This is about a quarter of my farming bookshelf. I get a ton of info from the Web, particularly in winter when I have more time to cruise around online, but books I’m still most fond of. Let’s see what … Read the rest
Tools
Equipment for large-scale agriculture is too big or too expensive, and many home gardening tools don’t work efficiently on larger jobs or break easily. Tiny farming on plots up to two or three acres requires its own special gear…
Seed starts here…
This is where everything but the bulky seed goes, and the season starts here. It’s just a big plastic tool chest, with a ziploc bag full of seed packets for each crop. But it’s REALLY the heart and soul of … Read the rest
Warmer in here!
Winter persists! It’s minus 20°C out there; unheated, it’s a balmy 15° in here. The greenhouse effect is not always bad…… Read the rest
Inside the Milkhouse revealed
Written and posted 3 Nov 2023: A couple days into the new year, and the structural part of the Milkhouse expansion is done. Time to finish up the inside. The photo shows a bit more than half of the overall … Read the rest
To the greenhouse
Tomato, eggplant and pepper seedlings heading out from the Milkhouse (seedling room) to the unheated hoophouse for some real sunlight and a taste of the harsher field conditions, before transplant time in a couple of weeks. The small riding mower … Read the rest
Compost tea
Here’s something easy that could come as a kit: a compost tea maker. One 55-gallon barrel, one strong, porous bag (this one’s a woven plastic grain sack) full of compost, some heavy twine, a strong stick, and water. Tie the … Read the rest
Sprinklers in action
Two sprinklers in action. Morning and evening are usually good for watering: less wind, less evaporation… Still, sprinklers (a necessary evil at this point) are hardly efficient.… Read the rest