Tallah Farms: 2011/11

A rainbow over our farm

I went outside yesterday and saw this rainbow. My husband was outside but I couldn't see him. As I walked over to the pasture to admire the rainbow, I called for him. When I got near the fence

Here's a new chicken pen I made out of free pallets.

The effects of time change on livestock

All my hens suddenly stopped laying eggs a few weeks ago. I didn't know why, so I went online and researched it. I learned hens need at least 12-14 hours of light to produce eggs. With a few adjustments, such as installing a light in their henhouse, they're laying again. Here's an interesting article on the time change and how it affects livestock.

Over the weekend, most of the U.S. “fell back” for daylight saving time. First adopted in the United States in 1918 in an effort to conserve fuel used to produce electricity during World War I, this biannual time adjustment has experienced its fair share of criticism over the years. While some say it saves energy and gives us more daylight for outdoor activities, like exercising, running errands or working on the farm, others say that it throws off humans’ circadian rhythm. As debates over the effects daylight saving time ensue, it’s important to remember that the time change can also impact our animals.
Just as humans have internal clocks, so do livestock. Many times livestock routines are formed by human activities, and psychological and physiological stress can occur if those routines are disrupted. For example, if a cow is used to being milked at a certain time each day and suddenly the farmer arrives an hour sooner, the cow will not feel that it is the proper time to be milked and may resist. Much the same, if the farmer waits an hour later, the cow will be more than ready to be milked because in its mind, the farmer is “late.” Physical effects can occur, as well, as the cow’s udder will continue

Make a Wood Planter Container

Today were going to make a small raised bed or this could also be considered a container garden. I found these pieces of wood when I picked up my pallets. There were 12 pieces all equal in size.

I simply nailed the sides together.

Then I added some well composted soil. Next...

For this container I planted Swiss Chard seeds. Swiss chard is a grows best in cool weather..

Make Your Own Gardening Labels

Some things are just ridiculously expensive. You can save money if you just take a little time to think things out and use a little ingenuity. Sometimes I'll just browse around hardware stores, looking at supplies - but with an eye to use it for something else. You know those really cheap plastic blinds you see in places like Family Dollar or Walmart? Well I purchased a set (the longest in length) and I cut them into the sizes I wanted. They make great gardening labels.

Okra Seeds

To save okra seeds allow the pods to dry out completely.
Peel the pods open and place dry seeds in a jar or paper envelope.

Look what I found still growing....

Tomato seedlings.
The seeds sprouted from some of the tomatoes that fell from the vines.
I'll put these in water and see what happens. Hopefully I can grow these throughout the winter.

The GREATEST, BESTEST MOM EVER!! In the entire universe, world and all the planets including Zotran and Momopolis.... that haven't been discovered yet!

My mom got these for me!!! Aren't they pretty? We can scratch these off the wish list. We're making progress.... THANKS MOM! I LOVE YOU. Now I can really get some work done!.....