Category: Farm

The part of the homestead we manage to grow things for profit.

Preparing the Next Phase

One of the challenges of homesteading is too many projects going concurrently and not enough time or money to go around. (Can I get an “Amen” from my homesteading friends?)

I sat down at the beginning of the year and ticked off my to do list to see what we had achieved last year and where we needed to focus this year. Last year, my personal focus was getting moved to Tennessee and getting the property into a state that our “utilities” were not a burden and we felt more at home and less like camping. We achieved that, though the air conditioning is still proving to be challenging.

My next focus is to prepare a place for my children to stay so they can move down and we can sell the house in Ohio. On my last trip north, I sat down with my kids and we talked about their needs so we could nail down space requirements and settle on a budget. Next week, I will be heading to the office to order their buildings on their behalf and they will confirm their payment structure over the phone. These will be THEIR homes to do with as they please and should they buy a piece of property of their own, they can take them with them.

In the meantime, once it stops raining, I have some work to do moving the fence equipment I have stored in their home spaces into the barn on the hill. With that obstacle out of the way, their homes can be delivered and set on blocks without further ado. Then the task of getting their utilities attached can begin and I can make their homes comfortable to live in. At that point, they can move down and the next phase can begin.

Such is the fun being the architect of your own life.

Planting Trees is Planning our Future

If you remember, we had Permaculture Consultant, Nick Ferguson, come out to our property and evaluate our land, our goals, and our resources to get it done. Part of those plans included a food forest and fodder trees for livestock.

This spring, we purchased twelve hybrid willow cuttings and twelve hybrid poplar cuttings from Nick and we finished planting them today. We still want to pick up some white mulberry but we will need to find some in-stock. From these, we will be able to propagate more trees, hence the tight plantings.

I put some of the old sheep fence around the plantings to keep the deer from picking at them and my dogs from doing any damage while cavorting around chasing each other.

You can also see that James has been busy opening up the land by removing briars, saplings, and sick trees. It’s a lot easier to take a walk in the woods now.

We’ve Got Mail!

While the post office started delivering the odd junk mail a week or so ago, we’ve just been added to the online database and can now start receiving packages through other shipping methods. We’re still waiting on our mail forwarding to kick in, but I imagine it won’t be long now.

With the mail sorted, James has finally been able to order the next equipment we need for the solar expansion and we’ll have some new videos to make once that gets here.

Earthquake 301cc Woodchipper/Shredder

In the meantime, we’ve picked up a wood chipper/leaf shredder and an auger for digging post holes. We have also gotten some insulation to start getting the shed prepped to become a temperature controlled area to work in. I’ll be taking out some saplings and branches and stacking them for a chipping run, while making space for the ShelterLogic barn so we can get that set up. The auger will be used to get the posts installed for the compost bin and shelter, and the gate for the driveway.

I’m relieved to be able to get back to work!

Building a Compost Bin

Today, I worked on some project materials lists for our next few trips to the lumber store and listened to podcasts while I worked. Had a couple of good phone calls with my boys back in Ohio. This evening, I measured out a spot for our compost bin and scratched out a footprint for the first third of the final project. I’ve got a lot of tree roots to cut through and digging to get the spot level but the manual labor felt good.

Off Grid in Tennessee

We made it! Last week, we hauled our 5th wheel RV down to our property in Tennessee, dropped it off, returned to Ohio, loaded up our utility trailer and truck with gear, and returned to Tennessee.

We’ve now established solar power with a gasoline generator for backup, water storage via IBC totes and a 12v transfer pump, and installed a mailbox and registered for mail service. We’ve done laundry off grid, have a storage shed coming in a few days, and sorted out where to take our garbage.

Our next projects include building a second solar array and running it parallel to the other series, setting up a composting site, installing an access gate, and building out the shed as a mechanical room for the solar equipment as well as storage.

We also made some new friends at the Self Reliance Festival in Camden, Tennessee!

Not bad for week one.

Check out our videos on YouTube and you can see some of our progress: https://www.youtube.com/user/dfvalkyrie/playlists

Visit our YouTube Channel

James and I thought it would be good to share what we’ve been doing via the video platforms that are available to us. We have had somethings hosted on Odysee but YouTube tends to be where more folks are accustomed to going and is more reliable with framerates.

Here is the link to the channel. I hope you enjoy!

Autumn Dawn Endeavors – YouTube

The ducks are 3 months old now

3 months old

We are all very impressed with how much the Muscovies have grown over such a short period of time. Granted, they eat more than the chickens, but I imagine that will slow some as their growth needs also slow. We have picked the 2 drakes we intend to keep to maturity and cull the other 4 next month. In the end, we will cull to just one after we decide which one does the better job with the girls.