I had recently heard mixed reviews about having horses on my land. While there are lovely animals... at least the ones I'm with.... they eat lots of vegetation where I'm trying to get my ground covers up and running. There are 2 concerns that I have .... - Stomping the ground and compacting it - Eating ground covers/grass till ground is bare They do fertilize with their dung and hydrant pee which is great. 👉🏻 So, what's your opinion? The area that the horses are in is about 1 acre. 👉🏻 If you do have animals on your land, how do you know when enough is enough?

“Autumn is the season to find contentment at home by paying attention to what we already have.” Melissa Michaels, The Inspired Room With so much strife and uncertainty in the world, it is easy to become focused on what is wrong, what we lack, or what we wish were different. Yet within our own homes and daily lives, there is often much to be thankful for. A warm place to rest, food in the pantry, something harvested from the garden, or simply the comfort of that familiar evening chair. These everyday blessings can become so ordinary that we hardly notice them. Yet when life becomes difficult, they can remind us how much we still have to be grateful for. Gratitude does not make our troubles disappear, nor does it mean overlooking the hardships others face. It simply helps us recognize the good that remains part of our lives. When we appreciate what we have, we may also become better stewards. We care for our belongings, make use of what is available, waste less, and find satisfaction in simple things. This month, I'd like us to spend a little time considering gratitude and how it shapes our everyday lives. One place where gratitude often comes to life is around the family table. Food brings together what we have grown, gathered, prepared, and learned from those before us. A familiar meal can carry memories of family, home, and traditions that have been passed from one generation to another. If we can, I would like to begin a monthly exchange of our favorite recipes. As time permits, let's share a favorite recipe that we enjoy preparing during each month. With members from many different places and backgrounds, I think it would be wonderful to learn each others traditions and possibly bring a few new traditions into our own kitchens. November brings the Thanksgiving holiday in the United States, while other countries have their own harvest celebrations and seasonal traditions. And let's not forget that our friends in the Southern Hemisphere are enjoying spring rather than autumn. Although our seasons and celebrations may differ, gathering with family and friends around food gives us an opportunity to set aside our worries for a while and enjoy one another's company.

I'm sure many of you have your own way and "ideal" methods of setting up your planting rows, but here is what we have done with our situation. We've debated about using cardboard as the first layer but decided not to do this at this time of our experiment. So, instead of cardboard we'r using a different method. See if you have a different method or comment below on my method. Only time will tell!!!

I think most people have become involved in alternative agriculture because it's seen as a cheat code to make poor marginal land productive, with low investments, apart from time.Often many of the conventional farms switching to bio(organic) do it for initial financial incentives and grants, or as an advantage in the market place. I know farmers who just before going into converting, spray problem areas with herbicide and give the land a good dose of 10:10:10 fertility as an insurance policy. All this working around the rules defeats the point of responding to ecological problems and consumer confidence. The true organic or regenerative farmers are consolidating technics and information from multiple alternative systems to adapt into their own business model. As this filters down to home growers , the labels are likely to merge or disappear, into eco and non-eco. In my youth as a new homesteader being part of a group wasn't a consideration, l just wanted to drive around on a shiny red tractor, now my priority is a growing system that drives itself,as sustainably as possible. (Photo of me as a naive alternative farmer, driving our children and friends around, in the late 1990s on a not so shiny tractor salvaged from scrap.)

Long before European settlers arrived in North America, Indigenous communities were growing corn, beans, and squash together. Among the Haudenosaunee, these crops became known as the Three Sisters. The corn was different from the sweet corn many of us grow today. These were generally mature, starchy varieties, often called flour or flint corn, that could be dried, stored, and ground into cornmeal to help feed families through the winter. What interests me is how these three plants worked together. Corn grew tall and provided support for climbing beans. Squash spread across the ground, shading the soil and helping retain moisture while reducing some weed growth. Beans formed relationships with soil bacteria that fixed nitrogen, contributing to the longer-term fertility of the growing system. For the Haudenosaunee, the Three Sisters represented more than an efficient planting method. They were part of a cultural tradition built around food, community, and relationships with the land. Planting methods varied among Indigenous communities, and growing these crops together did not eliminate competition for sunlight, water, or nutrients. Today, we might call this polyculture or companion planting, but the underlying lesson goes further. Rather than growing each plant in isolation, people learned to recognize how different plants could share space and contribute to a productive garden. As you look back over your garden this year, which plants worked well together, and where might you try a different combination next season?