Homestead in Full Gear

All danger of frost has finally passed. We have been very busy around the Far Better Farmstead. We have a new goat - a French Alpine! She is about 3 months old and we hope she fits in with our Nigerian Dwarfs. Right now the "pecking" order is being re-established. She is a pretty thing and from good milking stock. Sadie is giving as much as a cup per milking and is doing very well.

Our New French Alpine Doe

The Buff Orpingtons are a big disappointment - they have yet to lay the first egg and they are about 8 months old. The roosters have matured well but the hens are very juvenile. We do have an older buff, some Black Australorps (my favorite) and we purchased 3 young Rhode Island Reds. We are getting enough eggs to eat and enough eggs to sell for feed so we are still doing very well. The electric poultry net is still doing very well after moving it a few times.

The 3 Rhode Island Reds aren't laying yet but the other 5 are paying their own way.

The potatoes are doing well. I have planted about 1/4 acre of field corn, 5 good rows of sweet corn (isolated), 3 rows of beans, 3 rows of turnips, 3 rows of beets, 3 rows of collards, and 2 rows of carrots. In addition, my tomatoes, peppers, and sunflowers all made it through the frost danger just fine. I also have 12 hills of cucumbers and melons and 2 hills of squash coming up. Now if I can just keep it all weeded......

Tomatoes and Peppers - 48 plants in all - Sunflowers in upper right - you can tell crooked rows don't bother us!

Potatoes are doing well, this was May 24 - they are starting to bloom now.

Corn isn't up yet, but should be soon

Our strawberries are starting to come in and they are delicious! I had some with fresh goat's milk the other day and they were fantastic.

Upper 2 beds of our Berry Patch - Raspberries on far right

And last but actually first, the children are out of school for the summer. It is always fun when they are home. The chores never get completed but in the scope of things the children are more important than chores anyway.

Maybe we will get some more pics soon!