Abiding Pastures FarmMar 10, 20201 minPutting ash out to improve our acidic soilWe are always trying to improve our soil. We use our animals, coffee grounds, scraps, grow mushrooms, and even add leftover milk. We...
Abiding Pastures FarmFeb 16, 20201 minTemporary GreenhouseLast Saturday we were busy. We did some garden clean-up, and with some tears in the plastic of our hoop house, we decided to put our seed...
Abiding Pastures FarmFeb 15, 20202 min A Cleaning up the garden and adding silage tarpToday there was a break in the rain. It has rained and rained and rained and rained. We finally braved the mud and muck and headed for...
Abiding Pastures FarmFeb 15, 20202 minSeed StartingWe have moved back and forth between various seed starting methods for years. Sometimes we plant directly in the ground in the hoop...
Abiding Pastures FarmFeb 1, 20204 minCan you raise enough meat on a homestead to be sustainable?We are able to be sustainable on our farm with meat. Because we concentrate on larger animals for our meat, sustainability is possible....
Abiding Pastures FarmJan 30, 20202 minOur Great Pyrenees are part of our farming teamEllie usually joins me when I am milking. She will lay right down beside the milking stanchions, keep the cows and me company, sample a...
Abiding Pastures FarmJan 29, 20202 minWhere's the Guernsey? That's a HolsteinBack in the day, I had decided that maybe we should switch to guernsey cows. I had been doing my “research.” I had decided maybe...
Abiding Pastures FarmJan 28, 20202 minThe LegacyMike's grandmother, Pluma, was an amazing woman. She lived in the Appalachian mountains where they dip into northeastern Alabama. When I...
Abiding Pastures FarmJan 28, 20203 minCan you really save money canning?You would not consider us wealthy by many people’s standards. We have always been somewhat careful with how we spent our money. Early in...
Abiding Pastures FarmJan 28, 20202 minTick Killing MonsterEverything loves guinea or hates them. Their sound is some of the most annoying noise ever. It is SO LOUD!! We have had guineas for years...
Abiding Pastures FarmJan 28, 20201 minOur Squash SolutionAfter losing so many squash plants and dealing with so many bugs, we decided we needed to be smarter, much smarter. Enter a new variety...
Abiding Pastures FarmJan 28, 20201 minThe Trouble with SquashWe love squash. We have raised zucchini, yellow squash, butternut squash, spaghetti squash and pumpkin for years. Over the last several...
Abiding Pastures FarmJan 28, 20201 minWhy You Really Need a Lactating Animal on the HomesteadThe single most dynamic change to our homestead has been the adding of the milk from our cows. One gallon a day will fatten a pig to...
Abiding Pastures FarmJan 28, 20202 minWhat We Feed Our AnimalsThe pigs and chickens are the clean-up crew of the farm. We plant kale for us and the animals. We plant lots of extra squash to store for...
Abiding Pastures FarmJan 28, 20202 minWhat to consider when buying animals for your homestead/farmIf money is no object, then spend it on good breeding stock. Buy the best breeding stock you can afford from a breeder you trust. This is...
Abiding Pastures FarmJan 28, 20202 minWhy we raise Khatadin sheepWhen we began to decide if we wanted sheep or goats, we began with lots of research and classes. We attended some wonderful classes...
Abiding Pastures FarmJan 28, 20202 minMultigenerational farm and homeschoolingI know we are blessed. Families are so spread out in our world, yet one of our daughters, her husband and children live with us on...
Abiding Pastures FarmJan 28, 20201 minSeed Varieties we use in zone 7 North CarolinaIt is so important to use seeds that grow well in your area. Here are some varieties of seeds that do really well where we live in zone...
Abiding Pastures FarmJan 28, 20202 minHow we improved our soil in a subdivision in North CarolinaIt was evident that we needed to do something about our poor yields. Mike realized that we had to cut down some trees and move the...
Abiding Pastures FarmJan 28, 20202 minNorth Carolina farming was different than Texas FarmingNC was not Houston. We looked for a house with a larger yard so that we could grow more vegetables. This was harder. The land was a slope...
