HOMEsteading through the holidays.

Even though the holidays have just past there were still plenty of chores to tend to around the homestead. Animals to be fed and watered and fruit trees to trim back while the sap was low. While taking care of the homestead we also had two extra little people running around and causing mischief and mayhem. We finally cut a giant limb out of our pear tree that has been dead for a while. It was a good 8 inches across and sixteen feet long so cutting it without getting hurt was a little tricky considering it was in the center of the tree. Luckily we got it done without too much consequence ourselves or the surrounding fence.

So all the fruit trees have been trimmed back and are ready for spring. We have collected as much manure as possible for the wood chip garden (without ordering a truck load). So very soon I will be sprawled out on the floor with my seed catalogues like a teenaged girl with her cosmo and picture of her favorite band. Picking and selecting the optimum choices for our shall I say decimal sized garden. It is roughly fifty feet by fifty feet and yes I consider that to be small. I would love to have the space to grow watermelons which is a local delicacy here. They talk about the melons here in other states because of the amazing loamy soil that inhabits the grounds here in our parish. I have even heard of people seeing melons labeled with our local as far as New York, I don't know if this were truly one of the Louisiana watermelons but it just goes to show that it is very well known some of the best melons come from here. 

I have been fighting my inner gardener for the last few weeks after finding out that a plant supplier I have used before is going to have a great deal on strawberry plants for spring planting. I am running out of places to put plants due to how our property is set up on top of being covered in trees. So it is getting hard to find anywhere that is not shaded. Even though this is great for my electric bill when it pertains to cooling in the summer it is bad when it comes to my obsession of seeing how much I can get from our land and not the grocery store.  Which is a lot more than you would think, it is almost like a game in and of  itself. Eventually we hope to move to a bigger place but for now the small garden and scattered fruit trees will fill the need to grow things.

My husband gifted me seven new books to delve in to over the holidays, I have since already read one. At the moment I am reading Joel salatins folks, this aint normal. I have already read one of his other books and he is one of the many influences that has furthered my love for biodiversity in our garden. Maybe I will give a review, maybe I wont only time will tell. With spring on the horizon I know I will be really busy burying my hands in the loamy gold in our back yard. So for now its back to planning, planning and more planning. Time to get ready to start seeds soon and that's going to take a greenhouse of some sort and I will keep everyone updated until then Happy Homesteading.