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   The Williams Farm

Lalala

12/17/2013

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Onions onions lalala! We have ordered onions from a wonderful organic farmer in the Vidalia region again- this is the third year and frankly they restore our confidence in ourselves as gardeners. We put them in the ground and they grow. We still have some left from last year, tho more are sprouting or collapsing every day - prolly won't last til the new ones are harvested. SHOULD alert - i should cut them all up and freeze them - but there are so many more interesting things to do. Like Candy Crush....

Anyway, Relinda called and said to expect them by UPS today, and they got here about 2. Woody had identified which beds they would be going in, and the first three beds were pretty clear, just some henbit and one bed had more Bermuda grass than ideal. We'd dumped the chicken poop/wood shavings combo on the beds earlier to be melting into the dirt. Those three beds got cleaned up fast and we planted them with onions by 5! We ordered 1000 (minimum order) and got in maybe 350 or 400. Tomorrow after yoga we'll get about that many more in, and plan to sell some to new friends over at Camp Twin Lakes Farm.

Too tired to go to Home Depot to get the rest of the bathroom materials (3rd time we had to order thaks to their breaking so many on the dock) need to go to grocery but easier to buy a $6/bottle of crap wine at the gas station than to drive to Covington for $3 crap wine.

Tomorrow's another day, right?

To catch up: after we spread the lime on the upper half of the lower field we got 1/2 inch of rain - yeah! That was Friday. Roman duty on Saturday/Sunday, and yesterday we fenced half of where we had spread the lime on the lower side, and moved the cows in. We are getting more effiecient - I'm pulling up step in posts, throwing them in the Mule and slinging them back out in the new location like a ppaer delivery kid. I think the whole operation wasn't much over 2 hours with the two of us working. Most farmers wouldn't do that much but we are really trying to improve the soil and learn on these cows before getting more. Maybe next year we can support twice as many cows on the same land, and if the govt comes thru with a grant we'll buy more posts and wire and not spend so much time relocating posts and wire.

I meant to go to yoga today to make up for yesterday (too tired to get to 8 am yoga after Rome) but was lazy. Good thing as it turned out or I couldn't have cleared a bed while W had his massage appointment. He had horrible leg cramps last night so it was timely.

Tonight: working on kiddo Christmas presents (identical baby dolls, different clothes, maybe less fighting for dolls by the gnomes!) TV, yoga at 8 tomorrow am. Which reminds me - we reworked the big compost piles today with addition of free pallets from Patricks (free with every $500 order of lime :) ) That was hugely overdue - could tell great dirt forming at the bottom but the chickens have scratched out a lot. Now we can actually haverst black gold for the garden in the spring!

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Pasture maintenance - more complex than we were thinking...

12/9/2013

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Woody here.  So, about the $500 lime and clover...  We had moved the cows off pasture #1, to the right of the house, about three weeks ago. Our plan is to spread lime, per soil test, and then seed with clover and rye grass.  But then we were talking with someone, who suggested that we need the clover to grow there until it can turn to seed, which would be May or June.  This got us to thinking....  We want to move cows back to lovely Pasture #1 in early springtime.  However, the cows will eat any clover that is trying to grow.  So, perhaps we need to seed where they are NOW with the clover?  But continue to lime Pasture #1?  Now, we realize, we need to map out the possible pastures, and estimate when we will be using them, so that we can maintain (i.e. fertilize, seed, etc.) them in their off periods. 
Linda adds:  BUT we may just need to process them by April or May or June - as soon as they grow enough.  Which is dependent on what they eat.  We want to get three calves asap to start growing up to replace them, but have no shelter for them so need to wait til spring (March if we are lucky).  Bought the amount of lime suggested, assembled a spreader we bought yesterday ($200 - saved $10 putting it together ourselves, possibly a mistake as we lost 4 hours of labor between us) Bottom line is it all needs lime, you can put lime out and then add cows any time after a rain.  So we'll lime the original field and put the rest, if any, on the half of the lower field they aren't on yet.  We need to move them there soon tho or start feeding hay.  
Who needs video games when you have farming!!!! :)
Other activities yesterday - Linda to yoga, meeting with zoning folks re possibilities of using farm as legal venue.  Seems good, typed up notes.

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What exactly do those wacky farm people do every day?

12/9/2013

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Morning yoga.  Stopped on way home to see farmer at Camp Twin Lakes farm who was out in the pasture.  Swapped contact info - he will stop by and see our pastures, and we're going to set up a time to see his (when it's not raining and cold and I'm in sandals!)
Web work - about half an hour or more spent figuring out a workaround for yahoo mail which suddenly couldn't download attachments in Chrome.
Getting stuff together to take to final board meeting tonight for Newton Trails -  (checkbooks etc) - I'll stay on behind the scenes proofing etc but hate driving to Covington for meetings.  Really want there to be a Rails-to Trails in Newborn - think it would be great for the farm.
If I get ready in time will go early and stop at OHCO for fabric for bathroom.  Woody going by Home Depot to see if our materials have come in to finish the bathroom, and buy a seed spreader, and by Tractor Supply as we have a coupon good tonight only 15% off on cattle feed trough (normally $89 - yowser!)  Tomorrow our lime, red clover and winter rye seed should come in at Patricks (special ordered last week)($500 or so)
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