It seems to have taken a really long time for spring to arrive. Not sure it actually has! But either way, we are doing spring chores.
In our area – and I would think in most of our zone – this is the big gardening weekend. The extent of the gardening will depend on what you plant. Some flowers are ready to be put in the ground. Lots of blooming baskets will be sold in nurseries this weekend. Bulbs are coming up, perennials are pushing through the soil, it’s a refreshing, rejuvenating time.
For us, since it’s our first season here, it’s a time of discovery. Everyday I try to walk a different area to see what is coming up, what needs tending, and what can be left alone. Some plants I am familiar with, others will take time for me to get to know. I wish my mom was still around to help me identify and care for the great variety of plants around here. The previous owner was obviously a green thumb.
I spent a little bit of time last week cleaning the many flower beds just around the house itself. There was very little to do. The beds were so well up-kept and mulched that all I needed to do was gather the few leaves left over from the fall. That was nice.
My hand was pretty useless at the beginning of the week, but I was so very careful with it that the cut itself is pretty much healed. My brother once told me that if you cut yourself, try to hold the cut closed for as long as possible and the body will start to heal itself. So that’s what I did. I REALLY did not want stitches. (For those who didn’t read last week’s blog, go ahead now to find out what happened to me). So I ran the cut under water very briefly and then applied pressure for a long while. No cleaning needed. Then we wrapped it up and I kept it immobile for close to 36 hours. I had to play piano the next day, but other than that, I kept it in a relaxed position.
It’s now been a week. The wound looks like a minor scratch. The only remnants are pain when I extend my palm and the occasional nerve zing. So YAY!!! No stitches. It also means I can start working the pasture again.
So I am using old cut down trees that were left in a pile to delineate some beds. These will be my home beds and so I want them rustic and pretty but also easy to handle. I am working the ground so that the earth can be ready in the next few weeks. I know we are running a little late but having just moved…we are doing what we can. My seedlings can wait, they are still small and the weather is not nearly as warm as I’d like it for them over night. What I can’t grow from seed, I will purchase for this year.
I have design plans for the pasture that will take years to accomplish, so starting a little slow this year is fine by me. Perennial edibles will take precedent every year so that we have a guaranteed source of food before we even deal with annuals. We decided that the fencing around the pasture, (to be clear, this pasture is to become our main garden – it’s a half acre and very near the house and barn), which is in some places really damaged, would be good enough to support berry bushes and such. It will create a natural wind barrier and provide goodies. There are so many other plans!
Another priority is the building of a structure for the chickens. We had thought of building a chicken tractor, which we could then move around so that they would feed on all the weeds and bugs. But then we’d need another structure for the winter, or put them back in the barn. Not optimal. A semi-permanent structure, sitting on close to half an acre next to the house garden seems a better idea. The structure would hold around 30 chickens and have 4 doors that lead to four different enclosures. That way, when they’ve eaten through a section, we put them on the next one, rotating so that the first is ready to receive them once they’ve gone through all of them.
We may need to order this book. I’ve been looking at it for a while. Although you can find building plans online, they often just come with the picture and materials, but not instructions. A book may just be the smart way to go. Chicken Coops by Judy Pangman.
On the animal front, we have good news, of sorts. Out of the 21 eggs we placed in the incubator, we had 9 by lockdown. Only 2 Ayam Cemanis hatched. So yay for those 2 little chicks, but once again, we lost a bunch of developing chicks in the last few days. We think the incubator is just not regulating well enough, even though we have taken every precaution we could think of the ensure proper humidity and heat. Live and learn. I’m hoping we can move on to the natural way of hatching, under a broody hen!
All in all, a good week. The girls and I are finding our groove. We are parcelling out chores and sharing lots of moments that will be the building blocks to wonderful memories. We argue, discuss, plan and laugh everyday. We are learning to work together outside of OPUS, our music academy. I am grateful everyday for this new chapter in our lives.
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Unruffled Farms 