Starting a New Garden in a New Zone

Well, we don't have our livestock with us, but we have settled in a small house with a yard for the time being.  That doesn't mean that I won't still be farming and ranching...just on a much smaller (and city ordinance approved) level.

The yard that we have is mainly grass.  Some fescue, some bunch grass, some quack grass.  It makes a reasonably nice lawn with the moss filling in the spaces, but it is not much to work with when you want to start a garden.  I have already gone through tilling a hay field under for a new garden and spent a lot of time fighting the grass hay that wanted to regrow.  Lucky for me, I work right next to a noxious weed specialist.  The process that I am following is per her advice.  It is not without some herbicides, but I am hoping that it makes the fight against quack grass a bit more even.

We started by tilling under the grass on March 30th.  I think J managed to get about 12 inches down which is perfect.  There isn't any lava rock here in Kitsap County, but there are these pretty little round rocks everywhere.  I was going to spend a day collecting and removing these rocks from the soil but the neighbor (who is an avid gardener) said that they help the soil to stay warm...something that the moisture level here makes hard.  So I have decided to leave the rocks that are smaller than my fist.

Here's the plan...

March 30th - till grass

Fence off garden - no specific time frame, but it needs to be done before we do any more work as the dogs think that we have made them a dirt box to play in.

April 15th - Spray with RoundUp, making sure that it is NOT "Ground Kill" but just has glyphosate.  You can read about glyphosate here.  It's a pretty cool herbicide as it only works on the plant when it is going through active photosynthesis.  Because of that, we need to wait for the grass to sprout, spray it on the grass, and then give it a few days to photosynthesize.  As a side note, I will NOT be using Monsanto seeds.

April 18th - Cover the entire bed with cardboard.  This is not to "burn" the grass off, but to stop the photosynthesis process and allow the herbicide to have time to kill the grass.  We don't get enough sun in this area to cover the bed with plastic and have it "cook" the weeds.

May 1st - (Probably May 4th because that's a Saturday and I'm a working girl now) Uncover, create rows, and begin planting.  While this is a little later than I would like, I have to go through the steps if I want to get rid of the grass.

Ongoing - I am going to use a sponge brush applicator and "paint" the grass seedlings as they emerge.  This way I can kill any new grass without treating the entire bed again.

While I'm waiting for the day that I can plant, I am having fun creating a planting spreadsheet, researching the best varieties for the area, and making a list of things to plant.

Where Do Farmers Go to Meet Farmers?

This is a serious question when you are a displaced farmer.  There is a strong need to connect with like-minded people when you are disconnected from your farm like we are at the moment.  Even if you cannot go out to the barn every morning or hear the rooster, you need to find that connection.  It's an earthly need.  You crave dirt.  You dream of tractors.  You look for leftover hay in your pockets.

So, when we first moved here - to the "city" as we call it (and everyone here laughs) - I started to look for farmers.  Well, I actually started out looking for someone who could connect me with 4-H farmers in particular.  For my boys, of course.  To keep them connected to the wholesome values that 4-H and FFA gives a kid.  But really, I was hoping to find farmer friends.

Well, I did.  Tough girls who, as my city friend said, "carry pocket knives for castrating goats."  Girls like me.  Of course, you don't use a knife to castrate goats, but I get the idea.  And that's exactly the type of friends I found.

But where does someone go to find them if they aren't insane like I am...striking up conversations in the parking lot of Trader Joe's?  Here are a few suggestions:

1.  Contact the local State Extension Office.  We found a Small Farms Expo happening (and we attended it).  Through there you can always find people who are part of farming groups or co-ops.
2.  Look up the local 4-H clubs.  Not all 4-H groups are farm related, but many are.
3.  Try craigslist.  Sounds a bit out there, but I've been known to email people who are selling livestock or related products and just ask if they want to be friends.  It works.  And you meet the most interesting people.

I am starting to build my family again here...my farming family.  And it feels good to know that I'm not alone in my desire to get my fingers dirty or in my excitement over "farmer porn" (seed catalogs).  I love that the people I have begun to meet share my values and are passionate about it.  Knowing that I have been able to find some of these people makes me feel like I might just be able to live here.

Lilo's Attack

I just learned that Lilo killed a 6 week old Nigerian doeling.  I am not sure exactly what happened.  I know that she was taken to a friend's house as a milker and that the doeling attempted to nurse.  I don't know if anyone saw it happen or if the kid was in with Lilo where it couldn't escape.

I am saddened by this event.  I offered to give the owner our kids, but she has no real use for them.  And she takes responsibility for leaving a new doe with her herd without supervision.  I guess it is a lesson that we must remember.  Lilo is a very kind doe, but even the nicest does need to be watched when they are around other kids.

Pebbles and Bam-Bam

Pebbles

Bam-Bam

I just wanted to share a few new pictures of Tumbleweed's babies.  They really are growing and look so good.  They were disbudded today.  Tumbleweed is doing a wonderful job (as she always does) with her two babies.  They will be nice looking market goats.  I do think that it's possible they are both Neptune's kids.  Who knows?

Tumbleweed's Babies

Pebbles and Bam-Bam

Tumbleweed has had a beautiful set of twins this morning.  Both doeling and buckling are doing well, as is momma.  They are very good looking little kids.  I believe that they will be used as market goats.  Even though they have some "painted" markings on them, I think that Zeus is at least the lighter one's daddy.  I think she gets the creamy colors from Tumbleweed and the marks from Zeus.  Now, the darker one, I could see a bit of Neptune there.  He has the dark stripe down his back, like Neptune, and the moddled ears, like Neptune.  Who knows.

Lilo Has Kidded

(From Left to Right)
Annette, Aphrodite, and Buck.

It is so hard not to have my goats with me these days.  I know that they are being well cared for, but I want to see them each day.  I want to love on them.  I want to rub their cheeks and get nibbled on.  But for now, I will have to live with remote updates like this one.  At least there are pictures that come along with them.

Aphrodite and Annette

Aphrodite - a new milker for us.

I just found out that Lilo has finally kidded.  We knew that she was gonna happen soon as she was really getting big, but no one ever knows until you walk out to the barn and there they are.

Sarah has been caring for Lilo at her house.  The kids are doing wonderfully, as is the momma.  We have two doelings and a buckling.  Everyone has their own guess as to who the daddy is, but as for me, I think we have a little of both.  My personal opinion is this...I think Neptune (our Nubian paint) is Aphrodite's daddy and I think that Zeus (our Boer) is Annette and Buck's daddy.

It looks like we will be keeping Aphrodite as a milker to add to our herd (once we have a farm again).  Annette looks like she could make an excellent milker for someone also...she's just not as flashy in color as Aphro.  All in all, they are a beautiful trio and I am so proud of Lilo!  Great job, momma.

A Change of Plans

We may not be posting for a while here on the blog.  We have had a sudden change of plans and are packing up the farm, the fam, and everything else and moving.  We will be farming out some of the livestock and selling others.  This is not something that we are doing on a whim.  Things have been extremely challenging as of late and we cannot pass up this opportunity.

Ruby and Jaws will be living with some wonderful friends of ours.  They have only had pigs for a little while, so we will be communicating with them via email to make sure all goes well.  Jaws will have a second pretty lady to snuggle with on this farm and they are hoping for a couple of litters.  The piglets that Ruby has now will be going with her (of course) and they may sell them or keep some for more breeding gilts.

Neptune and Sox are being sold to the neighbors.  They are the same people who bought Asha's twins.  I think that Sox will end up being a great milker for them.  And Neptune is a good herd sire - and not related to the twins.

All of the chickens, ducks, and the goose have been sold to various local farms.  Some of the chickens will be kept as layers, but some will end up in the freezer.  I think the hardest ones for me to let go of were the beautiful slate blue hens...but there are always more chickens.  We did, however, ask the neighbors to keep Crystal the chicken.  She doesn't lay very much any more and I didn't want her butchered by a farmer.  Z was very close to her.

Lilo, Zeus, Tumbleweed, and Asha are all going to Sarah's house.  She has a couple of friends willing to house a few and she will be housing a few.  I know that they will be well cared for and that in a year's time, they will still be happy and healthy, ready to come home.

So, until I have a farm again (and I will, I have no doubt), I may not have much to post about the Rogers Roost Ranch.  But as they say, you can take the girl out of the country, but you can't take the country out of the girl.  I'm sure I'll find my farm fix one way or another.