There is a marshy area at the bottom of the hill behind our house. Following the water up the side of the hill, I came to the source – a fresh water spring bubbling up out of the rock. This marshy area has been on the property for several years at the very least; our neighbors remember seeing it when they first moved in around that time. I don’t think it’s going to run dry any time soon without a prolonged drought. It may not be a heavy-running spring, but it should be enough to feed a small pond, which I plan to stock with trout. Right now it’s just making the current garden area a swamp. I’d rather have a nice pond than a mosquito breeding ground any day!
Living a Simple Life
About getting back to the basics of living a happy, simple life.
Archive for ‘Gardening’
Farm Update – May 20-24th
OK, so here is what has been going on around here lately. I know you probably subscribe to this blog for more than just bullet-point updates, and we have REALLY been slacking on the how-to videos, but what can I say: It’s that time of year. I do promise some how-to stuff sometime soon though. In the meantime, here’s a fun list and some pictures…
Tractor Saves The Day & Plans for Garden Flood Control
What would have taken me three days was over within 15 minutes thanks to a friendly neighbor with a tractor…
Thank you Elwood!
How to Keep Chickens From Dust Bathing in Your Flower Bed
I had trouble deciding what to call this post. It was either “How to Keep Chickens From Dust Bathing in Your Flower Bed” or “What I Did for Lunch“. One thing I’d like to post about is my schedule. Being lucky enough to work for a great company, I am telecommuting from Hillsville, VA (EST) to Boulder, CO (MST) – a two hour difference. My work hours will be the same as those in the office: 8am to 5pm MST with an hour lunch somewhere in the middle. It works out perfectly because I wake up at 6am EST but work (for pay) from 10am EST to 7pm EST. That gives me 4 hours in the morning to do my chores, eat, shower and enjoy a cup of coffee on the porch before getting down to office work. Then at 7pm I can stop work, put up the chickens, eat dinner with my wife and maybe enjoy an hour of reading or TV before going to bed. PERFECT! But…
Making an Indoor Worm Composting Bin
In the video below we show you how to make a cheap and easy indoor worm compost bin that works better than any of those expensive “worm condo” type systems you see in gardening magazines. I tried store bought composters several times and, although some were better than others, I’ve yet to find a system that works better than this one. The best thing about making an indoor worm composting bin from plastic storage bins is that you can do it for under $10. Here’s how…
A Day’s Harvest from Our Urban Farm
It’s not enough to feed a nation, but certainly more than enough for two people. It looks like I’ll be sending some beans over to my neighbors.
In the picture:
- Green Beans
- Giant Snow Peas
- Roma and Cherry Tomatoes
- Raspberries
- 3 Pickling Cucumbers
- 2 Zuchinni
- Lettuce greens
- Garlic Scapes
- Green Onions
- Parsley
- Cilantro
- Basil
About Us
We're not technophobes or Luddites. We simply believe that people have lost some important things in the march toward progress. That is not to say progress and simplicity are mutually exclusive. We believe we can have both, and this site catalogs our journey as we try to do exactly that.