When purchasing the farm 7 months ago, we inherited a lot of stuff. From outbuildings to questionable lumber, from electric fencing to old roofing, from drainage problems to really smelly compost. Now, Paul Wheaton says, “If it stinks, you are doing it wrong.” And my experience says that is true. I spent summers growing up in theContinue reading “101 Uses for Pallets on the Homestead: #1-3”
Tag Archives: farming
The Yellow Submarine: Salatin Style Pastured Poultry
The inaugural launch of our (Joel) Salatin style pastured poultry pontoon occurred in mid-August of this year. Typically, broilers are done in the Spring when the grass is growing fast and the temps are warming nicely. But, since we didn’t move onto the homestead until May and were busy setting up 4 pastured pigs andContinue reading “The Yellow Submarine: Salatin Style Pastured Poultry”
The Hopeful Tomato
Last January, while still residing at our 1/8th acre urban lot, a cameoing sun struck the soggy ground and I was bitten by the gardening bug. We had a couple bags of potting soil lying about and my very first batch of homemade compost was looking dark and loamy, so I mixed it all upContinue reading “The Hopeful Tomato”
A Dirt Farmer’s Success(ion)
I’ll go ahead and call it what it is…a mid-life crisis. Some dudes get the hotrod, maybe take up skydiving, cross-fit, or some other exhilaratingly risky hobby. Myself, I’ve purchased way too much land and plan to farm it with almost no experience whatsoever. Crazy? Probably. Now, you should know that I can operate aContinue reading “A Dirt Farmer’s Success(ion)”
The simplest solution is the best solution
There are numerous ways to solve almost any challenge, but the simplest approach involving the fewest steps and the least energy, materials, and time is always the most effective, long-term, viable solution. -Ben Falk, The Resilient Farm and Homestead Our neighbors invited us over for dinner last weekend, where we enjoyed a feast of theContinue reading “The simplest solution is the best solution”
Food for thought: antibiotics vs. organic meat
We had a pig scare today. Big Boy stopped eating last night, and he laid down to sleep while the other 3 (Tugboat, The Corporal, and Number Two) fought over dinner. He’s a pig, so dinner should be the absolute best part of every day. Something was wrong. I went to bed feeling anxious, butContinue reading “Food for thought: antibiotics vs. organic meat”
Farm Dogs and the Learning Curve
When I was a teaching assistant in grad school, I found that success was made up of a series of small failures. The program director liked to encourage these missteps as just part of the learning curve. Couldn’t understand a word of Roland Barthes? Congratulations, you’re in the learning curve. Spent all night grading studentContinue reading “Farm Dogs and the Learning Curve”
When homesteading sucks
There’s no way to ease into this, so I’ll just dive right in. On Saturday, I noticed that one of our new piglets was pooping spaghetti. Now I’ll back up. We got our first two American Guinea Hogs via Craigslist, because of course we did. When I emailed the seller, she responded quickly and saidContinue reading “When homesteading sucks”
Settling in: Zone 1
When we decided to buy the farm, we vowed that we’d jointly blog about the adventure and the property’s transformation. We’ve now been here for 2 weeks, and it’s been a flurry of nonstop action. When we moved in, the grass hadn’t been mowed in weeks, and the formerly loved landscaping surrounding the house andContinue reading “Settling in: Zone 1”
We bought the farm.
It seems that we have bought a farm on 7 acres of pasture, with a slightly ramshackle craftsman house, two barns in questionable repair, a creek, a flock of chickens, two temporary cows, and a sheep. But I don’t even want to go there yet, first of all because it’s only 97% certain that this farmContinue reading “We bought the farm.”
Bellfern Homestead 