Will the cold ever end?

Cold mornings!

 

First let me say, I am glad there is no snow, but the frost is killing me and the lack of a good Weather Man, also is killing me.

For the past few days when the Weather Man says 38 degrees, you cover your plants. I am crossing my fingers that my raspberry plants are okay, because  I did not expect a freeze and they got nipped. We will see

Tuesday the girls stayed under their heat lamp it was so cold and wet. I would have done the same thing, only thing is they looked like they were in the red district taking this picture, so I had to take another picture so they didn't look so scandalous!

Despite all the freezing happening here on Cranberry Acre, plants are growing and are growing well. My transplant of Sage is coming back and

some Peonies are coming back that we had relocated to another spot on the property. One of the relatives said that Mrs. Manning just loved her flowers, so in honor of her  I moved them to a safe area to grow again, they had been getting mowed over year after year!

This morning the Stooges and Ms. Red were reluctant to come out, it was too cold!

( Mo with his good eye )

They are still in the coop waiting for the sun.

As for Ms. Silver, she has found a new grazing buddy with the changes in the pasture.

Mr. Luther and Ms. Silver stick together when they go out to the farther end of the pasture, was funny to watch the two keep an eye on each other.

 

Picture of the Day!

I had a camera glued to my face this morning and Ms. JoJo, wanted some attention, so what do you do if your a goat? You chew on your owners camera to get her attention! How Funny.

This morning it was great to see the flowers on the peach tree, but also frightening to think that the past few nights it has froze. With it being so cold my fear is the blooms will freeze and also the bees will not have time to pollinate them, due to the cold. It is all such a game of chance when you decide to start a garden. A wait and see game that Mother Nature gets to hold the reigns on, sucks really!

My Sparrow that I have been trying to get a picture of finally made an appearance. Her mouth was full of feathers from the Stooges! She is so cute and her husband made an appearance also but was to quick to catch this morning with a camera.

 Was a pretty morning except for the cold!

 

Seed starts!

Yes I finally made it outside this morning to start some tomatoes, some eggplant and some peppers! Took me forever, yes it was cold, but the sun was out and I thought I could stand it. I really didn't last long out there at all, but I did get everything planted except for a group of tomatoes, which I will show you how I did these when it gets a little warmer today!

I use about everything to plant seedlings, and everything seems to work. If it holds soil, you have a winner. Now you can get some expensive things to start seedlings or use what you have around the house. I have bought a Soil Block from Johnny Select ( sits in the back of this picture ) and I like it but go back to the old reliable things I've used for years. Like Yogurt cups!

I also use old pizza boxes and strawberry boxes are my favorite! Strawberry boxes, are their own green houses when you close them up!

I am planting tomatoes in this Strawberry box, so I am going to crush up

some eggshells and on lay them on top of some soil. Tomatoes love calcium so why not start them with it? I have done where you put eggshells in the hole before you plant the seedling, I do both of these methods, couldn't hurt!

I also use paper eggshell cartons for seedlings. Very easy, again I am planting tomatoes so I have crushed a little eggshell on the bottom of each hole, then cover with a little soil and then put your seeds in them, usually about 2 to each hole. When your plants start to grow and you are ready to plant I just rip them apart, then rip a small hole in the bottom of it and plant!

 

When using yogurt cups I just punch a couple of holes in the bottom for drainage and then fill half way up with soil, place about 4 seeds( if peppers, tomatoes, or eggplant) and cover with soil, then place in the cold frame to sprout!

Here is everyone getting ready to be covered by the cold frame! Tucked in for probably some more cold mornings.

The soil I use, is a mixture of my compost and a bag on garden soil. I have never had any problems sprouting seedlings from it. I do know some people prefer the method that Eliot Coleman uses in his book, The New Organic Grower, but it was a little pricey and I like to use what I have instead of going out, buying stuff to make the perfect soil mix for seedlings. I do love his way, just financially it's better for me to use the soil I have. Use what you got!

  

We are getting our first till in for the season. My husband was out eraly this morning tilling the ground for us.  

 

The soil looks amazing this year! I'm so excited. During the late Fall and Winter we have been spreading out the barn shavings and Guinea pig cage shavings on top of the ground, also adding our coal and ash bucket to the soil. The chickens and the Stooges have worked all Winter digging in it and also spreading it around. Looks as if it has paid off. We have so much clay in our soil that I thought it would be impossible to get dark brown fluffy soil, well this year we got it!

Wouldn't be a work day on Cranberry Acre, without the 2 inspectors! Anytime there is a change these 2 make sure that we are doing it right or get in the middle of what ever we are doing to help. Goats are very funny critters!

 

A change

After much debate with myself, I have come to the conclusion that even me writing every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, is too much for me at the moment. I have taken on a part time job with the local historical society and that day is now on Wednesday. I am going to now do my Blog on Monday and Friday. Like I said before, I'm new at this and I believe this will work better for me, my family and of course Cranberry Acre. I do hope you all understand and will stick with me through the adjustment!

Update

The "I'm so Pretty" apron is now available in my Etsy store.

We got it built !

Time to work

 

It took the weekend, but the fence is finally built. Thanks to our friends who helped us get the pallets needed to build the rest of the fence. We couldn't of gotten it done so fast without your help. I know the chickens and the Stooges are not pleased with the fence, but I am and Thank you! We now wait till I have a little cash in hand again so I can get paint! 

 

 

My husband did a great job putting this together for me, I couldn't have gotten it done this fast without his help!

Saturday was filled of my daughter and I picking up the large rocks that had surfaced from the Winter, everyone hates this chore, but it needs to be done to save our tiller from an untimely death. I also ran out to get our berry bushes. I have been wanting berries but had not figured out yet where I would put them. When we enclosed the garden we had a nice place for some berries,

right between the compost and the cold frame. Works for me, so we now have 4 blackberry bushes and we also have 2 raspberry bushes.

Which are by my strawberry box.

With the new changes in the Orchard area we have decided that we will let the chickens and the Stooges run out with the goats in the pasture. Ms. Silver loved the idea but the Stooges, plus one, hated it!

The Guineas screamed for a good 15 min or so. Every time a car came by they would run to the fence and scream at it! Ms. Red would run with them to confront the car, when finding the car was gone, they would run to the far corner of the pasture to try and get back into the Orchard. It was a very long day of the Stooges screaming at cars. Took all afternoon for them to calm down enough to see they had so much more room to run, then everything seemed to be fine. I never saw birds so happy to get back into a chicken yard as these 4 did.

I went ahead and removed the peach trees from the cold frame, so I could start putting seedlings in it Saturday. Now I need to cut the 2 dead trees down in the Orchard and plant at least one of these back in the ground. I'm trying to find a home for the other tree. I'm sure it will find a home soon.

The rest of Cranberry Acre was sleepy and really enjoying the sunshine. While the Stooges were having there panic attack, the goats laid out in the sun, chewing cud and sleeping.

Even Queen Bee, Ms. Bella took a rest from bulling everyone around to enjoy the sun, but Ms. Sparkles she sat in the barn door making sure she could see everyone and slept with one eye open all afternoon.

 

I was blessed on Saturday with the

arrival of free potatoes!  I will probably wait a bit for planting, the ground is still so cold and I don't want them to sit and rot in the ground. In a couple of weeks I think they will go in.

 A friend had to many and came by the house to drop some off, I love my neighbors!

 

 Ms. Ayla loves to play in the dirt. After I was done planting berries, she decided to stay out there and play in my seed start soil, well everything was well until a spider about the size of a nickel dropped in her hair.

She had run into the house like she had been shot in the bum! She didn't say much breathing pretty  heavily she then told me that she was playing in the dirt when a spider got in her hair. I wish I could have seen in, but I probably would have freaked out also!

 

I haven't really talked much about the animals that live in our home here at Cranberry Acre, but this is Mr. Fussy, an albino Oscar. Mr. Fussy is right around 5 years old and I thought these past few weeks we were going to loose him. Yes, it's just a fish, but it would have sucked to have lost him, the personality of this fish is not one I've ever seen before and I would have missed his angry face when he felt it was to early to turn on a light. I dumped a bunch of fish meds in his water and crossed my fingers, even gave him goldfish to pep him up. Well I am happy to say, all the gold fish are gone and he is grumpy as ever. Maybe we will have him for another 5 years!

Have to share some finds I got this past Saturday, some picture frames for $4.00, I have ideas on what to do with these guys will share soon.

Also 10 pieces of Wedgwood for $2.00

Yes there are big plans for these little guys also. Plus some old Silver spoons that my sister and I found at a thrift store for $3.00, we split the batch and these are going to go with my teacups, can't wait to show you all!

The Garden Apron

I have finished a Garden apron, but this one is also sold, but wanted you all to see what it looked like. It had taken a long time to get the design of this so it worked for almost everyone. One of my best sellers when I was sewing all the time.  I will have some up very soon for purchasing on my Etsy store.

 The same customer also wanted one of my bags if I had enough fabric left over, so I made one of my Market Bags.

 I was asked to also bring these back if I started to sew again, they were also a hit, great for going to the market or store. I will have these also for sale soon on my Etsy store.

Monday morning we woke to rain, and I mean soaking rain, which is good for my transplants, but not good to work in, so I stay in the sewing room today!
We had a busy and productive weekend on Cranberry Acre, but there is so much more to do!

Spring Fever in the Air

Spring Fever

 

Cranberry Acre has been all sorts of movement in the past few day. The trees are at the point of getting leaves and I can't wait to be in the dirt! I was right in saying the other day my Lilac was turning green, but had know idea that it was getting ready to have flowers.

I can't wait to smell the Lilac when I open my bedroom window.

Also ready to burst with flowers is my Japanese Magnolia, it has such pretty flowers when it blooms. Right now it looks like a tree with lipstick tubes all over it.

Along with my Spring Fever the goats have been crazy weird. They had a meeting of the minds last night, over what I really have no clue, but it turned them crazy!

They stood over the concrete blocks for awhile, showing off their might and really it was all my Does that were crazy. Poor Luther had no idea what was going on, he would just rub his chin on the cement and watch everyone else butt heads.

Was funny to watch the little man, as everyone else jumped and bounded across the field, he was so lost! Spring Fever had got everyone but him, so he watched. Then his mother JoJo decided to use him as a foot rest.

He was pretty ill with the idea and kept knocking her off the stairs, but she repeated the dirty deed over and over again until his sister got involved, so he left for the barn, as if to say "enough is enough and you girls have lost your minds".

Ms. Griffin and her mother then proceeded to fight over the matter.

As I said Spring Fever on the farm! Poor Luther had, had enough and decided to go to bed early, Bless his little heart.

This morning we woke to the same drama as last night, Does butting heads and poor Luther keeping his distance from the crazies!

My lovely husband is already working on the pallet fence this morning and hopes to have it done for me. I am off this morning to a Farmer's Market meeting, so will not be here to help with MY fence.

 

I have wonderful friends who helped us get more pallets! So we have some more to do the fence. I left my husband this morning he was working on my fence hanging my new gates.

These are the gates made from old broken windows! Great idea and worked so well.

I had to leave the girls, Oh yes and Mo, in the chicken run today. Let's say Ms. Silver wasn't such a happy chicken this morning. Wouldn't be the first time she was cursing at me in chicken.

I am proud to say that I will be a part of the Farmer's Market in Independence! It is a great little market and the people are just as crazy as I am. I can't wait. I have sold at other market's but this one feels like a good fit, so I will be there this year to try it out!

While I was gone, my husband had finished MY fence,

Well almost, we are lacking 3 pallets to finish it, but we will get them, I am sure.

I even have my own custom fancy door latch, made with old motorcycle parts!

 



Love it! He thinks of everything.

He decided that the fence needed more support so about every 2 pallets he put a metal fence stack and a chain to wrap around the pallet. We had some old fence stacks from an older fence that we could use and I believe I owe Wayne some chain, because that came from his garage!

Also to my surprise Wayne, fixed the little goat house!

It was leaking every time it rained, so he took off the old boards and put down tar paper and new boards! The girls will love it, oh yes and Mr. Luther. Time for planting and sewing!