Garden Plan

Funder asks some good questions about type of beds I will be using, raised, rows, etc. She's good like that, always pushing for me to have some sort of answer.

The honest answer is we're still planning. We have several different areas that we plan to cultivate and I imagine we'll use a combination of methods.

Here is the general plan. The main garden is a graded circle about 2800 SF with a seasonal spicket piped to the middle of it. My property is basically on the side of a hill, so as you go east, you go downhill. Since the garden is east of the house, it's about 10 feet lower than the house. The previous occupants terraced a section and planted berries. We will keep some of the berries and plant melons as well.

Looking down on the main garden.

Better view of the garden "disk"

Looking back at the house, note the terraces.

The main garden will be home to the vegetables and I am not sure if I will use rows or a more radial style of bed.

The herbs will be in a patch closer to the house and will likely be raised beds. The greenhouse will be just east of the house, and easy access to the bulkhead to the basement. Our basement has a concrete floor and is very dry. It also has a basin and work areas to process and preserve the produce. So produce will enter the house via the basement so proximity to the bulkhead is important.

Behind the greenhouse and further down the hill is where the chicken tractor will make its rounds once the broiler chicks are old enough to get out of the back half of the greenhouse, their brooder. I will also chicken tractor the areas of the main garden which will be planted in late May or June.

This is the first stage. There's an additional acre of lawn/lightly wooded area up front which can be reclaimed and put into some sort of production. I am trying to keep the "curb appeal" of the house and not add gross buildings, animals, or other which will anger neighbors. There's plenty of space, so no need to use the parts near the street.

A Big Plan

The plan for '09 is becoming less hazy. It's all well and good to say you are going to raise some veggies in the spring, but one thing gardening will teach you is: You need a plan. You need to plan ahead. Order seeds, prepare the soil, buy tools, sketch out the garden, pick your timeline. You can't run to the Quick-E-Mart for your slushy and farm-fresh broccoli. And, in many ways, that's the point.

Gardening takes time and discipline, two things over which I have never really felt control. But now, I have a goal to raise/barter/trade for 70% of my perishable goods. And that kind of accomplishment takes time.

Now, in the dead of January, it's time to plan for the '09 growing season. And things are getting sharply into focus.

Flora:
A greenhouse (12' x 20') is being selected and ordered. A list of vegetables has been written up, seeds researched.

The list is impressive. But seeds are cheap and experience is priceless so I will plant a lot and see how it grows:
asparagus
brussel sprouts
broccoli
yellow squash
lettuce/greens
cabbage
peas
beans
potatoes
yams
corn
butternut squash
acorn squash
zucchini
carrots
turnips
tomatoes
onions
garlic

Herbs and Fruits (TBD)

Our compost pile has been turned and pvc pipes run into it so it can breathe. We're in USDA Zone 5b here so most plants will not go into the ground until May, but I will start them early in the greenhouse and use cold frames to extend the growing season.

Fauna:
Today I put in an order for 25 more straight run layers. I will cull all but the best 10 to go with my current 10.

I also ordered free-range broilers, 20 of them. Both sets of chicks will arrive sometime in mid April and the meat birds will be processed by late July.

I have another farm tour planned this week with a local farm that provides chickens (to hold us over until our own are available), raw milk and honey. I also found a local coop grocery which sells grass-fed local beef. It's pricey, but I am happy to give my money to a local farmer instead of a marketer, packager, processor, truck driver. Since 85 cents of every conventional food dollar goes to these "supporting" roles and NOT the farmer, I think buying local, organic food is a bargain at twice the price.

Ok rant over, back to planning.

How's this all going to work? I work full time and have an hour and a half commute each day. The SO telecommutes from the farm, about 50 hours a week in the winter and 20 hours a week in the summer. Most of the labor will not be done by the author of this blog, but by my SO. I provide the financial backing, the research, health insurance and the sheer positive energy (we CAN do it!) and labor as I can on the evenings and weekends. The point is that we are going to do this and we both have "other" jobs. With good planning, proactive fixing (spend 5 minutes today to fix a problem rather than 30 minutes tomorrow), and a whole bunch of luck, we'll meet our goal within the next five years.

First Eggs

Today, I took a small step for chicken-kind, but a huge leap forward towards a sustainable food source.

It happened.

Eggs.

Not one, but two!!

Two of my 25 week old Rhode Island Red pullets left two eggs, perfect and clean, in the nest box/bucket like old pros.

These eggs are the first protein source derived and consumed on the farm. Step one in my global domination plan. Or maybe just in my sustainable harvest plan. Regardless, I am very pleased (and full).

Tastes Like Swimming Pool

I have been going back and forth about whether to raise our own meat birds for human consumption next year. I would love to be responsible for more of my food and to also ensure the birds had a decent, pastured life before processing. However, there is little chance of me finding a processor near me who would process the birds for me. What USDA inspected processing plant cares about 30 broilers? So I either process them myself or forego. I mean, I want to "do the right thing", but I love my layer hens and I think there is quite a learning curve to processing your own poultry. I don't hunt and although I am not opposed to it, it's quite a mental leap for me.

What to do?

Then one of my dogs got sick when she ate chicken. And another dog. This is store bought "Manager's Special", boneless skinless chicken breast. Not even their usual disgusting discarded poultry frames. This is chicken meant for people to eat, and now my dogs, which have been fed poultry for, oh 8 years now, are getting sick when they eat it.

I did some research and found out that humans have an intolerance for store bought poultry, too, because in the US they dunk the carcasses in a chlorine solution after processing. Residual chlorine survives cooking (of course, cooking does not remove chemicals) and people ingest it and viola, they get sick. In fact, the EU has been banning the import of US poultry since 1997 and just recently voted to keep the ban. The reason? The chlorinated poultry.

It turns out, the solution they use to clean the carcasses is the same chemical they use to sanitize swimming pools. It is NOT the solution they use to sanitize municipal water supplies, which is, um, more palatable?

I've never been happier to be on a well.

Anyway, I don't know if my dogs are sick because of chlorinated poultry. In fact, it's probably a stretch. But they ARE sick from human-grade chicken breast I bought from the store. And when I have cooked up eggs (even store bought eggs) for them to eat instead, no sickness. Instant cause and effect.

So the decision has been made. I will be raising and processing my own poultry next year.

Chicken-palooza

Funder asked to hear about the chickens, so I decided it was time to out myself as a total chicken freak. I love the chickens! But first, some information...

Chickens make a lot of sense on a small farm. They contribute meat and eggs, eat pests such as ticks and flies, and produce and spread manure all by themselves. They are also pretty social and entertaining and provide a nice "farm-like" ambiance. Compared to the horses, the chickens take very little effort, five minutes a day to provide clean water, check food levels, look for (non-existent) eggs, check them over for pecking or illness. I clean the coop twice a week, removing frozen, uneaten treats, scooping the area underneath the roosts and fluffing up the rest of the bedding. Very low maintenance animals.

Currently, we have a small flock of ten layer pullets (young hens). They are of laying age, but due to the amount of daylight in the winter, the move to the farm, and other distractions, they have yet to start laying. Any day now... :) At least two hens are displaying "breeding" behavior (the rooster squat) and their combs are big and bright red so they are mature enough to start laying.

I do not have a rooster at this time. I am still debating if I want to deal with the hassle. Hens will lay quite well without a rooster, but the eggs will not be fertile, obviously. For cooking, fertility makes no difference in the egg. The benefits of having a rooster are that they are beautiful, protect the hens, fertilize eggs which make hatching at home possible. The cons against roosters are that they are noisy, they can harass the hens with over mating, they can become aggressive, they eat food and don't lay eggs. :)

Chickens need their greens. I hang a head of cabbage on the wall and they peck at it, providing greens and entertainment for cooped up birds. In this picture are the Rhode Island Reds, Black Australorps and the Gold Sex Link is peaking in at bottom left.

I purchased these ten hens from a local lady who ordered them from an online hatchery and raised them until about five months. I have six Rhode Island Reds, three Australorps, and one Gold Sex Link. They are all good laying breeds. I feed them organic layer pellets (16% protein), they get a scratch mix (cracked corn, sunflower seeds, and flax seeds) as a treat a couple times a day. In the winter, they need all the calories they can get. Plus, they eat table scraps. So far they have really enjoyed butternut squash risotto and any type of pork the best.

The Coop. Alert: Handsome horse in the background.

Chicken-sized porch. Allows outside time out of the snow.

The hens live in an old playhouse which was not in use by the previous occupants. The coop is 70 square feet and has a little wrap-around covered porch which is ideal because it allows the birds to sit outside, but not have to wade in snow. If I were to build a coop from scratch, I would definitely add this feature. To convert it to a coop, we added two layers of R3.3 foam insulation board and covered that with white bathroom board which is easy to clean and peck proof. Chickens will peck at foam insulation and shred it (ask me how I know this). We added weather stripping around the door and windows and added chicken furniture, such as a roost and nest boxes. The coop is insulated, but not heated and we have a thermometer in the coop which shows that when closed up, it stays about 8-10 degrees warmer than outside. And, most importantly, it is draft free.

The Roost. The pallet is held in place by the board framing it on the top right.

Dust Bath. An old horse feed pan is filled with fireplace ashes to provide a dust bath for the hens when they can't go outside due to weather.

For a roost, we used an old pallet and broke out every other board and leaned it against the wall. The older hens roost on the top and the younger hens roost in the middle. For nest boxes, we use 5 gallon buckets and attached them to an old cabinet. Now the hens can lay in the cabinet, which is at ground level, or use the perch to enter the buckets. Once they start laying and establish a system, we may change the nesting arrangement to better suit what they like.

Nesting Buckets. The round objects are, sadly, not eggs but golf balls to "show" then hens where to lay. Hens can lay in buckets or in the compartments on the ground framed by an old cabinet turned on its side. An old lobster shell is picked clean, bottom right.

A heated dog water dish provides ice free water for the hens. It must be cleaned out and refilled daily. It's a perfect size for mature birds but would be a drowning hazard for chicks.

So far, the hens have been relatively healthy. Of the ten, only one has needed any care for an impacted crop and we brought her inside and fixed her up in about three days. They are fun, friendly, and fascinating to watch.

I have big chicken plans for the future since they are the "easiest" and most efficient form of protein you can raise on a small farm. I intend to expand my layer flock to 20 which will produce about 16 eggs a day. At this time, I think I am going to order 15 Blue Laced Red Wyandotte chicks (picture is not mine, all rights reserved) in the spring and even though I will order pullets, I will likely get at least one male. If he is non-aggressive, I will keep him to enhance my layer stock. If I order 15, I have a good chance of raising ten quality hens. Wyandottes are cold hardy, and broad solid birds which lay a big, round egg. I am also looking into Barnevelders (picture is not mine, blah blah blah) but they are not as good layers. I still have much research to do.

I am also researching buying meat birds in the spring to use in a moveable chicken pen to fertilize my garden plot and then harvesting them at 10 weeks for eating throughout the year. Ten weeks and a little effort and we will eat clean chicken for a year. It's a good deal, I just need to finalize the plan.

The layer flock will provide enough eggs for the two humans and four dogs. Since I feed my dogs a raw diet, I am always looking for cheap protein. Out of necessity, I buy them a lot of disgusting poultry to eat because it is so cheap. I am researching replacing half of their poultry meals with eggs and seeing if there are any health issues. I am investigating the biotin deficiency problems now and trying to find real numbers on how many eggs consumed are required to have a deficiency.

I am by no means a chicken expert, but if there are any remaining questions about chickens or their role on a small farm, feel free to ask in the comments and I will do my best to answer them.

Education Continues...

Christmas brought lots of educational materials to the ol' homestead. I received/ordered the following books:

• Four-Season Harvest
• Seed to Seed: Seed Saving and Growing Techniques
• Root Cellaring: Natural Cold Storage of Fruits and Vegetables
• Chicken Tractor
• Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life

I also have some time off from work to plan my Spring work and to look around for some local farms to support. Since leaving Texas, I have not found "my beef and chicken guy", "my lamb guy", "my eggs guy" or, tragically, "my milk guy". So I have been on the search.

A farm a few towns away sells raw milk and cream, free range eggs, and occasional meats like lamb and beef. They also provide a private farm tour just for the asking! Sign me up! The SO and I headed over yesterday, brimming with cash to buy up all their goodies. I've been jonesin' for a tall glass of real milk. Anyway, the farmer lady spent about 45 minutes with us, giving us a tour of the cows, the chickens, the calves, the steers, just about everything. I peppered her with complete newb questions like: "I see you are milking four different breeds of cows, which do you prefer?" "Which breed of laying hen do you prefer?" "Where do your cows pasture?" "What type of hay? Do you grow your own?" "How soon do you wean you calves?" "Can you make money off of free range eggs?" "Do you love farming?"

She was so gracious with all of her answers and I learned a ton, even though I didn't really know enough to ask good questions. We did talk for a bit about chicken tractors for meat birds, the virtues of a rooster, and why my hens aren't laying. (More on that in a later post). It was great and I was so appreciative. I must have thanked her for her time five times.

I did end up picking up some of her eggs, some milk and cream, and other assorted goodies. I also learned that my 2 horses and 10 chickens do not a farm make. That lady has a farm, with 100 cows and 200 chickens. I have a "farmette" or a hobby. :) Suits me fine, I am just getting started. Oh, and I also learned that I will be outsourcing for milk. I do not need or want a heifer. :)

Now that I have made some connections, it's time to hunker down and read my books and start planning for the spring. I expect the activity on this blog to pick up as I solidify my plans.

Education for the Ignorant

I put together a small list of some of the books I've read over the past years to get ideas about how to go on with this farming business. I posted it as a sidebar on the front page of the blog. I am woefully ignorant, and lacking in a paternal/maternal figure who knows the soil. My grandmother used to have an acre garden with great yields but she is past the point of remembering the essence of many details, such as canning, weather, growing patterns, etc.

I have been doing well with the fauna education, but now is the time to focus on the flora. I know very little about soil, except some basics from color, consistency, acidity. I can't identify many tree specifies and am even worse with weeds and mushrooms.

So any tips on which books to add to my bookshelf? I am looking for books about organic, diversified, small-scale vegetable and herb farming. There are literally thousands of books touting these attributes in this day and age, but are there some real gems I should pick up? Winter is a time for reading and planning, and although I missed the boat on many important items, such as liming, I would like to enter the Spring as prepared as possible.

Thanks is advance! Every comment is greatly appreciated!