Monthly Archives: March 2011

stuck

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“Oh, the land… It just keeps fighting us.”

So, I’m working from Starbucks today (having a ‘work from home’ job results in some very comfortable working spaces ;), but before I left the farm, there was A LOT of activity going on. Or maybe I should say inactivity…

Yesterday, Matt prepped an area in our pig-pen-to-be for a concrete slab (you know, so our pigs don’t have to walk around in soggy grass and mud all the time) and today the delivery guy arrived to pour the concrete. Despite the heavy frost this morning and the drier-ish weather conditions we’ve been having, our land just wasn’t ready to cooperate and that poor guy’s massive, heavy concrete truck got totally stuck. Yep, stuck.  And that’s not an easy thing to just tie the tractor to and pull out.

Before I left, 4 or 5 guys had been shovelling around the sunken back tires for about 45 minutes, adding gravel and wood, trying to give the truck tires something to grab on to. The driver had managed to move it a bit, but was still stuck. Very stuck. When I did finally leave, they were pouring concrete into a wheelbarrow and wheeling it over to the pig pen slab area to start filling it. I’m not sure if doing that will lighten the truck load enough to help move it, but you never know. Regardless, it was the only way the concrete was going to get to where it needed to be.

While Chantalle, Canaan and I were standing there watching the guys trying to remedy the situation, Chantalle said what I’ve quoted above. It’s true – our farm is on very soggy, clay-ish land and it makes for a lot of challenges when it comes to moving vehicles around and planting/ growing things. Sometimes it feels like a fight, but we’re working on making it a cooperative partnership instead. It will happen!

I’ll blog an update when I return to the farm later. Hopefully (for that concrete truck driver), the truck will have freed itself and fled.

PS – I feel like I need to apologize to our committed blog readers. I have fallen way behind and have a lot to update you on. I promise it’s just because life is busy right now and not because I’m becoming a lazy blogger. Outdated updates coming and a more regular life schedule (ie: blogging schedule) is on its way! Thanks for still reading :)

 

hellooo herb spiral!

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After cancelling our March work party day because of a bad weather forecast that never materialized, a few of us on the farm did what we could without the masses…including completing the creation of The Herb Spiral.

Matty took the project on with some serious determination and whipped up our lovely little spiral pretty quickly with the help of the tractor and some extra muscle (no one should be a hero when it comes to moving large boulders). Good job Matty – we think it looks great!

We haven’t actually planted any herbs in it yet, but it’s going to look pretty darn lovely when it’s bursting with a variety of herb leaves and scents.

Herb spirals are a permaculture method of gardening that rely on nature to do most of the work, keeping us herb eaters stocked with a regular supply of deliciousness and a healthy amount of laziness (*smile*). The spirals are built-up mounds of earth, surrounded by a ring of stones that spiral their way up to the top of the mound. Herbs are thoughtfully planted throughout the spiral with those needing less water planted at the top (best drainage), leaving those that like things a little soggy nearer to the bottom (the soggy bit). Herbs are also planted in such a way that those that like full sun get it while those who like a bit of shade can be protected from the sun if planted in the right location within the spiral.

There are a lot of interesting articles, DIY instructions and photos/ drawings of herb spirals on the internet. I recommend you check them out. They’re pretty enticing and definitely the kind of thing you could do in a small backyard.

 

 

cuddly fertilizers

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Who needs packaged fertilizer when your chickens will do the job for you?

Last week we moved some of our chickens into the completed chicken tractor. Pretty exciting stuff! They seem to be happy in there, scratching around in the deep bed earth, leaving behind valuable little (and sometimes not so little) droppings to liven things up for our future vegetables.

Bit by bit, our farming adventure is taking shape. This place is starting to look different. The landscape is changing, the animals are growing… Before we know it, we’ll be feasting on our own homegrown food at our yet-to-be-built outdoor feasting table. And all because of that chicken tractor! ;)

But no, seriously – seeing the chicken tractor in action feels like a serious accomplishment. It symbolizes the kind of holistic earth-animal-human coexistence we’re striving towards here on the farm – a coexistence that will lend itself to healthier soil, greater biodiversity, delicious food and happy humans and animals.

We’re on our way!