At last count, there are approximately 72 animals on my farm. Of these, 22 meat birds will be butchered very soon bringing the count down to 50. I learned that each type of animal needs their own type of shelter from the elements. I didn’t quite understand that when I got animals and have been scrambling ever since. I have lots of crazy stories of me trying to cope due to my lack of knowledge and experience.
Farm Infrastructure
Regarding outbuildings: When I bought the place there was a small barn and an oversized “shed” the size of a one-car garage, and I had thought that would be plenty. Not near enough! I started using the garage for everything: raising chics until they were ready to go outside, storing animal feed for the various animals, storing milking equipment, a freezer for beef, all the supplies and tools you never thought you needed for various circumstances, until the garage became impassible and the car sat outside no matter the weather. I finally constructed some commercial shelving and that was quickly filled. I was constantly cleaning out the garage and taking trips to the dumps.
The other day I saw a rat and that was it for me. I need to get another shed to store animal feed in galvanized trash cans, along with the farm tools. The garage shed was converted into a goat shelter, several chicken coops were purchased to accommodate the growing flock since I didn’t have the wherewithal to build a large coop by myself, and the small barn doubled as hay storage and a cow shelter. Now, if you mow or bush hog your own property, you need a garage or shed for that equipment, not to mention the gardening tools. I hire the mowing and bush hogging workout. If you have spare rolls of fencing and t-posts, bags of pine chips or bales of straw, the list goes on, those things need shelter too. Don’t think you can just tarp things outside. I tried. It really is a waste of energy and resources if you live in an area that has “weather”. It rains a lot here, the wind blows hard, and there’s lots of humidity, so keeping things dry is critical.
At one time I had left a roll of fencing out in one of the fields. You’d never guess, but a bunch of chickens that had flown the coop decided to crawl into that roll of fencing, got stuck, and a couple died before I even noticed they were out there. It was horrible to have to unroll that fencing and pull dead chickens out of it and rescue the one that lived. I was angry at myself for leaving a booby trap in the field. Everything needs its place.
In regards to the accessibility of water: It’s nice to have hand pumps available near various animal areas, but if you don’t or can’t, you’re going to be hauling water. Some folks get along just fine using an ATV and buckets. My problem is that I cannot lift a full 5-gallon bucket of anything. I can only lift one that is half full, just due to the weight. That means a lot of buckets and a lot of trips, either using an ATV or walking. Even pulling a wagon full of 5-gallon buckets is very difficult for me. I don’t have an ATV and I’m not going to buy one, so that means I make lots of trips with half-full buckets on my own two feet. It can be exhausting if you have to make sure 100-gallon water troughs remain full of water. I learned to string together 100 ft hoses in order to service the water troughs. But, I have to roll those hoses up and put them away every time because my dogs, who are finally coming out of the puppy stage, like to chew on things. That’s a lot of work every day.
And what happens when you get sick? As happened recently to me, I was too sick to do the normal chores and had to call for help. Without water, animals will die. I am in process of getting permanent water lines installed out to the various animal areas (more $$$). Lesson learned – water is one of the most critical elements of the farm and don’t count on your physical ability to haul water out even if you are in perfect health. During the winter, I lugged out gallon jugs of very hot water that I used to melt the ice that formed on all the waterers. That, along with a stick that I broke the ice up with.
Some Gardening Experience
In regards to the garden: In my fantasy, I imagined an enormous quarter-acre garden. Anyone I mentioned this to responded with hesitation. I was not deterred. I hired a local person who had a small tractor to plow an area that got some shade and lots of sun. I purchased enough goat fencing and t-posts to enclose it and hired that to be done. I had a spare small gate from another project. I was so excited about this garden that I had plotted and planned out on paper. I had purchased lots of seeds. It was so beautiful in my mind and I couldn’t wait until our last frost date mid-April. That is, until I started hoeing and planting seeds. The heat and humidity here cannot be understated. I can work for about an hour before I have to stop, if I start early enough in the day. I wear my hair in a ponytail and when I’m done working in the garden I am dripping so much sweat that my ponytail is actually dripping. The first thing I planted was potatoes, red potatoes and russet potatoes, in a long 80ft row. I topped the potatoes with straw and that worked well because I ignored them until they were ready to harvest. The potatoes have been prolific. I get an A+ in potatoes.
Next, I planted a huge section of broccoli, cauliflower, onions, leeks, lettuces, and kale. That entire section died due to the heat wave and lack of rain. Normally, we get rain every afternoon here, but this spring we’ve had almost no rain and crazy heat – completely abnormal weather. Of that entire section, I harvested 3 lettuce plants that survived. Next, I planted a corn patch, squash, zucchini, okra, bush beans, melons, watermelon, and pumpkin. Again, not enough rain, although the heat-loving squash has been prolific and the corn is just barely hanging in there. I get an A+ in squash. Pumpkins are growing, the watermelon may make it, but not much else. Next, I planted a long row of various sunflowers that are still alive and some are starting to flower. Next, I planted a long row of tomato plant starts, and sweet peas and telephone peas along a trellis, and again, due to the heat and lack of rain, I don’t think any of these plants are going to make it. Next, I planted butternut squash, and another patch of corn, ever hopeful for the normal rain that never came. That’s a lot of rows to hoe, but I went at it early every morning. At that point, I had only planted out a quarter of the quarter acre garden. I humbly admit that my fantasy was just that – a fantasy. Maybe, if the weather had cooperated…
Meanwhile, the wild grass was growing in the garden like crazy in spite of the lack of rain, and I had to spend a lot of time weed whacking and weeding just to keep things semi-under control, in the heat and humidity. I tried to get out early in the morning, and have all the animal chores and milking done by 6am so I could work in the garden. The gardening failures go back to WATER. When I planned the garden, I didn’t plan for watering it because it rains so much here.
Where I live is considered the “banana belt” of Tennessee. Things just grow. Imagine my surprise when it didn’t rain much during April, May, and June. Now it’s July and the temps are only getting hotter. So, I have a couple of choices at this point. I can haul out 200 ft of hoses and manually water the garden every day, or I can be grateful for potatoes and squash, and plan to install a watering system for next year. Of course, you know, next year will be the wettest year on record if I do that! All that to say, I planned on the rain that didn’t come. Homesteader beware – WATER, again, is a critical resource.
I still love the size of the garden and I thought I had the tools to manage it, but my physical strength gave out. My plan included an herb garden and a flower garden in addition to the vegetables. Due to the heat and lack of rain, I just stopped planting, sat back and stared at my disaster of a garden, reviewing what I assumed would happen against the reality of what happened. I’m not sure how I will approach it next year. I may lay down silage tarps to kill the native grasses over winter so I can start with a clean slate. We shall see.
Oh, and I also found the time to plant an orchard of fruit and nut trees.
Planning for Year 2
For me, the first year was a whirlwind of activity as I strove to get a fully functioning farm up and running. I made lots of mistakes. I don’t think I understood just exactly what a “fully functioning farm” is. I thought you needed a lot of animals, but that’s not true. You just need the basics. I hired a lot of help and no, it wasn’t all in the budget, so yes, I spent too much money. I’m stretched too thin. If I’m outside working on the farm, I’m not inside keeping house, and vice versa. Since I cook everything from scratch, I’ve learned to cook things in batches so I don’t have to cook every day. I’ve learned to work outside very early in the morning when it’s somewhat cool, and work the rest of the day inside the house with the air conditioning, then work outside again in the evenings if it cools down enough. I started lots of inside projects that are not at all finished.
The good news is, I did it! The bad news? Well, let’s just say it’s not perfect and there’s a ton of work still to do in order to improve efficiency. I’ve been exhausted and overwhelmed, but I don’t regret it for a moment. I look around and notice that the more I do, the more there is to be done. I’m cheered up when I pull vegetables out of the garden, bring in gallons of fresh milk and dozens of fresh eggs, and fill a vase with fresh flowers. When the sun rises in the morning, I find myself outside watching the glory of it, thanking the Lord for His kindness and goodness to me. And when I plop into bed at night, I thank Him that I made it through the day. Honestly, I wouldn’t trade this year of “learning the hard way” for anything. One thing is for sure, I have more enthusiasm than I should have.
Moving forward, what am I going to do to make things more manageable for myself? Maybe I will let go of the idea of breeding rabbits and give these beautiful rabbits to someone who can appreciate them. I am going to let go of the adorable Nigerian dwarf goats if I can find someone who will appreciate them. I thought about sending them all to Freezer Camp. I am not going to raise traditional “meat birds” (Cornish Cross) again. They don’t do well in the heat and must be butchered on schedule. I am going to switch to a dual purpose (eggs and meat) type of chicken and only harvest when needed rather than putting myself through “butchering day”. I went to the expense of buying all the butchering equipment, but I think that will hold me in good stead for a long while should I decide to butcher a lot in one day. Or, maybe I will sell it at a discount. I might consider sheep rather than goats, but for now, no more animals. I am going to concentrate on the dairy cows, and keep chickens because they’re generally easy, and spend more time gardening. I’m going to attempt to solve the water distribution problem.
And finally, I’m going to spend more time on the interior of the home so it’s more pleasant. All in all, I’ve had many successes and solved many problems. I recognize that my enthusiasm for farm living far outweighs my ability to live a farming life. I am going to cut things down to size, and not give up. I mean, think about it, what do you actually need to grow or raise to be self-sufficient. A source or two of meat (chickens and cows or sheep), a source of dairy (cows), a garden (vegetables, beans, flowers, herbs), and that’s really it. I’ll still need to buy bulk staples such as wheat, sugar, honey, dried beans, lentils, etc., but in the absence of those things, and if I focus more on the garden, I can mostly grow much of what I’m still buying. At least that’s the goal – a self-sufficient homestead.
My idea of a “self-sufficient” homestead is being able to close the gates and not leave unless I want to. As we see civil unrest on the rise, it is a worthy goal. And just for the record, I’m not going to eat bugs and I will never surrender my 2nd Amendment rights.
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dunno how much slope you have in the ground but try to install a couple of tanks , maybe a few hundred to a thousand gallons, closer to the various spots you’ll be needing the water. You can put som emore effort into running more permanent hoses (the hard-ish black heavy duty polyethylene that comes in several hundred foot rolls is great) and possibly, depending on the setup, even dig a trench and run the hose through that so the dogs dont shew on it.. or else run it along a fenceline or something., youll find a way. anyhow instead of hauling buckets around, you can have a couple days worth of water in the various spots close to where it’s needed and fill those up with the pressure from the pump raising it from the well. then a shorter hose that can be managed out of the way of the dogs at each point will make it a lot more convenient. if you ave sloping ground that by itself provides the pressure for the tanks and their hoses to work without you hauling the water. else maybe mound up some dirt and set the tank on top of the mound, a couple feet up. thats enough slope to water gardens or animals by gravity feed.
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Julia,
We have a fairly good idea about what you are doing. You really should quit do that. What you are doing may seem cute to you, but it will slowly rot your soul. Your soul or your spirit is what you are. Your body is just a vessel to carry your spirit around during the life you are living now.
If you don’t want to get a job outside the home, find some occupation where you produce a product or service of real value to others. Build a greenhouse and supply lettuce and kale to restaurants year around; start a child care center. The possibilities are endless.
Incredulous – Replying to a bot is the definition of insanity.
Not really. I realize the messages are posted by a computer bot. I do it to entertain myself, and to convey a message to actual people who will read what I post on this site and others. Entertainment is hard to come by where I live. I am forced by circumstances to create my own entertainment.
I live in a small farming village populated mostly by a particularly insular, inbred tribe of Germans. They are interested in raising GMO soybeans and GMO corn. Nothing else interests them in the least. They have little knowledge of the outside world beyond 50 miles from here, and no interest in people, events, or trends in the greater world. I suspect that they do not understand what world trends cause fluctuations in input costs and crop prices.
Do they know that a drought in the Parana basin in South America will greatly influence the world price for soybeans? Probably not. Do they know that the high corn price in 2012 was caused by a drought in Illinois and northern Missouri? Probably not. Do they know what the talking heads said last night on TV? Why yes, they do.
I come to sites like this one to engage in small conversations with real people to maintain my sanity. Sometimes I wonder if the people who surround me are bots themselves. Trying to talk to some of them and discuss new ideas is like talking to the wall.
Of topic, but have you read the autobiography of Geronimo? Very rigid thinker, but a man of honor, a very admirable person. When he was living on parole in SW Okiehoma near Lawton in the early 20th century, a guy gained his confidence such that they had many conversations in which Geronimo related his history and philosophy of life. The guy, whose name escapes me, obtained Geronimo’s permission, and the us army’s permission to publish the autobiography.
😂😂😂😂😂
“Julia is a bot, not a real person.
The rest of us figured that out about 3 years ago. Welcome aboard.
It is fun to reply to a bot because I can say anything I want to say, but the bot never replies. Never replies to insults.
It is also a good avenue to convey messages to others without the original poster complaining.
Tomato Rule #1: To get maximum production, wait 4 years before planting in the same area again. Learned that the hard way this year. Scads last year, 25% of that this year.
Planted my tomatoes where my peas were last year and am harvesting 6-8 a day from 4 plants.
Also took one of the plants and planted it in a 5 gal container and buried the container level with the soil. I put fresh soil in my tomato planter so can put it wherever I want and not worry about what was planted there last year. It, too has been a very productive plant with 2 – 3 tomatoes a day.
You were wise. Peas are legumes which add nitrogen to the soil. The next crop benefits mightily from that free nitrogen.
Okra, beans, and sweet potatoes are my most PRODUCTIVE, insect, drought resistant, top three.
I do many more but these three are my heavy hitters.
Hi lamont, applying one cup of lime per sq yard at the end of the growing season may fix your soil which has likely become too acidic for nutrient uptake.
-B.R.
Let the animals do the work. My chickens are in a tractor that sits on my garden beds from the time snow stops until planting. They take care of weeding, tilling, and underground bugs before I even plant. Weeding is not nearly as much of a chore after they have cleaned the beds.
I will be doing similar to the author except I have some background in farming after growing up in a rural area. My challenge will be that I plan to leave here and pursue my farm in another state with a different climate. A friend there is already schooling me on the differences of beekeeping vs here…only one nectar flow per year vs spring then fall at this location.
I suspect it will take a few years to learn the rhythm of nature and work with it rather than in opposition.
Can you use chickens and guinea hens to harvest caterpillars and other bugs? Will the chickens peck the veggies too much? I read a suggestion somewhere to use ducks, because their bills are rounded-they can grab the pests off he veggies but not damage the growing plants.
Several years ago I was really enjoying fresh summer squash and didn’t think anything about the funny looking bugs that I saw crawling on the plants, until the squash bugs killed the plants. Even in a tiny village, the busybodies on the village board have rules prohibiting any sort of farm animal-no chickens, no ducks, no rabbits. At the same time, dogs and cats roam loose all over the village, creating all sort of problems.
I can hardly wait to sell my house and move out to a small acreage further out.
They don’t come around until mating is done and the males lose tail feathers, but our neighbors’ peacocks are starting to roam our property, with guineas in tow.
They are bug efficient.
Guineas are tick eating machines…great watch animals…but too noisy…funny at first…then the constant never ending screeching got past annoying…raised 10…never again.
Peacocks are noisy as hell as well. They claim guineas keep snakes away, but that may be an old wives’ tale. However, they are proven to sound the alert if a snake wanders by. Here in Oz anything that might keep those poisonous bastards away is worth a try. The brown snake is damn lethal. As are about all the others, but the brown kills folks every year. And they swarm around these parts. The taipan might get more people, especially aboriginals, who just disappear now and again, becoming croc shit or dingo fodder, depending on which reptile gets them. The taipan is a five step snake at times. They are lethal on a whole other level to any other land snake.
Yea Llpoh I have read about the Oz snakes…shoot, shot, shit. I would keep a Bond Arms Derringer loaded with two 4/10s on me at all times! Best snake gun I have as it is light and easy to carry.
I read they like to get in trees and will strike from above???
I just shot a 7 foot black snake in the chicken coop…hated to do it…it’s a good snake…eats the rodents and Copperheads, but I was missing a lot of eggs, then I found a dead chicken without a mark on its body…internet article said Black Snakes will wrap themselves around a chicken, then put its mouth over the chicken’s head and suffocate it…then eat the egg(s).
I pronounced him guilty of Chickencide…and introduced him to my Shockwave I keep in the barn next-door. (Forgot to strap on my Bond Arms).
Then a couple of days later I spotted a three and a half foot, what I was sure was a Copperhead, by my duck coop, and shot it with a 9 mm hand gun I had one me…but its pupils were round…so I don’t know what it was?
I’m a nervous wreck when my puppy is running around…keeping the pastures super short and scanning the skies for hawks…like a hawk! I won’t let him get far from me.
It reminds me of being at the beach with my daughter when she was a kid.
Hawk? Bah, humbug. We have wedge tail eagles by the dozen. Up to 9’ wingspan. Small dogs and puppies would be easy marks.
Re the snakes, if they get you the gun would be of little use, except to make you feel safer by killing one’s you see, but you won’t be any safer because you only see a fraction of the ones that are around.
Most who get bitten step on them, reach into bushes, or fuck with them. They are hard to see, and camouflage well. Never heard of them striking from above, but taipans can move through bushes really fast, and they bite you several times like lightning, even though once would be sufficient. Fuckers.
The browns are the second most poisonous land snake, behind only the fucking taipan, and they are every damn place in east Oz. A copperhead is a garter snake in comparison, no fooling. Oz snakes are a whole ‘nother kettle of fish.
I’ve had peacocks. Not only are they loud, but they tend to roost on the peak of your roof and make a mess. I like the sound they make, it doesn’t bother me, but that doesn’t really carry true for the rest of the household. Never had guineas, but they look like something that would be very hard to protect from predators. My advice to this gal, or anyone wanting to do the things that she’s doing is to start with a small group of projects. Get really good at those projects. Make those projects bigger. Everything big and great was at one time small and great. Don’t grow little bits of this and that, grow a lot of what you are good at.
Chickens will destroy a living garden very quickly. Or, your neighbor’s wife’s flowerbed if they escape their fencing. I have heard good things about runner ducks for bugs but have no personal experience.
Incredulous,
Last year I planted 4 long rows of four different Kale in the fall…and used it to feed the chickens. I think many people over feed their chickens…I know I did for years.
You can ferment chicken feed in buckets of water and almost double it nutrition level.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/fermenting-chicken-feed-a-straightforward-method.75967/
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/fermenting-chicken-feed-a-straightforward-method.75967/cover-image
I love my fall/winter garden…less weeding/insects.
I’m in NC.
“Vegetables that are well suited for fall planting are generally able to tolerate a light frost and can be harvested much later into the year than other types of vegetables.
Broccoli and cauliflower. Both should be started from seed indoors around 12 weeks prior to when you are likely to see the first frost. Although both vegetables love the sun, they will thrive in partial shade as well. Resistant to cold and able to tolerate a certain amount of frost, they will survive only if the head – the flowery part – is well developed before the frost.
Turnips and beets are two more hardy vegetables that are able to live through a light frost as long as they are insulated adequately. Since both are root vegetables, however, both need to be harvested before the first hard frost of the year.
Cabbage grows best if it is started indoors around 6-12 weeks prior to the first frost and then transplanted when the young plants are 3-4 weeks old. The cooler the temperatures, the sweeter the cabbage, as long as they receive adequate and steady water.
Peas and beans are two of the more temperamental fall vegetables, tolerating little in the way of frost and requiring plenty of shade and water. A layer of mulch can help extend the growing cycle of peas and beans.
Kale is another vegetable that is actually sweeter the cooler the weather. Many find that frost or even snow actually improve upon its flavor. Kale should be planted between 6 and 8 weeks before the first frost and can continue to be cultivated throughout the fall.
Herbs & Garlic
Herbs such as parsley, cilantro, basil, mint and thyme thrive in cooler temperatures and can be grown wherever there is space – even, conveniently, in pots. For areas with mild winters, such as ours, they will thrive.
Garlic is best planted in late fall, but before any hard freeze, which is when a garlic plant goes dormant until warmer spring temperatures allow it to start growing again. Easy to cultivate and hardy, it requires very little care throughout its yearlong growing cycle, though it will do best in fertile, well-drained soil”.
Mark,
I will copy your directions for a fall garden and follow faithfully. For various reasons, I could not get a spring garden in this year, but am determined to get a fall garden in. I have noticed that cabbage and broccoli won’t do much until the temperature breaks in early or mid fall, then they take off. I was amazed, the first time I grew cabbage, to see that cabbage will grow 3 or 4 small heads after the first big head is removed. The small cabbage heads are sweeter, too.
If I can get the place cleaned out and cleaned up, I hope to sell out late spring or summer and go north to cooler climes. I do plan to plant a huge spring garden to show prospective buyers that they can grow all their own veggies. If I can get a fence built around the back yard, I think I can hide rabbit hutches and a small chicken house.
Best of luck buddy!
Sounds like a great plan.
Just ordered more seed from here.
https://www.gardenersbasics.com/?omnisendContactID=62d477d2d82666001c2ce831&utm_campaign=automation%3A+Welcome+%2862d477d2681734f6361f8207%29&utm_content=62a89aa28d875237ac786b68&utm_medium=email&utm_source=omnisend
One veggie I have had tremendous success with two summers running is Asparagus Beans! Check it out”
https://dengarden.com/gardening/How-To-Plant-Asparagus-Beans-From-Seed-To-Harvest
Arizona Bay
“They take care of weeding, tilling, and underground bugs before I even plant. Weeding is not nearly as much of a chore after they have cleaned the beds”.
Yea that is what I do in winter as well…plus there is all the free chicken shit a fertilizing!
Geese are great except for goose poop. Everywhere.
Yea, I have been around them…no thanks…so far my Peking Ducks are doing great…approaching their 5th month, full grown (amazingly fast) have a coop at the edge of my pond…they come in every night on their own…and are having sex like crazy…supposedly best duck egg layers going…soon will see.
Segments, or whole thing posted here before. Painful to watch. ‘ Grim Determination’ personified.
https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=grandfather+video&view=detail&mid=BC3FEAF6670F0038DC5BBC3FEAF6670F0038DC5B&FORM=VIRE
“Herb Garden” could be profitable, depending on distance to market. Even chain stores will buy local products as a ‘draw’. Local ‘Farmers Market’ is a local govt. racket, ridiculous vendor fee, in someone else’s parking lot.
Limited experience, semi-dwarf fruit trees seem to offer good compromise from a pruning and longevity perspective.
Black poly in 100′ rolls pretty reasonable. #100-#200 (wall thickness) psi commonly available. Barb fittings, etc. work well with this style of pump, 1″ plumbing first example i ran across, Link somewhere in this mess. Pay attention to specs. ‘Total head’ capability good general indicator, check both ‘suction’ and ‘discharge’ specs when narrowing down. Harbor Freight even. Gasoline models available as well. Adaptor for standard garden hose came with mine, rig a couple stands 3-4′ above grade ( You’ll ‘discover’ this after things start growing and impede the spray pattern) for standard oscillating yard sprinklers, Y or T garden hose fittings to ‘Slave’ together. Generally speaking, best to have pump near water source, Easily handle couple hundred feet discharge length, 12′ approx. ‘Elevation’, for sure. All the hose splitters we have feature individual shut offs if ya need to boost perceived volume/pressure…DO NOT overwater Maters!
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Wayne-1-HP-Stainless-Steel-Portable-Sprinkler-Pump-PLS100/203448494
NOT gonna spend a few grand on a Tater harvesting implement, pretty cool to see one in operation. Thought about placing old chain link fence in the initial trench for the taters, be easy to hook to the tractor and ‘peel’ ’em outta the ground. unsure of galvanized coating leeching/poisoning, not like it’s being cut with a torch. ‘Hilling’ a few times definitely increase yield.
‘Nuff for now. Ma’am
If doing for ‘subsistence’, Grow Pot. Much more righteous outdoors.
looks like she learned the hard way. Water is #1. rent a trencher and run water lines to the trough area and garden under ground with roll piping as deep as you can go to deter rodents and freezing. repipe your laundry and bath water to cistern for watering if you live in a dry area. use drip the and drip line irrigation with black plastic coverings for your garden to cut down on 75% water, and 90% weeding. If you must carry buckets, carry 2 at a time for balance and posture. Im old too, and do these labor saving technics here in northern Idaho.
Sounds like she bit off more than she could chew. But she also sounds like she is enjoying herself and still has a lot of enthusiasm. Good for her.
I’d like to do something similar, but I won’t be growing a garden just to do so. I’d have to get used to eating more veggies, let alone kale or butternut squash.
I’d want fruit and nut trees, chickens, and a pig for slaughter. I don’t think I’d even start all that in the first year.
I’d love a dairy cow. I love cream, cheese, and yogurt. Not sure how I could do without those. But the animals, esp. dairy cows, need everyday care. With chickens, you can set up feeders and waterers. With a pig, you fatten it up, then pow! – its in the smoker and you can take some time off. Not so with a cow.
With my budget, I’ll spend my first year or so setting up the water, the out buildings, and I’ll be “farming” the local food bank. I’m hoping to find a chunk of land with mature wood on it that I can harvest and mill for my lumber.
water and nutrients, yes…. but then you wake up one day, and the striped blister beetle has defoliated your entire potato crop along with all of the tomato and pepper plants. Two days later the coons scale the fence and wipe out all of your sweet corn. Welcome to my first garden in mid Missouri. Yep, this grown man had tears in his eyes. Still have cukes and melons, but time will tell with the pests
Coons are tasty if properly cooked, according to some people. So, if you have a 22 rifle with a night vision scope, coons coming over the fence equals free food coming calling.
Possum are tasty too, according to my great aunt. Told her I would take her word for it, but she gave me the recipe anyway.
You know to actually prep all you need is zucchini then dry it. Beans and corn if you can grow it. 3 sisters.