Tour of Cackle Berry Farm

Here is my raised bed with carrots, radishes and heirloom tomatoes.









Here is my porch garden. I have two kinds of lettuce, herbs, and yellow tomatoes growing here. You can see our rain barrel and rain chain in the back ground.

























Sophie would like to come out to play!





Rascal is curious about the camera!













Binky is in need of a good grooming!


















Here is our mini-orchard. That's our peach tree in the foreground. We already have little peaches! There are two apple trees behind the peach, but they are hard to see in this photo.









Angel is so sweet! Hub groomed her this week and got some wonderful wool to spin.









Here is my front flower garden. It is part of my wildlife habitat. I have had hummingbirds and bees already. I can't wait for the butterflies!

My strawberries are going strong. Another week or two...

Bush beans and cucumber.

The girls sometimes prefer this corner instead of their nesting boxes.

Here is Penny, one of my Auracana hens.

The girls are pigging out on clover I pulled for them.

Here are my Smart Pots where I planted my potatoes.

Potatoes coming up!

Roma tomato.

My tomato and pepper seedings. I'll be repotting them this week and getting them hardened off.

So, that's today on Cackle Berry Farm. Next time, I'll show off our new chickens and expanded garden.

Basil!

I planted my basil seeds today. I am really looking forward to making pesto! I love it tossed with pasta with tomatoes on the side.

I watched a Garden Girl video today where Patti Moreno made a cucmber salad. It looked so good. I can't wait to give that a try. My radishes and carrots are looking good. I can't wait to harvest. My peppers seem about ready to harden off, maybe in about a week when it warms up again.

The new little chickies are growing like weeds. The look a little different each day. The Barred Rocks are in that 'so ugly they're cute' stage. The red sex-links are still fluffy and adorable.

Chris got Rascal out for a snuggle this evening. He is still nervous and hard to catch but does OK when being held.

I need to finish filling my latest raised bed this week, as well as building the third. I have at least four more to go to accomodate all my plantings. I have been thinking about ordering some more Smart Pots to give me more growing room.

It is storming right now. It rained this morning, but was calm most of the afternoon. I was able to do a little work outside, like pulling weeds for the chickens and changing the bunny pans. I took the opportunity during that lull to get the basil seeds planted.

I am looking forward to this growing season!

Still planting...

I got the bush beans planted today. The carrots and radishes are springing up, but the peas look amazing! I can't wait to have a spare day to really get cracking on my raised beds and get more stuff in the ground. I have more peppers to get started and I hope to get them going tonight.

My heirloom tomatoes have been disappointing. They haven't had a very good germination rate. I should still have enough plants to be worthwhile, but it is a let down.

Hub is wanting to till a plot behind the chicken coop. I think that would be helpful for my pumpkins, gourds, watermelon, and corn.

I got a surprise on Monday. I came home and went to check on the four Barred Rock chicks. I thought, "They are so cute. Even the yellow ones are cute." I did a double take--there were six more chickies in the brooder. Chris couldn't help himself, he just had to get six more red sex-link pulllets! So now we have 22 chickens. I guess we will be expanding the coop!

Rascal!

I finally have new pictures of our newest critters! Rascal arrived yesterday and he is the sweetest little scrap of bunny goodness! He is a mini Rex, black with tan accents. He is so quick, but doesn't mind being handled.

We went to Newburgh today to the herb festival. On our way down, we stopped at Rural King to pick up supplies for Rascal's cage. They had chicks, so of course I had to look. They had Barred Rock pullets, four of them left. We went ahead and bought them. So, we have more chickens here at Cackle Berry Farm. The more the merrier!

I can't believe...

I can't believe it is supposed to snow on Monday. This is a lovely Saturday. We have been outside a lot. Hub mowed the front yard. I planted radishes beside the carrots. The peas are up. It is so mild, it is hard to think we may get snow. I am ready to be done with snow!

I am hoping we can construct two more raised beds tomorrow. I can get them filled and ready to plant this week. I plan on getting more of my seeds started indoors this weekend. More peppers and leeks.

Dad is having surgery on his carotid artery on Monday. I am quite worried, but I'm sure he'll be fine. He goes in at 6 AM and his surgery is scheduled for 8 AM. It is supposed to take a couple of hours, but I know it might go longer. I have Monday and Tuesday off work to be with him.

I am working on my homework assignment and hope to complete it this evening. This is my team project, so I have a little more research to do.

I am determined to finish this degree although my heart really isn't in nursing anymore. Maybe it is just the management side of it. I am hoping that with getting our consumer debt paid off, I can semi-retire in about five years. Then I could stay home and grow potatoes, just working when I want. Very cool thought!

For Crystal

Here is a photo of the small pen we made for our chickies when they were small. The bin in the background is the brooder. We put it beside the pen to block the sun and wind a bit.

Our cats, Duchess and Jasper. Duchess is the grand white lady, Jasper is our clown prince.

Angel Bunny loves to snuggle. Isn't she the sweetest fuzzball?

I love this fuzzy face. She is absolutely precious.

Chickens hanging out in the yard-Red and Rocket, and my head chicken in charge, Lily.

Here are the girls in the run.

We have the world's most spoiled chickens!

Sophie frolicking and close up! Our first raised bed, in process and ready to plant.

Binky

Homestead update

I finally have photos to post of the homestead and critters. We have had such nasty weather for the last couple of days, rainy and cold. I am ready for spring to return. My peas and carrots have not sprouted yet, but I am sure I am being premature.

One garden box done!

We finally finished one of our raised garden beds. Three more to go, at least. We have had to purchase soil. We covered the bottom with newspaper to squelch weeds, then added straw to fill the bottom part of the bed. It took about 24 bags of soil then compost to top it off before it was full. It looks beautiful and ready for planting. Too bad I don't have anything ready to go in!

The beds from last year need some work. The soil has settled, so I'll need to buy more soil to top them off, then add some compost. For those beds, which are not as tall, I want to plant strawberries, lettuce, peas, and herbs.

I want to plant a lot of basil. I am dreaming of pesto! I did buy a rosemary plant today, but I need to decide where to put it.

Still lots to do!

Hurry spring!

I have made some progress getting this growing season started. I have planted my tomato and pepper seeds in their starter cells. I planted some lettuce seeds in containers on the porch. I found red leaf lettuce at Wal-mart yesterday, already growing. I put those in other containers on the porch. Angel Bunny loves lettuce, especially red leaf lettuce. Growing my own should save me some money.
The compost is looking good. My “youngest” bin is filling, but I know it will be a while until it is ready. The “oldest” bin is awesome. I sifted it yesterday to use in planting my lettuce.
I ordered a worm composting system yesterday, so I’ll be getting that going soon. I could have made my own, but I needed a system that worked as easily as possible. I can’t wait to have those worm castings!
I am hoping to start filling the raised bed that is done and build one more this weekend. Slowly but surely, the homestead is coming alive!

Still having spring fever!

We had our last organic gardening class this week. There was a seed swap at the end of class. Although we did not have seeds to share, there were so many offerings we were able to get many types of seeds for our gardens. Chris finally had to tell me to stop!

I think I will try to build my first raised bed this Sunday. I would like to have six of them. I may need a few more, with everything I have to grow. Actually, the gourds will probably do better in our sandy soil, rather than the raised beds. I think I should save our "good" soil in the beds for our vegetables. The gourds can make themselves at home in the ground.

I will have to construct some kind of barrier to keep the chickens out of the garden. I love to let them out and free range. They get to play, run, flap and do all things chicken. I also love that they will gorge themselves on grasshoppers and crickets. Last year, Chris would hunt for tomato hornworms to feed to the chickens. He gets some sort of sadistic pleasure out of it and will at times sing "Circle of Life" as he sacrifices some ravenous, tomato devouring worm to the hens. Silly man. I just love him.

The seeds I ordered from Seed Savers shipped today, so I expect them to arrive soon. I have some worries about starting from seed, but will give it my best effort. It is so exciting, to grow food for yourself. I suppose it is easy for me to say that. If my crops fail, I can still go to the grocery store for food. Centuries ago, that certainly was not an option!

I am looking forward to this Saturday. I will be scrapbooking with Angie and the girls. I am ready for a marathon scrap session. I do need to get some photos developed, but always have plenty of projects to work on. Hanging out with my friends is the best part; doing my favorite hobby while chatting is the icing on the cake.

I am anxiously watching the fruit trees we planted last fall. We planted semi-dwarf apple, pear, and peach trees, one of each. I know they probably won't fruit this year, but I just want to know they survived the winter. It got so cold this year.

So, I'll keep dreaming of the wonderful food I'll grow here on our little homestead, Cackle Berry Farm.

Dream: A road trip to the Angry Trout Cafe

I was browsing on one of my favorite sites this morning, www.localharvest.org. I love to see all the cool eco-stuff and dream big. I ran across an item called the Angry Trout Cafe Notebook. This cool book with a pretty trout on the cover is part cookbook, part inspiration on how a small business can thrive sustainably.

I googled the title and sure enough, I found the cafe on the north shore of Lake Superior, in Grand Marais, Minnesota. It sits right on the lake, surrounded by water and boats. No Coke or Pepsi advertising, use of local products and resources, use of wind power--this place is right up my alley!

I checked on MapQuest. A 14 hour drive could have us there for a tasty meal. I think it sounds like a fine adventure and it hasn't taken much to talk Chris into it. So, if we can find someone to critter-sit, we may be able to have a bit of a getaway! Now, I'll have to see if Grand Marais has a nice bed and breakfast.

Almost spring!

Sooo, we are again planning our garden. Hub is psyched about making terraced beds and I am excited about building raised beds. I hope to get to work on my beds this week. I'd like at least six. Check out the Garden Girl, Patti Moreno, for the technique I will be using. Her site is:

www.gardengirltv.com

We have been attending a local organic gardening class. The best part has been making connections with people from our community who are also interested in organic gardening. I hope to encourage them to join us on a yahoo group to keep in touch and share resources and produce.

The chickens are thriving. We still have our ten original hens, plus two Auracana hens we got at Dinky's auction house last July. We actually got ten Auracana chicks, but only two are still with us. I'll spare everyone the story of what happened to the others.

We have been getting 6-12 eggs a day, even in the winter. This winter has been so bitter, we put a portable radiator space heater in the coop. They girls were nice and toasty and their water didn't freeze.

Esther Bunny died last year, just a couple of month after we got her. I was heartbroken. She was a sweetie. Binky continues to thrive and he is quite a rotten little rodent. He has such personality!

Last fall, at the Fiber Arts Festival in Corydon, Indiana, I purchased another Angora rabbit. She is a satin Angora. Her color is lovely, almost apricot. I named her Angel even before I bought her. We have had to work with her to prevent wool block. She eats better than we do, lots of lettuce, kale, turnip greens, beets and carrots. She will eat broccoli, but definitely prefers leafy things. She is so gentle and sweet.

I don't plan on any more rabbits. I love these Angoras, but they are work! When these bunnies finally go (may that be many years), I would love to get another rabbit or two. But I think I'll choose something with a lot less fur! The rabbit poop is great for the garden and will be awesome in the worm bin we will be making soon.

On the work front, we just completed our annual State survey and did well. My Alzheimer's unit passed with flying colors and no tags. I am so relieved.

I am also busy working on my bachelor's degree in nursing. It has been a challenge, but I am thrilled that I have taken this step in my professional life.

Speaking of school, time to get busy on homework!

RIP Esther Bunny

I am sorry to report that Esther Bunny has passed away. I am crushed and heartbroken. I missed the early signs of wool block and got her treatment too late.

I am very distressed by this. I know as a novice rabbit owner, this is a hard lesson. I have had the occasional hard lesson with the chickens, too. I know I get attached to my critters, but I can't help it.

I have accepted the position of Director of Alzheimer's Care at my facility. I am looking forward to this new challenge. I love working with Alzheimer's patients and think I will find this position rewarding.

Putting the garden to bed

As this year's garden effort, admittedly my first true garden attempt, was a bit of a bust, I have started putting most of the garden to bed. I am still getting some Roma tomatoes, which I share with the chickens, but most everything else has petered out.

I have learned a lot this year. I like the square foot gardening method, put forth by Mel Bartholomew, but find that only six inches of soil does not allow for enough root growth to maintain healthy plants. I really like the method used by Patti Moreno, the Garden Girl, with standard sized beds that can hold her chicken and rabbit tractors. Her beds are deeper. I think a hybrid of both methods is ideal.

This year taught me a lot about the pests in this area. I can spend some time in the off season learning about organic methods to control these pests.

I have a lot of good substance in my compost bin. I need to have Hub help me put together another bin to start the next pile.

I have a plan for next years garden, twelve raised beds. Ambitious, I know, but I am hopeful I can grow a bunch of our favorite fruits and veggies.

Bunnies

Finally, I have firgured out how to upload photos! These are shots of Esther Bunny on the day I brought her home. She is huge! Think I will need to shear her in the next week or two. I want Hub to be home to help me as I am nervous about the process. I don't want to hurt the bunny!

Photos

I am going to try to add some photos to my blog. Hub is out of town and I have some new pics of Bean he might like to see.

My online friends also want to see pics of Binky and Esther Bunny. I hope I can figure out how to do this. If not, I'll have to try again later.

The chickies have been laying the occasional egg. They are so funny. They aren't nesting, they just seem to drop eggs where ever. I have to laugh--every night, they gang up on me to get scratched before they settle in for the night.

I made an awesome salad today. My homegrown Roma tomatoes, a homegrown cucumber from a friend, a sweet onion and one of my homegrown red bell peppers. Chopped it all up and added some of that new bountiful dressing. Very tasty.

First Egg!

I just happened to find it tonight when I was feeding and watering the chickies. A perfect brown egg. I have no idea which chicken is responsible--could have been any of them. We searched, but there was just the one.

Hub is leaving on a trip Friday, so we won't get around to building the nesting boxes until he gets back. Guess I'd better buy some layer feed for my girls!

The garden has not been a successful venture. I got exactly two zucchini before squash vine borers got to them. The tomatoes have been rather pitiful and we are fighting those tomato hook worms. We feed them to the chickens when we find them, which is a lot of fun. They must be tasty worms because the girls go nuts!

My new Angora rabbits are doing great. I need to fix up an outdoor play area for them so they can get some exercise. I have totally loved having these sweet, furry critters!

We rebuilt our compost bin yesterday. We picked up some free pallets from INDOT and built a sturdier structure. I can't wait to have some excellent compost.