Seed Collection on the Farm

Seed collection on the farm

Our plans for future orchard expansion now include pre-planting of Kraters far in advance of tree arrival. For this we need seeds, lots of seeds. Luckily I’ve been purchasing and tossing out seeds for ages. Collecting specimens for the new Kraters is a breeze. All you need is a bucket, some willing hands and guard dogs in case you should come upon…..well nothing, they’re useless.

IMG_4378

So far collected specimens include: Sainfoin, sweet clover, alfalfa, asparagus, various grasses, bachelors button, vetch, various other clover varieties and odd plants I find along the way and simply throw into the bucket. Those plants include flowers, herbs and vegetable seeds. We’ll see what happens to grow from this cacophony of seeds. I’m hoping everything.

IMG_4379

I’m feeling pretty good about this move. As I’ve said in a previous post, things aren’t working quite right as they are now. I think a big step is preparing the kraters ahead of planting. I have every hope it will make a big difference. Only time shall tell.

Beauty Abounds

Beauty Abounds

Our property is in bloom. So many blooms I can’t even fit them all in one post. We have the usual alfalfa and sweet clover. The blooming weeds, erm, wildflowers. The beauty is everywhere but for me, it’s acutely in the plants I’ve planted myself. The acres of sainfoin blooming in all their pink glory. The cider orchard full of vetch, poppies, clover and more.

Enough talk, enjoy the beauty with me.

Vetch

Tiny White Flowers

Clover

Bachelors Button

The sainfoin is such an object of fascination for us.

Sainfoin Surveying

Sainfoin Fun

Let’s not forget the beauty in our animals either. Unfortunately only one of them would stand still long enough to get a good picture.

Prince

My glorious Prince the blackshoulder peacock.

A walk around the house

 

IMG_2132

Come take a look around with us. Turkeys approve this message, so long as it comes with snacks.

IMG_2128IMG_2126

Yellow sweet clover? We’ve got 30 acres of that! It’s also freakishly tall.

 

IMG_2119

I finally found rubber boots for the kids. They want to wear them everywhere now.

IMG_2116

Prince is losing his train and Ella thinks it’s hilarious to try to tickle him with the feathers.

IMG_2097IMG_2110

We saved a butterfly last week!

IMG_2113

Taking a ride to feed the babies.

 

IMG_2055

Hazelnuts are on the cusp of doing well and dying. how is that possible you ask? Well excessive rain and that sweet clover that grows taller than everything else. Ugh!

IMG_2019

White oaks are doing alright though.

IMG_2013

Ducks still think I’m Satan.

IMG_1976

Paw Paws are doing well!

IMG_1973

Vetch. Love it!

IMG_1936IMG_1892

We have lots of flowers popping up.

IMG_1959

Bindweed. Super depressing amounts of it!

IMG_1896

The duck and Prince love each other.

 

IMG_1903IMG_1905

Sugar snap peas. I haven’t cooked a single one. They get eaten right from the pod!

 

IMG_1875

Grapes are struggling a bit

IMG_1787IMG_1794

Gourds are doing alright. They’re even rooting along the vine. Crazy!

IMG_1820

This is one of the Kraters. It’s doing well!

 

 

IMG_1801

Jiki our pyr has to come out with me to protect me from the coyotes!

 

IMG_1761

We have salad!

A complete yard reboot

We have never paid much attention to the state of our front and back yard. The front has been mostly unused and the back is where the dogs are kept when we aren’t home. Simple as that. At least it used to be. Now we have kids and our space has taken on new meaning. I have been excited to create a playground for our children. It has been going quite well and I’m happy with the results of my labor. Unfortunately the grass and weeds have been a large problem in accessing this playground equipment. We have a mower but it attaches to our tractor and is quite large. Keeping the grass and weeds short around the toys is difficult at best. So we took drastic action.

Back Yard Before
Back Yard Before
Back Yard After
Back Yard After

We rented a tiller, took a day off and tilled the front and back yard. As you can tell, our back yard is humongous. We did make it for the dogs and we figured we might as well go all the way to the barn with the fence. Most of this space is underutilized, except by said dogs. So we decided to cut a part of the back of this yard off and put the cider orchard there. So on top of tilling we also did a small swale in the back section.

Seeds

I ordered a large variety of seeds. I picked subterranean clover for around the toys and where we walk the most. This clover grows thick and short, we should never have to mow it. Then I ordered multiple species of clover: persian, rose, arrowleaf and ladino are what I remember off the top of my head. This went in the less traveled areas and in the cider orchard. The third bucket is full of wild flowers and vetch. This I sprinkled all along the fence line and in the very back of the cider orchard area. We do have trees in the area already, planted before we moved here. Since they will be too large to put a fruit tree near I have no problem spreading lots of flowers and tall vetch around them. It should be a beautiful location when everything grows!

Of course I was racing to get this done. There was a storm coming and I wanted that rain on my newly seeded yard areas. I made it just in time.

raining

And boy did it rain a ton!