Spring Farm Improvements

The Windbreak Birch Entry - Last year, I saw a rustic birch trellis that would look perfect as a front door to the orchard/veggie garden through the windbreak.  The trellis was almost $300 so I took photos and showed it to Mark.  He liked it and said that he could make one, free of cost, with some of the fallen birch trees in our woods.  You can see by the photos, he has finished it - he's not happy with it and will be making tweaks to it but it does create a beautifully rustic and framed front door to the garden/orchard.

 

The Greenhouse and plants - Our little greenhouse is getting a work out.  We have garden veggies plants peeking their little heads up so they will be ready to plant in the garden soon.  You can see that we had to surround the bottom of the greenhouse with hay bales to keep it warmer at night - our temps have dropped to the low 30s each night, until now.  This year, we will start blueberry bushes, strawberry plants, cherry trees, along with veggies and expand each year.

April 15th is planting day in St. Louis and it is May 1st here, so as soon as we return from our St. Louis visit, I'll be planting our garden. We've sent our soil away for testing so we will know if our garden needs additives to build up the soil.  We also are going to experiment for the first time this year by growing some of the veggies in straw bales.  As they decay over the summer, they add nutrients to the veggies.  Our neighbor will be supplying us with bales from his field.  If we succeed, we will be using our own bales next summer.  Our neighbor will be helping us bale our hay and we will be helping him bailing his in a community effort!


The Patio Project - is finished!  Here are a few photos - Mark was siding the wall and wiring the lights.  Our patio looks nicer than these photos and videos show (blame the photographer - ME). It has added nice outdoor living and eating space.  I know we will use this space daily - especially the fire pit.

Mark added lights on the ceiling and he wired it all so that we could have the wall lights, the ceiling lights, and both.  We even have room on the patio to hold the fire pit and the chairs on bad weather days.  I think I like this space mostly because it will be a space where Mark will enjoy sitting back, resting, and enjoying spring, summer, and fall evenings.  In the photo below right, he did sit with me last evening and we had the warmth of the fire, wine, s'mores, and each other's company.  The only thing better would be enjoying it with friends and family too...and you can't ask for anything better than that!

 

Pond Grass Issue - We had our local extension office look at our pond grass.  They advised us that it is Horsetail Reed (it is a native plant and common in this area), which is poisonous to many stock animals, including horses.  We are glad to know now so that we work toward eradication and fence off the pond from any animals we add to the farm.  Since it has rhizome roots and its spores can be blown in the wind, getting totally rid of it is almost impossible.  There are only two ways to kill it - either pull it out by the roots or starve it from light.  We are considering the latter idea because our pond is deep and it grows out to almost the center of the pond.  It would be very difficult to try to pull each stalk out by its roots.  I have learned that it is often used in basket weaving, so maybe I'll just learn that skill and be glad to have the free resource!

One of the two cows that belong to our neighbors, Steve and Melissa, had a calf last Monday night. Here is a photo right after he was born...still wet.  He is actually a roan bull (rusty brown), but you can't tell in this photo. Since it is a bull and not a heifer, they named him Cheeseburger! I'm not joking - that's what they will call him to remind themselves not to get attached to this little furry adorable wobbling calf.  He will grow quickly and won't be so adorable when he is ready to go to the butchers next year.  Then they will think of him appreciatively as they eat their cheeseburger! That is farm life...

Well, it's beautiful outside - 60 degrees at 10am!  It's time to get to work.  Now that these projects are finished, my next task is working to clear the inside of what we call the Cathedral (we named it this as it makes you feel as peaceful as if you were in church) while Mark works to break up the barn floor.  Life is ALWAYS fun at Cold Comfort Farm!