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Subject: Healthy soil and sustainable growing

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  • From: Carrie Shepard <carrieshepard@yahoo.com>
  • To: Healthy soil and sustainable growing <livingontheland@lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: [Livingontheland] using animals to improve the soil
  • Date: Thu, 27 Sep 2007 06:50:33 -0700 (PDT)

I'm occasionally online again after our move to a slightly larger property and wanted to say hello and give a short update.  Harvey's mention of using a nipple watering system for chickens sparked my interest as I've just assembled my first such system for watering two 7 week old Duroc gilts.  55 gallon drums free from water department, $12.95 set of two nipples, 6" three quarter inch pipe reducer to 1/2", and a connector and it's a clean water system for a total of $10 per waterer.
 
I'm  hoping that these two gilts will be my most excellent Johnson grass Eradication program and garden preparation answer.   I have two areas partially fenced off that I want to eventually let these pigs have free access to, but not till the first frost and the other two sides are fenced.  We live across from a cemetary and my worst fear is that those pigs when bigger might escape and find all those free flowers too enticing.  For now I have them in a cattle panel lined with welded wire 'tractor' with pallets for windblock on one side and a tarp over the top.  This is light enough for my daughter and I to move around and the pigs are still small enough that it isn't cramped at all for them yet.  I expect though that they'll outgrow it by the first frost or slightly after, at which point I want to put them into the fenced in garden area and then the larger area that I want cleared and tilled.
 
So,  one of these days soon I'll be pounding more T-posts and acquiring more cattle panels.
 
The burgundy okra is producing nicely now along with pole beans and the winter squashes I planted are beginning to ripen.  I harvested and have begun using a few butternut squash.  The kids entered the cinderella pumpkins and won blues at the local free fair.  They didn't have much competition though, don't know why more people aren't growing pumpkins?   I will be keeping the chickens away from my winter squashes though, the two roosters free-ranging have eaten into one too many.  They'll be dog food soon.  In the past I've predominantly free ranged my poultry, but here I will be keeping them confined until I get more shrubs and fencing done.
 
The sheep are bred, the goats are bred, and I'm re-reading the permaculture book and thinking about how I want things layed out here for the spring.
 
Blessings,
Carrie
 


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