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A Farm of My Own:  How to get started  |
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deleted
60 Posts
Tammy
Port Orford
Oregon
60 Posts |
 Posted - Sep 04 2005 : 3:58:53 PM
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So many Questions, so many ideas’ I just don’t where to start.
We bought our 6 acres 3 years ago. My husband, daughter and I moved from a largely populated area (San Francisco area) to a town with a population of about 1200. This was my life dream come true.
I recently left my job as a Hospital Business Consultant, to be a stay at home wife, mother etc. But since I returned home, I have been working full time (at times more than fulltime) with my Mom at her Nursery. I realized in the past few months that even though I was working around plants I wasn’t really running my house like I had planned or working on my property like I had planned. So I have scaled back to about 20 hours per week at the nursery.
Now I have the time and I want to get started but I am not sure where to start. My yard is mostly a series of piled lumber (neatly for the most part). My husband is a contractor. I have free-range chickens (about 35), 4 cats and 2 dogs. How do I garden and keep my chickens from up rooting everything? I like to let them roam, I think they are healthier, but I hate having to follow them around with a shovel and compost.
I have thought a lot about raising more chickens to sell eggs (right now I give them away to friends). I have thought about growing vegetables and herbs, because there are a few restaurants in town that would by my organic veggies. I also have this great idea, to turn our property into a wedding garden. We are 1 mile from the ocean; so we get a lot of tourist during the summer and holidays and I thought it would be a good way to subsidies our income. What I really want is work I can do myself (my husband would help, but he works full time) and property that would produce an income. I don’t expect to become rich off of our land; I just want to contribute to our finances.
I have thought about raising my own beef and I would love to have organic milk but I know we do not have a lot of property, so I know I have to keep that in mind.
Does anyone have any thoughts or idea’s I am open to any suggestions?
I have lived in the country and in the city; it doesn’t matter. The earth and the love of growing things have always been in my heart. I am one of those farmgirls who can feel spring coming and if I don’t plant I’ll go crazy! |
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quiltedess
True Blue Farmgirl
296 Posts
Nancy
Priest River
ID
USA
296 Posts |
Posted - Sep 04 2005 : 6:41:56 PM
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It's easy to get overwhelmed. As hard as it is to do, try to work at one idea at a time. You might have to put a little fence around your veggie garden to keep the chickens out if they can do damage. Because I love gardening, that's where I would start. Herbs, flowers and veggies are all great ideas that others in the forum have made a small income with. In any case it is all hard work. :-)
Nancy |
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deleted
60 Posts
Tammy
Port Orford
Oregon
60 Posts |
Posted - Sep 04 2005 : 8:30:57 PM
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| Thank you for the encouragement Nancy I really appreciate it. I'll take your advice and start on the garden. |
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LadyCrystal
True Blue Farmgirl
593 Posts
Alicia
Rhode Island
USA
593 Posts |
Posted - Sep 04 2005 : 8:45:29 PM
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When I moved to where we are now.I did alot of reading and asking around.My husbands family has been farming forever so I asked the old timers lots of questions.Then I figured out what was doable.I started with the chickens then added the beef cows,Then the garden.It all has beena learnign process and some of the garden ideas failed but next time I know I will do it different.
Good luck ,
Alicia
Follow your dreams |
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LJRphoto
True Blue Farmgirl
760 Posts
Laura
Hickory Corners
MI
USA
760 Posts |
Posted - Sep 04 2005 : 9:02:19 PM
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I think that the wedding garden idea could be a great long term goal. I was recently married in a friend's garden. She has had other weddings besides mine and I think she always does it for free, but her garden is so beautiful that I know people would pay a lot of money to get married there. I say long term because I know she has worked at least a decade getting her gardens to where they are. Needless to say, mine was the most beautiful wedding ever because of our location. I'll try to post pictures somewhere that you can look at.
"Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it's time to pause and reflect." -Mark Twain
http://ljrenterprises.blogspot.com/ |
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Mari-dahlia
True Blue Farmgirl
269 Posts
Marianne
Hoosick Falls
New York
USA
269 Posts |
Posted - Sep 05 2005 : 04:57:29 AM
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Hi Tammy,
I am a mastergardener and we moved into a 200 yar old farm house 2 years ago. The yard had the trditional garden against the house. I run weddings for a living or did until December. In January I sat down with a pad of graph paper and a pencil and started scetching.( I don't draw well) I would sit in my window or put on heavy clothing and sit outside, then I would flip through old pictures that I had saved my whole life. After a week I had a working drawing. After 6 months worth of work from my husband and I and some friends in the lanscaping business, we now have a 600 sq foot patio in bluestone, a large lily and fish pond with waterfall and an english brick and stone raised bed garden for cutting and tender fruits.
On the vegetable sides of things. You probably already have but, I would ask the restaurant what they want you to grow or what they have a great need for. Also ask them how much they want to pay. Many restaurants have great wish lists but are not willing to pay what you would need to get for the product.
The chickens are good in the garden before planting, after plants are 6 inches high but before fruiting happens. They even recommend geese for picking weeds and chickns for organic bug relief.
Marianne
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ByHzGrace
True Blue Farmgirl
348 Posts
348 Posts |
Posted - Sep 05 2005 : 06:08:10 AM
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Tammy,I asked the county extension agent for advice. I started at the farmer's market one customer at a time and met some local gourmet cafe chefs. They get my choice exotics and orangeblossom honey.
Marianne, How hard/long is it to pass a mastergardener program? Did books add $$?
What size pump did you use for the waterfall? |
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60 Posts
Tammy
Port Orford
Oregon
60 Posts |
Posted - Sep 05 2005 : 1:49:09 PM
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Wow you all have such great ideas! Thank you so much. After Nancys advice, I decided to start on the vegetable garden this morning. I hadn't got in there in a month to week; here I really have to keep up on the wild black berries. It felt so good to accomplish something. My vegetable garden is small this year, but next year I plan on doubling it.
Marianne, your thoughts about the drawings are such a great idea. I did something like that when we first moved here, but I was still working a lot. Commuting 9 hours each Sunday to San Francisco, and returning home every Friday. But it's time to start again. I to have collected idea's for the past 15+ years, I'd forgot about all the wonderful pictures I had. So next on the list, is to try and get a rough sketch of the yard, map out our future growth (Shop/Garage, larger chicken coop, greenhouse, garden, wedding garden, flower garden, etc).
Laura I would love to see the pictures of your wedding. You are right about the long term I figured I would be lucky to have it together enough in about 5 year, but 10 years is more like it.
Ellen, I don't know very much about the extension office or it's services. I had started the Master Gardeners course, but had to stop because I started commuting to San Francisco. I understand they are part of the extension office and I picked up canning information there. What type of information have you received from the extension agent?
Marianne if I added geese to my yard, would I need a separate house for them away from the chickens?
Well thank you all again for your wonderful idea's, I really appreciate each of you taking the time to help me and nudge me in the right direction.
God Bless
When I feel spring coming I have to plant or I’ll go crazy! |
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ByHzGrace
True Blue Farmgirl
348 Posts
348 Posts |
Posted - Sep 05 2005 : 3:25:55 PM
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| The county agent came by out here and helped me get soil samples then they gave me advice on what fruit trees would give me the highest yield and least amount of pest problemos.My agent is suuuuuweet. He taught me the be the bee method of keeping. Gave me plans for a hoop house and turned me on to orchids.We got honeybelles, tangerines, limes,papayas, mangos, carambolas and grapefruit. |
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Mari-dahlia
True Blue Farmgirl
269 Posts
Marianne
Hoosick Falls
New York
USA
269 Posts |
Posted - Sep 05 2005 : 5:46:19 PM
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I went through the mastergardener program in Ellicot City MD. It was a 3 month course meeting twice a week. At the time ( about 10 years ago) the fees were less than 80 dollars. The books and liturature were provided. Each county extension office runs its own program. Some have more University involvment than others. In Maryland they had University of Maryland near by and Washington DC. So, I had mostly professors, Federal agency people and even some Authors of Garden books who were experts in their field. It was the BEST thing I have ever participated in.
The pump for my waterfall is a home depot purchase for large waterfalls. I bought it there because I save the receipt and return it if it breaks and get another one. This pump has been running for 2 years though and no problems.
I have had Geese, ducks and chickens all living together before but it was a small barn where they came and went as they pleased with a larger 5 acre encloser and a very large pond. Geese are graisers and do not need a large water source. They also protect their territory and are good alarms if something is wrong. Geese also imprint on people and if you get them as chicks and raise them they will actually believe you are their mother and follow you everywhere.
Marianne |
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A Farm of My Own: How to get started |
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How to get started
