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“If people let government decide what foods they eat and what medicines they take, their bodies will soon be in as sorry a state as are the souls of those who live under tyranny.” Thomas Jefferson

Sunday, February 22, 2009

Homesteading Seasons

I will be doing 4 posts about seasonal projects. There are certain times of the year that we do things around here at Whisper Wind and there are new projects that we have planned to do during different seasons. Each season brings something new, fun, and exciting. I will start with our spring projects and adventures since spring is almost here. Doing things with the seasons is a great idea (we think) for a couple of reasons. One big outdoor projects can be planned when the weather is tolerable and two it helps to organize and make the farm run more smoothly. I am a big planner and organizer. I love lists and schedules. I understand those who don't but I must have a schedule. So here are our spring projects:

Springtime on the Farm
Chicken House: our old chicken house was small and needed some serious repair. It also did not do real well for protecting our last two flocks of chickens. So we decided to build a new one. It is almost finished, built entirely of reclaimed materials and I will post picks soon.

Rabbit House: We will be adding meat rabbits to the farm this year. We have decided since rabbits live in cages, we will repair the old chicken house and house them there. So this will be next once the new chicken house is finished. We need to reroof it and put on a new door. There are some holes in the walls that need repair, also and then the cages to put it. We will be building our cages, from reclaimed materials. Same thing with the roof and the door.

New Garden: I think this is the biggest project this year. Our old garden was small and not in a good spot. It did not lend itself to expanding where it was so we decided to move it. It is about 8 times the size that it once was, now being approximately 60 feet by 40 feet. We are currently preparing it and getting ready to fence it.

Tilapia Pond: We have a pond, that use to be a swimming pool at one time. The previous owner got tired of maintaining a pool so she turned it into a pond. While it supports some brim, it needs a good cleaning. So we plan to clean it and raise Tilapia in it this summer to provide our fish needs next winter. Some of the Tilapia will be wintered inside to repopulate the fish supply next year.

Goat Pasture: We will be adding goats to the farm this year also. We are having to refence the pasture that will be their's as it is currently fenced for horses. This particular pasture is in rough shape also being taken over with weeds. Since we will be milking goats, we are going to restore it. We will be planting bahia grass, cowpea, and clover mix for the goats. This will provide a good high quality forage for them at minimal expense.

Well, that is about it for spring. As you can see it is pretty busy around here and will be really busy for the next several months. Of course, once the garden is fenced we will have to start planting so that will add to the business. Hope everything goes smoothly, we have had a few days that have set us back with bad weather, but we are diligently working. Also, because we use reclaimed materials sometimes it takes awhile to gather all that we need. It is a fun adventure to find what we need and have it cost us nothing but time. So next up: Summertime

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