Tag Archives: farm life

April 7th: Orchard

Yesterday I put the disc on the tractor to work a patch of ground in preparation to plant a small apple orchard. I’ve been preparing this spot for a year. First there was seeding with clover to break up the clay and add nitrogen. Then I mulched the entire area with cardboard, added 13 yardsContinue reading “April 7th: Orchard”

March 16th: “Lilly Pulitzer” themed sauerkraut

For me, gardening often inspires me to try new ways to prepare and store the excess of nature. Right now, if you stayed on schedule and listened to Dan Gill and the LSU Ag Center, you likely have cabbage, broccoli, kale and their cruciferous cousins in your garden. And one of my favorite things toContinue reading “March 16th: “Lilly Pulitzer” themed sauerkraut”

March 6th: From seed bench to soil

I’ve gardened for many years and this obvious point escaped me: many garden plants are perennials in warmer, non-frost zones. Indeterminate tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, and okra are some of the varieties that will continue to grow if not killed back by frost. I got a link to a story about overwintering veggies and found aContinue reading “March 6th: From seed bench to soil”

January 30th: Apples in the South?

I recently made a post o the farm’s Facebook page about some apple trees we plant as part of our USDA Conservation Stewardship Program. One of the comments was about how nice it would be if we could do fall apple picking, “like they do up north.” Well, folks, it may be that we canContinue reading “January 30th: Apples in the South?”

January 28th: Bird Feeder

If you have a bird feeder you know what I mean when I say it is more entertaining than a TV. And that as a hobby it can easily creep into an expensive obsession. Though small, your ever-hungry avian visitors consume large amounts of food–we now buy it in 40 pound bags. Then there areContinue reading “January 28th: Bird Feeder”

January 15th: A winter reminder

It’s been tees & shorts weather for a week, but two light freezes have reminded us to keep the insulated coveralls at the ready. And we are, ready that is. Pipes are insulated, plants are mulched, and heaters are going in the barn for the chicks and in the greenhouse for the seedlings. Yesterday, theContinue reading “January 15th: A winter reminder”

January 11th: The Planting Calendar

“Don’t think the garden loses its ecstasy in winter. It’s quiet, but the roots are down there riotous.” ~RUMI It got up to a balmy 72℉ today. On Friday the low is forecast to be 33℉. That is our Gulf Coast winter–schizophrenic–but mild enough still that we are able to grow vegetables year-round. A lotContinue reading “January 11th: The Planting Calendar”