Six Year Wedding Anniversary

August 1oth was our 6th year Anniversary and Brandy and we decided to go to Branson for a "get away". Though we live in the country we still have the everyday chores that demand our time. So a get away was just what the doctor ordered.

We found this really neat place which they call Log Cabin Paradise. Its tucked in the hills of Branson and you would never have guessed it was there. The area around it is built up like a tourist town that Branson has become. But this place has been there for a long time so it is hidden from it all and yet right in the middle of it all.

The cabin sets on 11 acres of land and the stream goes right behind it.

Below is a summary of the trip, on video.

We have begun to slow down on the gardening only to get ready to pick back up. I have decided that my focus for the farming has been wrongly placed this past year. While on one hand I was trying to be self sustaining I was also to trying to produce enough product to sell. As a result my financial need was dictating what direction I was taking the farming operation. This then resulted in a "Produce More" mentality rather than the "Become Self-Sustaining" focus I wanted to go towards. So starting right now (or, actually, when I first realized this) I am changing the focus from "Production" minded to "Self-Sustaining" minded when I thought I was doing in the first place but when I brought in the farmers' market as a means of income I inadvertently sabotaged the "Self-Sustaining" part of the operation.

What this means is that all the space I have for gardening is focused on sustaining US first. That includes the Chickens, Bees, and Rabbits. Future additions will be two milking goats but not until these three are established firmly enough to prepare for the addition. If it takes me 5 years I wont get another type of animal until I figure the ration needs of what we currently have.

Unfortunately, because we have such a small amount of land (3.5 acres) our management must be to the "T" or we will be propping up a failed plan with money (ha ha just like our government). We have to be able to subsist as a self contained unit. Once that is met we then can improve on it by adding more. I will elaborate more in future posts with examples of solutions I am "testing" or "implementing". One thing that is nice is that I have a scientific background (Biology Major at MSU) so I know how to experiment with ideas.

Below is my first sample in a "Test" I am working on for producing Chicken feed. It is a small patch of Sorghum. Now this patch has a finite measurement of area and a finite measurement of spacing between rows. When I am able to harvest, I will figure how much grain in volume I yield from the established area of cultivation. This then can be multiplied times the area I have to plant. Another part of this same test would be to see how much a single chicken will eat in a day's time. I can then multiply that number to match either (A) the number of chickens I have or (B) the amount of grain available. Once this is established I need to increase the protein content of the ration. I will begin looking for another plant to grow to accomplish this. A Chickens egg production goes down with a standard amount of protein intake. They require quite a bit of protein and that is why most people opt to buy the high dollar Egg Crumbles that provide around 16% protein.

I am considering a shrub that I read about that is called a Siberian Pea Shrub and supposedly it produces 21% protein but to order the plants online is pricey. That is a plan for this spring.

As you can see from the picture above, most of the early crops have finished (Spinach, Lettuce, Broccoli, and Radish). We planted two plantings of Radish in the same place and got good results both times. We will be planting more Spinach here in a day or two for a fall crop (for us first and others if we have extra).

Our Green Beans and Cucumbers are doing very well. Missouri seems to be a prime place for those crops...maybe its just that they are probably the easiest thing to grow.

I made a mistake and couldn't get to my Tomato plants and Bell Pepper plants soon enough (maybe it was because of the million other things I was doing at the same time including working two days a week at a part time job to fund all these projects), so as a result I ended up mowing down a bunch of them because they where dying and where diseased and wouldn't have made it anyway. I was able to get to a bunch of the rows and lay down news paper and hay. Incidentally, even after mowing down a bunch of the plants, we still have a whole lot more than we did last year. Just not as much as I was planning (again, "Production" minded, not "Self-Sustaining" minded). Those other plants around the Tomatoes are Marigolds to improve the growth of the Tomato plant and to thwart some of the Pests that attack the Tomato. Though, it still doesn't take care of the pesky Tomato worm...Still hand picking those!

We planted some Pumpkins for selling and eating. We are not that big of pumpkin eaters so I am sure we will have plenty to sell. As of this picture we had not seen any pumpkins starting, but as of posting this blog, we have tons!

I am sure you remember me telling you that my Corn bit the dust. Well here is a picture of it. I think I counted 5 small ears of Corn I got off...most of the kernels on the ears were undeveloped. I believe the problem here was not enough nitrogen and possibly too much water.

This picture below is really to show off the Bell peppers, but I think its neat too because of the wheel barrel. I also wanted to point out my improvement on the wheel on the wheel barrel. NO MORE FLATS! yeah! yes of course it rides a bit rougher...but I don't care because I can rely on it not going flat. There is nothing more a pain in the backside then going out to get started on a project and finding out you have to air up the tire first before you can get started. Oh yeah, and that's an "Arkansas Traveler" Tomato plant with the cage around it. I planted it because I play the fiddle tune Arkansas Traveler...yeah I know I'm a nut.

I'll leave you with a fleeting glimpse of the place.

God Bless.

Hope you enjoy.