Will has been busy working and re-working the ground in the new garden we’ve named the “Wolf Annex” as it is right next to the “old” Wolf garden. He’s gotten all the rocks, boulders, big roots, and stumps out of it, then plowed it with our single bottom breaking plow to dig up more tree roots and rocks. Then he disked it yesterday to level it back out. Toward evening, he took Old Trusty to it and gently pushed those roots and rocks off, over the edge of the new garden. Not only is it nearly flat, with no (that we can find) rocks or big roots, but it slopes gently to the side, ensuring perfect drainage to the sand/clay soil. It’s bigger too, as he shoved so many stumps and branches to the side, then buried them, the whole garden is larger. Gee, I’m thinking of ALL that planting this year. Yikes! But so very cool, too. Will’s disking it again today and will haul manure out onto it next. Then it will get roto-tilled. Yea!
Our second calf arrived safely on a warm morning. This time it is a huge black heifer. When I first saw her, I thought she had to be a bull calf! But no, she’s a girl, although not so feminine looking. We’re happy she’s so strong and already playing with Primero, the little bull calf.
The goat kids are doing very well and are all good buddies now. They are eating grain and hay but I’m keeping them on the bottle for another couple of weeks, just to ensure they grow out well. I can’t wait until all of them get to go into the goat pasture. I’m doing some work on the fence there and Will has to repair the goat cottage as it’s fallen into disrepair due to age and Minnesota dampness rotting some of the lower 2×4 studs.
More and more fruit trees are blooming now; our domestic plums, the wild pin cherries, our Nanking cherries, Juneberries, with the apples and domestic cherries right behind them. No frost in sight so I’m hoping we’ll have a good harvest this year. The asparagus is popping up so guess what we’re having for dinner tonight. I can eat it three meals a day and never get tired of it.
Besides the fruit trees, our flower beds are popping with beautiful daffodils now. After a no-color winter, we’re so starved for flamboyant colors! And boy do we ever appreciate them. It’s such a blessing to live in our own sanctuary! — Jackie
Happy for you to have the new garden about ready!
I received the Hopi Pale Grey squash seed, and they are almost ready to plant in the garden. Can they be planted in the same patch with the Jumbo Pink Banana squash? Thanks.
They can but if you want to save seed, I wouldn’t as they will readily cross pollinate.
Just wondering if yall sell some of your produce. I know canned will last almost forever but yall raise a lot!!
It’s still unseasonably cool here in TN. Our lettuce is still good but everything else is pretty slow going.
I remember helping clear out a piece of West TN river bottom land as a child–it sure was a job. Giant roots but not very many rocks, thank goodness. West TN has a lot of sandy soil–different here in Middle TN. We do have rocks and the soil is clay mostly.
I’m glad your babies are doing well.
interesting that it is cool in middle TN. I am in North MS and we are having upper 80’s going to 90 this weekend.
kathy in MS
No, we don’t sell produce. We do give away a lot to folks who need it. We raise veggies, not only for the food value but also for seed for our little seed business. We also feed a whole lot of vegetables such as squash (which we’ve taken seed out of) and melons to the livestock and chickens.
You’re making great progress on the gardens and those cute goats! Happy spring finally!
I think we are too! We love our little baby goats. They’re so much fun too.
May I ask? What is your favorite way to fix fresh asparagus? I honestly don’t know haw you can do so much work? You must be very organized?. It’s looking great and I’m hoping everything will be a wonderful success.?
Me? Organized??? Hardly! I just try to keep a mental priority list. But I’ll admit some days my list lasts longer than I do. I love asparagus most any way, from a quiche ingredient to swimming in butter. But my very favorite, and one my family has always liked best is creamed asparagus over toast with sprinkles of bacon over it all.
I’m writing that one down!
It goes well with wild rice. We’ve also added it to pasta dishes – almost any veggies works with pasta.
Also – diced up zucchini and summer squash make a great taco topping or fajita addition.
I neglected to say we usually saute the zucchini/summer squash when used as a taco topping.
Will is a workhorse. I’m re fencing my two 30×90 gardens as I got some old telephone poles. It’s a lot of work.Your soil looks very sandy. I’m impressed with how much you both get done. Is your tractor a Ford 3000? It is crazy how far tree roots can extend. Have you ever used the premier electric fence for goats? I’m thinking about getting it.
Yes, he is! What a find, huh? That soil is a mix of clay and sand, more toward sand. So with plenty of rotted manure worked in, it should produce very nicely. Now if we can just keep those dratted COWS out of it!!! I’m running an electric fence outside the stock panel fence, about 3′ out to help with that. I’ve used electric fencing for goats with mixed results. In one pasture, with no trees nearby to fall on it, it worked pretty well all summer. In others, deer ran through it and shorted it out, causing a grass fire and another, goats managed to crawl under it. Now we use stock fencing with an inside electric wire, which works very well.
The tractor is a Ford 660.
We used to check our electric fence every day in Northern Maine because moose would walk right through to get to our salt lick, and to hang out with our horses.
When you say ‘stock fencing with inside electric wire’, but you just said you use electric wire outside 3′ from your stock panel fence. Are you saying you have 2 sets of panel fence, and you have an outside wire, and an inside wire? I’m trying to see in my head what you’re saying. I’m taking note for future reference, should I need this.
It’s a lot of work to get a new garden established but once up and going with a little care it’s a lifetime investment
It looks great
Yes, it is. But after starting a garden on our homestead here, over 16 years ago, out of logging debris and stumps, by hand, this is a piece of cake. Equipment sure makes a HUGE difference! We love how it’s coming together.
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