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A Farm of My Own:  April on the farm...what happens?  |
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Libbie
Farmgirl Connection Cultivator
3579 Posts
Anne E.
Elsinore
Utah
USA
3579 Posts |
 Posted - Apr 05 2006 : 07:35:24 AM
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It's April already! What's happening around your farm?
Around here, the ewes are almost finished lambing, (except for a couple who may have had illicit rendezvous with unknown consorts) and it's time for working on irrigation ditches and fencelines. Luckily, ours are in pretty good shape, since I can't do much of the heavier stuff right now - we had a small backhoe in yesterday to clear out some old cement junk on a corner of the farm to make it usable, and the canal company burned the canal last week - ahhh....I can feel that first water turn just around the corner. Do many of you do flood irrigation? Boy, was that a wake-up call my first time! I lost a shoe in the deepest mud, and I don't even think I bothered to get it out. I was in absolute tears by that time. I had no idea that it was OKAY for the water not to go exactly where you want it to go - hence the term "flood" - I about knocked myself out with a shovel, and then came in and, you guessed it, called my mom for sympathy!!!
Also around here, we are toying with the idea of re-seeding the majority of the farmland in grass hay/pasture like it is currently, and managing it in an organic way to reduce the weed issue, then rotating it to an organic crop in a couple of years...
So, what's the scoop at YOUR place? I know I'm forgetting to do something important, and you all had such great stuff going on in March!
XOXO, Libbie
"Nothing is worth more than this day." - Goethe |
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garliclady
True Blue Farmgirl
274 Posts
Reidsville
NC
274 Posts |
Posted - Apr 05 2006 : 07:54:08 AM
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Our frost date is mid April so we will start putting out tomatoes peppers etc then, We also will make another seeding of some of the quick growing spring vegetables and other summer vegetables that are supposed to be direct seeded after chance of frost. I have already started back to the farmers market also. We harvest any green garlic we have in April and at the end of April we start looking for garlic scapes to harvest! We still have a few logs to inoculate with mushroom spawn and this week I am moving some of my starts to bigger pots that will probably go out in the garden in early May.I am also going to start some more tomatoes under grow lights for later plantings.
My Farm http://home.bellsouth.net/p/s/community.dll?ep=16&ext=1&groupid=140532&ck=
My Recipes http://recipecircus.com/recipes/garliclady/]
My blog http://www.epicourier.com/Garliclady/ |
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ThymeForEweFarm
True Blue Farmgirl
705 Posts
Robin
An organic farm in the forest in
Maine
USA
705 Posts |
Posted - Apr 05 2006 : 08:46:00 AM
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The greenhouse is being heated now and full of 1020 trays of seeds. I've pulled in all the maple sap equipment and boiled down for the last time. I hope to be re-covering one hoophouse on Saturday afternoon. The following weekend I'm hoping to get a second hoop house built. We're having a terrible problems with a family of raccoons. =( Later this month I should be planting peas, beets, spinach, chard, tatsoi and other cool weather crops directly into the garden. They don't mind frost or even a temporary snow.
Robin
www.thymeforewe.com
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knittingmomma
True Blue Farmgirl
106 Posts
Tonya
Vermont
106 Posts |
Posted - Apr 05 2006 : 09:57:00 AM
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We are very busy digging up our raw land here at our village homestead in order to plant nearly 1/3 of an acre. Hoping to get some planting done within a week.
We are busy planning our first real year as a "farm". All signed up for a farmers' market where we will be selling our handcrafted natural fiber goods as well as produce and flowers.
Looking for good display ideas.
We will also be converting the back 1/4 of a newer barn to a little shop here at our home that will be open on Saturdays.
The tomatoe and pepper seeds have been planted inside.
Warm wishes,
Tonya
Natural Earth Farm - A Village Homestead making handcrafted goods of natural fibers - http://www.naturalearthfarm.com |
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DaisyFarm
True Blue Farmgirl
1646 Posts
Diane
Victoria
BC
Canada
1646 Posts |
Posted - Apr 05 2006 : 10:54:02 AM
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Early April is when everything you've waited until it was time to do, needs doing NOW! Most of the bedding plants are well underway and go daily into the big greenhouse (still haven't found a cheap way to heat it). Spring greens and early peas are in the greenhouse and growing well.
The chickens no longer have free run of the place and are locked back up in their run as of today, so I can repair the flower beds and let the well-fertilized lawns recover. The ponds have had their filters cleaned and are salted.
My list of things to get done:
1. Insulate the ceiling of the brooder and get it ready for the first meatbirds.
2. Erect the third greenhouse and dig and move perennnials from where it will go.
3. Finish removing sod and put compost on new flower bed for cut flower sales.
4. Give the hen house a thorough spring cleaning.
5. Get spring greens into the garden as soon as it's dry enough (our marine type soil only takes a day of warm sunshine) and today is warm and sunny...beets, onions, spinach, peas, chard, etc. are all sitting here waiting.
Why am I sitting here? lol
Di
http://www.daisyfarm.blogspot.com |
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Aunt Jenny
True Blue Farmgirl
11381 Posts
Jenny
middle of
Utah
USA
11381 Posts |
Posted - Apr 05 2006 : 10:55:01 AM
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I am about drowning in eggs..our little hens are laying like crazy. They feel like it is spring..even though it is storming and awful today.
We are bringing in a tractor soon as things dry up a little more to clear out winter manure and waste hay from the cow pen and will be re-doing some fencing too. My husband plans to set posts for my front yard rail fence if it dosn't rain on Saturday afternoon (he has to work 1/2 day)
I have my tomato plants (30 this year) going in the living room. They have a good start now. As soon as our new raised beds are built (in the next couple weeks hopefully) I will be putting some out with Wall o waters. I won't have enough for all of them, but will love having some get a faster start...the sooner I have fresh tomatoes the happier I am. I do need to buy more of them..I get a whole month earlier start on tomatoes with them. I am ready to start pepper and cucumber plants now too...especially peppers. I always feel like tomatoes and peppers are the cornerstone of my garden. If all else fails I must grow them!! I want to have a big mesclun salad patch again this year...and lots of pickling cukes.
I am making cheese like crazy and getting ready to plant sweet peas all over and see where they do well. I want to plant a couple packs of them every two weeks from now on for awhile and see when and where they do best..big experiement this year..I LOVE sweet peas..my favorite flower! and I have had bad luck with them since we moved here..so I am going all out this year.
Mona is doing her part providing all the milk that we can use (three other families too!!) and the lambs are growing fast.
Jenny in Utah
Inside me there is a skinny woman crying to get out...but I can usually shut her up with cookies
http://www.auntjennysworld.blogspot.com/ visit my little online shop at www.auntjenny.etsy.com |
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DaisyFarm
True Blue Farmgirl
1646 Posts
Diane
Victoria
BC
Canada
1646 Posts |
Posted - Apr 05 2006 : 11:35:42 AM
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6. Mend chicken run fence so they can't all play follow the leader and escape! <sigh>
Oh and the hummingbirds are back...full on hummer-wars here again!
Di
http://www.daisyfarm.blogspot.com |
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sillyfoulks
True Blue Farmgirl
164 Posts
Elizabeth
Illinois
USA
164 Posts |
Posted - Apr 06 2006 : 06:35:58 AM
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I think Diane said it best, "Early April is when everything you've waited until it was time to do, needs doing NOW!" This what is going on here. We actually had our first good warm day yesterday. I was able get out and start some clean-up and replaced the clothesline. By the weekend our dumpster should arrive and then I can work on getting some more of the farm cleaned up. Our last frost isn't until the end of April, so I still have a few seeds to start on the sun porch. And I expect that they will be over soon to disc our acre of field for spring planting. Hubby wants corn, I want pumpkins. I think he is going to win!! I had such a terrible time with vine bores last year. I am sure in the next couple weeks we will be tilling the veg. garden. I love spring!!!
Elizabeth
Not how long, but how well you have lived is the main thing.
http://livingcountrystyle.blogspot.com/ |
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MullersLaneFarm
True Blue Farmgirl
596 Posts
Rock Falls
IL
596 Posts |
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JanO
True Blue Farmgirl
53 Posts
Jan
Washington
USA
53 Posts |
Posted - Apr 07 2006 : 11:20:43 AM
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Oh goodness... I have more projects then time and finances to complete. LOL Kids and DH have been home all week on vacation so we're getting a lot done. Did major clean out job in the barn, been burning brush, have chicken coop to complete still so my chickens can quit sharing space with the goats. Did get fruit trees planted and fencing up around them so critters don't eat them or knock them over. Hmmmm.... oh, have tomatoes crying to go in the ground and still need to get fence around the garden so they are protected too. I'm sure that there's much more, but right now that's what comes to mind.
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Lovin Life
True Blue Farmgirl
103 Posts
Lisa
New Hampshire
103 Posts |
Posted - Apr 11 2006 : 8:08:45 PM
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Oh, it's so nice to hear everyone's plans! We are expecting our second shipment of chicks since I started my meager little farm three years ago. My original flock of 15 is down to 10, and like yours Jenny, are producing eggs like crazy all of a sudden. I don't think it's just spring, because even last summer they were a bunch of slackers! Any way, we're getting 3 leghorns, 3 black sex links and 3 Rhode Island Reds. Excited to see little peeps again after 3 years.
Got lots of tomatoes started and now in the greenhouse growing pretty well. Basil, hot peppers, spinach all started in flats. Some stuff like peas, lettuce, bok choy, borage and beets I put in the ground a couple weeks ago, but have not shown themselves yet. I think It still may have been too cold for them and the seeds might have frozen or got water logged or something. The peas and spinach look promising... I scraped the dirt away and found them just under the surface.
Working on building the barn for our goats. My daughter and I got the front wall frame done on Sunday. Got the day off tomorrow, so hope to get at least the two sides done. Went to see two goat kids just born on Friday of last week, and one of them will be ours. A really cute alpine. Once I learn how to post a picture of her, I will
I'd rather live my life with a "full plate" than an empty one. Life is not a rehearsal... eat up! |
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A Farm of My Own: April on the farm...what happens? |
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April on the farm...what happens?
