Around Our Little Homestead~ Spring is in the Air

Things are waking up around our little homestead. The cold weather that kept us indoors is now fading away into the pleasant, mild weather that we love. This is prime outdoor time. All too soon, the hot humid Texas summer will descend on us like a heavy blanket, sending us indoors with only brief expeditions outside at sunrise and sunset. Then we'll wait patiently for Fall.

But now, we are all full of Spring plans and projects around our little homestead.

Fencing: Lots to do there. I have to finish the fence around our garden plot and a taller fence for our chicken coop. We need the fence to keep roaming country dogs out. A friend started the fencing for me, I just have to shore up the corners, and add the gates.

Garden: I'm giving the old garden plot a rest and starting in a new area. Our soil is sandy, so it drains too quickly. I've got composted manure, humus and lava sand ready to till into the ground. We need to pick up some corn gluten meal to spread all over our two acres. Corn gluten meal is an organic pre-emergent weed killer that we're hoping will solve our sticker burr problem. It's great in the garden too, as long as you apply it after your seeds have come up.

Chickens: I've always wanted chickens, this is the year. These chickens are going to have to live up to high expectations. I need them to help keep my bug population down, especially the grubs, that turn into pesky junebugs! Chicken manure will be a great addition to my compost pile. The chicken coop is nearly complete, made from recycled-around-the-homestead items. Oh yes, we also have to figure out where we will put dear daughter's duck.

Compost Pile: Last year's compost pile was a great success, but the bin needs rebuilding. I tried a new setup a month or so ago, but it needs to be reworked. I need two compost bins, because we need lots of compost to amend our sandy soil. I'd love to have a worm bin as well, but worm castings may have to wait until next year.

Clothesline: I need at least one more heavy-duty clothes line. My winter heating bill nearly left me in tears, so I need to work harder on frugal laundry habits to offset summer cooling bills. The nice thing about hot Texas summers is that clothes dry on the line in about an hour.

Food Preservation: It's time now to start preparing for summer food preservation. Start stocking up on gallon freezer bags, check around for good deals on canning jars and lids, and find bulk storage containers. The pantry is getting bare, so now is a good time to clean and reorganize. I'll put fresh bay leaves on the shelves and sprinkle a bit of diatomaceous earth around to prevent bugs.

Fruit Trees and Berry Bushes: Every year we try to plant a few. In a few years, we'll be glad we did. I'm hoping to incorporate some berry bushes as part of our "decorative" landscaping around front porch. Seems to me, if I have to prune and water it, the least my landscaping could do is feed me! Our current fruit trees need some sort of wire trunk collar to protect them from our neighbor's goats, who seem to head straight for our place every time they get out!

I'm sure if I sit here long enough, I'll think of ten more projects that need our attention. But for now, we've got enough to keep us hopping!