a new growing season

the little aquaponic system is scheduled to go big..  we are drawing up plans and supplies to have the system up and planted by fall.  the big pond is full of babies to help that happen and they need a place to grow.  and if they need to grow they may as well grow my green house too.  some of the winter plants will still grow in the garden but i will be able to grow greens and tomatoes and numerous other plants in the green house at the same time.  a solar water heater will help with the temperature problems and the sun will help do its job as well.  many of the longer term plants can be grown in tubs that i will water from the fish tanks.  this will lower the water level and make room for fresh water when it needs replenished.  its a great system and where else can you grow vegetables and fish and root plants all at the same time.  we have many visitors coming over the next few months to help with the installation of all the plumbing and tanks,  it will be a great learning experience for all of us.  and these are skills they will take back with them when they return to their own countries or states.  the tilopia have exceeded our estimations and we are still looking at catfish too.  fresh fish is unheard of in southern Arizona and the market seems to be there.  our Switzerland visitor has gone home and she got to see everything in the southern part of the state she wanted to see.  she came to us from the Navajo reservation and she learned  many things in both places.  she also spent some time in SoCal too on a horse ranch.  she has horses at home and i think she enjoyed her time in the states.

as for me I'm laid up until the nail puncture in my foot heals up.  hopefully it wont be long.  the antibiotics are kicking in and the big bad shot helped too.

i promise we are trying to fix the comment link.  in the mean time send email to deb@homesteadbarnyard.com.  if you have questions or info@homesteadbarnyard.com.  you all have a happy happy day.

surprise

i leaned over the pond today to clean out some of the debris from the rain storm last night and found about two hundred baby tilopia.  wow breeding must have worked.  we pulled some to put in an aquarium in the green house in case the other adults eat the babies.  they have a good mama, she was hovering under them as they swam along.  if they get frightened they go to her mouth and she holds them there until they swim back out.  we have a couple bluegill in the pond too and not real sure what they would do. we have some round tubes in the bottom of the water for them to hide in when not in mama's care anymore.  its been fun watching the babies swim around their new tank.  they are little piggies and will need fed six or seven times a day, at least until fingerling's or able to feed themselves.

the sheep are loose in the pen again.  mohawk took one look at me and it was game on.  now i carry a big stick.  it looks like several are pregnant again.  should be twins this time. they are little piggies too.  they completely ate all of the grass down in their new pen so now they are back in ours.  the rain has been slow to reach us out here so the new grasses haven't had time to come up.  i hope the rain we got last night kicks that off.  the garden is exploding with plants,  some i don't even remember what i planted.  i prepped plums for jelly this week and zucchini for the freezer for breads.  some of the summer squash came in for eating and green beans are about to bloom.  the tomato are suffering from the hungry quail and the pack rats keep running away with the corn seeds.  its a zoo.  the green house is fantastic.  the aquaponics was a winning success, the items planted were lettuces, tomato, shallots, and Swiss chard, all doing great.  we are going to expand the system. and the new baby tilopia will help with that system.

we had company last weekend.  some people came out to visit and camp over night.  it was great fun.  the heavens provided a lightning show for all of us to enjoy.  there was no rain so they camped under the stars.  you know how sometimes someone looks familiar but you cant place them.  turns out one of our guests was on a television series. i guess that explains it.  they are coming back to visit in September.

have a new friend that lives down the road and we are going to see the new home they are building tomorrow.  that will be fun.

and last night we found out a guest is coming on Friday to spend some time with us.  she is from Switzerland and will be flying out later next week and will stay with us till then.  its been very busy on the homestead this month and enjoyable.

i will continue to post on the blog because i missed doing it.  if you want to follow along that is fine as well.  stop by and visit.  deb@homesteadbarnyard.com

i give

OK all, i have spent a great deal of time trying to make this blog work but i don't think any one really cares about it.  Maybe just too tired to comment or join so this will be the last blog that i post.  i guess the business owner will put something else in this space.  As for me Ola.

new month

wow June already.  still working on replants in the garden due to the cold soil from may.  green beans some corn, gourds, squash and zucchini coming up.  also a few pickles and tomatoes working on a come back.  planted melons last week, replanted today because the quail and bunnies ate them.  the animals are desperate for food and i have a lots of seeds.  ill give them the first one but that's it.  cabbage is making heads and the cauliflower is about done.  all of the spring goodies like chard's, kale, lettuces are finished and already gone to seed. i have cans of seed everywhere.  new flowers for the pond are coming up in the greenhouse.  Barry has quite a few fig starts in the greenhouse also.  we use it as the nursery for all of the tree starts, so its full in there.

the aquaponics in the greenhouse have a few Swiss chard, lettuce and tomatoes plants in it.  the tomatoes are blooming right now, we will see how they mature.  its been a fun experiment.  the plants have the most beautiful shade of green to them,  I'm assuming its due to the water feeding system as opposed to soil.

the fish in the pond are getting more active from the warmer weather and higher water temperature,  its fun to watch them pop to the top for bugs in the evening.  the fish should be seriously thinking about breeding right now.  I'm just about done with anchoring the liner around the pond,  still need a few more wagons of rock to set on the edges and some dirt moved.  dug out this perfect rock for a back center piece, just need a few more people to get it moved to where i need it.  we have several plants to transfer out to the pond from the garden area and several of the trees Barry has been grooming for out there.

the new fruit trees have done very well.  all should be producing next year.  the tree stock has been a surprise to me.  the willows are doing great but i expected that.  the surprise has been the maple trees.  sugar and red are looking great and leaved and the hazelnut likes it out here.

well till next time sincerely deb, drop me a line lets chat.

crazy week

still working on the pond.  getting ready to set in the flower beds on outer edges. need to make sure the drainage is right, we are known for monster rains during monsoon.

the spring garden is officially done.  just waiting for a few plants to finish seeding.  the replacements will include summer vegetables that i havent been able to fit in elsewhere.

still raising seeds in greenhouse, flowers for the pond and the summer veggie starts.  our weather here has been very odd this year.  we havent been able to stay in the eighties for a whole week yet.  good for us because it should be tapping out at 100.  cooler weather is easier to garden in, but we need the 100 degrees to build monsoon.  so, climate change, long spring, or just a new schedule.  we have to wait and see.

leave we a comment, lets chat.  deb

babies everywhere

spring has sprung at the homestead.  wow the difference a week makes.  the new rabbit delivered three new babies this week and the turkey mamas produced five babies as a joint venture.  the turkeys laid all the eggs in one big pile and when ready to sit them they stole which eggs they wanted for themselves and formed three piles that were next to each other. they are still trying to sit the other eggs when not chasing the five hatching's. so the babies have three mamas trying to contain them at any given moment. its more than any baby should have to put up with.  they are up and moving and driving all the mamas crazy. the tom turkeys are still pouting outside the pen.   the rabbit is a mini Rex and papa is jacks 4-H rabbit, its breed is a mini too and the mama produced two fat black bunnies like her and one black and white bunny like papa.  they are fat and wiggly,  i don't expect them to be in the box for long, eyes will open this week then mama will be busy.  the new fish are enjoying the pond and we have started an aquaponic system with several of the fish for the green house.  I'm hoping the system will keep us in salad greens for the year.  it gets too hot for lettuce and greens to stay in the ground thru the summer here.  so we will try something new.  the chickens are free ranging and always under foot looking for food scraps.  they are misguided in thinking that every time i exit the house i have something for them.  oh and a new adventure, worms.  that falls in Barry's department, a girl has got to know her limits.  have a great week and send me a post or a comment. lets chat.

busy week

last week we started the groundbreaking on the new pond.  its approximately 15 x 26 foot. and this week the liner was installed and water filled and it now has tilapia growing in it.  installing the pond has been a really fun project for me,  this wasnt the first pond i have installed, just the biggest.  this week i will work on rocking the edges and install the foundation for the rock wall that the pump will flow across.  the fish are settling in and jack, our resident ten year old,  is sure its just a swimming pond for him to play in.  actually its the beginning of another new business venture here at the barnyard.  its the prelude to an aquaponic system to raise fish.  the six inch fish will be large enough to breed next month and our system will need to be in place by then for the babies.

speaking of babies the new rabbit had babies on the 24th of this month.  she has them nicely bedded down in the nursery boxes and covered for warmth with fur she pulled from her fur.  too early to see how many babies but we can see them wiggling in the box.  should be out of the box by three weeks.

the site has been giving me fits with the comment section so i put the master on it this week and poof its fixed.  comments should come thru now.  he also installed some early pics of the pond and added that section to the headliner.  as you will see its hard to take a water picture without jack in it.

the hen sitting the nest vacated in favor of free ranging the yard.  bummer,  20 bad eggs.  the turkeys are still sitting their eggs and the toms are still pouting outside the pen.  the sheep have finally been confined to their pen and they havent been able to escape.  yeah, not gonna miss that ram.  their new pasture has been fenced and the gate to it will be installed tomorrow, then they will be busy feeding for the summer.

working on several new leather pieces and hope to get pics of these items soon.  the fall gardens are being planted with indian corn, sunflowers, gourds and most of the tomatoes, some new strawberry beds too.  still putting out the melons.  and will hold off for a month on pumpkins and squash until just before monsoon,  that will give them a great start.  the spring greens are busy making seeds and the rest of the veggies are starting to get some size.

better sign off, come see us in the rainy state of arizona.   thats right,   i dont think i have ever seen it this green,  we tease that we could be the new tropical jungle soon.