Homesteading Series part 6 plant selection

So now we move on to the selection of plants.  Again this may be higher on the list, but we will discuss it here.  The reality is that all of these parts are intertwined.

Selection of plants can be broken down into several categories.  First we need to consider what the animals will be eating.  So one consideration is the pasture, the other consideration is the crops.  Second we will look at the garden plants.  Third, and finally, comes the orchard and berry plants.

Plants for the animals.

Pasture:

Crops. View from a bridleway. The different textures and colours are created by barley in the foreground, wheat behind and young sweet corn to the right. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

As can be noted from examining the blog here, we are fans of grazing systems.  This allows for less equipment and generally more self-sufficiency.  We prefer rotational grazing, but I digress.  So what plants do you want to have in your pastures?  Pasture should include one or two types of grasses.  Typical types include Fescue, Ryegrass,Timothy, Orchard Grass and Kentucky Bluegrass.  Other plants that are typically included in pasture are red clover, ladino clover, white clover and alfalfa.  It is recommended to have a variety of these plants within a given pasture to provide varying amounts of protein, vitamins, and mineral.  Certain plants also thrive at different times of the year.  By varying the types of plants within a given pasture, the grazing season can be extended both earlier and later in the year than normal.

Selecting Forage Crops

Carsington Pastures, Derbyshire (Photo credit: eamoncurry123)

Crops:

Perhaps crops are what many people think of when they think of plants on the farm.  Crops are used for many different purposes, the main one of which is food for the animals.  Field corn is a crop that is vital to many farming operations.  It is very versatile and can be fed to numerous species of animals.  Corn has traditionally been a very inexpensive feed source, though that had changed some with the subsidization of the ethanol fuel industry.  Soy beans are another crop that is grown in abundance in the United States.  It is used as a protein source and also as a way to fix nitrogen into the soil when used in a crop rotation.  Other crops that are commonly grown are Wheat, Barley, Rye, Oats, Spelts and many others.  Some of these, such as oats and wheat, can be used for two purposes.  The grain is harvested for use as a feed and the stalks can be harvested for use as straw (animal bedding).

Garden Plants

The vegetable garden is one of the main focal points of a homestead.  A garden serves to provide fresh food and also bountiful harvests that can be stored for winter usage.  The plants that can be grown in a garden are limitless.  We will discuss a few here, but the scope of this particular series does not permit for an in depth discussion.

USDA 98c0442 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Sweet Corn is the starting point, as it is one of our favorites.  The only downside that I see with Sweet corn is the space required to grow it, though the space can be maximized by using interplanting (we plant melons within the rows of corn, which allows the melons to spread out.  Both melons and corn take a lot of space, but by growing them in the same row, we can capitalize on some of that space.)  Beans are another key crop.  We also raise green beans (Green Jade works well as a variety).  There are many types of beans, several of which can be dried.

Other vegetables that are traditional garden staples include lettuces, spinach, onions, beets, cucumber, zucchini, squash and many others. Heirloom vegetables are those that are passed from generation to generation. They serve to preserve the plant genetic variability. Heirloom plants (as long as they do not get cross pollinated) will produce seed that it is true, meaning that the seed can be saved and replanted. Once replanted, the seed will produce plants that are the same variety as the mother plant. Hybrids plants do not produce seeds that will grow predictable plant offspring. Oftentimes the seed is not viable. At other times , the seed will produce on of the parent varieties that was used to make the hybrid plant. An example of this is Incredible Sweet Corn. This is our favorite sweet corn. Saving the seeds and replanting them will usually produce a dent corn or field corn that was used in the cross pollination to get the incredible hybrid.
We utilize several varieties of heirloom vegetables so that we can save the seeds if desired. A few examples are blue hopi corn (Below)

and golden bantam corn. Heirloom seeds can be purchased from several suppliers. We usually make our selection from Fedco Seeds.

Orchards and Berries

The third and final category for homesteading plants includes Orchards fruits and berries.  This category will be finished in another post due to space and time constraints.

Related articles

• Start a Self-Sufficient 1-Acre Homestead (rajultrivedi.wordpress.com)

Homesteading Series: Part 2: Next Steps

The next phase as I see it in regard to homesteading is to figure out your plans.  There are many things to consider that can play into the homesteading scene.  I will try to go more in depth with each topic, but thought is best to try to lay out the basics.  I will try to think of everything and am certain that I will leave some things out.    In the first part of this series, we talked about site selection.  For this part and moving forward, I am going to assume that step one has been taken care of.  I will figure that a water supply is secured and a home built.  (I suppose that a site could be purchased and set up in a different way than what I am describing here.  For instance, acreage could be obtained, yet the building of the house may be in the distance….so don’t lose hope if you can’t have the acreage and the home right off the bat.)  Some of these steps can be taken out of order.

1. Animal selection.  I recommend starting with chickens because they are cheap and easy, yet you get the incredible, edible egg as a result.  Most consider a dairy cow or a goat for milk production.  Sheep provide wool.  I would also suggest a dog of some sort for protection and possibly as a working dog.
2. Building selection.  This will need to be built around the potential animals.  For instance,
   

   A Chicken tractor. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

   a small outbuilding works great for chickens.  They can even be managed in a portable chicken coop (or a chicken tractor)which has a variety of designs.  A larger barn is necessary for cattle, goats, sheep, pigs and horses.

3. Animal containment.  This will again depend on the type of animal.  Cattle and horses test fences in ways that are different from pigs.  Chickens are a whole another ball of wax.
4. Plant Selection.  Do you want an orchard?  How about a berry plot?  A grape arbor?  And of course a garden.  I like Heirlooms for seed saving, making yourself more self-sufficient in the process and potentially saving money down the road.
5. Garden site.  Raised beds?  Traditional garden?  Should you build a cold frame or two? (yes!)
6. Medicine strategy.  By this I am thinking along the line of herbs.  You will need to consider which herbs that you will need and want to grow.
7. Storage Consideration:  With homesteading you will likely be saving root crops, making a root cellar a reasonable thought.  You will likely be canning, so you will need jars, lids, and a canner.
8. Tool Selection.  What tools will you need to have on hand?  Again, you might want to prepare for the practical and think toward the possibility of major circumstances changing.  As an example, you may get a chainsaw and a really good handsaw, just in case fuel becomes scarce.  I will suggest some nice tools that I have found for the garden.

I am certain that I have left some things out, so watch for this one to get edited in the future.  I typically write these posts as they come to me, not well thought out and written down onto paper.  Any thoughts and suggestions are always appreciated!  I will get some more thoughts down and put some thought into it as I review a few resources.

Until Next Time.

Related articles

• Homesteading: What Is It? (heritagebreedfarms.wordpress.com)
• Homestead Series Part 1 Where to Begin (heritagebreedfarms.wordpress.com)
• Planning your Suburban Homestead (prepping101.wordpress.com)
• Unusual Chicken Coops (hanburyhouse.com)

Cold frame take 2

Quick update on the cold frame project.  Less than 24 hours into the project, we had a severe wind advisory.  We went to close  the cold frame, which had been propped open earlier in the day and this is what we found:

So tonight was spent picking up broken glass and placing new windows on the cold frame.  Note for this time: add a chain or piece of baling twine to prevent the window lid from opening too far in the event of a wind gust.

Building a Cold Frame

Today we took up the task of building a cold frame to extend the growing season.  So we took off to the barn to look for materials that were laying around.  Our efforts provided us with wood and several old wooden windows that we have been saving.  I didn’t do specific measuring, so I will give you the generic version

First we set both windows on the ground to provide us with dimensions that we would need.  We selected four pieces of wood for the sides of the cold frame. We chose a wider piece for the back and a piece not as wide to form the front.  This gave us a sloping frame that we could face toward the south to maximize the sunlight exposure.

We laid the two windows side by side and the four pieces of wood on their corresponding sides. We then marked all dour sides in prefer to make the proper cuts.

The front and back were about 52 inches long and the sides were about 40 inches in length. The back ended up being 14 inches tall. The front is 12 inches tall. We would have liked to have more of a slope, but we wanted to create the cold frame for very little cost.
After cutting the four pieces for the frame, we found a 2 x 2 to make four corner stakes. These were cut to make four 2 foot long stakes that were pointed on one end.

We then drilled small holes in order to help get the nails started. The wood that we used was extremely hard, so much so that we bent several nails. Once we got the four sides nailed to one another, we set about attaching the comer stakes. These will serve to drive the cold frame into the ground and keep it in place. In order the keep the frame together and hold the stakes in place, we attached two c-clamps to the stakes and sides. These clamps kept the stakes in place as we drove the nails through the side panels and into the stakes.

Once all four stakes were secured, we laid the windows on top of the frame. With a huge sigh of relieve, the windows fit almost to a tee.

Above you can see our stopping point for the day. The stakes are sturdy and the windows are resting on the top. We will need to add hinges and then located a prop stick, but the project is nearly completed. Now to finish up so we can set the plants in place.

Advantages of a Cold Frame

Cold frame (Photo credit: castle79)

cold frame in situ (Photo credit: poppet with a camera)

A picture of my coldframe (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Cold Frame

I always wondered exactly what a cold frame was when I first heard the term.  I will try to get an official definition below from Wikipedia, but here is what I would define it as:

Cold Frame – An enclosed garden bed or container with a removable or hinged clear lid that serves to extend the growing season in northern climates.

From Wikipedia: In agriculture and gardening, a cold frame is a transparent-roofed enclosure, built low to the ground, used to protect plants from cold weather

So I got close off the top of my head…..anyways, why would you want to add a cold frame?

• Extend the growing season
• Allows you to grow crops that would otherwise not do well in your area due to the shorter growing season
• Start Seedlings in the dirt
• Satisfy that early spring itch to plant something
• Easy to Use
• Can serve a double function of being a raised bed
• Nice project to do with the kids
• Can be made out of materials that many people have laying around
• Very versatile/ flexible design

These are just a few reasons that I can think of to build and use a cold frame.  We look forward to using our new one and  seeing what other benefits that we discover along the way.

Spring cleanup

(Written Friday 3/23/2012)

Spring cleaning is in full swing around our farm.  Today we cut up more of the fence posts that we pulled last year in preparation for the new fence.  We cut the locust posts into 12 to 15 inch sections that will fit nicely into our woodburner next year.  We cut down to the portion of the fence that was underneath the ground. We figured it would add more creosote to the chimney if we burnt the portion that had all or the dirt and water damage. The three foot sections that were underground stacked very nicely for a bonfire. Hopefully that will be happening soon, complete with s’mores.
We mowed the grass yesterday. Can you believe that we are mowing four weeks earlier than normal? We also finished preparing the garden soil and purchased a few more seeds. At the curren

seed saving (Photo credit: kt.ries)

t seed prices, we can definitely see that value to seed saving. We bought grass seed, radishes, green beans, and peas for a total of $22.00. Had we saved our own, that coat would have been closer to $8 for the grass seed and gas additive for the chainsaw.
We took the mowers in to the service shop today to keep them in good working condition.
So that covers the prep work. The rest of the day was spent cleaning indoors and out. We moved metal t posts to the barn, moved some old telephone pole pieces, and cleaned up inside the barn a bit. With the top of the barn cleaned out, the kids now have an additional play area.

Finally, we began trimming and pruning the fruit trees. I was surprised to see the multitude of bees busy at work pollinating the peach tree, which is already in bloom. I usually start pruning the apple trees by removing all of the water sprouts, which are those small branches that go straight up. I also trim out any diseased wood and branches that cross over others. These branches that cross over will cause damage to the bark as they rub against one another. I di fear that we may be too late to apply dormant spray. I need to look more into home remedies/ organic ways to manage fruit trees. It seems like the conventional guys are always out spraying their crops. Ours have been organic for the past 10 years, but we have never gotten fruit. It is probably because organic and natural in this case means neglected. Hopefully this will change this summer. We have already begun looking for recipes for homemade natural dormant oil sprays. It seems most are based with mineral oil.

Better Late than Never

I contacted a local friend today to inquire if they had made their final seed order yet.  She is checking into it and thinks that I may yet have some time.  We order from Fedco Seeds.  I generally like their selection as they offer a wide variety of heirloom vegetables.  I often wonder if heirloom vegetables will adapt (notice I did not say evolve as they don’t change into something, just s regional variant) to the soil and local area to which they are planted.  I think this is the case personally.  During the soil seminar that I attended, the speaker mentioned that they had noted the same plant growing in different local areas that had better resistant to pests and disease.  He noted that one form of the plant was virtually pest free, while the other plant (which was located within 1/2 mile) was infested with pests.  Same plant variety, different soil and local environment.  Perhaps the second plant was stressed due to lack or water, lack of sunlight or poor soil nutrients.

Back to the seed ordering.  I am after a few varieties to add to our garden this year.  The big one that we recently discovered is brussel sprouts.  They are ugly and stinky,  yet delicious if cooked up the right way.  These are a great source of nutrition and supposedly easy to grow.  The yield per plant is very good as well.  I am looking forward to expanding into this newer vegetable.

My other desire is to begin to replant our pastures to provide a more well round forage.  In order to so this, I am going to take soil samples and try to increase the organic matter and soil substructure.  I am not going to purchase enough seeds to replant the entire pasture, rather I am going to plant a small plot from which I will collect my own seeds to sow into the larger pasture.  I will take any left over seeds and spread them sparsely around the fields, in the hope that they will begin to drop seeds as well.  I will probably get a few types of grasses, maybe alfalfa and several types of clover to try out.  Each of these helps to supplement the grasses that we currently have.  I also would like to use legumes to help fix more nitrogen into the soil.  In subsequent years, we may turn over and replant some or all of the various pastures, but this will take some time and money to do.  That is why I am hoping to grow my own plots of seed crops.

Well that is all for now, other than to say that our (Red Poll Cattle) heifers are getting nice bellies on them.  Babies due in April or early May.  We are eager awaiting.

Gearing Up

We are getting excited for the upcoming Spring.  The last thing that we do before Spring officially hit is celebrate a few family birthdays.  Once those pass, we are off an running.  First comes the yard clean up and of course some nice outdoor fires.  We love to rake up all the sticks, leaves, and pine cones and make bonfires outside.  Nothing can replace a nice S’more roasted over an outdoor bonfire.

Very shortly we are going to try some clear plastic over the garden area.  This is supposed to help burn off/ kill any left over weeds that may be growing in that area.  It also serves to heat the soil.  This gets those ever important soil organisms working again.  The warmed soil brings earthworms closer to the surface.  At some point we will focus on the importance of earthworms, but for now we will just leave it with the fact that they are vital to a garden and the soil’s infrastructure.

Perhaps this weekend, we will begin to clear some small areas and plant some cool weather veggies, such as claytonia, spinnach, and lettuce.  We reserve tax day (April 15th) for the annual planting of the peas, though those may get in early this year as well.  It is funny to see the difference from year to year.  This time last year found us with the beginning of a very soggy year, yet a cool spring.  We were unable to get the garden soil worked until the middle of May, yet everything seemed to do well.  This year, we are hoping to get a good jump start on everything.

We are going to try to avoid tilling this year and simply cultivate the soil.  The main reason for this is to avoid “tiller pan,” which is a compaction of the soil that occurs about 12 inches below the depth of the tiller tines.  Another reason is to avoid the mixing up of weed seeds.  Tilling serves to bring seeds up from different levels, essentially planting the weeds once again.

In order to work the soil in this way, we have purchased a collinear hoe.  We also use a stirrup hoe.  This stirrup hoe is one of our favorites, as it allows shallow cultivation in among the plants.  It is vital to cultivate rather than to weed.  Using the stirrup hoe, we can weed many of our rows in a very short time.  We try to do this about once every two weeks.  This serves to lesson the competition for nutrients and to mix organic matter into the soil throughout the growing season.

For a video on how to use a collinear hoe click here

Another thing that we try to do is to focus on companion planting.  This method plants things together that provide benefit for the plant next to it.  A traditional example would be carrots and tomatoes.

Well, that is perhaps enough for right now.  We will focus in more on gardening as we go along.  We hope to have some good pictures to show later in the year.  Right now, it is all in our heads as we dream and plan for brighter days ahead.

Alternatives to Wood for production of heat: Corn Cobs

I decided that I would collect corn cobs to try as a heat source.  I am not certain how to calculate btus or anything of that sort, but what I can report is that cobs burn well and get hot very quickly.  If I would come into my house and find that the electric was out and I needed a good way to produce a quick, hot fire…….I would consider corn cobs.

Corn cobs are easy to save. I saved two types from this past year. The first set of corn cobs came from our sweet corn. After we prepared the sweet corn for freezing by boiling, blanching, stripping the kernels from the cob, bagging and then freezing; we fed the cobs to the chickens. The chickens proceeded to strip and eat any remaining particles of corn that were not remove by us during the process. We then place d the cobs in a building allowing them to dry. We feel as though we used the sweet corn to maximum efficiency. First we saved it for us, then fed the chickens and finally burned the cobs. Yet another good reason to have chickens on the farm.

The other type of corn cob that I collected was from a friend who processes a bunch of field corn. He had planted a heirloom filed corn from which he had preserved the seeds. The particular variety that he planted was Blue Hopi corn likely purchased from Fedco seeds. (As a side note….Blue Hopi corn is an heirloom variety that is able to yield a lot of corn for making corn meal. A major advantage of heirloom vegetables versus hybrid vegetables is the ability to save your own seeds from year to year. This serves to both save money and acts as a way to prepare for any shortage) of corn seed supply.

Burning wood (part I)

Burning wood is a great way to provide heat during the cold winter months.  It is also a great heat source during the fluctuating temperatures the accompany the typical Spring and Autumn seasons.  I have another post about our woodburner, but I thought I would go further into the merits of burning wood and also into some of the how tos of doing this practically.  There are also some negatives to consider.

First Topic:  Why to consider burning wood

• Wood is a renewable resource.
• Wood can generally be obtained for very little cost, though some elbow grease and time are usually involved.
• Wood can be planted and easy to grow, allowing for a constant supply of fuel.
• Wood can often be obtained helping friends and neighbors clean up after numerous storms.
• There are numerous tax credits available (or at least have been available) for the purchasing of wood burning stoves…both indoor and outdoor.
• Wood Stoves can be utilized as a passive heat system
• Wood heats without electricity, making it an excellent heat source in the event of power outages
• The ashes can be used to help build and amend soil components or ashes can be composted
• Cutting and Splitting wood is good exercise (The saying is that wood heats you twice, once when you cut it and once when you burn it)
• Wood is one of the more efficient heat sources when cut, split and burned properly

Second Topic:  Why Not to Burn Wood

• Wood is often messy inside in the areas where it it burned and/ or stored
• Wood carries many allergens (Indoor woodburning can trigger allergies during non-allergy seasons)
• Wood can carry many bugs, including termites
• Wood cutting and splitting takes time
• Specialized tools are required (Saws, axes, mauls, splitting wedges, a log splitter)
• Ashes must be disposed of
• Cutting and Splitting wood is hard work involving a lot of effort.
• Finding wood to cut may be difficult
• Burning wood indoors is a fire risk.  The chimney must be cleaned and maintained in order to prevent chimney fires.