successes and failures part 5 - mushrooms

Success and Failure - Mushroom logs were a big hit. We sold all the ones we had back in August, all of which fruited at least once. Next year we need to do a bunch more, several varieties and sizes, and keep a separate stock pile for ourselves.

Success and Failure - The straw baskets we did in early spring were doing great to start off, until the water problems started. When the well began messing up and we couldn't water them regularly there was nothing we could do. I think they are a bit too labor intensive, and that next year we should put more concentration on the logs.

Success - The demand. Everyone at the market we sold at were interested in the mushrooms, we had customers asking for them every week. Hopefully next year we will have them to sell more often, if we focus on logs and keep a watchful eye on our own stockpile.

I think this concludes my little success failure series. 

It has been a crazy year, I can only imagine what next year will bring our way.

Live simply,

Angela and Jonathan

successes and failures part 4 - the rabbits

Raising the rabbits has been pretty fun. I love the babies, they are just so cute. I love watching them grow bigger each day. I love dragging myself out of bed in the morning, and as soon as I get down there they are all hopping towards me, waiting for food and fresh water. I can't go long without smiling. While processing day is always hard, I know that they lived good lives. 

Failure - Late start breeding. We didn't have a litter to sell until July. Next year we will start breeding in January with a heat lamp in the big hutch, giving us late May to early June rabbits for sale.

Success - Demand. We sold all the rabbits we had to offer within two weeks of having them available. Next year we will up the price from $7 a pound to $8 a pound. 

Both - The rabbit tractors we used in the front yard worked pretty well, except for several escapes. Next year we need to make bigger tractors to allow for a 6 inch run of fencing along the edges to prevent digging out. 

Failure - How much is it worth? I'm not sure yet, but I don't think we made enough money to justify the amount we spent in feed. We need to work on a fodder system to grow our own grasses to feed, and we are discussing the idea of focusing on mushroom logs more and not selling the rabbits at all, although I don't think we are going to eliminate them completely. 

I think we would enjoy the entire process more if we we were eating more rabbit is all.

Live simply,

Angela and Jonathan

successes and failures part 3 - the garden

 Success - Onions. We got about 150 onions, yellow white and red.

Failure - Storage. Most of them rotted before we could eat them. 

We need to work on a better drying rack, location, and dry cold storage for after that.

Failure - The pumpkin vines all got a blight and died before any pumpkins formed. :(

Failure - Watermelon and two other kinds of melons all grew but the fruits never reached maturity.

Success - The small warted gourd mixture I planted went crazy. We sold a few, 

decorated with a bunch, and are drying out some to try to make little bird houses and things.

Success - The six tomato plants we bought as transplants did really well. We didn't stake them up very well, but they gave us more than we could eat anyways. We sold some of the extra, but I really wish we had tried to can or freeze some.

Failure - The direct seeded tomato plants didn't do much, just a handful of cherry tomatoes, 

although they were delicious.

Success - The yellow squash and zucchini did fantastic, although next year we need to do several plantings in order to extend our growing season. 

Failure - Cucumbers. We only got a few from a bunch of seeds. 

Failure - Beans, peas, and peppers.

Mediocre Success - The potatoes planted in the halfed barrels seemed to work well, but we needed to start the plants with the barrels half full, and then hill them as SOON as the vines are getting tall enough. Harvest was easy, but there were only potatoes in the very bottom. Also, the same drying and storage issues as with the onions.

Mild Success - The garlic crop we planted last October came in small and we waited too long to harvest them, making the skins slimy. 

A few more garden notes for next year:

-same space, more walkways.

-stake the plants early.

-multiple plantings to increase harvest time.

-spread the vine plants around the property to save space.

-fence along the backside of the garden to protect from deer, rabbits, etc

Live simply,

Angela and Jonathan

successes and failures part 2 - the birds

Failure - Starting the baby birds in our bedroom! What a mess! The same tote brooders will work just as well in the barn with secured lids.

Success - The totes themselves, two separate ones for the chickens and ducks. The ducks make such a mess with the water! We let them visit for days outside while they were still young. When we moved them outside to the tractors they got along just fine.

Success - We used dog crates as little chicken tractors in the front yard until we got the big coop built, it was a good temporary solution that could be used again if needed.

Success - The coop we built from timbers and cattle panels has worked really well. It is sturdy, easy to move (we have to give it a little push up hills with the four-wheeler) and is now, after a few lessons, pretty secure. It has been covered with plastic for the winter, and it is nice and toasty inside.

Failure - Escapes. Both the coop and run had gaps in the bottom of the wire along the ground where chickens escaped and were eaten by the dogs. We solved these problems with bricks and logs to fill the gaps inside the coop, and using tent stakes to anchor the fence to the ground in the run. Attention is key, check every day for gaps that could have formed.

Failure - Nest boxes. The buckets we started out with were too small, the trough we built instead is sturdy and they like to walk around in it, but they still lay their eggs around the yard and coop in the grass or piles of hay. Next year we will use golf balls or something similar to try to train the new birds to lay where we want them to.

Having the birds has brought great joy to my life.

Until next time,
Angela and Jonathan

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.

among the clouds

April showers seem to be here to stay, making us a big wet mess- but we're adapting.

chicks. I'm not sure what breed they are yet, but those two little ones are growing very slowly.

The Pekin ducklings seems to protect the smaller Rouens constantly, even from my camera

cloudy

onions (and weeds)

hello there

bunnies bunnies bunnies

flowers, in an amazingly rocky flower bed

Live simply,

Angela and Jonathan

a big step

There's been lots of little projects, growth, achievements...

the garlic grows more every day

our white rock chicks are getting fat

the pekins are obviously much bigger than the rouens

the little layers

bunny pile

but the biggest step of all... we finally have a greenhouse.

at long last

Live simply,

Angela and Jonathan

april showers

Well spring is definitely here! The trees are blooming, flowers and grass growing. Oh, don't forget the rain. Our first litter of rabbits are growing fast, already out exploring with their mom. The ducks and chicks are quickly outgrowing their brooders. Today we moved the ducks into their new yard pen until we get the coop finished. The chicks are definitely jealous, but their time is coming soon. 

Life is busy busy busy, and it couldn't be better.

baby bunnies are growing fast

Rose and Hopper are enjoying their time together. I think Hopper is quickly becoming a bit of a farm mascot.

Rose

the ducklings settling into their new home

the chicks are definitely jealous

Live simply,

Angela 

meet the very first additions to our farm

We welcomed three precious rabbits to the farm this week. They are all girls (does, in the farming world) but three different breeds (all known for their meat) in three different colors. They don't have names yet, but they certainly need them since they will probably be around for the next 5 years. They are all still young, so we will wait a few months before we get a boy (a buck.) I have enjoyed the past several days, waking up early and going out late after work to check on them. 

It's a pretty good feeling to have something depending on you.

pretty brown lady, she is a Dutch cross

white with grey ears, tail, and nose- she is a New Zealand / Tennessee Redback cross

this fancy girl is a pure Dutch- she is certainly the prettiest

Apologies for the red eyes and low quality photographs,
but I am finding that life is too short for editing.

Until next time, live simply,

Angela and Jonathan

a warm welcoming

our view of fall

Hello there! This a pretty big step, the first post of a real blog, for something tangible. I'm Angela, and my boyfriend Jonathan and I, along with some help from our families, are working to create a beautiful and sustainable homestead in the mountains of Virginia. We just returned home from spending seven months on a livestock farm outside of Richmond. We learned about raising sheep, cows, chickens, turkeys, pigs and rabbits, plus even more about sustainability, taking care of the land, and eating fresh local food. It opened our eyes to the things we eat, and more importantly the alternative choices that are available. Farmers markets are everywhere, it's a little bit more expensive, but the quality is worth it. We love knowing where our food comes from, and even more so eating produce that we grew and meat that we raised. It's an incredible lifestyle, a simple and frugal one, that we have fallen in love with. We want to mold and shape this little piece of land we have been blessed with into a self sufficient oasis, where we can spend our lives. I hope that you will follow along with us as we transform our blank canvas into something great.

shadows

the west

our new used rabbit hutch looks lovely after a little TLC and a coat of paint

Trilli - future farm dog

wood splitting

downing trees in the future western pasture

it's nice to meet you, we do hope you will stop by again sometime.

Angela and Jonathan