Feeding a family of 4, part two: Rotational Planting in the Garden.

That last list was huge, and fairly overwhelming.  It would also take up a huge piece of yard, and be hard to put away everything at the same time. 
Thanks to rotational gardening you don't have to! There is a lot of information out on rotational gardening, and I found most of it completely overwhelming.  It's taken me quite awhile to wrap my head around how to successfully rotate my garden due to the fact that most information online is zone specific without actually telling you what zone they're gardening in. 
Here are the notes I've gathered to accompany my list of what and how much I aim to grow in our gardens.  We are in zone 5B, but this list should be flexible enough to fit to your own planting schedules.

*Note, I've added bok choy and cauliflower to my master list, but have not amended the previous blog post.

Arugula: 2 plantings, 10 plants each. Early Spring and Mid Summer.
Beets: 2 plantings, 40 plants each. Mid Spring and Late Summer.
Bok Choy: 2 plantings, 10 plants each. Early Spring and Mid Summer.
Broccoli: 3 plantings, 10 plants each.  Early Spring, Mid Summer, Late Summer.
Cabbage: 3 plantings, 10 plants each.  Early Spring, Mid Summer, Late Summer.
Cauliflower:  2 plantings, 15 plants each.  Mid Spring and Late Summer. 
Carrots: 2 plantings, 75 plants each.  Mid Spring and Late Summer.
Lettuce: 2 plantings, 25 plants each. Early Spring and Late Summer.
Radish: 3 plantings, 20 plants each.  Early Spring, Mid Summer, Late Summer.
Spinach: 2 plantings, 50 plants each.  Early Spring, and Late Summer.
Turnips: 2 plantings, 20 plants each.  Early Spring, and Late Summer.
Potatoes: 2 plantings, 25 plants each.  Late Spring, and Early Summer. 

While the gardens will still be large, by doubling and tripling up when I plant it will cut down on the overall space, and stretch out the amount of time I have to plant in. 

Up next: Companion planting and perennial vegetables to save space and time. 

Feeding a family of 4, part one: Gardening.

This is the first part of a who knows how long series on the numbers it would take to mostly feed a family of four off a homestead.  Today's post really is just a list I have compiled after paying attention to what and how much our family eats.  This list is specific to my family, in that we very rarely eat grains.  Due to this limitation our vegetable intake is much higher than a family on the Standard American Diet.  It also includes enough to preserve or store for cold weather consumption.

Artichoke 15 plants
Arugula 20 plants
Asparagus 100 roots
Beets 80 plants
Broccoli 20 plants
Brussels Sprouts 20 plants
Cabbage 32 plants
Carrots 150 plants
Collards 12 plants
Cucumbers 100 plants
Garlic 64 plants
Horseradish 4 plants
Kale 50 plants
Lettuce 50 plants
Onions 100 plants
Parsnips 40 plants
Peas 240 plants
Peppers 24 plants
Potatoes 50 plants
Radish 60 plants
Rhubarb 20 plants
Spinach 100 plants
Summer Squash 10 plants
Winter Squash 5 plants
Sweet Potato 40 plants
Swiss Chard 20 plants
Cherry Tomato 25 plants
Cooking Tomato 35 plants
Slicing Tomato 20 plants
Turnips 40 plants

My garden needs to get much larger to accommodate all of this.  However it is a long term goal, and something I work towards every year. 

I am a stay at home mom.

There, I wrote it.  To me it feels like I am JUST a stay at home mom.  Like that isn't enough. Wrangling one kid, or two, or ten.  It's enough.  Man is it enough.  It's hard mostly thankless work.  Yet, there is this voice that burrows it's way into my thoughts.  It says 'you're not doing enough'.  Work harder, do more, sleep less.
So I try.  Man do I try to do it all.  I cook 3+ meals a day.  95% of the time they're completely from scratch.  I do projects with the boys (which reminds me, I need to decide on Father's day gifts to make with them).  I garden.  I preserve.  I raise chickens.  I make our own self-care products.  I sew. I knit. I clean this big old house.  With help, I moderate an online facebook community dedicated to Elimination Communication. I volunteer with the PAC of our local play group.  I try to find time to ride my horses.  I read as much as I can.  I have a life outside of family...kinda. 
I think I've been asked once in 3 years about what I do.  It was a couples question, directed at both my husband and I.  My answer was one sentence "I just stay home with the boys".  My husband was able to hold a 30 minute conversation about what he does.
There I was, out for the evening with the hubby and boys.  Still just taking care of them, while Peter was engrossed in conversation about all the nifty things he does. 
I want to be okay with taking care of my kids, because it's awesome.  I'm so blessed to be able to stay  home and raise these boys.  I'm not going to ask people 'what do you do' anymore when I'm making small talk.  From now on I'm going to ask 'what are your interests?'.  Let's see where that takes us.  So...

What are your interests?

Long term homesteading goals

Homesteading, self-sufficiency, self-reliance, or just plain old money saving.  Whatever you call it, I feel like most people I know have some sort of goals for this topic.  I have a long list that covers many aspects.  Here it is, written out more for my benefit than yours.

• Put in long-term field fencing.  Use the temporary fencing to section off the field into 8 paddocks.  Use permanent posts for a a dry lot, and training lot.  I'd like to put in 6 foot half rounds along the road and for the aforementioned lots.  I'd be happy to use metal t-posts for along the creek and river.  I'm not sure if I want to stick with electric fencing or use wooden rails with woven wire.  
• Trench the field for optimal drainage, put a water tank below where the spring drains into the field to catch said water, and achieve maximum benefit.  
•  Improve gardening skills to the point where everything I put in the ground has an edible product.  
• Relocate ground hog or fence in all gardens so we benefit from them, and not the ground hog. 
• Add pear and plum trees to the orchard. 
• Add raspberry, blackberry, and blueberry plants to the hillside.  
• Put away enough fruits and vegetables during the growing season to last through the winter and into the next growing season. 
• Frame in a green house over the upper garden.  
• Set up feed sprouting trays for livestock. 
• Add an additional 24 laying hens to the chicken count. 
• Raise enough meat chickens to feed the family for one year.  (100?)
• Build chicken tractors to graze meat chickens in the field. 
• Add turkeys, geese, and ducks to the farm.  One male and one female to potentially bring up new young.  The rest would be butchered each Fall.  
• Raise 3 pigs yearly.  Two to feed the family, and one to sell to cover butcher costs.  
• Sheep.  An heritage breed that we can use for milk, wool, and potentially meat.  If there is a breed I can find that isn't represented in our area perhaps a male as well so we can sell babies in the spring.  
• Replace the old barn roof with metal. 
• Get solar panels to go on the barn roof, sell extra to utility company. 
• Sell extra eggs and any other extras.  

For now that is all I can think of.  What are your goals?

The year of the fence, part 2.

 

The field is now completely enclosed with temporary fencing.  Yay for free grazing.  I took a break from all the fencing projects to clear out the deep bedding in the stalls and chicken coop.  Last week I started on the new chicken fence.  I managed to get get 6 posts in the ground, along with turning and planting the 8x8 raised bed with root vegetables.  I still have about 25 posts to put in for the chicken run, and then get the new wire up.  Everything I've accomplished either has to be done with my two little helpers or during nap time.  It sure has revised my view of what a 'big accomplishment' is for one day.  
I was hoping to purchase a rototiller this year, but decided that our little expendable cash could be better budgeted to other expenses.  For now I'm turning everything by hand.  Between digging up the garden and digging fence posts my dislike for our rocky soil has grown immensely.  This happens every Spring, but luckily for me I have a little boy who loves the job of removing rocks from the garden.  In 5 years time I will have rock free garden spaces I'm sure!

 

2014, the Year of the Fence

For us, this year is the year of the fence.  I started working on enclosing the remainder of our field in a warm spell in January.  A snow storm moved in while I was working on it, so we left it partially completed and got dumped on.  It's now 3 months later and the snow is finally gone, and ground finally thawed.  I'll be finishing enclosing the field tomorrow. 
After the field is completely enclosed I need to put fence openings in the right areas, and come up with a solution so the horses can drink from the river.  After those tasks are accomplished I'll be stepping back from pasture fencing for awhile. 
Next up is upgrading the chicken enclosure.  I have very naughty chickens who like to pick through the gravel on the side of the road.  This annoys my neighbors who in turn call animal control to complain, so we try to keep them penned up.  Last year's attempt was a big flop.  I'm hoping to use 2x2 posts that we already have on the farm to keep the budget low, then staple chicken wire up, top with thin boards and run hot wire along the top.  I'll also be clipping their wings this year, as the Aracunas like to fly out. 
After the chicken run is finished I need to tackle fencing in the backyard.  Before I know it I'm going to have to running boys to chase, so a fence to keep them away from the road is necessary.  I plan on putting one fence, with a large gate between the stone foundation from the summer kitchen, and the stone fence that borders the pasture field.  Another fence will be placed between the corner of the house and the corner of the barn.  Before that can go in I need to level off the ground.  There is a 2.5 foot drop from yard to where the garden is, and that just isn't safe or pretty.  After that I need to work on fencing in along the rock wall and the pasture, but I haven't come up with a solution for that.  At least with the two boundary fences in they won't be able to run towards the road.

Lastly, we need some sort of privacy fence put up along the foundation for the summer kitchen.  I have a vision of a backyard patio where our family can hang out, cook, and relax.  However, those aforementioned neighbors? They drive back and forth staring onto our property, instead of watching the road.  It makes me uncomfortable to be observed so often, so I'm dreaming of something to put up to block their view of us when we're having family hang out time.

tooth powder recipe

You'll have to forgive me for the lack of photographic evidence in this post.  I'll try to add photos in after the next batch we make. 

Homemade Re-mineralizing Tooth Powder

1 TBS Bentonite Clay
1 TBS Calcium Magnesium Citrate Powder
1 TBS Baking Soda
1/2 TBS Sea Salt*
1/2 TBS Xylitol *

These last two ingredients need to be run through some sort of coffee grinder, or food processor to turn them from large granules into a powder. 

You'll notice that the measurements are large, and I don't use teaspoons.  This is because it allows my son, who is nearing is third birthday, to make it himself. 

I have used different things to flavor the powder, but he hasn't liked any of it.  He much prefers the citrus taste combined with the sweetness of the xylitol.  In the past we've tried ground peppermint leaves, cloves, and cinnamon.

The bentonite clay is used to pull impurities from the mouth, such as toxins or heavy metals. 
Cal-Mag powder is awesome in itself.  Calcium is obviously something we need to help remineralize teeth.  Everyone knows that we need calcium for healthy teeth and bones.  However, lots of people don't know that adequate amounts of vitamin c are needed to help the body absorb the calcium properly.  Magnesium is an extremely important mineral that is lacking in most modern day diets.  So yay, lets throw some of that in too!
Baking Soda works as a light abrasive, and aids in balancing your PH levels and fighting the bacteria that cause cavities. 
Sea Salt also works in fighting those cavities causing bacteria
Xylitol again is to work against the bacteria.  In this case, it makes the mouth inhospitable to the bacteria.  It also works to balance the PH levels in your mouth. 

So that is the short of why we use these ingredients in our tooth powder.  Maybe some day I will take the time to write about how exactly we 'healed' my son's cavities.