Re-cap fall and winter 2015

Well, obviously, I have been so enthralled with the ease of posting on Instagram that I've ignored my good ol' blog. So, for those of you who don't follow me on Instagram, here's a recap of the last months of 2015.

My time was taken up by continuing the development of the native and edible plant gardens through the rest of the summer. (I enjoyed the "fruits" of my labor A LOT)

Our raspberry hedge was a big producer and picking was enjoyed by all of us.

Aronia berry scones. The Aronia (chokeberry) bushes were also producing in their first year and are super-easy to grow.
We were happy to discover that, when cooked, they taste just like blueberries.

I also expanded the chicken coop to aid in amiable chicken relationships through the winter. Our two roosters and 12 hens seem to be making it work in their new space. But Donny, our head rooster, developed a very protective attitude while we were away on our late summer trip to Italy (yes, it was a blast!).

Construction of the coop addition required a rooster barricade!

Brent devised a portable solar charging station that houses the inverter, charge controller and battery. We are still working on right-sizing our systems. But it will certainly be handy for keeping water thawed in the winter and running the small pumps for the cisterns in the summer.

Portable solar battery charging system. Notice the expanded coop in the background.

The biggest accomplishment: The Greenhouse! It's done :-)

Figuring out the windows/framing walls

Brent on the roof matching up the peaks/creating flashing

All closed up!

Of course, there was a TON more to it than these pictures show. Brent worked every spare minute and even took time off of his full-time day job to make sure the space was done before the cold set in. And I couldn't be more pleased to have this invaluable part of our farm infrastructure functioning. It's been an awesome place to work.

My own big accomplishment last fall was the establishment of the first of our vegetable plots. It's a small space, as market gardens go, but I didn't want to bite off too much more than I could handle for our first year.

Two feet deep mulch to start our no-till garden system. My hands are still recovering from all the raking!

I also readied a space using the same deep mulch system for the 20'X40' high tunnel that we will erect prior to fall 2016.

There's so much more that's happened. Hopefully, this little recap gives you a taste of where we ended the season last year.

Next up, the beginnings of our first season farming!