New Compost Bin

What do you do during the winter?

Quite simply, we build and repair things. You know, general maintenance. Sure it can be cold outside but that's part of owning a farm! You get to experience each season as it is.

For our first project, I decided to put together a compost bin. We already had most of the wood we needed squirreled away in our pole barn and we were struggling with a loose pile of food scraps. It only made sense!

Gather the materials.
 

I decided to build it 3' high and 4' wide. No formula or anything. I just thought about how I'd rather not have to dig into a super deep pile. But that's just me!

I also decided to make the corners out of 3' long pieces of 2x2. But since I wanted to make the front of the bin removable, I need a total of six 3' pieces. I'll explain this a bit later. After a trip to Home Depot, I was ready to head out to the pole barn to pull out pieces that would make up the sides of the compost bin. Each one was about 12' long so I could get three 4' pieces out of each. I wasn't sure how many I would need so I decided to just grab a bunch and start cutting. If you don't have the scraps to do this, you might want to do some measuring and some math.

Cut it out.

Using a circular saw and a couple of saw horses, I cut the 2x2 pieces into 3' lengths and the 12' lengths into 4' pieces. Each piece of scrap lumber ended up being just under 6" wide so I needed six pieces per side. Four sides times six pieces equals 24. But whatever. I also decided to cut little triangles out to put in each corner for reinforcement. I assumed that this would be necessary but I don't know for sure that it is.

Lay it out.

Space out the corner pieces and lay the side pieces between them as you cut them out. This is actually what let me know that I would need six pieces per side. I laid everything out before I started screwing anything together.

Put the pieces together.

Once the pieces were spaced out evenly, I started screwing them in using deck screws. This is easier if there is a flat surface for you to work on. I started out on the back deck but ended up moving into the garage.

Make a box

Once I had one piece put together, I built a frame upon which I can start adding pieces. This ended up being a bit clumsy and maybe there's another way to do it? Or if you have a friend to help, s/he can hold pieces for you while you screw them in. Notice that in the front, I put two pieces of 2x2 lumber. The purpose of this was to create a track. The reason why I did this was to make it so I could remove the front slats to make accessing the compost easy. I just pictured trying to get a shovel over the walls and what a pain that would be. Just check out the first picture and all will be clear!

Garlic time!

Apples, pears, and plums are gone. We never planted fall crops so our work has been focused on just living. But now it's time to put in garlic. With the help of an old tiller, we were able to break up our crusty ground.

Pear bread time!

Shari's Pear Bread

We are overflowing with pears so you know what that means? Yep! Shari is baking bread again! And man is it yummy!

Ingredients

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 3/4 cup vegetable oil
• 3 eggs
• 2 cups white sugar
• 2 cups peeled shredded pears
• 1 cup chopped pecans
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Directions

1. In a large mixing bowl combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Make a well in the center of the bowl.
2. In a separate bowl combine the oil, eggs, sugar, grated pears, pecans, and vanilla. Blend well. Add to well of dry ingredients. Stir until just moistened. Spoon batter into 2 greased and floured 8x5x3 inch loaf pans.
3. Bake in a preheated 325 degree F (165 degrees C) oven for one hour and 15 minutes. Cool on wire rack before removing from the loaf pans.

Pear pickin' pleasure!

Fall(ing) Fruit

It's pear picking season here at Smallville Farm. Actually, the fruit has been ready for a couple of weeks and this is the second harvest. The first harvest happened a couple of weeks ago although we didn't do it. Rather, we donated our pears to Shari's school where kids came out and took what they could. Roughly 200 pounds if this sweet treat was turned into pear butter, to be sold as a fund raiser. As a thank you, the students gave us twelve jars full. Guess what everyone is getting for Christmas!

Needless to say, pear pie and and jelly is on the menu.

Fog on the pond.

Kitchen Garden

Use and convenience is key

We have been doing our growing this season at the KU Student Farm. I get many such privileges being a faculty member there. As an experiment, Shari and I decided to try our hands at companion planting. What's companion planting? Glad you asked! Companion planting is where you grow plants next to each other that repel each others pests. The plant that is used most often is marigolds. Herbs are also big. The funny thing is that it seems that if it tastes good together, it's likely a companion plant. For example, tomatoes and basil are companion plants as are rosemary and potatoes and cilantro and peppers.

Anyway, we are coming to the end of our time at the KU Student Farm. We have not planted a fall garden nor do we plan to. As the plants give up their last fruits, we are pulling them without replacing. The herbs, however, we decided to transplant and put in our kitchen garden.

When you grow food for the home and you have enough space, it is likely that you will have more than one garden. The kitchen garden is pretty much what you think it is: a garden for the kitchen. There's nothing better than fresh herbs and greens but there's nothing worse than having to trek across your property to pluck what you need. Instead, find a spot close to the kitchen for a small number of items you are likely to need only a little. Right now we have sage, oregano and basil. Rosemary would be a good addition as would cilantro.

What would you keep in your kitchen garden?

SARE

The SARE Farmer/Rancher Grant call for proposals will be coming out later in August. I will announce and post when it is out.  In the meantime, here are 3 webinars to help producers understand the SARE Farmer/Rancher grant, the grant writing process, what makes a good proposal and answer questions you may have.

Each year there are minor changes for the grant and that is the case for this year.  Funding for the grants have increased!
One producer - up to $7,500
Two producers - up to $14,000
Three or more producers - up to $22,500

If you are interested in learning about the SARE Farmer/Rancher Grant, then join me on Sept 12th for the PowerPoint presentation about the grant and then join me on Sept 19th and Sept 26th to hear from past recipients about their grant.  So mark your calendars now!

Sept 12: 7-8:30 pm - SARE Farmer/Rancher Grants Webinar with Debi Kelly, University of Missouri. To join go to http://univmissouri.adobeconnect.com/r1k1mmdfelf/ and sign in as a guest.

Sept 19: 7-8:30 pm -SARE Farmer/Rancher Grant Webinar with Linda Hezel, a 2008 Grant Recipient of Comparison of Coverings over Permanent Raised Beds to Extend the Growing Season for Year Round Food Production. To join go to http://univmissouri.adobeconnect.com/r5lqdewpa9d/ and sign in as a guest.

Sept 26: 7-8:30 pm -SARE Farmer/Rancher Grant Webinar with Greg and Nancy Rasmussen, a 2010 Grant Recipient of Rainwater Capture and Re-use: Using Gravity and Solar Power. To join go to http://univmissouri.adobeconnect.com/r8qgclfjeik/ and sign in as a guest.

They see me rollin'!

Or as my sister said, "She thinks my tractor's sexy." I guess it's a country song? Regardless, here I am on the new tractor just before I mowed.




I

Storm's a brewin'.

What should I plant?

How much to plant for a family of four?

As a new gardener, you might wonder how much of each vegetable to plant. It's actually hard to say. Plant a ton of what you like and none of what you don't. But I will share with you here some guidlines. My recommendation? Start with this chart next season (or even right now since it's time to put in Fall crops) and then adjust at a later date.

Asparagus	10'	Perennial
Beets	10'	Spring and Fall Crop
Broccoli	5 Plants	Cool Season Crop
Brussel Sprouts	5 Plants	Cool Season Crop
Beans, Bush	15'	Succession Plant
Beans, Pole	3 Poles	Single Planting
Cabbage	5 Plants	Spring and Fall Crop
Carrots	10'	Succession Plant
Cauliflower	5 Plants	Spring and Fall Crop
Chard	5 Plants	Re-Grows after Harvesting Outer Leaves
Corn	15'	Succession Plant and Multiple Varieties
Cucumbers	2 hills	Single Planting
Greens	10'	Spring and Fall Crop
Kale	5 Plants	Single Planting
Lettuce, Leaf	10'	Succession Plant
Onions	5'	Single Planting
Peas	10'	Succession, Spring and Fall
Peppers	3 Plants	Single Planting
Radishes	5'	Succession Plant
Squash, Summer	2 Hills	Single Planting, Multiple Varieties
Tomatos	5 Plants	Single Planting, Multiple Varieties
Turnips	10'	Spring and Fall Crop

Sunshine Day!

I love Sears!

There! I said it! I love Sears. Why, you ask? Because they sold us a Craftsman garden tractor for cheap. And it's a good one.

Let me back up a bit. We definitely need something to mow at least the front two acres. The back four or so can just go to hay, that's fine. But around the house, garage and barn, we definitely need something. Although most of our grass is dead from this lovely heat wave, there are still some patches that seem to be thriving. So we did what any normal couple would do: we went shopping. Our first stop was at a place called Heritage Tractor and there we found a John Deere lawn tractor for an okay price. Definitely something we could pay cash for. Although we would have to buy a small tractor later on.

Side note: there are many different types of "tractors." They range from being nothing more than big lawn mowers to being massive, wheels-as-big-as-your-house earth-movers. At the small end of the spectrum, you have lawn tractors which are like mowers but they have larger rear wheels and have a hitch so you can pull small things. These are good for maybe a couple of acres of mowing depending on the horse power and deck size. Larger than that are garden tractors. They have more horse power and stronger engines making it so that you can not only mow more acres but you can also attach tillers, snow blowers and other such things. Garden tractors are really small tractors where lawn tractors are large mowers.

We then decided to take a quick look at Sears. There we found a Craftsman GT6000 for less than the John Deere. The GT stands for "Garden Tractor" which means it has more power than the John Deere and can actually till. After a bit of research on whether or not Craftsman garden tractors are awesome (they are), we went back and bought one. Well, actually, I opened up an account. No-interest for six months which means we could use our cash for something else we really, really need.

2000 Chevrolet S-10, 176K miles. Aside from the mileage, you wouldn't know that this beauty has been driven at all. And we paid cash.

So now that we have our tractor (or will have... being delivered on the 9th) and our truck, we can actually start some serious work here on the farm.

Dogs love farms!

That is all!

Spotted!

Velvet ant!

Shari informed me the other day that she saw a red velvet ant crawling around. I had never heard of one much less seen one. But then last night, what do I see scampering around by the back porch? An inch-long, red and black fuzzy critter! Quite stunning! "See! A velvet ant!"

So today's research project for myself dealt with velvet ants. First thing I learned? They aren't really ants. Nope! They are wasps. More specifically, a female wasp. Apparently the female wasp is fuzzy with a black and red or orange body and no wings. The black, winged males are very rare to see but the females are easy to spot. They do have stingers and it's my understanding that they hurt so bad that they have been nicknamed "cow killers." Now they are not at all aggressive, which I can attest to. The one I saw ran as fast as she could away from me.

On the bright side, velvet ants are parasitic, laying eggs next to the chambers of underground pests such as beetles, wasps and bumble bees. Which we do have a bit of a wasp problem. So I am going to cheer for our friend, the velvet ant and wish her the best of luck helping to rid us of our more destructive pests.

Caveat Emptor!

Buyer Beware!

So far, I love country living! I don't have to put on my pants to go outside and I can sing Afternoon Delight at the top of my lungs without disturbing the neighbors. But there are a few caveats that I must share with those of you who are looking to take the leap into farm-life.

 

No delivery.

You remember those spontaneously lazy nights where you and your significant other both look at each other, beaten, and decide that you are going to order a pizza and veg out in front of the television?  Well that's pretty much over with. Not the lazy nights. I mean, the grass can be mowed tomorrow, right? It's the delivery that gets you. Or rather, doesn't get to you. There is no ordering pizza or Chinese or even munchies from that place open 4:20 pm to 4:20 am. Unless you want to make the 20-minute drive to the closest take out joint, once you are home, what's in the fridge is what you're eating.

 

Bugs, bugs. Lots of bugs.

You don't mind bugs, do you? Because there are a lot of them, most of which you've never seen before.  And they are big! Have you ever seen a dog tick after it's had its fill and has fallen off the dog? I don't recommend you Google it. It's nasty. And huge. And is crawling slowly across the floor.

 

Coyotes will eat your cat.

Now that you live in the country and there are no cars to smash Fluffy or mean kids to tie balloons to Scabs' tail, why not let your precious feline outside once in a while? She has her shots and has been treated for ticks and fleas! Well I guarantee you she has not been treated for predators. If your cat is small, there's a reasonable chance that it will get eaten by an owl. Even if Mr. Whiskers is a huge beast that can pluck the largest raptor out of the air with the greatest of ease, there are coyotes and they have a taste for kitty cat. Not kidding here. They will gang up on and surround Tuxedo. I won't go into details as to how they dispatch with the kitty kitty but let's just say, getting hit by a car is mercy.

 

911 service might take a while.

So how does 911 work, exactly? Well, when you punch in 911, the call goes to the nearest answer point based upon where your phone number originates and they then notify the appropriate agency. So let's say you live in Kansas City, KS where your area code is (913), of course and your prefix is 288. The folks answering your call will route everything to the police station closest to the Kansas Speedway because that's where (913) 288 phone numbers are located. Now let's say you live in an unincorporated township that does not have its own phone service or police. You live closest to one city but your phone service is provided by another. And to top it off, when you plug in your address into a GPS device or Google Maps, it looks at you like a dog hearing a high-pitched squeal. In other words, by the time the call center knows who to contact and the emergency services have decided whether or not you are even within their jurisdiction, you have died from your heart attack, your house has burned down and a group of teenagers have taken your television.

The wisest move in this case is to have the County Sheriff, an ambulance service and the local fire station on speed dial and just forget about 911.

 

Always something to do.

Okay, so this is really not much different than just regular home ownership. There's just more stuff you have to do outside and if you don't like the outdoors, you might not want to move to the country.

Can anyone think of anything else? I'm sure there's more, but these are the big ones!

Mmmm plum bread...

Shari's plum bread recipe.

Ingredients
1 cup pitted, chopped plums
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1/2 cup butter
1 cup white sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/3 cup plain yogurt
1/4 cup brown sugar

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).


2. Spray a 9x5-inch loaf pan with cooking spray, or line with parchment paper.


3. Sprinkle chopped plums with 1 tablespoon of flour in a bowl, and toss to coat. Set aside. In a large bowl, beat the butter, white sugar, and vanilla extract with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs. In another bowl, sift together 1 1/2 cup of flour with salt and baking soda. Stir the dry ingredients into the egg mixture, alternating with yogurt until the mixture forms a smooth batter. Lightly stir in the flour-coated plums, and pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan. Sprinkle the top of the batter with brown sugar.


4. Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean, 45 to 50 minutes. Remove from oven, and let cool in the pan 10 to 15 minutes before removing from pan for slicing.

Sloth

Baby Ruth?

Wanna know about having a good time? You should check out wisdom teeth removal! It's what all the cool kids are doing, even this one!

According to my wife I told the nurses that the drugs they gave me resembled nothing more than a normal night out. And that I looked a lot like Sloth from The Goonies. But no candy bars for me! Chewing is completely off the table!

Or at least it was off the table until Shari cut me a slice of her plum bread topped with a hunk of butter. So damn good!

Blue sky smiling at me!

This heat is killing me!

I thought it best tonight to do some inside work so I painted the downstairs bathroom. The previous owner did a fantastic job of fixing up every room with the downstairs bathroom being the obvious exception. The walls are cheap-ass paneling making the decor reminiscent of a 1970's family room. In time I would like to completely redo it complete with new walls and tile. For now, though, we decided to paint it a sky blue. It actually looks really nice!

Oh I checked the cellar and discovered that my sump pump work around did not work. I'm going to have to find a replacement.

And before you ask, yes, Peter is back. This time I decided to leave him there. He will be our little totem, I suppose.

Toad-aly busy.

I have hooked up many a washer and dryer. It's not really difficult at all! Cold to cold, hot to hot, dryer vent to it's escape pod. Well what happened in our laundry room was straight out of an episode of the Dick Van Dyke show. Water everywhere, heat from the vent pouring out. It took me way longer than it should have but I did it! We can now do laundry.

On a wetter note, we bought the wrong sump pump. Apparently we do not need a submersible. I believe that I've created a work-around using a binder clip.

So the toad. Twice now I have liberated this toad from our cellar. I say "liberated" because I'm pretty sure he can't get out. I'm also pretty sure it's too cold for him to live. I understand the attraction, though. It is quite comfy down there!

By the way, I have named him Peter. As in Peter Cellar. Yeah, I'm that guy.

Sunday fun day I don't have to run day.

Isn't Sunday supposed to be a day of rest? Well so far, no good. We've already been out to Shari's parents' to pick up a boat, a dog run and various farm equipment. Oh yeah, and we picked up the dogs! After a quick bath, they are back in the house.

So I noticed today that our plums are ready to pick. Nice! Two days on the farm and we are already harvesting tasty goodness. So tonight, once it's no longer hot-hundred degrees out, Share Bear and I will be pulling plump plums off of our tree.

So many caterpillars, so few chickens.

See this bad boy? It's a walnut caterpillar. And it has friends. Oh so many friends! You know what walnut caterpillars don't like? Buckets full of soapy water.

Shari's basil bouquet.

Pears? Yes please!

Introductions are in order, wouldn't you say?

Looks like the perfect album cover, no?

My name is Blake and my wife Shari and I are closing on our farm on Wednesday, July 13th, moving in on Friday, July 15th.

Who we are.

I am a faculty librarian with the local university and my wife is a school counselor. We met, fell in love, and were married on June 7, 2008 (6.7.8). It's been our dream to start a small farm complete with chickens, fruit trees, veggies and a fishing pond. We plan on adding goats and possibly a cow to the mix and eventually, becoming organic certified. This is a hobby farm that may, if we are lucky, turn into more.

The Farm

A small, three bedroom, two bath, newly renovated farm house on 6.75 acres. There is a large garage where I plan to put together not only a workshop but also a gym and basic guy stuff. It's large enough to where I could even someday install a loft!

Why 'Smallville'?

Two simple reasons:

1.  I am a comic book geek.
2. We are in Kansas.

Our farm is located just south of Lawrence or what I shall refer to as Smallville. Smallville is a nice, quiet college town which also supports a healthy farming community. People there love their music, food and sports. It's pretty wholesome without being square.

So if there's a Smallville, is there a Metropolis? But of course! Just forty miles east of Lawrence sits the bustling city of Kansas City! Metropolis is where I ran the streets as a youth. My wife, though, grew up just outside of Kansas City in a town called Spring Hill, which we'll now call Midvale.

Now what?

My hope is to post our progress from day one, starting with our move-in. I would love for you to follow us but really, this is for me. And Shari. And perhaps any alien babies we find and raise while living on Smallville Farm.