By Anne-Marie Miller. Nothing says spring like getting baby chicks! Our wee puffs of fluff are chirping happily in the garage, toasty warm under a heat lamp. There is just nothing like that sweet sound they make. I am excited to report that I was able to get one of breeds I have been wanting for years: Silver Laced Wyandotte. New chicks mean more fresh eggs in our future.
My “farm” consists of 170 square feet of raised beds. We designed the space to have beds arranged in a U-shape with a center raised bed and walkways that make it easy to access all corners of the garden without stepping inside a bed. I affectionately call our garden Honey Hill Farm because my husband and I live at the top of a hill and Honey our beloved dog oversees all activity in and out of the garden.
By Anne-Marie Miller. As requested, I am filling everyone in on how to raise nutritious protein filled insects for your flock of egg laying divas! Thank you for letting me know what you wanted to hear about! I am so excited to share this with you, because it has helped me to greatly reduce my dependence on commercial chicken feed.
By Anne-Marie Miller. I love having chickens and raising rabbits. In the beautiful weather of spring and fall we turn off the TV and tune into the chicken channel. There is something so relaxing about sitting, sipping a glass of wine with chickens scratching and pecking around you making their little chicken noises.
Editor’s note: Our friends at PartnerSelect and Ghergich & Co teamed up to make this infographic all about CSAs. View it below to learn more about what they are, why they are important, and how to make the most of your CSA!
By Anne-Marie Miller. About twice a year I make a trip to my favorite horse barn to pick up a load of well-composted horse manure for my garden. When I say “pick up” that makes it sound so easy.
By Kevin Hill. The development and application of advanced technology have improved the health of livestock significantly and the benefits include increased profits and efficient livestock management.
By Anne-Marie Miller. Every year I try to add some newcomers (things I have never grown before) to the garden. In 2016, some were a boom and some were a bust. Find out which ones you might like to add to your garden this spring. I always like to disclose my location up front when I write an article like this because I have often been so excited about something after reading an article, just to find out that the author gardens in Oregon or California.
By Melissa Miller. One great (and smelly) thing we do at my farm is our community compost. The farm is located right in the middle of our nation’s capitol, downtown Washington, D.C. It is about ½ acre and produces approximately 500 lbs of fresh produce a year, all of which goes directly back into the community.
Our farmstead – Taproot Garden – is a 10-acre parcel. Those acres include 4 acres of woodland, 3 acres of native prairie which we reestablished 3 years ago with the help of the DNR and the Fish and Wildlife Service, a quarter-acre garden, a quarter-acre chicken yard (home to 30 laying hens), plus house, barn, small greenhouse, labyrinth and yard.
