I don’t want to use any chemical fertilizers or bug sprays in my garden, but that has caused a problem. I only get a very small amount of produce every year. Not nearly as much as I want and need. So, here I am limping along for the third year now with another small yield. I enjoy what I do get, but I definitely need to increase it.
Along comes Peter from Australia, nice, nice Peter, and he tells me about permaculture. What is permaculture I ask?? Permaculture embraces self reliance and self sufficiency in food production from your garden. That’s right up my alley because my goal has always been to raise as much of my own food as I can.
OK, Step one, ( I like steps ) build healthy productive soil. I will be doing that through sheet mulching. I have always used mulch, but not nearly enough. I will be putting down 8 to 12 inches of mulch. WOW, that’s a lot, but it’s easy enough and my soil needs HELP! Things I will be layering as mulch are cardboard first, then dead leaves, boan meal, wood chips, pasture scraps,(dead) green scraps, (live) and straw. Water well after each layer.
Here is a list of benefits for using permaculture. Totally chemical free food and soil, YAY!! Uses less water. Produces more food in a smaller garden. ALL GOOD. I’m sold. Stay tuned. and I will let you know how it goes.

Happy Homesteading
-Becky

We had a big rain storm this afternoon, but afterward the sun came out and the ponies where enjoying the cool down.

It’s good to take time off and enjoy what you have! Country life is good!! It’s so much fun in the country in the summer. That’s what it’s all about. It’s hard work to build a homestead-farm from the ground up, but I wouldn’t change it fore anything. I have been riding my new horse with friends. I love to ride!! Watching my friends baby minnies. There is nothing cuter than a baby horse. The baby minnies are soo little and cute. I also went blueberry picking and picked 25 pounds YUM!
After a nice break it’s back to work. I like to try and stay focused on what I want to accomplish on my farm. With so much going on I don’t want to loose sight of my goal. My goal is to raise as much of my own food as I can. I will be trying something new to improve my garden yield. I am working on my dairy goat pens. It all goes slow, but bit by bit. I also need to put up some sheet rock in my cabin. All big jobs, but thankfully I can do it. I don’t want to get ahead of myself so I don’t start too many jobs. It can be overwhelming. We will be shooting some video soon so stay tuned.

Happy Homesteading
-Becky