Chick's arrival

It's bright and early Sat morning and we're getting ready to head to our local farm store to pick up our chicks. We've got the shed near the house converted to a coop and have a fenced in area for the chicks to run around.

At the store, we look over all the different chicks, all about a week or two old. We try to pick some bigger chicks with the hopes that they will be healthier. We end up bringing home 2 Rhode Island reds, 2 New Hampshire red and 2 Black Sex Links. They are just too cute!

We refer to them as 'the girls'. We were told not to name farm animals like pets, but it's hard just calling them 'the black one' or 'the red one'. We decide we will name them, but not cute cuddly names. We decide that since at some point, after they stop laying, they will be dinner, we will name them after chicken dishes. Our 'girls' are: Blacky (short for Blackened), Nugget, Pollo, Kiev, Cordon Bleu, Coq au vin.

To cold frame or not, that is the question!

We read a great book by Gene Logston and were introduced into the world of cold frames. What a great idea! A mini greenhouse... we'll get veggies even sooner.

How to build one? Well, we have some left over square bails of hay. That will make a nice insulated 'frame'. When we bought the property, we replaced the basement all glass doors with something a little more secure. They'll be our cold frame 'lids'.

We proceeded to plant in our cold frames. Tomatoes, cukes, peppers, etc. Nights are still getting below freezing, but daytime temps into 50's and 60's. Easy enough, put the lids on at night take them off in the morning. Hmm... we have a quandry... today the temp is only going to get up to upper 30's. We'll play it safe and leave the lids on and head out to work. We decided to check the weather from work..... holy crap...... it's almost 60 out and we left the lids on!!! (which means it's probably at least 100 under the magnifying glass like lid.) Crap! Upon arrival home, we run to the cold frames yank the lids off. Little plants wilted and burned. Crap!

We'll have to get a handle on this cold frame thing.

A little too eager!

The 'beginning' of our homesteading and what we learned thus far. Well, mostly things not to do, but learning none-the-less.

1) Don't start cucumbers yet... it's way too early! (Not even in the cold frame.)

2) Start tomatoes in small containers, but don't move outside... transplant into larger container, then into larger and so on. When it's nice out take them outside to get used to the outdoor weather. Then once big and strong, into the ground they go. Don't bother with the cold frame, it's still too early.

3) Don't start lettuce or carrots indoors at all.

What's with all the cedars?!

Cedars, cedars, everywhere!
Alright, technically they're junipers, but they're commonly known as red cedars. And they are everywhere here on Thayer Farm. Of course, that's partly because most of this land is a stone-covered ridge. And it turns out that red cedars are one of the few trees that thrive on this type of soil.
My biggest problem with red cedars is that they are growing here like weeds. Seriously, you can't turn around here without bashing into one. And this means that as I'm clearing brush I'm also creating this colossal red cedar mound. Kind of like a great green pyramid that smells like the inside of your grandparents' closet.
Now about the time I'm contemplating this gowning green mountain, Michelle and I are also beginning to plan for fences. Lots of fences. Fences around the new chicken run, fences around the new garden, a very long fence to replace the so-called "fence" that lines the back of the property, etc. One of the more expensive parts of any fence is the fence posts, and we are going to need a gazillion of them. Suddenly one day a light bulb came on courtesy of my favorite farmer/writer/blogger Gene Logsdon. He posted a very interesting blog regarding red cedars and what great fence posts they make. Eureka! My red cedar and fence post problems have been solved.
"The Lord will provide." Amen!

Pics of the new farmstead!

Welcome to Thayer Farm!

This blog, in addition to being a way for us to share what is going on with friends and family, is also a way for us to remember do's and don't for the years to come. Our journal if you will.

Enjoy!