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Winter Feed Woes, Dehydrating Wins

2/19/2014

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Winter feed......expensive to say the least.  Yet still one of the most important factors for maintaining your livestock's health during the cold, short days of winter.

With our growing season a mere 90 days, it doesn't give us a whole lot of options for adding nutritional value to our herds diet.  One way we provide the minerals' and vitamins; to our goats winter feed is by dehydrating.  Huh?  Yes, dehydrating.  We don't have to worry about storing feed through the winter months, or having space enough to do so. 

So why do we bring this up now when everyone is still dealing with winter?  Because now is the perfect time to plan! Think about the seeds you've already ordered, or soon will, just for starting seeds indoors or are you just 'not so patiently' waiting for planting time. Many of you probably already provide garden space for those kid critters you constantly talk about.  So, what do you do for winter?  Probably grass hay or alfalfa (depending on cost). Some of you offer grain and maybe goat minerals.  It seems odd though when you think about it, the time they need the nutrients the most (when pregnant or during severe cold), many only provide the bare minimum for their livestock.

It's not that most don't want to, but many are limited by the cost of providing it during the time of year when it doesn't grow or isn't readily available.  Many, like us, just don't have the means to store it all without some difficulty or watching some rot in the root cellar.  This is where dehydrating became the best option for us.

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And the winner is........seeds?

8/15/2013

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Lottery?  No, but there are winners indeed.  Though there are no prices or cash to brag over, there are choices for dinner.  Not making any sense are we?  

We're talking heirloom seeds.  Non-hybrid, non-GMO, good old fashioned, what our grandfathers' grew kind of seeds. But when thinking about heirloom seeds, there is more to think about
then what tomato you want.

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A Garden's Beginnings

8/1/2013

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Oh how the thoughts of fresh salads tease.  Thoughts of that red, juicy tomato are so enticing!  Memories of baked root vegetables covered in homemade dressing - the delicious aroma drifting through the house.  More dreams of dinners planned while
walking the many rows of fresh goodness.

Finally!  The garden is tilled, the rows laid out, & soaker hoses are neatly lining the rows.  It's GARDEN TIME! Or at least it was the first week of June. With a growing season from Memorial Day to Labor Day, we weren't too far off our normal planting.  A month later than we would have liked, but the rain  came causing quite a bit of delay for us, with relatives filling in all the other spare time we had  ~grin~.  We have been fortunate to find heirloom and organic seeds that actually thrive in our area, so we know there will be food.

So, before more rains could change our minds, off we went to our little piece of dirt filled paradise. How wonderful the dirt felt between the toes. Listening to the chatter of the four legged kids calling out for attention.  Safely learning all the 'barn rules', they are left to the quite capable hooves of the mature does.

With double row planting, companion planting, and crop rotation in mind keeping track of the garden from year to year is..........well, easier than trying to remember  where everything was.   
PictureOur basic garden plan, note the permanent beds outlining the garden.













Planning the garden is key to our crop rotation, companion planting, and double row planting methods. Some are just one of many parts of a broader method of farming.  So let's discuss our simplified form of polyculture.

Polyculture?


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Starting Seeds Indoors

3/14/2013

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Picture
As the snow falls lightly outside our window, the sunset's glow painting pink the mountains that surround us, memories of past gardens tickle the corners of our minds.  Anticipation of fresh greens, fire side roasted root vegetables, and sweet fruits of Seaberries excite us.

With such a short growing season, Memorial Day to Labor  day, many of the foods we grow need an early start that nature here does not  provide.  With heirloom seeds from  Siberia, North Dakota, and Canada, many of the crops we grow can simply be   started outdoors.  Such as peas,  beans, lettuce, spinach, carrots, corn, and more, but what of those that require  more than 90 days from seed to harvest?  We furnish an extension to our growing season by starting seeds  indoors.  
 
When starting seeds indoors, you need to consider five things: temperature, water, lighting, soil, and seeds.


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Seeds? Which Seeds? Which Plants?

3/1/2013

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With the promise of spring  slowly peeking around the corner, garden plans usually start teasing the edges  of our mind....
......whispering of the new shades of green and smells of freshly cut grass.  Oh, how the prospect of  fresh......anything, teases and entices us!

Planning a garden, whether  vegetable or flower, seeds often play a huge part of that planning. Decisions made should include:

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