Is anyone els overwhelmed?
I mean about anything? I have 3 different organizers and still don't feel like I get enough done. Homeschooling, the gardens, animals, kids, housework, crafting, blogging; all seems like its own full time job to me. And I almost never feel like I give any of it/them the time they deserve.
Please tell me i'm not the only one. . . . . . .
oh and i would love some suggestions on how to get more done!
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Thursday, January 20, 2011
2011 Gardens - The 'Plan'
Ok, I have 3 gardens I will be focusing on. The melon patch, the veggie garden and my herb/flower beds along the front walk.
The veggie garden:
Last year we tried to lay down rubber mats between each row to walk on and to keep weeds to a minimal. While they worked somewhat to reduce weeds they also reduced the amount of water able to get to the plants. Our tomatoes rotted on the vine, sometimes before they were ripe. And I really stink at weeding and watering.
The melon patch:
Last year we didn't even plant anything. The year before that everything we planted seemed to get some kind of fungus. We weren't able to harvest anything.
This year I'll be combining Lasagna gardening with trellis gardening for my plants that vine but the 'fruits' don't weigh a lot, like gourds, squash and mini pumpkins. Lasagna gardening is a method where you use layers to combat weeds and enrich the soil. You don't have to till ether, which is nice. I've already laid down my first 2 layers and am working on a 3rd.
The veggie garden:
Last year we tried to lay down rubber mats between each row to walk on and to keep weeds to a minimal. While they worked somewhat to reduce weeds they also reduced the amount of water able to get to the plants. Our tomatoes rotted on the vine, sometimes before they were ripe. And I really stink at weeding and watering.
This year I would like to try laying down old feed bags between rows. They're paper, easy to cut and place in long strips. My hope is that enough paper layers will keep the weeds away but still let the moister through. I'm going to try and follow along with the square foot gardening approach. Both with starting some seeds inside and staggering my plantings. I'd also like to try drip irrigation using old 2.5 gallon water jugs spaced evenly along the rows. My hope is to get spring, continuous summer and fall harvests.
Garden rows:
walk way
walk way
pop corn
walk way
walk way
sugar snap pea fence / pinto beans (?)
walk way
broccoli / cauliflower / brussels sprouts
walk way
sweet pepper mix / eggplant
walk way
cabbage - chinese & reg. / green beans
walk way
Beets / carrots
walk way
leeks / onions / celery
walk way
lettuce / spinach
walk way
potatoes
The melon patch:
Last year we didn't even plant anything. The year before that everything we planted seemed to get some kind of fungus. We weren't able to harvest anything.
This year I'll be combining Lasagna gardening with trellis gardening for my plants that vine but the 'fruits' don't weigh a lot, like gourds, squash and mini pumpkins. Lasagna gardening is a method where you use layers to combat weeds and enrich the soil. You don't have to till ether, which is nice. I've already laid down my first 2 layers and am working on a 3rd.
Lasagna Layers:
a thick layer of cardboard
sheep stall refuse (spent hay and manure)
peat moss
composted cow manure
peat moss
rabbit manure
peat moss
wood ashes
4 Trellises (one per corner):
winter Squash mix
Watermelon
Cantaloupe
1 Pyramid Trellis (in the middle):
mini Pumpkin mix
4 mounded beds:
pie Pumpkins
The herb garden:
Last year it was overrun by weeds!! And parsley. . . . . Seriously I haven't planted parsley except maybe the first year we moved here 5 years ago! Now its everywhere.
This year I'm going to be doing a little Lasagna gardening along with heavy mulching. Most of the plants are already established but there's a few I question if they are going to come back and I'll plant petunias in the spring. So, I'm going to wait until they come up then I'll start layering, plant my petunias and end with a thick layer of mulch. At least thats the plan anyway. Oh and I'm going to find a place to plant some artichokes. I guess their a member of the thistle family and are really pretty if you let them bloom. Plus the kids really like them.
To plant:
rosemary
basil
chives
thyme
Anyway that's the plan. I'm tired just looking at it lol.
Giant Rabbit cages
These cages can be used for giant rabbits, for a litter of babies or if your like me you just want to give your bunnies plenty of room. There will be plans for 2 different cages. The first cage I'm making will be the same size as the one's I'm already using. The next 2 that I'll be making will be a little smaller. There going to sit beside the door to the bunny stall and the doors to 2 other cages, I think I'll have to modify the cage doors to slide up when opening. All 3 cages will have built in hay mangers but will not have nest boxes. If I wanted to use them for birthing cages I will have to make nest boxes.
Shopping for wire was interesting. It should be noted that we use 2 different types of wire on our cages, 1/2"x 1" for the bottom and 1"x2" on the sides/top. TSC, in Wilmington, didn't have the greatest selection and what they did have they were out of. (I ended up getting the wrong wire and taking it back) Then I went to Lowe's, also in Wilmington. They had a much better selection however they were almost as sparse in the amount they actually had in stock. So I got what I thought might work. 1/2"x1" roll 10' in length, 1"x2" roll 15' in length, and a roll that starts at the bottom 1"x4" the openings gradually winded to 4"x4" at the top (50' in length). I spent $80. I was hoping to build all 3 cages for less then $20 . . . . .
I was delusional.
However if the wire with the larger holes works out I'll be able to build 5 or more cages. Oh, and my dad bought some wire for me to use. Its 1"x2" and (I think) 25' in length. So we're up to $106.99, 4 rolls of wire and a bunch of J-clips.
For the larger cage I cut:
1 piece of 24"x40" wire for the bottom, the holes were 1"x.5"
3 pieces 24"x24" for the small square sides, and the middle
using the 1"x4" graduating wire
2 pieces of 24"x40" wire for the back and top; with 1"x2" holes
1 piece of 24"x36" for the front
with a @x$ square cut for the door, 1"x2" holes
1 piece 4x3 for the door, 1"x2" (though I changed this for the smaller cage)
For the smaller cage I cut:
1 piece of 24"x32" wire for the bottom, the holes were 1"x.5"
Shopping for wire was interesting. It should be noted that we use 2 different types of wire on our cages, 1/2"x 1" for the bottom and 1"x2" on the sides/top. TSC, in Wilmington, didn't have the greatest selection and what they did have they were out of. (I ended up getting the wrong wire and taking it back) Then I went to Lowe's, also in Wilmington. They had a much better selection however they were almost as sparse in the amount they actually had in stock. So I got what I thought might work. 1/2"x1" roll 10' in length, 1"x2" roll 15' in length, and a roll that starts at the bottom 1"x4" the openings gradually winded to 4"x4" at the top (50' in length). I spent $80. I was hoping to build all 3 cages for less then $20 . . . . .
I was delusional.
However if the wire with the larger holes works out I'll be able to build 5 or more cages. Oh, and my dad bought some wire for me to use. Its 1"x2" and (I think) 25' in length. So we're up to $106.99, 4 rolls of wire and a bunch of J-clips.
For the larger cage I cut:
1 piece of 24"x40" wire for the bottom, the holes were 1"x.5"
3 pieces 24"x24" for the small square sides, and the middle
using the 1"x4" graduating wire
2 pieces of 24"x40" wire for the back and top; with 1"x2" holes
1 piece of 24"x36" for the front
with a @x$ square cut for the door, 1"x2" holes
1 piece 4x3 for the door, 1"x2" (though I changed this for the smaller cage)
For the smaller cage I cut:
1 piece of 24"x32" wire for the bottom, the holes were 1"x.5"
3 pieces 24"x24" for the small square sides, and the middle
using the 1"x4" graduating wire
using the 1"x4" graduating wire
2 pieces of 24"x32" wire for the back and top; with 1"x2" holes
1 piece of 24"x26" for the front
with a @x$ square cut for the door, 1"x2" holes
with a @x$ square cut for the door, 1"x2" holes
1 piece 4x3 for the door, 1"x2"
I connected all of the pieces together with J clips. For the pellet feeder, you'll want to cut a slot out of your middle section and wire it up before you attach it to the floor. Connect the middle to the floor next, to make life easier. Attach the side closest to the middle section, the last side piece, back and then top. Clip the front to the rest of the cage. Next attach the door to the front section, add a latch and your good to go.
In hind site I would tweak the design just a little if the cages were going to be up against each other. I would make it one very large cage with 2 rabbit holes and a hay manger in the middle. One small package of J clips is not enough for 2 cages.
This is the slightly larger cage. You can't see the pellet feeder, its there hidden by the water bottle. And this is Rewben, my new rew English Angora Buck. As you can see he has plenty of room. The cage is wired to the celling and hangs underneath of another cage. There is a slide made from sheet metal above that lets the droppings move to the back. You can kind of see it in the picture.
Yes, I had blisters by the time I was done. And my sweetie had to clip a door for me; but all in all I built them mostly by myself. Now I get a few new bunnies to fill them!!
If you have any questions please feel free to ask.
In hind site I would tweak the design just a little if the cages were going to be up against each other. I would make it one very large cage with 2 rabbit holes and a hay manger in the middle. One small package of J clips is not enough for 2 cages.
This is the slightly larger cage. You can't see the pellet feeder, its there hidden by the water bottle. And this is Rewben, my new rew English Angora Buck. As you can see he has plenty of room. The cage is wired to the celling and hangs underneath of another cage. There is a slide made from sheet metal above that lets the droppings move to the back. You can kind of see it in the picture.
Yes, I had blisters by the time I was done. And my sweetie had to clip a door for me; but all in all I built them mostly by myself. Now I get a few new bunnies to fill them!!
If you have any questions please feel free to ask.
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
30 new Sheep and 2 Llamas
Sorry I've been a bad blogger!! Its been a little crazy with life and the new sheep.
Well, their new to us, and their just temporary. Some friends of mine are having troubles with the place they currently live. I'm not going to go into details except to say they're moving and had no place for their animals. Thats where our pasture comes in. We don't use it in the winter, so why not? They put up better fencing and are building a temporary hoop barn. The fencing will stay but the hoop barn will probably go. We don't really need another barn. However having another pasture where we're able to put sheep or horses would be nice.
The first wave of critters has made it to us already. 30 sheep and 2 Llamas. There are a few more sheep, some goats and 50 or so rabbits. I'm not sure how many of the rabbits we can take. In the stall there are 2 large empty cages and there is room for 3 more. I'm currently putting them together and will post details later this week. We'll probably put any does with litters in the stall and the rest we'll just have to find a place for.
There is a corner of the barn that I've been considering. The problem; currently it houses a ton of tires. There is room above it for a loft but we would have to finish building it and reinforce it. Then there's the problem of getting the tires up there. I've already gotten what I could but there's still a lot of tires left. Maybe a pulley system?
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Oct. menu
Mon. - Well Breakfast was a fail. My son had to make his own. Cereal
Lunch - I honestly don't remember what I made for lunch
Dinner - roasted chicken, asparaus, homemade mac'n'cheese
Tues. - Breakfast - Berry Crumb cake
Lunch - a frozen pizza (I'm working on a recipe)
Dinner - ham and bean soup, corn bread, fried green tomato's
Wend. - Breakfast - cheesy rice
Lunch - PB and J
Dinner - chicken/bacon/ranch flat bread pizzas
Thur. - Breakfast - Bagels with cream cheese
Lunch - Leftovers
Dinner - Breakfast casserole
Fri. - Breakfast - Cinnamon/Sugar toast
Lunch -Spaghetti with meat balls
Dinner - Chicken soup in bread bowls
I've already bought most of the things I'll need for this week. Soccer is pretty much over for the season, so, hopefully this week will be pretty easy. Maybe I can get caught up on my crafting. . . . .
Lunch - I honestly don't remember what I made for lunch
Dinner - roasted chicken, asparaus, homemade mac'n'cheese
Tues. - Breakfast - Berry Crumb cake
Lunch - a frozen pizza (I'm working on a recipe)
Dinner - ham and bean soup, corn bread, fried green tomato's
Wend. - Breakfast - cheesy rice
Lunch - PB and J
Dinner - chicken/bacon/ranch flat bread pizzas
Thur. - Breakfast - Bagels with cream cheese
Lunch - Leftovers
Dinner - Breakfast casserole
Fri. - Breakfast - Cinnamon/Sugar toast
Lunch -Spaghetti with meat balls
Dinner - Chicken soup in bread bowls
I've already bought most of the things I'll need for this week. Soccer is pretty much over for the season, so, hopefully this week will be pretty easy. Maybe I can get caught up on my crafting. . . . .
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Farm Update
Sorry I have not posted in a while. My sweetie is in and I never seem to get things done when he's here.
Anyway I thought I would give a quick update.
Lucy and Ethel, our Red Angus cows, went to meet their destiny yesterday. On a side note: cattle prods don't work as well as you think they should. We had to walk them slowly into the trailer without using the cattle prod. We now have 2 Black Angus calves to raise, BamBam and Pebbles.
The bunnies were re-bred on Sat. Oct. 9th. I will be putting them back in with the bucks on Sat. the 16th. If the buck tries again the doe is probably not pregnant, if he doesn't want anything to do with her then she's probably pregnant. This is not even 95% accurate, but its the best I've got without involving a vet.
The chickens are finally starting to lay eggs. We think we have 21 hens and 2-3 roosters. We're getting 15 eggs per day, consistently.
The kittens are losing weight. We've lost one. I'm hoping to get them to the vet next week. In the meantime I gave them a dose of garlic. They didn't like it but it worked when the turkeys were sick so it can't hurt. I'd also like to de-worm them. And as far as the momma cats go, we're going to start getting them fixed in pairs. That way there wont be too many cats in the house at once.
Oh, and the 2 ewe's we will be breeding this fall have been moved in with the ram. The weathers has been moved in with the remaining permanent ewe and the 2 meat sheep. Moving them was way too exciting. I'm not sure I could have done it by myself. The weathers threw himself to the ground and wouldn't budge. I literally had to pick him up while the other person pulled. We'd make it a few steps then he would throw himself down again. Trouble kicked and jumped the whole way. We had to tug Lizzy a little but she didn't cause too much of a fuss. Of course we moved her last, she's a year or so older then the other's and she's been through this once before.
Halloween; I have some really cool decor that I've done myself. I will be posting pics and hopefully a tutorial soon.
Homeschool; since I chickened out on actually Homeschooling, I thought we could do a little something every day. HA!! That hasn't worked out so far. This week is letter M and the country is still Tunisia as we have not finished our lapbook. But there is still time this week and the kids have Friday off from public school so we'll just have to see what we can do.
Well thats all for the moment. Now to go and feed those hungry critters before they mutiny!
Anyway I thought I would give a quick update.
Lucy and Ethel, our Red Angus cows, went to meet their destiny yesterday. On a side note: cattle prods don't work as well as you think they should. We had to walk them slowly into the trailer without using the cattle prod. We now have 2 Black Angus calves to raise, BamBam and Pebbles.
The bunnies were re-bred on Sat. Oct. 9th. I will be putting them back in with the bucks on Sat. the 16th. If the buck tries again the doe is probably not pregnant, if he doesn't want anything to do with her then she's probably pregnant. This is not even 95% accurate, but its the best I've got without involving a vet.
The chickens are finally starting to lay eggs. We think we have 21 hens and 2-3 roosters. We're getting 15 eggs per day, consistently.
The kittens are losing weight. We've lost one. I'm hoping to get them to the vet next week. In the meantime I gave them a dose of garlic. They didn't like it but it worked when the turkeys were sick so it can't hurt. I'd also like to de-worm them. And as far as the momma cats go, we're going to start getting them fixed in pairs. That way there wont be too many cats in the house at once.
Oh, and the 2 ewe's we will be breeding this fall have been moved in with the ram. The weathers has been moved in with the remaining permanent ewe and the 2 meat sheep. Moving them was way too exciting. I'm not sure I could have done it by myself. The weathers threw himself to the ground and wouldn't budge. I literally had to pick him up while the other person pulled. We'd make it a few steps then he would throw himself down again. Trouble kicked and jumped the whole way. We had to tug Lizzy a little but she didn't cause too much of a fuss. Of course we moved her last, she's a year or so older then the other's and she's been through this once before.
Halloween; I have some really cool decor that I've done myself. I will be posting pics and hopefully a tutorial soon.
Homeschool; since I chickened out on actually Homeschooling, I thought we could do a little something every day. HA!! That hasn't worked out so far. This week is letter M and the country is still Tunisia as we have not finished our lapbook. But there is still time this week and the kids have Friday off from public school so we'll just have to see what we can do.
Well thats all for the moment. Now to go and feed those hungry critters before they mutiny!
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
Bunny (re)breeding - The plan
Well my first breeding was an Epic Fail.They're rabbits you would think they would breed like, well rabbits, but no!! Out of 4 does, not 1 gave birth. I bred them on the 21st of Aug. They should have kindled (given birth) on Sept. 21st or Sept. 22. According to 'Storey's Guide to Raising Rabbits' and I quote: "Rarely will the litter arrive after the 31st day, but don't give up hope until after the 34th. After that, mate her again." Its been 46 days, its time to give up the ghost. 'Sigh'
By the way I highly recommend this book. I've read it several times and still use it as a reference.
Ok so here's the plan. It's the same as the old one, we're just going to try it again. I have 7 rabbits at the moment.
2 English Angora does
2 Flemish Giants does
2 Giant Angora bucks
1 Standard Rex doe
Anybody else see the problem? I can not breed a larger buck with a smaller doe. The kits could be too big for the doe and potentially cause problems during delivery. Anyway I have a friend (who's name will not be mentioned) And she's been nice enough to offer stud services, the idea being to split the kits. She has:
2 Rex bucks
2 English Angora bucks
Ok, that takes care of 2 out of 3 smaller does. The 3rd will not be bred until she's a year old.
That leaves 2 Flemish Giants and 2 Giant Angoras. I have a smaller and larger one of each. My plan is to breed the smaller Giant Angora to the larger Flemish Giant, hopefully to increase the size of the kits. The larger Giant Angora will be bred to the smaller Flemish Giant. Their actually about the same size. If anything she might be a little bigger then he is, so the delivery should not have any problems due to size.
Kits (babies) - Somebody asked me today what I'm planning on doing with them. Well, 2 litters will be divided between me and my friend. I will look over the one's that I get. I may keep 1 or 2 English Angora, I will probably sell whats left. The Rex will probably be sold as pets. They will be pure blooded but will not have papers. I'm not sure if they can be used for 4H or not. The Giant Angora / Flemish Giant cross' will be interesting. Some should have long hair, some will have short hair. The short hairs will probably be butchered and put into the freezer. The long hairs (depending on how many there are) some may be sold as fiber animals, some I hope to keep for future breeding. The longer term general plan of the rabbits at least paying for themselves and perhaps making a little money between selling kits and wool.
As always if you have any questions or comments feel free to post. They will be appreciated! >^.^<
By the way I highly recommend this book. I've read it several times and still use it as a reference.
Ok so here's the plan. It's the same as the old one, we're just going to try it again. I have 7 rabbits at the moment.
2 English Angora does
2 Flemish Giants does
2 Giant Angora bucks
1 Standard Rex doe
Anybody else see the problem? I can not breed a larger buck with a smaller doe. The kits could be too big for the doe and potentially cause problems during delivery. Anyway I have a friend (who's name will not be mentioned) And she's been nice enough to offer stud services, the idea being to split the kits. She has:
2 Rex bucks
2 English Angora bucks
Ok, that takes care of 2 out of 3 smaller does. The 3rd will not be bred until she's a year old.
That leaves 2 Flemish Giants and 2 Giant Angoras. I have a smaller and larger one of each. My plan is to breed the smaller Giant Angora to the larger Flemish Giant, hopefully to increase the size of the kits. The larger Giant Angora will be bred to the smaller Flemish Giant. Their actually about the same size. If anything she might be a little bigger then he is, so the delivery should not have any problems due to size.
Kits (babies) - Somebody asked me today what I'm planning on doing with them. Well, 2 litters will be divided between me and my friend. I will look over the one's that I get. I may keep 1 or 2 English Angora, I will probably sell whats left. The Rex will probably be sold as pets. They will be pure blooded but will not have papers. I'm not sure if they can be used for 4H or not. The Giant Angora / Flemish Giant cross' will be interesting. Some should have long hair, some will have short hair. The short hairs will probably be butchered and put into the freezer. The long hairs (depending on how many there are) some may be sold as fiber animals, some I hope to keep for future breeding. The longer term general plan of the rabbits at least paying for themselves and perhaps making a little money between selling kits and wool.
As always if you have any questions or comments feel free to post. They will be appreciated! >^.^<
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