The first day of spring is always so exciting. Each year, the season begins with a flurry of work after the nip in the air subsides a bit and this year proved to be no different.
My list of things to do is getting whittled down slowly and I feel like we're really on top of our game this year. I've recently taken up employment at a local vineyard and budding winery. I'm learning so much and playing outside all day. Every day I soak up more information from older, more experienced farmers and now I'm learning all about the best butchers around, when to spread manure and till in cover crops, advanced animal husbandry (they also have a beef operation), and the basics of making hay.
With all the excitement of budding grapevines, I am still keeping up with everything at home as well. This weekend was a tilling frenzy as we rented the Baretto from Leppo Rentals and increased the front garden by 1/3rd along with preparing the beds scattered at all four corners of the property.
We also have increased the livestock around here by 1/3rd as well. We now have 4 pigs of all colors with spots and stripes. Two bottle baby lambs follow my sister and her husband wherever they go and we finally found a fainter buck to start breeding these genetic anomolies. There's also two boer goats living with a giant white rabbit as I've never really had goat meat or rabbit meat for that matter and the conversion of feed to meat is amazing. And of course there are 25 little peeps ready to take their place in the hen house as soon as it gets warm enough and all their feathers come in.
I am up to date and on track for the organic orchard spray regimen. Pepper is doing much better with herding and keeping everyone in order. The seeds are growing at a nice rate and I'm holding back not putting everything in the ground too soon.
Set aside April 4th for our seed swap. That also happens to be the weekend of the Mount Hope exotic animal auction so you never know what else we might have by then!
Think Spring!
My list of things to do is getting whittled down slowly and I feel like we're really on top of our game this year. I've recently taken up employment at a local vineyard and budding winery. I'm learning so much and playing outside all day. Every day I soak up more information from older, more experienced farmers and now I'm learning all about the best butchers around, when to spread manure and till in cover crops, advanced animal husbandry (they also have a beef operation), and the basics of making hay.
With all the excitement of budding grapevines, I am still keeping up with everything at home as well. This weekend was a tilling frenzy as we rented the Baretto from Leppo Rentals and increased the front garden by 1/3rd along with preparing the beds scattered at all four corners of the property.
We also have increased the livestock around here by 1/3rd as well. We now have 4 pigs of all colors with spots and stripes. Two bottle baby lambs follow my sister and her husband wherever they go and we finally found a fainter buck to start breeding these genetic anomolies. There's also two boer goats living with a giant white rabbit as I've never really had goat meat or rabbit meat for that matter and the conversion of feed to meat is amazing. And of course there are 25 little peeps ready to take their place in the hen house as soon as it gets warm enough and all their feathers come in.
I am up to date and on track for the organic orchard spray regimen. Pepper is doing much better with herding and keeping everyone in order. The seeds are growing at a nice rate and I'm holding back not putting everything in the ground too soon.
Set aside April 4th for our seed swap. That also happens to be the weekend of the Mount Hope exotic animal auction so you never know what else we might have by then!
Think Spring!
