We've had some hard freezes, but are still harvesting brussels sprouts, kale, parsnips, and lettuce and herbs from the cold frame. Pullets just kicked in, so we are swimming in eggs, and butchering time is upon us. 40 chickens, 2 geese, one turkey, and one pig processed and in the freezer (except smoked meats, which are brining), 2 lambs going down tomorrow, and one steer to be taken care of next week if the cold weather holds. We eat like kings but I am ready for a rest.....
Nothing except eggs to harvest! Doing ok considering time of year -- enough to sell to pay for their own feed, that's a plus.
Right now I am reviewing all these "garden porn" seed catalogs.
Like most of you are. Hey, something to do on these nasty rainy days and dream of Spring.
I have my previous list of all these seeds I have on hand (it's shameful!) and have now made a list of what I "think" I want to grow. With that, I have asked myself -- just how much of this do you actually eat? When I consider that which I like but don't really eat very often, it sure clears up space in the garden! Why even buy seed, care for it, etc., if I only eat 1 or 2X a month? Less costly to just buy that little bit....or trade if someone else has it. Making myself look at my use sure helps control my desire to plant "everything"!!
Since I am moving 4 piggies to help pre-plow, where and what I am going to grow has become a project. My planning is to put some things in my raised bed, near house/barn area so I will be able to easily work them & harvest --- some things spread where I can grow, harvest, then release animals onto same area -- some of this "stuff" will include actual forage items that will be pastured in a rotation system & not require so much constant care.
Then there are the items I plan to grow, sell, feed excess to animals, can, etc. Mostly tomatoes, peppers, corn - beans - pumpkins (3 sisters), squash, eggplant, greens of several type.
Once harvested, those fields will be seeded for winter forage.
I have a lot of grazing animals!
This is a LOT of work!! A 10X12 area is looking good Any newbies, take note. Small is good.
Today I harvested... actually it fell off the vine... a NINE pound squash! That's a standard one cup measuring cup beside it. Sorry it's sideways... ugh!
Well.... somebody forgot to tell my garden that it's NOVEMBER! So, in the last week or so I've picked a handful of green beans, about 3 eggplants, a butt-load of okra and a yellow squash. And, out behind the barn I have this hugmongous unidentified winter squash plant that has taken over an entire pen and has a few giant round things developing on it. I don't know what this plant is cuz I forgot what I planted. It has had a hard time getting going. It must have started at least a hundred (and that's NOT an exaggeration) tiny squashes that fell victim to something or other. Most of them start out about the size of a golf ball and then turn yellow and fall off the vine. However - lately it's been doing better and some of the squashes are hanging on and really developing. I'm hopeful... but not really expecting any of them to ripen before we have a frost.
Oh, and nearly forgot - the hen fruit is back in production again - yippee!
sad but true I'm down to picking cherry tomatoes that i have in a pot by the front door. they look pretty and taste good but there isn't near enough of them.
DS and I discovered a huge apple tree round the corner from us, that's throwing these tiny, hard little apples on the road. I want to collect some and see if I can interest my mealworm colonies in it. They are going through a lot of potatoes and carrots at the moment. DS tried to eat one and found it unpleasant, but I don't think the bugs would mind