It's a good plan to walk the length and width of your land to think about where you can or should put the things your self sufficient plans call for , every Spring . I am doing it now because our ground is bare here and there has been cool but pleasant days to work . I want to cut down on work this summer instead of struggling with weeds , bugs, and the heat . Growing and canning are my main goals . Yesterday I began to rake off the old garden . It is big, there are some wild honeysuckle vines I need to finish pulling up. It slopes towards the woods and ravine. Then it flattens out again, so the leaves and debris are going into the flat area to either turn to compost or build up that area . It is too close to the woods to grow much .
I usually garden in the big area above, good spring crops, but summer... ahhhh .. not so good . This year I am sending for 100 strawberry plants . I have heavy white plastic that someone gave me. It gets too hot for black plastic here. Once I clear the garden I will lay the plastic and put stones down to hold it. Then I will make holes for the plants, big enough for water and fertilizer but keeping surrounding weeds in check . Strawberries have always done well here .
In that same area is a nice patch of asparagus . I want to expand it to 30 plants. There will also be places for horse radish and rhubarb . Hmmmmm rhubarb and strawberry pies. The red raspberries need thinning , and transplanting also pruning asap . I want them to get more sun this year and increase the harvest . Would really like some black raspberries. Wild blackberries grow on my lot. They are not the sweetest ones I have ever had, but they'll do . Blue berries are now being pruned and undergrowth cleared . There are flowering shrubs I need to remove .
Well, I thought, that takes care of that side of my property , now what am I going to do with all the rose of sharon shrubs, forsynthias, spiarrhea , red bud , quince, etc; etc; ? There is a section between my driveway and my neighbor's lawn where wild black berries grown, and trees tall enough to let in light for growth . That would be perfect for transplanting a beautiful garden of shrubs flowering all year long, and available if someone wants any . Now the problem of vegetables . On the Southeast slope I have some young fruit trees, more blue berries, and a couple grape plants I may move near the new strawberry bed . There are lots of little red pines to cut out to make more light . I am putting in raised gardens , and that is a lot of work , but will have some . Then I watched a garden show that talked about container gardens for veggies . That's it . Yesterday I looked around and I have all kinds of containers. I even have an old wheelbarrow . I can put them where the sun will benefit them best , but not so far, I can't water them with the hose or bucket. I plan on buying more rainbarrels and putting little goldfish in them to eat mosquito larvae , just learned that trick . I have one large fish pool that will have a little water fall so I can listen to the sound . I have an herb garden, and a rock garden to add to, but will also grow herbs in containers as well . Down in the woods where the big pool was there is a big hole. If I can find a large piece of this heavy plastic , it will cover that hole and become another pond for the wild creatures down there . Every year I add more fruit trees to the orchard, and up here near the house I will keep a small pretty lawn, and my son is building a large outdoors pen for my many cats that I care for . Some are mine, some I foster and they need homes , please ! The handicapped ones are mine, the others came and didn't go home and had kittens which are now about grown .
The chickens are on the north and northwest side and have pens and coops as do the geese. I am getting enough eggs now to keep my regular customers satisfied but feed is still too high .
Soon I may be getting a hive of honey bees for my orchard and gardens . With all that how much land do you think I have ? Just a little less than one acre . I am on a set income, have health problems , and at the moment , no car . My niece lives near by as do some friends , and my neighbors have told me if I need to go anywhere they will take me. Being self sufficient on a postage stamp size farm is a challenge , but it can be done . Can't wait to start canning. Please check my other Blog on canning at http://fransfarm-selfsufficiencyanswers and please become my follower . This particular site here will be discussing herbs . Any questions? Please ask. Thanks, Fran
Sunday, February 1, 2009
Sunday, December 14, 2008
Herbs and their uses
This particular blog will be devoted exclusively to herbs and their uses . If you have any suggestions feel free to send them . I am not writing much this afternoon as it is Sunday , December 14th 2008 and this is when I like to put new posts on the other site . That one is called fransfarm-selfsufficiencyanswers . Presently I am putting all the information I have on it, for canning foods , and in particularly, by canning making your own grocery aisle of canned goods , like stews, chilli, soups, and so on .
This site on Herbs will take one herb at a time . I will try to go alphabetically but don't hold me to it . So it will be the name of the herb, common and scientific , varieties , cultivation . Culinary uses as well as medicinal . I , of course, do not prescribe any herbs, but will tell you how others have used them and why . Some evening this week, I will start this one on herbs and hope you will enjoy it . Thanks for looking . Fran's Farm
This site on Herbs will take one herb at a time . I will try to go alphabetically but don't hold me to it . So it will be the name of the herb, common and scientific , varieties , cultivation . Culinary uses as well as medicinal . I , of course, do not prescribe any herbs, but will tell you how others have used them and why . Some evening this week, I will start this one on herbs and hope you will enjoy it . Thanks for looking . Fran's Farm
Saturday, December 6, 2008
What's New on Fran's Farm ?
As you may have read (or not) last time I wrote I tried to make a green house on my porch but it was too cold and didn't work . This year , it will work because there is a freezer out there and it gives off just enough heat to keep it from freezing . Trial and error . This was a happy accident . I had given up the idea until I just put some plants ont he porch this Fall to keep from freezing outside and they are still alive. One of the cats like to sleep out there also .
Fran's farm had gotten a little out-of-hand . It ended up this summer with over a hundred chickens , two geese, a dog, and good grief ! 18 cats ! I did not need that many animals . Oh I tried to make it work. I really did . Especially my chickens . On paper I had it all figured out . Hah! It might have worked if feed had stayed down to $7 a bag but when it kept getting higher,even up to $15 for a 50# bag at some places , and my chickens were using a bag full in less than 3 days . Even if all layed that could , and even if I sold all the eggs it probably would not have worked. I wanted it to . Beleve me, I tried so hard . I put a sign at the end of my driveway for fresh eggs . At first $2.00 a dozen, but had to go up to $2.50 . Wanted to sell at the Farmer's Market but my local customers were buying me out . That was good until the girls decided to hatch their eggs . That's when we started having chicks galore . Besides that I let my niece hatch out some of my rare Sumultra eggs because I had heard they did not set well in captivity . WRONG . One came out of the bushes with 15 , another had at least 6 , we saved 5 when something attacked her and the chicks one night and broke her neck . She's okay now , neck is a little crooked , but her determination, her mother instinct kept her alive to look after those chicks when I caught her and 5 chicks and put them in a small cage . She would fall over and end up , on her back so a small space was better for her and she could keep her chicks warm, and show them how to eat . She does not fall over now . She raised her chicks well. Unfortunately they had been bred to Stray Ray the Game rooster that came here and never went home , so I sold the chicks when they got grown and now have the hens confined . The one that hatched the 15 hatched another 10 , this time purebred in confinement . She has 9 little black ones left , the one and only gray one drowned in the water dish . She is an excellant mother but not one you want to mess with . She will fight to the death for these young ones .
This summer I sold about 30 chickens . Now I have about 20 or more for sale . I have come to the conclusion that there is not much money in raising chickens , but a backyard flock for your own use or to share eggs with friends is fine as nothing you can buy in a store can beat a fresh egg from the farm . It helps when friends save table scraps too . I also let these chickens free range whenever possible and most know enough to stay on my property .
I love my geese . I have two . They wander around the property but stay on it even though I have few fences separating me from the neighbors . No slugs in the gardens this year because of them . Grown men are afraid to get out of their car because of these watch dogs . I taught them to come right up to the car whenever I drive in and I treat them with some bread when they do . Now when anyone drives in , here they come , honking, hissing, wings spread full length , very intimidating, but they are more scared of people then vice versa. Well, maybe not .
Someone dropped off or she decided to take up residence here , a mother cat and her 5 kittens. They are nearly grown now and are still here . I have her spayed, and the one boy I am going to keep, Phantom of the Opera ,is now neutered . Mama Ginger has to go , and so do the 4 , I cannot have this many cats . It is expensive. I have found a place near by that helps elderly people with pet food and that helps with the dry food , but I still buy the can for them. They are spoiled. I love the kittens . They are so sweet . They were wild at first but now are lovable. I will miss them so much, especially the little white faced lady, that looks like a China doll, I call her Geisha . Oh I will cry when she gets adopted .
When I get my flocks of chickens where I can handle things better and require less work, I am going to concentrate on gardening this year . I have hopes of canning a lot of it . I have fruit trees, raspberries , blue berries, black berries , apples, peaches, etc; for information please contact my blog at fransfarm-selfsufficiencyanswers.blogspot.com . Until next time. Fran's Farm
Fran's farm had gotten a little out-of-hand . It ended up this summer with over a hundred chickens , two geese, a dog, and good grief ! 18 cats ! I did not need that many animals . Oh I tried to make it work. I really did . Especially my chickens . On paper I had it all figured out . Hah! It might have worked if feed had stayed down to $7 a bag but when it kept getting higher,even up to $15 for a 50# bag at some places , and my chickens were using a bag full in less than 3 days . Even if all layed that could , and even if I sold all the eggs it probably would not have worked. I wanted it to . Beleve me, I tried so hard . I put a sign at the end of my driveway for fresh eggs . At first $2.00 a dozen, but had to go up to $2.50 . Wanted to sell at the Farmer's Market but my local customers were buying me out . That was good until the girls decided to hatch their eggs . That's when we started having chicks galore . Besides that I let my niece hatch out some of my rare Sumultra eggs because I had heard they did not set well in captivity . WRONG . One came out of the bushes with 15 , another had at least 6 , we saved 5 when something attacked her and the chicks one night and broke her neck . She's okay now , neck is a little crooked , but her determination, her mother instinct kept her alive to look after those chicks when I caught her and 5 chicks and put them in a small cage . She would fall over and end up , on her back so a small space was better for her and she could keep her chicks warm, and show them how to eat . She does not fall over now . She raised her chicks well. Unfortunately they had been bred to Stray Ray the Game rooster that came here and never went home , so I sold the chicks when they got grown and now have the hens confined . The one that hatched the 15 hatched another 10 , this time purebred in confinement . She has 9 little black ones left , the one and only gray one drowned in the water dish . She is an excellant mother but not one you want to mess with . She will fight to the death for these young ones .
This summer I sold about 30 chickens . Now I have about 20 or more for sale . I have come to the conclusion that there is not much money in raising chickens , but a backyard flock for your own use or to share eggs with friends is fine as nothing you can buy in a store can beat a fresh egg from the farm . It helps when friends save table scraps too . I also let these chickens free range whenever possible and most know enough to stay on my property .
I love my geese . I have two . They wander around the property but stay on it even though I have few fences separating me from the neighbors . No slugs in the gardens this year because of them . Grown men are afraid to get out of their car because of these watch dogs . I taught them to come right up to the car whenever I drive in and I treat them with some bread when they do . Now when anyone drives in , here they come , honking, hissing, wings spread full length , very intimidating, but they are more scared of people then vice versa. Well, maybe not .
Someone dropped off or she decided to take up residence here , a mother cat and her 5 kittens. They are nearly grown now and are still here . I have her spayed, and the one boy I am going to keep, Phantom of the Opera ,is now neutered . Mama Ginger has to go , and so do the 4 , I cannot have this many cats . It is expensive. I have found a place near by that helps elderly people with pet food and that helps with the dry food , but I still buy the can for them. They are spoiled. I love the kittens . They are so sweet . They were wild at first but now are lovable. I will miss them so much, especially the little white faced lady, that looks like a China doll, I call her Geisha . Oh I will cry when she gets adopted .
When I get my flocks of chickens where I can handle things better and require less work, I am going to concentrate on gardening this year . I have hopes of canning a lot of it . I have fruit trees, raspberries , blue berries, black berries , apples, peaches, etc; for information please contact my blog at fransfarm-selfsufficiencyanswers.blogspot.com . Until next time. Fran's Farm
Wednesday, December 26, 2007
Fran's Farm Journal : The latest project
A Porch Greenhouse :
Last year I tried to make a Greenhouse from heavy plastic and saplings. The wind blew it to pieces. I tried to figure out how I could have a place to keep my plants in the Winter. The cats like to eat them in here. Some plants could make them sick or even kill them. I have been looking at the porch with renew interest . Windows on the North, East, and South sides and the west side is up against my old mobile home . This might work. What would need to be done to keep plants happy and thriving? I don't want them to freeze. First the little bit of clutter need to come off . Also that old refrigerator. I advertised it on Freecycle locally and had people tell me they want it . When I reply they don't answer back. I don't understand the mindset of people like that .
Once the porch is cleaned off, swept and mopped, I can go to work on forming it into a nice greenhouse. I believe the walls are insulated but the floor is not . Therefore I posted a Wanted ad on Freecycle for an area rug to keep the floor less cold . I think I will put plastic on the outside of the windows instead of inside because I am putting up 3 shelves on those 3 sides with brackets . The bottom shelf will be the widest. Sunlight will reach all the plants from early morning until about 2 or 3 when the sun is no longer on that side of the trailer. The door needs a doorknob and lock . The door that goes into the trailer is okay and fits tightly. However, I need to figure out a form of heating without using too much electricity. There is a ceiling light but it is fluorescent and does not give much heat . There is an electric outlet where I could plug in a lamp at night just to keep the room from getting below freezing. Perhaps gallon jugs with hot water in it at night, and use the water to water the plants the next day ? I have an electric heater if we should have terribly cold nights . They won't last long, here in WNC though . I thought about leaving the trailer door opened and letting the heat from inside go out there . But, I would need a new screen door. One with a barrier to keep the cats from climbing up and taring the screen like they have this old wooden screen door. AJ only has 3 legs but he can climb it pretty fast. There he hangs by his front claw until I either back up to him and he climbs on my shoulders or I just take him down and hug him. Several of the cats know how to open the screen door. Pumpkin , the big yellow tabby, will sit on his haunches and balance himself, and with his front paws will open the door for me, especially if I have my hands full . I say : " Thank you Pump." and he goes away happy . Around the bottom outside of the porch is heavy black plastic . I think I will secure that, and then make an area about 8 inches from it . Using boards or even a roll of felt paper nailed to posts , or some old chicken wire I have around here . I can fill the space between with leaves. There are lots of leaves still on the lawn . That too will help keep the floor warmer. Once all the shelves and plastic, and everything else is in place, I can bring out the plants. I like to start new plants from slips (cloning) and also from seeds . On the back wall will also be shelves or book cases and these will be for my gardening books and magazines or more plants, or even for things to sell . I hope to have enough plants to sell and pay for the door knob, plastic for windows, felt paper and new screen door. My son may buy the screen door , as he's remodeling my home . I will keep you posted on how this project comes along . Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks from Fran's Farm .
Last year I tried to make a Greenhouse from heavy plastic and saplings. The wind blew it to pieces. I tried to figure out how I could have a place to keep my plants in the Winter. The cats like to eat them in here. Some plants could make them sick or even kill them. I have been looking at the porch with renew interest . Windows on the North, East, and South sides and the west side is up against my old mobile home . This might work. What would need to be done to keep plants happy and thriving? I don't want them to freeze. First the little bit of clutter need to come off . Also that old refrigerator. I advertised it on Freecycle locally and had people tell me they want it . When I reply they don't answer back. I don't understand the mindset of people like that .
Once the porch is cleaned off, swept and mopped, I can go to work on forming it into a nice greenhouse. I believe the walls are insulated but the floor is not . Therefore I posted a Wanted ad on Freecycle for an area rug to keep the floor less cold . I think I will put plastic on the outside of the windows instead of inside because I am putting up 3 shelves on those 3 sides with brackets . The bottom shelf will be the widest. Sunlight will reach all the plants from early morning until about 2 or 3 when the sun is no longer on that side of the trailer. The door needs a doorknob and lock . The door that goes into the trailer is okay and fits tightly. However, I need to figure out a form of heating without using too much electricity. There is a ceiling light but it is fluorescent and does not give much heat . There is an electric outlet where I could plug in a lamp at night just to keep the room from getting below freezing. Perhaps gallon jugs with hot water in it at night, and use the water to water the plants the next day ? I have an electric heater if we should have terribly cold nights . They won't last long, here in WNC though . I thought about leaving the trailer door opened and letting the heat from inside go out there . But, I would need a new screen door. One with a barrier to keep the cats from climbing up and taring the screen like they have this old wooden screen door. AJ only has 3 legs but he can climb it pretty fast. There he hangs by his front claw until I either back up to him and he climbs on my shoulders or I just take him down and hug him. Several of the cats know how to open the screen door. Pumpkin , the big yellow tabby, will sit on his haunches and balance himself, and with his front paws will open the door for me, especially if I have my hands full . I say : " Thank you Pump." and he goes away happy . Around the bottom outside of the porch is heavy black plastic . I think I will secure that, and then make an area about 8 inches from it . Using boards or even a roll of felt paper nailed to posts , or some old chicken wire I have around here . I can fill the space between with leaves. There are lots of leaves still on the lawn . That too will help keep the floor warmer. Once all the shelves and plastic, and everything else is in place, I can bring out the plants. I like to start new plants from slips (cloning) and also from seeds . On the back wall will also be shelves or book cases and these will be for my gardening books and magazines or more plants, or even for things to sell . I hope to have enough plants to sell and pay for the door knob, plastic for windows, felt paper and new screen door. My son may buy the screen door , as he's remodeling my home . I will keep you posted on how this project comes along . Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks from Fran's Farm .
Sunday, December 23, 2007
Fran's Farm
Self-sufficiency farming on a small scale . Expert advise on gardening, raising chickens for eggs, goats, preserving the produce and much more. If you have a question about small farming, ask and I will do my best to help you with the answer . Got a problem on your little farm? Let's see if we can solve it . Do you need to link up with groups specializing in an aspect of your farm that you are really interested in expanding your knowledge and outlook we'll help you search . Wildlife, wild plants, herbs, survival in emergency situations , and many more related items. In the home, using natural products to clean. Cooking healthy . Vegetarian cooking . Canning, etc; Making do around the farm with what you have, also called, Yankee Ingenuity . And, interesting ways to make a little cash . Watch this website grow with all kinds of knowledge you can use on your farm . Thanks for checking us out . I will keep this updated at regular intervals. Please check back. Fran
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