Frost Dates

One of the first things a gardener must do is figure out their "frost dates".  You need to know what the "last frost day" and the "first frost day" are for your garden. For some reason, this always gives my blonde brain a bit of exercise. My first thought is always that "last" means end of season rather the beginning of the gardening season. So, my way of keeping myself straight on this matter is:

The Last Shall Be First

So, how does one discover when their frost dates are? The Farmer's Almanac has a Frost Date table but if you don't live in one of the listed cities, it is not as accurate. It may suffice but there are also websites that will calculate it for you by zip code. Dave's Garden has one --simply put in your zip code and they give you the Last and First Frost Dates for 50% chance of frosts and dates for only a 10% chance of frost.

For example, for my area the average (50%) risk of frost is from November 5 through March 30. Meaning, that my Last Frost Date in Spring is March 30 and my First Frost Date in the Fall is November 5. I also learn that there absolutely will be frost risk from November 25th through March 13th. So, if I want to plant as early as March 13th or grow after November 5th, I need to have row covers to protect against frosty nights. But, in actuality, I need to have row covers or cloches available from March 30 to April 17 because there is a smaller risk of frost in that time period and also from October 17 to November 5th. Lastly, I'm advised that my garden growing season is roughly 220 days.

Next, I take this information to my new Week-by-Week Gardening Journal and start plugging in my dates. Counting back from the March 30th date of last frost, to the journal's starting point -- 20 weeks prior -- and I realize that I'm already way behind! Gasp! The Spring Garden actually starts at the end of November the previous year! Fortunately, These early weeks are gardening planning that I can get caught up with (hopefully) so that I actually plant out my Spring garden ON TIME this year.

Tasks for this week:

1. catalog my existing seeds
2. get a replacement glass tube for my rain gauge

Homestead/Garden Journal & Phases of the Moon

So, it is that time of year. You know, when we make a bunch of New Years Resolutions that we can't possibly keep. A review of this blog will show that I've been guilty of just that in the past! Well, rather than Resolutions, this time, I'm just trying to put together a modest plan for doable goals and actions for this coming year. I have two humble goals for the homestead in 2015:

1. Keep a Homestead Journal -- an expanded Garden Journal
2. Practice the basics --get soil samples done, do a sun/shade study, try planting by the phases of the moon

I've been a member of "Organic Homestead & Gardening" for years. The listowner, Jon Pittman, has encouraged the use of the moon phases for planting and most other homestead activities. It's about time I give it a try. Farmers have used the moon phases and other information provided in The Farmer's Almanac for centuries so there is likely something to it. There is also good reasons for farmers and gardeners keeping journals noting the weather and garden conditions and activities. Why I haven't followed their lead? Good question. I guess I've been guilty of being a lazy gardener looking for the easy way out.

But, short cuts rarely are.

Today, I purchased Week-by-Week Vegetable Gardener's Handbook. It is a Garden Journal as well as a Planner to (hopefully) keep me on track in terms of planting and harvesting. I'll be marking up the book making notes as well as posting here so you can follow along. So, hey, if I keep up on the garden journal, I'll also be keeping up with this blog better! 

Observing: the Weather

So, as I mentioned previously, there is a permaculture adage "observe, observe, observe". In my effort to become a better observer, I decided it was time to get a weather station. I got a basic indoor/outdoor temperature sensor and a rain gauge -- both from a local hardware store. The remote temperature sensor is set up out in the rabbitry so we can know if/when it gets into the dangerous range for the rabbits. What I really want is a weather station. You know, one that can make my homestead journal look like I know what I'm doing!

You might think that I can just listen to the weather report and know what I need to know. But, alas, that only tells me what is happening an hour north or a half hour south of me. So, to know what is actually happening on my homestead, I'd need something like the Acu-Rite Wireless Weather Station with Wind and Rain Sensor. It is a bit fancy and might seem like overkill but, seriously, it measures temperature, humidity, barometric pressure, wind speed and direction, rainfall, and weather predictions. It's remote sensor has a rain catcher for heaven's sake! It also has alerts! So, no being surprised by the arrival of a severe storm.

Then, there is the AcuRite 00638A2 Wireless Weather Station with Wind Sensor sporting a really cool wind gauge! This one measures indoor/outdoor temperature and humidity with daily high/low information, heat index, wind speed/chill, multi-variable history chart, moon phase, atomic clock and calendar. The wireless outdoor sensor features 3 different technologies in one easy-to-mount unit: thermometer, hygrometer, wind speed anemometer. 

I've never thought of myself as a weather aficionado but truly, whether you are a prepper/survivalist concerned about being prepared for when TSHTF, or a permie trying to be aware of the weather conditions and how they may affect your homestead design plan, you need a weather station and these two seen to cover the bases.

Do you have a weather station? What does it measure? Do you keep a journal and actually log the weather readings for the day?

Permaculture Design for the Homestead -- Finally!

Since I last posted -- over a year, gasp! -- some progress has been made but not as much as I'd like. I am discovering that my goals --maximizing the food and medicinal herb production of the property -- is a very ambitious goal for someone with no previous actual gardening or livestock tending experience. I realize now, after 3 years of struggle, that homesteading is not for the faint of heart! Do I regret starting this adventure? No way! Do I want to throw in the towel and retire my farm girl hat? Are you crazy?!

No, I am in this adventure for the long haul. I just realize that I have a lot to learn and most of those lessons are going to be learned the hard way -- trial and error.In permaculture, there is an adage that says "Observe, observe, observe". It is by observing nature and what is happening day-by-day on the homestead that I will learn and develop as a farm girl. The Sages of permaculture also say that you should do 100 things. Only 2 will work but you don't know which 2 until you do it. That gives "permies" the right to try a lot of things that fail. I'm trying to learn to go with that flow.

But, I also realize that I need a plan. I need to step back and observe my property and develop an plan for where the main features -- those things you don't want to relocate after they are installed -- are best located and then a more generalized plan for using the rest of the property to it's best productivity. To do this, I need a hero -- an individual trained in Permaculture Design who will help me formulate said plan and save me from some major mistakes.

With that in mind, I put out to the Permie world a call for help. And the answer came from "Joe from the Carolinas" a Permaculture Design Course (PDC) graduate and host of "Grow Your Own, The Budding Revolution" internet radio program. Joe is walking me through the process of creating a workable permaculture design plan for my homestead. Putting a plan together will not prevent a continuing process of trial and error but will, hopefully, prevent to many regrets from putting permanent features (or those that are just hard to relocate) in the wrong location.

The first step was to make a map of the property including the locations of all buildings, trees, garden beds, fences, water lines, power lines, and anything else that must be considered in future plans. I was able to use Google Earth  to get a sketch of the property to scale (by tracing over the image on the computer screen) and then scale up from there. Here is what I ended up with:

The upper right corner is North.

I still need to incorporate a Sun/Shade study, notations of slope (yeah, even a "flat" property has some elevation changes), a Sector Study, and to get soil testing done.



The goals remain the same: maximize the food and herb production using permaculture techniques. I won’t get there by 2016 as my original goal aimed for. It is a goal and vision that will take much longer than that but by 2019 (Lord willing) I hope to be producing a good amount of food and medicinal herbs.

I'm Not Quite There Yet ... and the journey is going to take longer than expected ... but we are on our way! (And, learning a lot along the way.)

2013 Goal Review

Can it be that we are halfway through the year and I’ve yet to write a blog entry for 2013?! Well, that means I’ve not done well with at least one of my goals for the year! So, how about those goals, anyway?

Regarding the homestead goals:

•  I have planted muscadines, figs, blueberries, plums, pomegranates, blackberries, raspberries, and elderberries. I have mulberry saplings growing in pots that I started from seeds. I also have dogwood and lilac saplings. I still want to plant hardy kiwi and strawberries but that will have to wait until the Fall. 
•  I’ve not ordered more rugosa roses. The ones I planted last year are growing and already have off-shoots which I can transplant in the Fall. I have planted some knockout roses and climbing roses. Perhaps I can try again with the hazelnuts come Fall. 
•  Planting beds have not gotten far thus far. We’ve had a very rainy year and I also tend to run short of time. I have tire beds by the dogyard and backdoor that I’ve planted tomatoes, peppers, and basil into. I have also planted some herbs and cucumbers in boxes along the chicken yard fence. I have a huge amount of work to do to begin to get some garden beds of flowers and herbs going. 
•  I have not gotten more laying hens. Mother wanted silkies so we added seven silkies to the flock. They are adorable and will lay small eggs but I still would like to add larger hens at some point. Oh, and our Muscovy ducks are producing ducklings for us this year! One is now raising 11 ducklings and the other is setting a nest after losing her first try. 
•  I’ve added five hutches to the rabbitry. I still need more cage space! I have added a French Angora doe and am increasing my Silver Fox does from two to four. 
•  The food pantry is a work in progress. We’ll see how things pan out by the end of the year. 
•  Have not had time to work on the Natural Feeding eBook.

As for my personal goals:

•  I am working on getting healthy. I’ve started on what I call the Pro-Thyroid Diet which is a mix of plans/ideas that is working thus far. 
•  I struggle to protect my prayer/Bible reading time but I fight for it. I am having an amazing year with the Lord and going deeper in my relationship with Him and hungry to go deeper still. 
•  Obviously, I’ve failed on my goal to work on my blogging! Sorry! 
•  Have not worked on the eBook “Why” 
•  As for fitting in more time for crafts, reading, and relaxation time…well, not so much! I get some reading in when I read to Mother. I’ve pulled out the crochet needles and knitting needles again so I can make myself some hats and finish the prayer shawl I started for a young lady last year. My pastor recently found out that I used to paint. He has encouraged me to paint a picture for the church foyer. I’m wondering if this is God’s way to open—or reopen—a door that I’ve failed to walk through before. Time will tell.

So, on the whole, I guess I’m doing pretty good so far with my goals. Better than I thought to be honest. Sometimes I get so bogged down in the doing of things that I fail to see how much I am getting done and how far I have come rather than how far I’ve not. 

My heart cries to be free of desk work and to be at home making my life here. I think, when I dare to, that “if only” I could have time to write and to paint perhaps I could support Mother and myself and this homestead right here. What I don’t see is the path it would take to get from here to there. Perhaps God will illuminate that path for me.

Time to Set Goals for 2013

As I countdown to the end of 2012 -- not a stellar year here at the homestead -- I am contemplating the focus for 2013. Now, I know that 'New Year's Resolutions' don't last much past February (if that long) for most people. And, I'm generally part of "most people" in this case. But, I have also learned that by setting some goals to focus on, it helps to keep me focused. And, if you knew the constant ruckus that is my brain, you would know that I need to focus!

The first thing I did was go back to see how badly I did with my goals for 2012. Actually, not as bad as I expected! I was about 50/50. That may not sound great to you, but for me -- for considering the curveballs this year has tossed at me -- I consider that a roaring success! From there, we shift to 2013 and what we should focus on to get us closer to our long-term goal of reaching maximum productivity in 5 years. As I discussed back in March of this year, I am giving myself 5 years -- till 2017 -- to reach a point of productivity where I am feeding my family and having food to share with others.

For the Homestead in 2013, I have set the following goals:

• Plant mulberries, muscadines, figs, hardy kiwi, blueberries, and strawberries
• Plant more rugosa roses, lilacs, hazelnuts, and other hedgerow plants that also serve as fodder for the rabbits
• Plant mixed beds of flowers, vegetables, herbs -- both around the fruit trees, along the privacy fence, and elsewhere.
• Increase the number of laying hens to about a dozen
• Increase size of rabbitry
• Build a food pantry-- as much as possible from foods produced here on the homestead
• Finish writing the eBook for Natural Feeding of Meat Rabbits

As for my personal goals:

• Work the Get Healthy in 2013 Plan
• Jealously protect and seek even more time for Bible reading, Bible study, prayer, worship, etc. 
• Continue to work on blog quality and quantity
• Finish writing the eBook entitled "WHY"
• Try to fit in more time for crafts and reading -- some RELAXATION time...what a concept!

So, there you have it. The focus for 2013 here at the Not Quite There Yet Homestead is to try to get a little closer to "there".

Fodder Project Update and New Supports for the Rabbits

Well, the fodder project has been mostly successful. The one issue I ran into was with moisture. No matter how well I thought I had drained the trays, I would find the grain mats too wet the next time I went to rinse them. While you might presume that mold would result, what actually seemed to happen to mine was a definite fermentation odor. The chickens liked that but the rabbits did not. So, I began looking for different trays. What I wanted was something like a vegetable strainer we used to have that was square and flat bottomed. But, I can't find it anywhere!

Today, I thought of the solution! It falls into the category of "if you can't find it, invent it!" I am going to get some plastic needlepoint canvas and fishing line and make trays. I'll be taking pictures and sharing here how it goes.

Hopp, the stud rabbit

Jumpp enjoying her hay.

In other News: The rabbit shed is now sporting some new cage supports. I completed that project a few Saturdays ago. I drilled holes through the front and back 2x4s and ran PVC pipe through it for the cages to set on. You can see Hopp demonstrating his cage support in this picture. The hole in the back 2x4 is not all the way through as it is in the front. I used zip-ties to hold the cage to the front and secure on the pipes. You can see the zip-ties in Jumpp's picture here. Bounce is now reduced to null. Finally, the rabbits and hop and jump around...or do the dirty...without the cage rocking and rolling and upsetting them!

On a sad note: The rabbitry said a sad goodbye to Skipp. His chronic problems suggested a potential systemic problem or genetic issue that should not be passed to off-spring. My friends from K-D's Rabbitry helped me to cull him.

And, to end on a high note: Biscuitt, son of Hopp and Country Mile, has rejoined the rabbitry after being fostered at K-D's Rabbitry. He shows great promise as a future stud rabbit! His litter mate has remained at K-D's and was named Harley.