Around the yard and gardens

This is just part of my front yard. If you look at the top, where that white pallet is, that's where the bees will be going. When I get them. I'll put a fence around it to keep the sheep away. My yard is full of dandelions. Which I love. And I cry when I see those horrible commercials about Roundup to kill them. I use the flowers for tea and jelly. And the leaves are good to eat. And the bees LOVE them! How can anyone kill these plants? There will always be dandelions and violtes and henbit in my yard.

This is a view of the "wild" garden to the side of the yard. To the left top corner is where the bees will be. I have 7 blueberry bushes, so far, wrapped around this garden. I planted sunflowers seeds and some herbs in this garden plus lots of other flowers will pop up too.

This is the rock garden. This is the newest little lilac bush. So pretty. The bees should really like this bush. I also have some small butterfly bush, spirea and lots of peppermint and other herbs and Black-eyed Susan flowers. Plus dandelions all around it.

I have 4 fig bushes. Or are they trees? I don't know. They are all getting leaves now! You can see my sheep in the side yard. I put Abraham back in with the ewes today. Maybe some September lambs?

This is my grapevine row in the garden. All of them are getting leaves now. You can see the kale and collards to the right. Potatoes to the left.

I have 3 really old apple trees in the side yard. All of them are getting leaves and are full of buds ready to blossom out soon. I also have 6 newer trees down below the garden. And 3 pear trees. All getting leaves and buds too.

I found some Adirondack Blue and some white potatoes from last year in the garage. So I cut them up and planted them today. I dug a trench, put the potato pieces in that, then covered it all with a heavy layer of old hay mulch.

So it is really becoming spring around here. We're in for some strong storms tonight, so lots of rain too. We kind of need it right now. Strange to say that. But the ground is quite dry. My little baby plants need water.

Just a little view of my yard and gardens. I think my bees will be ok here. Plus there are 2 mountains on either side of us here, full of trees.

No bees yet

We were supposed to go about 6:30 tonight to get the hives in Sale Creek, Tn. But, we are in for some pretty nasty storms right between 5 and 8 PM. Right in the middle of when we were going. So we will go tomorrow. I am not looking forward to storms. In April. Those are scary. So I'll do a post about my yard and garden instead.

Mulching the garden beds

 I did do quite a lot Sunday. I know, it's a day of rest. But when the mood hits, I jump.


So I got the wagon and loaded up 3 huge loads like this one of the best hay mulch. This is where I fed the sheep hay and it's sat here all winter. It's FULL of big red worms. I mean FULL. Every time I got a fork full there were worms.

This is where all that went. On the cabbage and onion bed. It's really deep too. Still have a flat of cabbage and some broccoli to get planted. It will get done.

I have all this to get on the garden too.  Under the sheep shelter. Lots of good stuff. Then there's the other shelters. The chicken coop. And the goat barn. I should have lots of good arm muscles soon!

What do y'all use for mulch? I like this because it has all the sheep, goat and chicken manure mixed in with it. So good for the garden. And I can mix it in later to the soil and it makes it richer.

So tired

I don't know what's wrong with me. I am so tired. Can't seem to do anything. I have no strength. I get worn out so fast. And I have SO darn much to do. I think I'm depressed. I cry at the smallest things. I get upset all the time. I am just so tired. I lay in bed at night, thinking of all the things I need to do. I can't sleep. I have to get up and take a sleeping pill. Then I have to get up at 6 am to get my grand daughter on the bus. It's getting daylight again now, so I stay up.

Already today, the sheep were outside the electric fence. In the rock garden. I was on my way down the driveway to plant some flowers under my farm sign when I saw them. They must have just gotten out so hadn't done much yet. The little piece of field fence was down. SO I ran and got some feed and got them back in the sheep yard. Then had to fix the boundary fence to get them over next door for a few days. The grass in that yard in nice and pretty tall and so green now.

I was going to mow along that fence so the sheep wouldn't be tempted to go under. But  the grass is so tall, the mower keeps shutting off. And it wears me out to have to crank it up every few minutes.

But earlier this morning, I tried the new milking machine on Zarah. I had put her kids up last night so I could milk her. I could not get ANY suction. Nothing. I tried the bigger machine on Penelope. No suction on that one either. So had to hand milk them both. I got so upset and just cried buckets. I feel so useless. I know it's something simple that if my husband were here, he could get it going. It just makes me mad. And I cry some more. Poor me.

I did make some farmer's cheese for a farmer's get together and seed swap tonight. I want to go so bad. But it starts at 5 and goes til 9. Right in the middle of milking and feeding times. Aren't these farmer's too? Don't they have evening chores to do too?

And now my camera is not working. Something about the lens. I should know not to carry it in my pocket all the time. And I just got it not long ago.

I think I'll go back to bed now.

Arlo's gone

I just sold Arlo Guthrie and Trudy's buckling! So I have enough money to buy my milk machine! I am so happy that Arlo isn't going to be sausage. Now to find a new home for John Henry. And Ira Joe.

I'm going in the morning to get the milk machine. I hope I don't get lost. Nashville is not the easiest place for me.  It's got a lot of highways and signs and way too much traffic. I hope I can find the place.

Pigs, having fun in the sun

 Aw, just look at that face. he's so happy. They were both out enjoying the sunshine today.

I was filling up their water bucket and squirted them both with the hose. they love that. They'd run all over, squealing. So fun! I filled up a few of their holes for them too. Their yard is now a big mud hole.

So I went and cut them some salad to eat. They really enjoyed that. I'll have to do that every few days.  But they are growing so fast. It has to be all that good bread and the fermented grain they're eating. The white pig is as big now as the black pig. They are kind of fun right now. But I know later, it'll be different.

It works!

I went out this morning and put the new Premier fence up. I got it all hooked up and was wondering hoe to tell if it was working or not. About that time, I heard a big ole yelp and saw poor Stella running for her life. Yes, it works! So got the gate open and the sheep piled out. They ran around a bit, then one by one, they touched the fence. Because what's on the other side is better, right? I am so sorry, but this is the funniest thing I have ever seen. When sheep get bit, they leap up in the air and jump through the yard. Then all the others go running to see what happened to them. I know, I have a sick sense of humor. It hurts. I have gotten bit a few times. It ain't fun. But when it happens to someone else, it's just too funny.

So I think in a few days, this will be all eaten down. It's the front yard, where the septic tank is. I mowed this in early Feb. Not since. And it's very tall and lush and green. Why doesn't the rest of my farm look like this?

I will be using this fence to do the intense rotational grazing. I so hope that this will help keep the parasite problem down. Plus the Diotemacious Earth, kelp and minerals they are getting. I think they are all looking really good for not having much to graze on yet.

You can see here how tall and pretty the grass is here.  And they have plenty of room to keep them all busy.

 I did have to add some of the field fence here at the end to make it reach to the fence. So far, so good.

This is the energizer bunny. It's amazing! Like a secret agent case, full of goodies. I was a little intimidated at first, but it has great instructions on the lid and was really easy. I did all by myself!

This is the inside. So cool, right? I was wondering how I was going to tell if it was working, before I let the sheep out. About then, I heard the loudest yelp. Stella must have been sitting beside the fence when I flipped the on switch and got bit. Poor girl. I had to thank her for her help.

So I think this just might be the thing I have been needing here to help keep the sheep where I want them. I've had one of these before, but without the energizer. So I sold it. Wish I had it back now. I may need to get another one. I want to keep the chickens in one going after the sheep to eat the poop and spread it around to fertilize the pasture. Isn't it amazing how one thing helps another?