The decades old expression here is, “By Labor Day the pigs become hogs.” We have raised feeder pigs for decades. They are a great help on a small farm. Each year Ken has a tilling project so he grazes them sequentially. On any given year they might expand a garden space, dig out the quack grass outside the garden, or clear a fence line. They eat garden culls and many things people won’t …
Greetings from the Garden! This week’s CSA box has cabbage, kohlrabi, potatoes, green peppers, zucchini, cucumbers, green beans, onions, and parsley Field Notes. Ken got a new area set up for the pigs, and we moved them Friday. Ken is also irrigating green houses, planting fall crops, and more. The soil is dry, but I am careful what I wish for – some friends just got six inches of rain! Ken checked his …
After Thursday’s great escape, new pig pasture moved to the top of the priority list. In spite of the heat Ken went to work. Friday morning Ken first moved the troughs, so the pigs and Oscar knew where to go. Then I showed up and Ken opened the gate. The pigs meandered and two headed into the new spot. One over shot the fence, so Ken and Oscar herded him around and …
Once you get animals you have fences to maintain. Here we have pigs. Ken moves them frequently so they have new ground to dig, they get exercise and are not bored. This year part of the rotation was to have them dig up the turkey yard. They did a great job and Ken has intended to move them, but weeds, transplanting, appointments and such got priority. Today Ken left for an appointment – even …
Greetings for the Garden! This week’s CSA box has salad and braising greens, potatoes, squash, sweet potatoes, onions, garlic, carrots or beets, celery, winter tomatoes, and herbs Field Notes. What a season! We have had such a beautiful fall. Ken has finished digging potatoes and is wrapping up field work. The forecast is for cold weather later this week, so we will be getting the squash and onions to inside storage, hoopettes up over some …
We view animals as an integral part of the team – chickens scratch out bugs and weed seeds. Pigs clear and till spaces. Ken recently added the east side of the garden to the pig area. They are digging and clearing for him As I approached they came to check me out. Even at this size they can run!
It’s that time of year! Each Labor Day Ken announces the pigs have become hogs. Gone are the cute little piglets, and even the gawky, funny adolescents. They still are characters and they are full of energy The pigs get broader and they start to have jowls, and with the longer, cooler nights, they become most serious about their food. These pigs will go to the locker …
Well actually two. Thursday after midday meal Ken was ready to move the pigs, so we did! They had dug up their area and gladly moved to the next. Ken chose a woodsy location so they can stay cool in the summer heat. The geese range through the former pig area – they are gleaning any stray grain along with the wild birds The next morning before letting the …
Here we are at the solstice, the longest day of 2016. Then the days slowly shorten, and the crops grow; their goal is to set seed before the season ends or in the case of biennials, store enough energy in the root for seeds next season. Ken has moved a step ladder to the mobile high tunnel and has begun the regular task of trimming and tying up tomatoes so they continue to grow and …
When I met Ken over two decades ago, friends told me it was obviously serious – I was moving my perennial flowers to Turtle Lake. Ken tilled an area, and I planted. It was not the same as my established beds in the city. I battled poison ivy, weeds creeping from under a rock pile, etc. Ken moved the rocks, and really helped over the years. But first an old knee injury and then sciatica …
