18d (edited) • General discussion
Prepping for the week of 4/27 - 5/3
Prepping this week looks like:
No planting this week at our place. This is the moon sign for any "fruits" you haven't started yet. Squash, cucumbers, peppers, tomatoes, etc. I am cheating this year and buying whole plants in June. We can't put them in the ground until the end of June, so for me it makes more sense at this site to just buy them.
The rabbit nest boxes are in, and I am checking them twice a day, waiting for babies. This week I will breed the rabbits that didn't get bred last time. All of the breedings this year are targeted for the 4H fairs at the end of the summer. We have 3 fairs nearby, with specific guidelines for maximum ages and types. Anything that doesn't sell will go in our freezer in August. April has been a lot colder than usual, and I am really glad I waited to breed this year, so the weather will be warmer for babies.
I have been doing a hard look at the economics of food lately, and what will be getting the first price jumps. I have already started getting a little extra at each trip to the store. Last week it was honey and sardines, and this week it will be batteries for the solar fence chargers for the livestock. Our tax refund just hit, so getting tires will also be on the "sooner than later" list.
In the next few weeks I need to switch the small animal housing set-ups to summer mode. The rabbit barn is a new addition, so this will be a learning curve for what summer mode will look like. My original idea was a really simple swap, but the prevalence of stray dogs in our neighborhood and the coyote pack that moved in next door mean I need to change my plan. Since the birds are new, their setup will have to be built from scratch, because the greenhouse they are in will be too hot by the end of May.
This summer I am doing growing trials for several medicinal herbs that I have not grown before. These trials, are how I test what will actually work for my specific site. I just try 2 or 3 plants in a spot I think they will do well. Then I take lots of notes on watering, sun damage, soil needs, and if they are ready to harvest before our first frost. There are about 20 more plants I want to test this year, but space and time are always limited.
In the back of my mind right now is the drought and diesel prices and how that will affect my ability to access animal food for winter (yes, I started planning December in March). There are a lot of ways I can make adjustments. Fewer animals is always a choice. Adjusting what I feed them is another. Stockpiling is a choice, but not feasible on my site because I don't have much room for dry storage, and I don't have a tractor for unloading huge bulk containers.
Our drought means there will be less grain and hay locally available, and the fuel prices mean it will be really expensive. Hay is my highest operating cost. I buy it from a neighbor, but he has costs too. The sooner I can get the pasture fences cow-proof (no such thing as goat-proof), the sooner the herds can go out. Since it is so dry, I will have to be super careful this year to make sure they are rotating between areas so they don't over-graze.
In the evenings, I am doing a lot of research on what I can grow in a small space to carry them. When it finally stops freezing, I am going to try fodder systems which can be fed to everything but the cats and dog. I bought bulk organic barley and oats from Azure last month to test out. I will post that process in the classroom as I go.
These are things the IG photos don't show about homestead life, and having all the cute animals. I regularly tell people to wait as long as possible before jumping into livestock. It is totally possible to replace a lot of your meals with things you can grow in your yard, without jumping into living in the middle of nowhere or having 30 chickens (I have two and a duck, and that has been plenty).
I challenge you this week to look at what food you buy regularly that you would like to learn how to make. Either from the ingredients or grow in your space. Post it in the comments and I will build a tutorial on how to do it.
Wishing you all a peaceful week.
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Prepping for the week of 4/27 - 5/3
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