Life gets in the way...

So, I posted a grand plan to write everyday, and failed in short order.

OOPS, forgot that I had a JOB and KIDS with needs, and a farm to run and a marriage to maintain, and friends, and... oh, and that we are at that 7.5 year point in our home when everything we fixed when we moved in BREAKS! 

That said, things have moved...slowly...forward.  So, here is an update.

 

The pottager is filled and doing well.  (Thanks Mark for help weeding!)

 

The other side of the pottager (which was supposed to be trees and perennial food plants has been reworked into an annual food garden because the trees failed to thrive in this spot.   Maybe later when we have built better soil.

 

The herb garden is rocking.  have basil, rosemary, several different thymes, sage, stevia, chives, dill, oregano, lemon balm, cilantro,lavender, and lemon balm.

 

Sunflower wall, pumpkins, and a border of marigolds are jumping up with all the warm rain.

 

We expanded the garden below the sunflowers.  It now has lots of trees, and perennial food plants like strawberries.

 

The animal barn has been converted into a picnic area.   Still working on tables, benches, lighting. and drainage....(this month of rain has taught us a lot about our land.)

 

The Hopkin Boys helped me move a few stones to finish the edge of the driveway.  Gravel is next.

 

The barn is still there, standing like the large pink elephant in the middle of the room.  At this point the planning of "Save the barn" part 2 is underway.  (if you are interested, follow our progress on this site, or if you want to help, send me a message ... roberts.ecofarm  at gmail  dot com.)

More to come soon.  

Enjoyed having the Hopkin clan use us as a base.  We got a lot out of it, hope you did too. 

Edible Landscape Clean-up: Run for the Roses

Edible Landscaping

I don’t recall when I started to search out edible landscaping as a primary source of beauty.  It might have been when I saw how pretty my purple eggplants looked, tucked between some bushes because I did not have any more room in the REAL garden.  Or maybe it was the color of Swiss Chard under my cherry trees in the summer.  Well, for whatever reason, I am an avid edible landscaper.

I have been slowly trimming my rose bushes every other day.  They are not hard to manage but you do need to cut them back if you don’t want to live in Sleeping Beauty’s rose covered castle. Or was that Snow White and Rose Red?  Anyway, I never worry about trimming the roses too much because every bit of them are used.  In the Fall I use the rose hips for syrup.  In the Winter I give the trimmed branches to our goat, Lucy.  She eats them like candy.  The roof of her mouth must be made of titanium because these branches have thorns that really hurt.  The chickens clean up anything that Lucy drops and any spider cases, etc.

So, Lucy gets a special treat and I feel like I have cleaned up without adding anything to the landfill.  It’s a win-win.

Edible landscaping benefits not only the human critters but the birds, goats, and chickens.  Try it this year!