No, it really is more like a jungle most days minus the poisonous frogs and malaria. Between weather dependent days, five dogs, eight cats (3 1/2 of which are employed), 21 horses including a youngster, 2 donkeys, 3 racoons and 13 acres it's anyone's guess what is going on at any given moment. This weekend though it appears spring has sprung early around southern Michigan as we start March with mild temps, some outside clean-up, a spring campfire and lots of projects about to get underway.
There's an old saying "don't take a fence down until you know why it was put up in the first place." Most large animals (horses and deer out here) couldn't care less about that saying and neither does mother nature, so fencing is an ongoing job. By the time you get one area done there is another fence to fix or replace. Other than the manure it's the only thing that's been consistent here over the past 15 years.
Outside of fencing there is pasture management for the horses and starting on the new raised garden beds that have to be built. While there have been two gardens on the property neither was my doing or planned correctly. We have a mix of a lot out here with sand, clay, topsoil, your run of the mill annoying bugs/insects and lots of critters (rabbits, squirrel's, chipmunks, ground hogs, moles and deer). The deer enjoy hanging out right up by the house in the back yard to nibble grass, much to our dog's annoyance, specially Hope, the guard dog. So the garden beds will require critter proofing once built. As of this week the local farm stores have a plethora of new seed displays so hint, hint, we'll need to decide on moving this along and building to plant this spring or use the year to build and plan for 2025..........
While Appy Hour Homestead is a new formal business. I've toiled with aspects of homesteading over the 15 years I've been here just not on the business side of things (outside of the horses). Land management, growing things, two years of chickens that started with the neighbor's free-range chickens hanging out here, cooking and baking, all sorts of building projects and finally home goods from soap and candles to crafts.
It wasn't until I got doing chores one day and switched out music for a homesteading pod cast that I realized what I had been doing just outside the range of "homesteading".
Back in the late fall of 2023 with the general cost of living rising, a slow climb out of debt and feeling as though there is a better to utilize the resources available to us; we had already decided to branch out with soap and candle making as well as woodworking. Appy Hour Homestead became official in January 2024. Not to mention, while I'm always generally food conscious the grocery store is always something of a paradox. So, as I had been contemplating a formal garden project for a few months and figured a homesteading pod cast may have some good tips! Enter Jill Winger and her bountiful knowledge of trials and tribulations with homesteading in Wyoming. Hence the decision to go with raised beds in the full sun backyard with animal net surround and the ability to add a cover should one of our spring or summer storms be sever. Michigan tends to have 4-seasons and our growing season is usually June through Sept./Oct. but this year has been mild all winter and in recent years summer has extended almost to Nov. Last year our wonderful neighbor gifted us with tomatoes, zucchini and lettuce when her garden was overflowing from several modest raised beds.
So, as we enter into an early spring and some hefty projects my fingers are crossed, we don't get some weird random winter all of a sudden but as most of us know now a days only mother nature can predict the weather. As of this blog we've not picked the garden location yet but since clearing the back yard last year of a dilapidated outbuilding we have a few good options.
Stay tuned ........~ Robyn
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