sell.
Any tips, suggestions, or advice on ANY matter having to do with self-sufficient living would be greatly appreciated. You can post a comment here or email me at:
Almostselfsufficient (at) yahoo (dot) com.
Thanks!
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