Happy 4th of July to all of our American readers, we hope you are enjoying this beautiful day! We are busy this weekend working on getting some of our started projects done. Leighton is working on both the chicken tractor and the watering system in the duck/chicken pen. Here is a sneak peek of what he's been doing so … [Read more...]
Ducks in the Bathtub
This week has been busy and I haven't had a chance to write as much as I'd like, but life has been happening. We have been busy with commitments off the homestead, so our garden is in desperate need of some weeding, I hope to get to it this week. Everything is coming up well and we have spinach, chard, radishes and herbs ready to eat. The … [Read more...]
DIY PVC Poultry Feeder
With our growing flock of poultry we've been thinking of ways to make it easier to feed and water them. After doing some research on making our own feeders I had decided to try to make a PVC feeder, while we were at Canadian Tire we picked up the supplies. This feeder is simple and very easy to make, Leighton cut the 10 foot pipe for me and the … [Read more...]
Dryer Challenge
After getting another Hydro bill telling us our rates are going up, AGAIN, Leighton and I started discussing our energy use. Ideally, we would like to be off-grid, but since it is not something we can achieve in the near future, we are looking at other ways to limit our power usage. We have decided to stop using our dryer, at least for the summer … [Read more...]
Mean Mother Hen
As of yesterday, one of our Dorking hens has decided to abandon her chicks. Her chicks aren't day old's that will not survive without her, they are more than a few weeks old. We have seen that they have slowly been wandering farther and farther from her during the day. It was still shocking to see yesterday that she wanted nothing to do with … [Read more...]
Project Update
We've been busy this week trying to get everything done that we had started over the past few weeks. The last roll of fence finally came in, so Leighton and I have been working on getting the last of the chicken/duck run enclosed. Just in time, we've seen raccoon tracks around. We do close them in at night, but one year we … [Read more...]
We Planted Our Big Garden
Last year our big garden didn't do very well. It was the first year we had it in and it was a wet year, because where we had decided to put it was so wet, we didn't have great growing conditions. We knew we needed to do something to improve soil drainage if we wanted it to succeed this year. Leighton built a frame to go around the entire garden, … [Read more...]
6 Ways to Start Homesteading Today
Today's modern homesteaders are people who aren't afraid of hard work and getting dirty. If you've ever been curious about what happens on a homestead, know that today's homesteaders aren't all about cows and growing up in a saddle. Today more and more people from all walks of life are looking for a more self-sufficient life, these are your … [Read more...]
Foraging Monday
It's another beautiful day, and while I was talking on the phone this morning with Lori we decided to head out to our parents place to see if the fiddleheads are up. We were able to find some that were ready, more should be up in a few days. We also found some wild garlic, but had forgotten a shovel, so we'll go back. It's a perfect day for a … [Read more...]
So Little Time – Tips for Getting It All Done
Sometimes I wonder if I have enough time to blog. Blogging has been something I have been wanting to do for a few years but never got around to starting, for various reasons. Now that I have, I am loving it. I love connecting with like-minded people who share ideas and knowledge. I love how we can learn from each other and there is a real sense … [Read more...]