We are very fortunate to have a prolific spring on the property that supplies all the water we need. While we currently use petrol and diesel-powered pumps to move the water around the farm, we have always planned on using more sustainable methods.The first step is the installation of a water ram pump. Ram pumps [...]

We had some delicious roasted gem squash with dinner last night. I’m saving the seeds and hopefully we can grow some next summer. These squash came from a market so we don’t know exactly how they were grown. If they came from hybrid seed then plants grown from these saved seeds will revert to one [...]

Our garlic harvest was pretty modest this year. Considering the neglect it had to put up with I’m surprised we got any at all, let alone harvesting more than we planted. Next planting we’ll definitely do better but here are a few lessons we’ve gleaned: Prepare the bed well. Don’t just turn over some sod [...]

Our rural road is about 5km long and has many “wild” apple trees growing along the roadsides. Presumably over the decades, children waiting for the school bus have dropped their apple cores and some have resulted in apple trees. While it’s unclear who actually owns the resulting apples, they do seem to go to waste [...]

We arrived home with three weaner pigs this afternoon. They are destined to be bacon, ham and salami in about six months. Names haven’t been decided on yet but they will be suitably food-related so we don’t get too attached. Tonight they will stay in the stables (in their little straw house) and tomorrow they’ll [...]

Back in October we planted some raspberry canes. A few months on they are doing really well – we have some small fruit forming and the plants are sending up new canes. We were originally concerned we’d have to lift the carpet to let new shoots up but it seems the carpet has rotted enough [...]