Ooze Tubes

Ooze tube update.
They do work.

I fill them about 2 times a week but even when I didn't the other day, when checking under them, they are keeping the ground moist!

This is good since we are heading into some really hot weather!

I have them in two configurations that they suggest to check out which works better (I hypothesize this one is the best configuration since it encases the roots around the crown of the tree).
The others are in a long line on one side of the plant (the other configuration they suggest).

Ooze bags for watering new trees

We've purchased some ooze bags to help with the between irrigation watering of new trees. While I ordered these this winter, we now have extras because of tree loss. I am planning on getting some of the trees replaced, we want some shade on this hill.

This drip irrigation system should help the trees that survived.
Now, my shopping list for new trees, pomegranate, olive, apricot

New members of the farm family

We've got lots of greens for the grand opening of The Bountiful Kitchen and Shop!


Things are certainly greening up at the farm. We've got two new chickens that were born this week. Boy, being a chicken parent is hard.
We've generally gotten them at 2 days from a hatchery and the chicks are all pretty and fluffy. Not so when you are watching them be born in the brooder. It's a fun and engaging 24-36 hours!
We have two out of eggs, the first is about 4 days now, though we might have been low on temperature and he has a bit of an eye thing going on. The other one is exhausted from getting out of that egg!
Molli has enjoyed going in to watch what they are up to. She likes them not as food, but as pets...I think.

Busy February

up
We're approved! Feb 24

Feb 18, 2011 Santa Fe with Phil, Jim Jr. and Jim Sr. Breakfast

February might be short, but it was a tough month at the farm. We began the month with two of the coldest days here in this high desert. They closed down I25 overnight and the ice and cold did a number on the plumbing in Sierra County....scratch that, in all of New Mexico. We know because we've been up towards Taos and down to Las Cruces to look for the needed parts. So long as he was doing some plumbing work, we did some reconfiguration of the irrigation to increase our coverage and to save even more water where possible.
We opened up the back of the chicken coop. Dug out the old road bed and ran pipe to the fruit trees that are out there. They are doing well, despite the deer deciding that fruit or not, they are good trees. I also got some new pipes else where.
January got us the laser leveled fields and February we ordered White Clover and Oats for ground cover. That seed came. It's amazing how much this stuff costs, but when you are covering almost acres, it makes sense. I'm going to use a broadcast spreader. I want to see how the mix of the two comes out, so I'll lay out some plastic tarp in the garage and look at that spread. I'm going to walk this and broadcast. Larger farms can't do this, but we can. It will take a morning but depending on how I carry the seed, I can refill this hand tool and get to stretch my legs between grading. (I have to think about the positive).

The chickens made it through the cold weather, but the eggs didn't. They are so fragile, it's amazing to me that some of these chickens can brood and do all the things like check temp and humidity, add water. Why, when a chicken is brooding, she barely gets off the nest. Yet, with the most modern of technology, thermometers, running water nearby, a heating unit, even n egg turner, we couldn't keep them alive. We lost power overnight when the water froze. The temperature dropped quickly and we didn't realize the power was out till morning. Sad day. We started new chicken eggs again on the 19th-22nd so we are hopeful that they will be viable this time. Keep your fingers crossed. Elvis does seem to take his job seriously!

The kitchen work has been busy but we did celebrate February 24th with an approval sticker on the window. We have three recipes and the shop is going to be great as well. Painting and polishing are making this into a nice location. I'm excited for so many positive things happening already over there. It's been interesting hearing the community reaction.

Finally, sustainability is something that I take very seriously. Trying to go from blossom to dried cherry is an interesting process, but it also can make a difference as to the quality of food that we eat at home. We enjoy sharing this with our family and friends as well. To be sustainable we'd like to be able to barter and sell a bit locally as well. The more we can share this in our community means that our neighbors benefit too. It makes me look forward to making the list of the seeds which can go in (spinach and mint this month inside, butter crunch lettuce didn't do well with the freeze) but we will not be deterred. That seed saving workshop last summer was a good thing and I put up lots of seeds.



Finally, I'm reading up on the planting of the clover and oats and found an article out of Ontario (okay, different climate, but concept is still good). They made a suggestion for ground cover but their example gave me an idea to keep down the weeds in the squash field. In this case, it is where we put in the plumbing. Start the squash, melon, pumpkin, etc inside about 4 weeks before transplanting outside. Work the soil to kill off the weeds...keeping even the sprouted weeds from growing before they can save energy in the roots through photosynthesis in the sprouted leaves. The chickens will help with that. Then, cage off the young plantings and plant the clover and oats ground cover. It should do nicely to keep weeds out. http://www.cog.ca/documents/07SP_SquashClover.pdf
I'll do the other side with the lasagna gardening and perhaps we will see which does better at keeping out the weeds this year.

I'll post March during March...I hope.

Pictures January at PnS Farm

Kittens are now officially cats and growing!
Greg and DJ visit to pick pecans. Opened to the community for two days this year!
Javalina in the day time...20 feet from the house?


Laser leveling the two lower fields. Bob Helms' work will mean level field for irrigation waters.

January Farm

January on the farm has been interesting. Early in the month we invited people to come on over to pick. We'd gotten what we could harvest and sell for the year, we wanted others to also be able to enjoy. Sold 200 lbs down in Las Cruces when we heard the prices were up on shelling. Got 80 lbs shelled resulting in about 48.9% return rate (meat only).I Will try a local source soon to shell the other 400 lbs. The trees continue to have some on and the Crows and Redwinged Black Birds are having a ball getting some off the trees with their hoping and picking. Our winter birds include several Sandhill Cranes who are coming every morning and enjoying the lower fields which seem to have some growth under leaves. These huge birds have been working their way to the fields closest to us and yesterday they were at the Cherry Trees just outside our door. As I was busy taking pictures, the chickens squaked and I looked up to see a coyote salivating at the nearby chickens. Molli ran the coyote off. He had a black tip on his tail, same as the last year's visitor, so I think this is one of the pair born a year ago last spring. We see a pile of feathers, but no carcass and the count of chickens holds at 20. The chickens have found a good balance of food out in the fields and the crushed pecans we have after sorting out the bird pecked ones from the pecans to be shelled. The yolks are that golden yellow and taste delicious.
They really aren't in much competition with the Turkeys who only seem to be making the run across the field to get to cover on the property just to the NE of the property. They seem to be in the creek alot more this year.
We've had some wind and some cold, but overall, the weather has been so nice, it is hard to suggest a better place I could be living. The Javalina even made an appearance during the afternoon yesterday. What a great drama every day.

We've got lettuce in the garden and in the greenhouse. Also, planted spinach and some buttercrunch in the greenhouse this week. Peas outside. The onions are already growing and I had to kick out some chickens who decided the greens looked good and tried them. Our Apricot and Olive trees arrived today. We will nursery them for a year around the vegetable garden before deciding which of last years trees took to great a hit from the deer and cows. Getting a handle on the seeds saved from last year to see what needs to be planted when. A few plants died because of bugs before we could get them in the ground, so will take extra precautions this year.

It's really nice to be watching the sun set at 6PM instead of the 4:45 or so that we had been seeing just a month ago. We just returned at 5 from the Montecello via the back road and the colors are beautiful as the sun set across the Black Range.

Family coming to visit.

House is decorated. We found out from John Bliss, former owner of the farm, that the pines around are his family's previous Christmas trees. We cut branches from two to make our entry archway and our tree. Nothing big or fancy, but tradition.