Elizabeth's Secret Garden

  My garden known as “Elizabeth’s Secret Garden” on SHAPE Eco Farm is bursting with life in elaborate display. Flowers are beginning to bloom and many hours of work are paying off. A garden requires patience and planning, but the great thing is you get to see the “vegetables” of your labor unfold before your very eyes. The important thing is not to give up and use everything as a learning experience. My kitchen garden continues to flourish. A fun fact is that if you leave your carrots for a year, they will go to seed! I had lots of baby carrots sprout with zero effort. Well, except for watering. Those carrots sprouted, but only a few that I planted actually sprouted. My carrots and my leeks currently are developing flowers. I’ll have to be surprised of the variety of carrots I had planted. Do make sure you label the varieties you plant! My pea plants are looking gorgeous. I love the pinkish purple flowers that are beginning to bloom. These peas were actually chicken forage my...

  Spring is the time of year that birds begin their spring songs, animals give birth, and the earth sprouts new life. How glad I am to replace my winter jacket with work jeans, a sun hat, and sun glasses. My hands were just itching to get dirty and my finger nails are already stained from the dirt, but I don’t mind. Gone are the days of pretty painted nails. Instead I’ve embraced the quote on one of my favorite shirts that says, “Farm girls ain’t afraid to get dirty.” The greenhouse gave me a jump start with gardening. I would be behind schedule without it. It also saved me hundreds of dollars. I see dollar signs when I look at my plant babies. The hardest part is keeping the seed trays moist now that the sun’s penetrating rays have hit. I water sometimes 3 times or more a day, but I just keep my garden vision in mind. After just a couple of weeks, my seedlings were already ready to transplant. Squash are fairly quick to get big, but tomatoes and eggplant are my slowest gr...

     Electric dog fences are excellent for protecting your beloved pets on your farm or homestead. They can be used to confine your dogs to one area, or they can be used to keep your dogs out of specific areas. For example, you can stop a dog with a digging habit from destroying your garden. You could also protect your chickens or other livestock from dogs with a prey drive. If you have a pond, machinery, or other dangerous areas on your property, you can use an invisible fence to ensure your dogs keep a safe distance. Traditional fences aren’t always practical, because dogs can dig underneath or jump over them; harsh weather can damage them, leaving your dogs vulnerable to escape; and they can obstruct your own movements over your land. DIY electric fences are excellent alternative to traditional fences, but how much does something so reliable and versatile really cost? Let’s take a closer look at the costs associated with electronic dog fences. See it all on their we...

  Spring is around the corner so that means…. babies! In this case my family got to experience watching Nigerian Dwarf babies (known as kids) as they pranced and jumped around. They were a sight to behold. We did get to hold them which catapulted a discussion of possible goat names. My personal opinion is that we should stick to having a category for the names we choose. We tend to stick with royal names when it comes to our animals, but I think the goats should be named after spices. Ginger, cinnamon, rosemary, and maybe even dill just seems so very appealing when you think about it. I think the name “Cocoa” would even be a good fit for the goat pictured above. With friends we even tossed around the name “Powder Puff” or “Cocoa Puff.” I think we should take a vote for the final decision. Two Nigerian Dwarf goats had been birthed on the day of our arrival. The recommended time for breeding Nigerian Dwarfs is either in Fall so they kid in Spring or breed them in Spring so they k...

Maybe you’ve heard that raising chickens is only for people out in the country. Well, the goal of my article is to convince you that that is a myth. The laws surrounding raising chickens have succumbed to the winds of change. Plenty of books and articles tackle the topic of raising chickens in urban areas. If you are seriously considering raising chickens in your area check out your local ordinances and laws.  Search ordinances for your city. Here is a link that lists some state laws. http://thecitychicken.com/chickenlaws.html   With that in mind let’s dive into the joys of raising chickens. There are some things you should consider before diving in. I’ll be sharing pictures from a urban farm from last year’s Coup d’ Tour in the Raleigh area to kick start some ideas. Read about the chicken coup featured in this blog entry on Chicken D’ Coop’s website.  http://www.tourdcoop.com/coops/2014/19.html First thing to consider is if you have the space and materials. This coo...

    Whether you are a homesteader, farmer, into animal husbandry, or just want the excitement of raising animals goats are one you should take into consideration. The does provide fresh milk which can be made into cheese, soap, or enjoyed simply as milk. Harvesting your own milk is the way to go considering that it costs 2 – 3 times as much as cow milk! The stars of this blog entry are Nigerian Dwarf goats. Their milk production is about 2 1/2 pounds (little over one quart) per day. They are 1/3 the size of regular dairy goats making them good for families with limited space. My family has our own farm called “SHAPE Eco Farm” https://www.facebook.com/SHAPEInt . We decided to add goats to our happy rabbits and chickens. To get started we went to tour the Brown family’s  “One Fine Acre” Nigerian Goat Farm. They started out with raising goats on one acre and then moved to a property with five acres. What started out as wanting goats to keep the wooded area managed, devel...