We’ve been working like dogs for way too long. Turning bare, scrubby brush land into garden space and of course a home. Fencing is such an issue out here as we have deer, rabbits, bears, even an occasional mountain lion or feral pig. Luckily our dogs keep most of them at a distance from our home and our general territory.
The other serious item we’ve been dealing with is how to turn this sandy clay soil, full of sticks, into fertile soil . All my girlfriends look at me and say “Yeah, but YOUR husband has HEAVY EQUIPMENT”. My husband has been working his way through at least in a portion of our property
compost building, bringing home plant clippings, wood chips, shredded paper left over from a local printing press(all organic inks) mixed in with manures, horse and chicken, making lot’s of compost. At one point before we started the new garden area we had about 50 yards of this material. I like to start these piles with some compost from a previous pile. We even got to haul a large compost pile that was in the way, home from a job, what a boon ! This is my method of biodynamic innoculation.These micro-organisms help to break down the compost more rapidly even though our piles were “warm piles” not “hot”.
One of the biggest compliments I’ve gotten was, “You imported that soil, right?”. Our soil in the garden areas is gradually becoming dark, rich, worm laden. Growing beautiful healthy veggies.
Now we are working on growing grass, pasture. This will take some time but baby shoots of grass and clover are coming up in one area. Next comes the large scale fencing, ow money, money,$$$.
