Bee's Guest House

[ohiofarmgirl]

we have a totally lame way of 'rotational grazing' in the hen/goat yard but ...wow! we never really realized how much the hennies destroy the green stuff. they are like a plague of locusts!

we are working on a better grazing strategy. just need to break out the old chain saw!

Anyone else have a hard time getting their children or menfolk to pitch in?

heh heh heh... i feel two of the kittens in our bedroom but if The Big Man isnt getting up soon enough i kinda take my time gettin' there with the food. Little Mo screams his head off...we call it the "Mo Alarm"... very effective

 

[Beekissed]

Today was absolutely breathtaking!!!! There is no way to describe the beauty of spring in the mountains but I can tell you that it makes my heart ache from it.

Right now there is a sickle moon and the sky is bejeweled with stars.

The sheep just couldn't contain themselves today and were running, leaping and just being a general nuisance. The apple trees are blossoming and the grass is deep green and lush.

It was bright and breezy today with a nip in the air....perfect for working and doing chores about the place and we finally got the garden fencing done. It's ugly..but it's high, tight and strong!

 

[big brown horse]

Hi Bee!

Sounds beatuiful!

 

[FarmerDenise]

Free, our one acre includes the paved driveway and the part that we garden for our vegetables and the fruit trees and the house and the large front yard. We also rarely get rain between May 1 and October 1. But I have friends and family with yards and the yard at DD's. She is looking forward to borrowing the goats to take down the blackberry vines that are just taking over the yard. Ex-DH doesn't know it yet, but I am counting on being able to use his large field if need be. It's just one more reason to get a portable electric fence. I think his SO would actually love having the goats there. Otherwise I am thinking I could at least harvest the grasses that grow in that field. We'll see.

We didn't grow any pumkins last year. Well at least not on purpose, we had volunteers. We left that portion of the field fallow and think that it will make perfect summer pasture for a while. Then we can section of the area between the fence and the peaches next (when it is really hot, that part gets a lot of shade) and then we figure we'll be able to rotate them into the corn patch, once the sweet corn is done, then the sunflower patch next and just keep going around like that. We have lots of rain in the winter and everything greens up again. So we don't have to store too much hay for winter feed. At some point we just want to fence the animals out of a small portion of the field for our winter garden. That way the critters can eat down the weeds and spent vegetables, fertilize the area as they go and then we can till the soil and plant it.
We'll find out how it'll work.

 

[FarmerDenise]

Hey Bee that Salatin tractor sound like a good idea. sides that come up kinda like on an RV? I wish I could see a picture.
I want to make it lightweight enough to move it easly and possibly make it modular. If I end up putting the goats in someone else's field, I will need to provide shelter for them too.

 

[Beekissed]

There was a pic in his Salad Bar Beef book...it looked just like that!

Denise, your winter plans sound like mine. I think it will be the best use of small space to utilize some winter forage veggies and grasses.

I am planting my winter pen to sweet corn and pumpkins, then will plant turnips, beets and winter wheat in the same space after the corn and pumpkins are gone.

In my main garden, I plan to overseed with winter wheat and oats and utilize it for some winter grazing of my lambs.

I'm also going to make a better effort to store pumpkins, winter squash and apples for supplemental feeding in the winter. I think if I rotate through the turnips two or three times and then finally let them have them in the very late fall and early winter before the ground freezes, they can eat the actual turnip roots as well.

 

[Quail_Antwerp]

Good morning, Bee!

We're waiting for our sunny and warm weather to come back. It was only 47* here yesterday, and today is only supposed to be 53! brr!

 

[Beekissed]

Good afternoon, Aly! It has been a little chilly when the wind blows the last couple of days. Makes for good choring, though, 'cause no working up a sweat in this kind of weather!

Got my ugly but very sturdy and strong garden fencing done...finally! Next year you will not see all this bare, packed down earth exposed as I intend on planting a winter cover crop of winter wheat, oats, barley on the garden after last crop is done.

 

[ToLiveToLaugh]

I actually think that fencing is quite attractive. Looks very rustic and chic.

 

[Blackbird]

I agree(as if I know what chic means), and what a beautiful picture! You have stunning scenery over there Bee!