The Luna Acres Homestead: successes and failures part 1

Monday, November 25, 2013

successes and failures part 1 - the greenhouse

Success - We put up the greenhouse, anchored it down well, put up shad cloth to block the hottest sun, and used metal barrels filled with water and painted black for stability plus heat. So far it is holding up well.

Failure - The irrigation. Hand watering with a hose is not enough to maintain straw baskets. Next spring we need to invest in a modest sprinkler system with a timer.

Neither - The ventilation. We used a big exhaust fan with an extension cord we just set up and moved when it wasn't necessary. It was a bit too big for the space, plus protecting it from water was a challenge. My grandmother has an old smaller fan built into a garage we plan to try to transfer and set up for next year.

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hello there

We are Angela Kelly Jones and Jonathan Taylor, the farmers, if you will. We have been a couple for five years, and sharing our love of farming and animals for two. We were lucky enough to spend eight months on a working livestock farm outside of Richmond, where we learned the skills to raise animals ethically and naturally. The focus is on grass-feeding and pasture management, and while we don't have much pasture land ourselves, the techniques and benefits are still incredible. We also learned tons about gardening and growing mushrooms. We just returned home in early winter and are setting up to produce several varieties of mushrooms, and raise several different animals. Please support our homestead so we can continue to grow!

behind the name

I struggled for months trying to decide what to name the farm. I wanted it to be something creative, that caught your attention, that was interesting. Something meaningful. I wanted a name that could express our dreams, ideals, love for nature and animals, and commitment to sustainability and quality of life- all in one word. The name Luna seemed stuck in my head for weeks in the end of summer, and one day I was jotting down ideas on paper when it came to me. Luna Acres. I played around with the letters, trying to think of an underlying message I could convey within the name itself, this is where I thought, "life's unexpected natural abundance." Our society is so fast paced and materialistic, it's hard to see the amazing abundance that's all around us. We had been discussing the terminology of our business for several weeks as well, and we decided that homestead most accurately described what we are doing. We want to create a home where we can provide for ourselves as much as possible, that we can leave behind. The Luna Acres Homestead.