Sunday, May 27, 2012

Farming For the Future

Blue Flax and Orange Poppy


We got this 125 watt panel to power our 12 volt water pump for irrigating.

Broccoli and Lettuce and Beets under shade cloth,, carrots and scallions and more lettuce to the right.

Calendula

Snake in the Chicken Shack

This snake was making a meal of our eggs.


Tuesday, May 15, 2012

Pastured Poultry in Drylands



These hens have been getting moved on our native drylands pasture at least twice a day ,,,,sometimes four or five!
Hens on a diet of leafy greens, sprouted wheat berries and barley, and organic scratch, no soy whatsoever. 



These three hen tractors can on a good day produce three eggs each!


Growing

Purple Basil in the ground... no transplanting needed

Tomato plant in the same bed 
Yarrow on it's second year

Chives

Monday, April 30, 2012

Pastured Hens and Cover Crops

Right now we have nine hens pasturing in three of these tractors.

A planting of rye and buckwheat where we grew a bed of greens and carrots last year. This fall we will plant garlic here after the chickens scratch through a few plantings like this.

Growing Food with Water Catchment

This is a February planting of beets, broccoli and lettuce.

Second cutting is going to be great on this patch.



New expanded beds all set up with irrigation from the cistern... Growing here now are potatoes , chard, lettuces, kales, cabbages,  radishes, beets, broccoli, mustards and soon sunflowers down the middle bed with the chamisa at the end. 

Inside view of the far left hoop.

Red Russian Kale 

Potatoes

Early Corn Planting

Blue Corn

Blue Corn plot to be a Three Sisters Garden across the driveway, next to perennial herb garden.


Second Blue Corn plot, also slated to become a Three Sisters Garden

Thursday, April 26, 2012

Monday, April 16, 2012

Food Growing Everywhere!

This might be a year where we actually get some strawberries.

Companion planting of spinach and strawberries.


Hauling weeds off to the five hens that aren't on pasture.

Oregano 

We have tons of oregano . 

Parsley

Water Catchment to Irrigate Gardens

We finally have some soaker and drip tube set up in all the gardens. Some is leaky, some is fine. It is a big help to have set up.


Scallions, carrots and lettuce on 1/4 in. soaker hose from snow melt and rain catchment.

Lettuce and broccoli loving the soft water.

Beets coming along nicely. 


Friday, April 13, 2012

Moving the Chickens

Mike came out early this morning to load up ten hens and our 10 x 7 ft. tractor to take to a neighboring farm at the Real Food Nation property.

Hens waiting for better pastures.



Just two miles down the road, these ten hens will have plenty of pasture for weeks to come, eating up and tilling 70 sq. feet per day. We are attempting a cooperative relationship with other small farmers in ways like this that can benefit everyone and the land and animals bugs etc.