Thursday, 25 June 2015

Summer Days

Its officially summer on the farm, and things are wonderful!



Yesterday little farm girl found some deliciously ripe strawberries all warmed in the sunshine, and when she put the first one in her mouth she said "I think God made these to show how much he loves me!"
I feel like that about the farm lots of days.



Here is our garden. Its feels like it is coming along painfully slowly. Mainly just because we were way ahead of this last year.



We have discovered an absolute love for flame weeding. I weeded carrots for hours and hours yesterday and last night we did a quick comparison between the row I was weeding that didn't get flame weeded, and the following rows which did get flame weeded. What a crazy difference! Matt suggested we rip everything out and start again with flame weeding. We won't actually do it, but the difference in the amount of weeding to be done brought that thought to mind!



Beside the garden we have tilled and planted green manures to improve next years garden expansion. That hay is coming in nicely along side it. Those thick spots are where we pastured our layers last fall. Weather permitting we will cut hay over the weekend.



Here are the Oats and Peas coming up. They will add organic matter and nitrogen to the soil. All together I think its an acre and a half we have planned for next year.



Peas coming up!



Here are some greenhouse pictures. I am a bit frustrated with how slow everything is going in there too. I lost everything to frost in the spring and had to start again.



I was even starting to doubt if I would get anything but this morning I noticed flowers on some tomato plants and a few peppers.



This pepper plant on the left was one of the few frost survivors. Its has some flowers on it now. The one on the right was from the second planting.

And some of the sights around the farm.



The chicks running around. I love watching them catch flies. They flatten down those awkward little bodies and dart around the lawn, and suddenly there is a fly in their beaks! That starts a game of keep away, which is another whole show in itself!
 


And on the opposite end of the productivity scale is the pigs. I caught this little girl (called Black Ear) trying to combine rooting and napping. After some very drowsy shovels with her nose she sunk down into a little heap.



And the horses. I am climbing up on them every chance I get and it sure feels good. Whenever I get a minute they are game to play with me.



Matt's Grandparents came to visit and Grandpa, who is an amazing horseman and has bred and shown draft horses all over the country, gave me a quick harness lesson with Charlie. I have a harness that is not quite complete and he was able to go over it with me and show me exactly what was missing.  


And our good-as-gold farm dog. We are in the market for another good farm dog. If only I could just double her!



And this is how we spend our evenings. Weeding away. The work can be a bit tedious but the view and the company is amazing!


Not a bad way to spend an evening...



Monday, 1 June 2015

Irresistible

Some things on the farm are absolutely irresistible this time of year. 
The chores are taking me a ridiculously long time just because I can't resist lingering. 


These beautiful cool evenings make it very hard to go in and finish the day.

Also, the pigs and all their pigginess.


They are so fun to watch, and scratch and play with.


And make mud for.


 Definitely irresistible! Unless I am wearing my clean clothes, which thankfully is rare.


They garden is well underway. Here is a pegboard we used for planting our seeds. This is the 3' grid we use for beets and parsnips and such.


Our first row of carrots in the ground. 


Rutabagas up! The pegboard leaves them planted so neatly. What I find irresistible about the garden is weeding. Once I start, I just can't stop!


Matt and the little farmers setting up drip tape.


This is how men weed the garden...



We had on oops on the farm. A very, very cute, irresistible oops!


I try so hard to leave Momma alone with her babies. But every time I go in the barn, I just have to have a quick peek to see how they are doing. And then I just have to pet one and before you know it I have held them all.


So irresistible...


I am pretty sure I can resist not keeping them all, so if you know anyone who won't be able to resist them, send them my way!