Espalier

Our first attempt at espalier - a technique of pruning and shaping fruit trees to improve production and utilize space. It originated in England and France during the 16th century where they grew the tree flat against a wall or fence to provide heat and shelter. There are several unique forms that the tree can be trained into... this one is the multitier cordon.

Espaliered apple tree

Special Friends

I was so lucky a couple of weeks ago to have a visit from some special friends as they took a side trip to the farm while following the concert tour of Frank Turner. I have not seen Darlene and her daughter, Rachel, for 9 years or so and I was so excited to have them here even for a day. How we let time get away and find ourselves almost 10 years between visits is just crazy and sad. 

Our Potato Towers have gone wild!!

From this....

To this.... I can't wait to see how many potatoes we get :)

Takara's Cria

This sweet little boy was born on May 13 and weighed in at 14.9 lbs. He is bouncing around and curious about everything around him. Being the only baby right now, he is always looking for something to do and gets bored since the girls aren't really interested in any of his games. We are anxiously awaiting Miri's cria and then he'll have his own little playmate.

Dr. Seuss Chicken House

I had this idea to build the coolest chicken house and decided I wanted it to be Dr. Seuss style with a curved roof. I consulted with our neighbor who can build and fix anything and I think he thought I was a little kooky but true to Mark style, he figured out how to make it work. He built the basic structure and I have been working on the details. It is built on a axle so we can move it around the farm. This project has been about two years in the making and both Ray and Mark have lit the fire under me to get it finished. This is Ray taking it back to Mark's where we'll be finally getting it done. The roof is the first step and I have an idea that I hope works out like I envision it.

Stay tuned for the unveiling!

New Ideas for the Garden - Going Vertical!

This spring we decided to try some new things for our garden, the first being our Tower Garden from Juice Plus (www.motherearth.towergarden.com)  It's all set up and running with new seedlings. Ray has always hated washing lettuces so this is the perfect solution - soil free!!

We have put up cattle panels which will allow us to grow in places we haven't been able to before. Melons and squashes take up so much room in the garden so going vertical seemed like the best solution.  Ray's Aunt Paula and Uncle Larry helped us get the first ones up. 

We used the same concept for another area in the garden. This set up allows us to plant in the garden but the vines from cucumbers, peas, and beans can grow up and out. 

Year after year, I struggle with how to stake tomatoes. It seems like no matter what I try they fall all over and become a mess with tomatoes getting stuck on the ground and rotting. We are using cattle panels for them as well - growing between two. I think I will weave string between the two as they grow but still figuring that out.

We have never had great luck with potatoes or sweet potatoes so we're trying this new potato tower. It's fencing lined with straw and filled with 2 year old compost. The potatoes are planted every foot apart from the bottom up and placed along the edge with the eyes facing out. The idea is that the plant will grow to the outside and middle will become filled with pounds and pounds of potatoes :) We did get a little excited and planted two towers - hoping it pays off. The top row is starting to sprout after two weeks of waiting.

Our Resident Rooster

Foghorn is the first rooster we got 4 years ago. His 6 hens have all passed away (from natural causes) and he now lives in our garage after surviving a beating by a younger rooster. He has access through a cat door with his own private man cave inside. He is still full of spunk and will sneak up on an unsuspecting passerby to attempt a ritual of flogging.