Looking Forward

       I don't often post more than one time in the same week but there is a lot that is happening on the farm. We were sitting on the patio tonight having dinner and as we ate I looked over at the onions and noticed the top were starting to turn brown. While Kathy was making dinner I had taken a quick tour of the gardens and also noticed that the potato vines are quickly dying off which means potatoes must be harvested soon. Yesterday we picked almost two pounds of green beans and have many yellow squash in to fridge that need to be blanched and frozen this weekend and, of course, more green beans will need to be picked over the next few days. I also will be having rotator cuff surgery in twelve days which will severely hamper my contributions to the farm so looking forward to paramount. I will be focusing on harvesting as much of our produce and freezing what I can. I have trained our middle son Justin to process rabbits but I will do this last group myself but as I look forward I will have to trust him with the next group, under my watchful eye of course.
     There is so much more that needs to be done on the farm as we look forward. We'll need to plant kale once the potatoes are harvested and I'll need to clear an area for the chickens to live. My brother in law will be coming over soon to check over what branches can be cut from our huge Noway maple tree to give more light to the front gardens and afford our future honey bee hives a better take off spot all of which requires more planning, more looking forward. We have so invested ourselves in this project that we must look forward or we will fail or at best sink into a mediocre attempt at our stated goal. Looking forward involves planning and heart, it's not for the faint of heart or easily discouraged because there are so many failures that lay ahead. We can't be discouraged by the fact that failures will occur but only be resigned to learn from them and improve upon our last effort.
     The best thing about our looking forward at the moment is that it is short and medium term right now. The short term involves all the harvesting and preserving that must be done. The medium term involves making space for chickens, clearing a spot for honey bees and planning for sun chokes to be ordered for fall planting. I still want to make cheese and this may or may not happen. I will still get hunting and trapping permission slips signed so that I will be able to deer hunt and fur trap should be shoulder allow it. I know that hunting and trapping doesn't seem to be part of farming but it is part of self-sufficiency. I can save a lot of money on our meat bill if I can bag two or three deer this year. Trapping will provide a bit of money that will go toward buying seeds, plants, and gear for next year. If we don't look ahead with hope we will certainly  look back with regret.

Early Harvest

       I have written a lot lately about the adversity our little farm project has faced and I have written about some of the qualities needed to keep this project going. I'm happy to write about the beginning of success and what this means to us. We are still dealing with problems as any farm will but it feels like we are making headway and by headway I mean we are finally seeing and eating some of the fruits of our labors. Last weekend we picked our first yellow crooked neck squash and now they are coming so plentifully that we have a refrigerator full of them and I will be blanching and freezing a bunch this coming weekend. Our cucumbers are also coming in at a rapid rate and Kathy has made two one quart jars of refrigerator dill pickles and a full container of bread and butter pickles. I was so impressed with the taste and quality of her effort that I suggested we buy more canning jars and sell her pickles at a roadside stand and to friends and facebook fans. The tomato plants have many fruits set and we are waiting for them to ripen to that beautiful red color that makes them look and taste so good. We picked our first batch of green beans the other day and it looks like there will have to be a day dedicated to just picking beans. This accounts for some of the early harvest and while there is more to come it is nice to taste the first fruits of your labor. There are still vegetables to come and we should see winter squash growing well and brussel sprouts shooting up and getting ready to be harvested. I pulled five pounds of potatoes from the ground which we had tonight for dinner and it looks like we'll get about fifty to sixty pounds this year.

     There has been a lot of success lately with the early harvest and the latter harvest of onions, raspberries, bush beans, kale, and squash should be good. I anticipate being to sell many of our vegetables and berries in the next month. There are still some questions regarding our buck rabbit Chase and so I have made a decision to keep one of his sons from the last litter. Chase has been to the vet and is making progress so I haven't given up on the sire of several excellent litters but I have found on the farm better to be safe than sorry. This is especially true as we have more requests for rabbit meat than we have rabbits which may be a difficult but not undesirable place to be in.

       Kathy and I have been researching setting up a honey bee hive or two next year and one of the first things every book recommends is check your town zoning laws to see if it's even allowed in your town. I thought this would be good advise to follow and while checking our zoning laws I found that we are allowed to have chickens which we previously banned in town. This was one of Kathy's desires for our farm and when we were told we couldn't have them it led to us raising rabbits and thus we turned lemons into lemonade. We have found that we can add ice to our lemonade and are planning to add chickens to the farm next year. It turns out that the early harvest has inspired us to grow our farm rather than give in to disappointment and quit. We still have a lot on our plate but we'll can, pickle and sell all we are able to until our plate is clean. Early harvest, what a great time and I can't wait for the latter harvest to come and to continue with excitement of growing our farm.

Tenacity

   We have all heard that word before and it has been used and overused in many situations but I have found the farming and animal husbandry takes tenacity. I have written about persistence which is a cousin to tenacity and both are required in our little project. Tenacity is described as doggedness, stubbornness, the quality or fact of being able to grip something firmly. I like this last definition of the word because that is what our farm project requires. We have gripped onto an idea firmly and are unwilling to let it go regardless of the challenges. Kathy and I believe that we can raise meat and vegetables to feed our family and supplement our income on our little farm regardless of the problems of which there have been many. There are many things going on right now that could discourage us from the project and at times I think that perhaps tilling everything under and planting a new lawn would be our best course of action. I water and plant, I pull weeds and pluck bugs and I cling to the idea that our little farm in the city is worth it.
   We have grasped onto this idea firmly and won't let go. We have had to change our plans and adapt in the face of difficulty. This week I borrowed a buck from a friend to breed our does with and although he doesn't conform to my standard of the rabbit breed he was willing and will provide litters to fill our meat needs. I have also resolved myself to the fact that Chase may never return to prime condition and so have saved one of his offspring for the future, we may not need him but better safe than sorry. I have firmly grasped the idea that our rabbitry will be a success and am taking steps to assure that outcome. I have taken steps to continue our farm and make sure our vision goes on this has required some degree of tenacity. Kathy and I sat on the patio and discussed what we might do differently next year without a thought of giving up. We talked about bee hive placement, crop rotation and weed control and never spoke about a new lawn. We talked about refining our rabbits and getting the best production we could from them but never spoke of selling them off. We have a vision for our little farm project and hope to be an example of what two people with a 1/10 of an acre of land can do to provide for themselves and their community. This vision requires tenacity and if you continue follow us I believe you'll see what this firm grasp of an idea can accomplish.

Persistence

   I have described some of our problems in the last few blogs and while some are being overcome others seem to crop up. I have found myself thinking at times when do we catch a break. It has seemed like a lot of our hard work has gone unrewarded thus far and it has been getting under my skin. I have never thought of myself as a quitter and few people if any would ever think that of me, yet I have certainly had some negative thoughts running through my head. I have struggled with weeds, pests and lack of production from our rabbits and my own production goals. I said in another blog if you aim at nothing you'll hit it every time and while this is true lofty goals can seem daunting when you aren't achieving them. We have certainly set some lofty goals this year and some likely will not be met this year but even as this reality sets in I hate to lose and I hate to give up.
   I have begun to think about the need for persistence in our farming venture. The dictionary defines persistence as a firm or obstinate continuance in a course of action in spite of difficulty or opposition and this is exactly the mind set I need. I walked through the garden tonight and saw plants being chewed up by various pests and then I got upset. I saw numerous squash beetles chewing through our plants and started picking them by hand and bringing them to the road to crush them. I had pulled a fair number of them from the leaves and then not satisfied turned the leaves over and searched for eggs, which upon finding I crushed with great satisfaction. I also had mixed a concoction of vinegar, epsom salts and dish washing liquid to be used as weed killer which I went around attacking the incursion of weeds with. We are committed to staying as organic as possible and so we have refused to use chemical weed treatments this also requires persistence as the organic treatment will require more frequent applications not just the one as many chemicals use. Kathy also bought an organic gardening book which I have been studying like a bible and I have found there's a lot I don't know but I am determined to learn.
  We are fortunate to have other people in our corner pushing us on and cheering for us to succeed. My mom is one of these people and she has come to the table with a visit to the vet for Chase our buck. I have made the appointment which is a week out but hopefully we'll have some answers and a plan to get him on the mend. I have also spoken to a friend about using her buck for at least a few days so we can breed to does and attempt top stay on our production goals. This isn't my first choice but I must persist in our course and do what needs to be done. This urban farming experiment isn't easy, some goals won't be achieved and some skills that we had hoped to learn probably won't be but we will be persistent. I am already planning how next year will be different and I am still grounded in this year. There are plants growing, squash and tomatoes are setting fruit, cabbage heads are forming tight looking globes, and raspberries are blooming. The potatoes are looking good as are the onions so I will focus on what is doing well and learn from what's not. Keep following us because we aren't quitters and you'll find the little farm in the city running on persistence.

Timing

     I have been learning over the last few weeks that, as the saying goes, timing is everything. We waited to plant our gardens because the right time had arrived and so plants went in. I've written about timing and production goals when it comes to breeding the rabbits and producing rabbit meat and while all that theory holds true it doesn't take into account problems. There are problems of weather, problems of conception and then there are problems of the gut. Our buck has experienced slow GI motility which in layman's terms is a slowing of digestion resulting in loss of appetite, weight loss and general decline of health. I have been trying various treatments with limited success but when introduced to a doe Chase, our buck, sat in the corner with no interest. It is a funny thing that a few weeks ago a friend who also has been raising New Zealand White rabbits told me he was getting out of raising rabbits. He said he a large litter ready for processing and asked if I was interested in taking them. I said yes,as I always have more orders than I can fill, and picked them up a few days later. When I went to his rabbitry I saw a doe I wanted and a beautiful buck which I told him I'd love but couldn't use since I was still relying on Chase.
      Well as I learned timing is everything. I processed the kits and then built hutches to accommodate new litters, big litters. I attempted to breed Chase with the does and as I said earlier there was no interest so I thought I need a buck now. I placed the call and my friend did not return my call but I wasn't too concerned as he's a busy man and sometimes it's several days before I hear from him. Well a week went by and I made another call and still no answer. Kathy and I had made arrangements to deliver rabbit meat to her aunt in Massachusetts and I thought we'll stop by after and give him the money owed for the kits and pick up the doe and the buck. We made the promised delivery and stopped by my friend's house only to find that someone had taken every rabbit he had. Needless to say I was disappointed but I gave my friend his share of the money and I learned a hard lesson that day, strike while the iron is hot because timing is everything.
      I will of course continue on the path, I will stay the course and learn from my mistakes. I will at some point catch the break I need and then timing will be on my side. Kathy and I will find the right place in Vermont to start our farm and things will fall into place. I have to think this way because farming is difficult and nothing is guaranteed. We are determined to learn our lessons and gain our experience so that when the timing is right we'll be ready because timing is everything.

In The Weeds

   Several days ago I wrote about the challenges we have been facing on our little farm and it appears we are not out of the weeds yet. Most people say they aren't out of the woods yet but weeds seems more appropriate to our situation. We have recently been battling a major incursion of weeds and pests in our garden plots. We are determined not to go to Monsanto for help by using Round Up or other pest controls but have been looking for more organic means of pest and weed control. The most organic method and the most tedious is, of course doing this all by hand. This means hours spent on hands and knees pulling weeds both big and small from the ground. It also means almost as much time picking caterpillars and other creeping pests off of leaves while bent over at the waist, think sore back. While some plants are growing well our cucumber vine seeds seem to have been decimated by squirrels, which we have declared war on and at a total sixteen removed felt we winning the war. It would appear they have won this round.
   I had also written about our buck having issues and although he seems to be on the mend I'm still not sure if he'll ever be in the condition he was before. This again leaves me somewhat in the weeds as I'm conflicted as to what I should do. You see a friend who is going out of the rabbit business has a good producing doe which I will likely take in a week or two but this is not my dilemma. The dilemma is that he also has a beautiful buck that I would love to add to my herd but I don't have room for two bucks at the moment and I'm not so sure I want to give up on Chase just yet.
   We are still learning this farming thing and I know in the midst of farming and ranching hard choices have to be made but I'm just not there yet. I am attached to this buck which we have raised from ten weeks old and that has been a good sire, yet I must do what's best for the future of my rabbit herd. I thought that we would be in a better place with the gardens and the rabbits at this stage and I would be able to concentrate my efforts on learning new skills. I had hoped to be building a root cellar and learning to make cheese at this  point but it seems I am still learning the basics like how to get out of the weeds.

Challenges

   I almost didn't write this week, after all who wants to write about their failures. That was my mind set as I mulled over the past week but even as my heart was sinking I realized that I could quit or learn. There has been a series of events that have led up to this point which I will talk about just a little so that you may understand where I'm coming from. Last weekend we planted just about our entire garden as you may have read this was followed by a hailstorm, which in and of itself isn't a deal breaker, but Monday morning as I made my rounds in the garden plots I noticed a lot of digging where we had planted corn and cucumber seeds. I investigated further and found that gray squirrels had dug up nearly every seed we had planted along with some uprooted plants in containers. I was unsure about a course of action but being a trapper I decided the bast thing to do would be to set some cage traps and round up as many of these little tree rats as I could. This again wasn't enough to get me down as I was still excited about our upcoming litters of rabbits to be born in the next few days and I had a plan for dealing with our garden pests so I felt a little better. Tuesday arrived, which was the day I expected our doe Isis to kindle and kindle she did. Yet she pulled almost nor fur to cover the kits in the nest box and the temperature had dipped to a cold thirty-eight degrees; ridiculous for the end of May but enough to doom to new born kits to a frozen fate. Isis is a great mother and generally pulls enough fur for two nests so this again lent a somber tone to the week. The expected day for Iris and Sissy to kindle came and went and I slowly determined to Iris had not been pregnant. Sissy on the other hand went two extra days and had a very small litter of three, she normally has seven or eight kits and the week seemed more gloomy. My buck Chase also had been losing weight and not looking so good and I was struggling to find answers for his condition with little result. All of these things were beginning to add up to a feeling of failure and disappointment.
     As I reviewed the week I decided I could give up or accept the challenge of farming. We have decided to tell you about our experiences with this urban farm project and that included for good and bad, successes and failures or as many motivational speakers call them opportunities for improvement. We had began an all out war on the squirrels and after catching two skunks we were on the squirrels and after catching several of them we noticed a drop in the squirrel activity. I replanted some of the seeds and also added some cayenne pepper for good measure. Kathy and I also attended a rabbit show on Sunday and it was a really good experience. I was also fortunate to find a judge who listened to the symptoms Chase was having and he suggested a fur ball was the cause, he also suggested some remedies. This at least pointed me in the right direction and as I researched on the internet I found better information and more treatment suggestions. I have bought the items suggested and started treatment, Chase is very weak now and I hope he will respond. There is a chance, a good chance he won't, but we have accepted the challenge.