The Almost-Failed Living Fences Experiment

Just the other day, I was reading one of my favorite homesteading blogs, NorthWest Edible Life. Erica posted about Being Everyone – drooling over the pretty close up pictures and seemingly no-fail efforts of other homesteaders and green livers. I can soooo relate. I read other blogs, then look at my wilting cucumber vines, missing walls, and garage siding that’s been waiting for almost 2 years to get finished, and think “I suck at this homesteading thing.”

Our living fences experiment is one of those projects that really, really makes me wonder if I can actually do this homesteading thing. After all, we’re talking about a woman who, just a few years ago, couldn’t keep houseplants alive. I haven’t updated our experiment because, well…I thought I had completely bumbled the project.

I planted six osage orange trees along the outside line of my garden fence. Of the six, only a few ever came out of dormancy. No big deal, right? I followed the directions from the nursery to a “t.” No big deal if all of them didn’t wake up – especially since we weren’t even sure the trees would grow in a hot, humid southern climate. I counted myself lucky that any of them started sprouting. That is, until the cat, a few bees, and my teenagers came along.

I realized my first mistake was not properly mulching around the plants when I put them in. First, the cat mistook the bare dirt circles as a wonderful gesture on the part of her humans to offer outdoor litter boxes. Oreo, that beloved pain in the neck feline o’ mine caused one little struggling sapling to turn brown and wither. Hmm…knock out one of the few plants that woke up from dormancy. Apparently, osage orange plants aren’t cat pee-hardy.

My no-mulch failure was further evidenced by the grass and weeds that almost immediately started to battle my little horseapple babies for the same space. Bermuda grass almost immediately grew back over the little bare dirt wells around each tree. I tried in vain to pull the stuff up, turn the dirt over, anything I could think of, short of spraying something that could potentially damage my little plants – no luck. Eventually, I ceded the battle and resigned myself to simply weedeating around the trees, to keep the boys from accidentally mowing over my living fence protigies.

Enter the bees and said teenage boys. I was weedeating around the trees and fence line one day earlier this summer. I was being sooo careful to make sure I kept clear of the tender little sprouts. Just as one of the boys called out “Mom!” in typically ill-timed teenagease, I spotted a yellow jacket buzzing around in front of me. Whether it was the boy’s call, the sight of my arch nemesis (I’m deathly allergic to bees stings) who knows? But the end result was a jerk and a jump – naturally, in just the right direction to chop down not one, but TWO of my three remaining bare root tree babies.

I nearly cried. I felt like a homesteading idiot. If I had paid more attention, done more reading, had a clue what I was doing, I wouldn’t have needed to get a weedeater anywhere near my little darlings. This is where Erica’s post struck a chord the other day. I have done that “I suck compared to everyone else” guilt trip on myself – and those horseapple trees are but one shining example.

BUT…

There is hope, even for us less-than-perfect, unworthy, no pretty close-up picture type homesteaders. Sometimes, Mother Nature has her own way of counter-acting us bumblers.

I walked outside yesterday to snap a few pictures around the farm – mostly to document our garage-soon-to-be-barn project. (More on that later this week.) I’ve had to support my ONE remaining osage orange/horseapple tree with a brick, since it seems determined to grow at a weird angle. I was adjusting the brick and checking to make sure it wasn’t rubbing the tender bark off, when I spotted leaves peeking out of the well next to my solitary survivor. Little tiny green leaves, sticking up from one of the once-thought-slaughtered saplings.

Holy kaw! You mean it didn’t die after all? So I checked the next one…OMG! It was sprouting a bunch of little leaves. I checked the next well…more little leaves! Even one of the bare roots I thought didn’t wake up (and intentionally lopped off with the weedeater) was sprouting leaves!! Hot damn! The little buggars are comin’ back – in spite of my murderous slip of the weedeater!

Woo hoo! Granted, these little guys are barely more than 2 inches tall (compared to almost 2 feet tall for the formerly sole survivor) but I don’t care. They’re alive! Maybe, just maybe, I’m doing something right after all. Or at least, not terribly wrong to the point that Mother Nature can’t fix it.

So, while I’ll still drool over Erica’s fruit trees, and fluffy leafy veggies, I don’t feel quite so much like a failure…today. Tomorrow, well, we’ll cross that bridge when we get to it.

Heritage Horse Breeds – Drafts for the Farm

I mentioned in a previous post, probably a few if truth be told, that we plan to use draft horses for as much of the heavy duty work here on the farm as possible. Much like deciding on a breed of chicken, we also have to decide on a breed of draft.

And again, just like with chickens, the info available online to help with the buying decision is nearly infinitesimal. So much to digest and learn…even for someone who knows a thing or two about horses. However, since my sister, Lesli Kathman, is far more experienced and knowledgeable, I enlisted her help last year to make a decision.

Before talking with Lesli, I knew I really wanted heritage breeds for just about everything. It’s a matter of preference for me. I like the idea of helping to preserve breeds with such rich histories and proven track records. I also have a thing for history – or at least, things that have a historic feel to them.

In the beginning, I had thought to get Creams. American Cream Draft horses are a true American original. They’re also a beautiful animal. According to the American Cream Draft Horse Association, there are now less than 400 Creams registered in the U.S. The breed is considered critical in terms of extinction. Given that they’re about the same height as Quarter Horses, I thought they would make a good draft for us, rather than the big Clydesdale or Percheron breeds.

Being novices (read as completely clueless,) I think I would feel more confident learning to manage a smaller team (in terms of physical size.) Not to mention, we’re not looking at logging or truly heavy duty work. We’re talking pulling a horse-drawn PTO cart with attachments for grading roads, harrowing fields, etc.

However, after talking to Lesli, I’m thinking we might start out with Halflingers. Haflingers are classified as draft ponies. They’re smaller than full sized drafts. Not to mention being so darn cute. The breed traces back to Oriental roots, with published mentions of the breed spanning 200 years.

As a pony, Halflingers are measured in inches, rather than hands. Max height for a registered Halflinger is 60 inches. They’re versatile for both draft work and riding, which makes them perfect for us.

I’m thinking we can start with a nice pair of Halflingers. We can learn to drive a team AND have nice riding horses. As we gain more experience with teams and work on the farm expands, we can add a team of Creams to the mix. That would give us two teams, one pair that can double as riding horses, AND “organic farm equipment” for bigger projects later down the road. I love the rich history of both breeds. I love the way both look, and the personality traits of both.

There are companies out there that make special equipment JUST FOR farmers who enjoy working with drafts rather than tractors and fossil fuel equipment. I can even by a horse cart to power modern PTO equipment (using about as much gas a large riding lawn mower, while getting all the benefit of PTO mowing decks, disc harrows, etc.)

Even buying two teams of horses, all their tack, the PTO cart, and PTO attachments totals an investment less than half what I would spend for the same set up with a new tractor. And like I’ve said before, a John Deere ain’t gonna poop a new John Deere when it wears out. A John Deere ain’t gonna poop out little mini John Deere replicas I can sell to other farms.

What are your thoughts? Would you use drafts and old fashioned implements if you had the choice? What are your favorite draft horses?

Living Fences: The Experiment Begins

As some of you may recall, some months back I talked about living fences – a practice that goes back to the pioneer days here in the States. It goes even further back in agricultural areas in Europe. I first read about the concept in a Mother Earth News article.

Since then, I’ve read up on various options for hedges and various trees. I ultimately decided to try out osage orange, also known as hedgeapple. You can read more about them (and see what the “fruit” looks like) here. Historically, they’re found in Oklahoma and northern Texas, but I’m hoping they’ll be able to survive here in Georgia. From what I’ve read, they take 4 years to reach horse height, 10 years to fully mature and produce fruit. They give off a orange, citrusy scent on a hot summer day. (I’m definitely looking forward to that!)

That’s a long time for an experiment!

The idea is to keep them pruned down, and as new shoots/small branches develope, you bend those and stick them back into the ground. The result is a beautiful lattice-style trunk at the bottom, with big thorns and a density that can even keep in chickens. The top, bushy part of the tree grows so dense and tall (provided they’re properly pruned and trained) that they can keep in cattle, hogs, and other livestock…as well as being a little too tall for a horse to jump over.

It’s hard to believe the kind of wormy-looking twigs that arrived via UPS yesterday will someday grow up to be, as the saying goes “horse high, bull strong, and hog tight.”

I spaced them out about 2 feet from the edge of the front garden fence and approximately 3-4 feet apart. From what I’ve read, they need spacing under 5 feet in order to grow dense enough to serve as fencing.

I realize this project is by no means a short-term thing. It could take YEARS to have even enough of them to just fence in the 8 acres around the house. That’s okay. We plan to erect wire fencing with metal posts in the meantime. We’ll gradually replace the wire fencing with living fencing as Mother Nature allows. Provided, of course, that these little twigs survive brutal Georgia summers. Otherwise, I’ll have to research another hedge or tree option.

If the experiment works and these things do thrive in our climate, I’ll probably invest in more bare root plants to help speed things along. First, I need to see if they can survive, and how hard it is to get that beautiful lattice-style trunk thing to work out. If all goes well and Mother Nature cooperates, planting these osage orange trees will be an ongoing, yearly thing.

Not only will it take us years to get all the fencelines established, but we’ll also be rotating the fencelines as they reach maturity. Once each new line reaches it’s 10 year maturity mark, I plan to plant another line beside it. Once the new line is horse height and established, we’ll cut down the old line to harvest the wood. I’ve read some articles that say (in addition to the wood being pest/rot resistent) that when dried for firewood, this stuff puts out more BTUs than most any other hardwood. Of course…that’s a good 15 years off and who knows what might happen between now and then.

I guess this homesteading thing is going to teach me patience, among many other things.

10 Key Components of Organic Gardening

Organic gardening is much more then just avoiding the use of chemicals on your garden. For many people it is an outlook on living using nature’s laws to grow their fruits, vegetables, and other plants naturally. This is usually a personal choice made in light of much research done into the importance of diet as it relates to our health and longevity.

Studies have shown that organically grown foods have higher concentrations of vitamins and minerals then those grown using chemical fertilizers, pesticides, and herbicides. Organically grown fruits and vegetables are not only better health wise but they also avoid the accidental exposure to those chemical agents that are used in large scale commercial farming that is so common in today’s world.

Here are 10 key components that are a fundamental part of organic gardening.

1. Healthy Soil – This is probably the most fundamental aspect of any organic garden. Healthy soil that is replenished naturally will grow healthy food stuffs year after year. Organic fertilizers such as manure and composted garden, yard, and kitchen waste are easily recycled back into the earth creating nutrient rich soil that will grow all manner of healthy plants.

2. Avoid all chemical or synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, and herbicides. This will not only ensure that your soil stays naturally organic but it also relieves the worry of harm to your family and pets should they come in contact with these dangerous chemicals.

3. Sustainable gardening practices allow your garden to become self sustaining. As nutrients are used by plants they are replaced through the use of natural fertilizers and compost. Done properly organic gardens rely on natural organic cycles to remain healthy each and every year.

4. Stewardship of the environment – The natural environment benefits from organic gardening practices in that it reduces the environmental contamination associated with chemical dependent farming practices.

5. Creating friendly habitats for beneficial wildlife. There are a wide variety of beneficial animals and insects that will be drawn to your garden. Protecting them from the dangers associated with hazardous chemicals is not only beneficial to them but also to your gardening efforts as they will eat large amounts of destructive insects, controlling them in a natural manner.

6. Use intensive planting practices to conserve water usage and help retard to growth of undesirable weeds. Intensive planting is simple spacing your plants close to together. This helps to shield the soil from the sun slowing evaporation and weed seed germination.

7. Use the concept of plant biodiversity to ensure that changes in growing conditions or plant disease does not lead to crop failure. Planting a variety of different plants will ensure that the loss of one plant will not jeopardize the overall garden food supply.

8. Rotate crops – controlling soil borne pests and disease is the primary reason to rotate crops each year and throughout the growing season. Crop rotation can keep any garden healthy and producing bountiful harvests.

9. Use good watering and weeding practices. Capture and store rain water where possible to water the garden. Use soaker hoses, drip irrigation, or water by hand to minimize water loss. Hand weed and avoid the use of harmful pesticides and herbicides. And be sure to lay down a thick layer of mulch to hold in moisture and keep weeds from germinating.

10. Save seeds from your best crops for future use. Imagine being able to create a self sustaining garden that requires no outside help. From planting in the spring until fall harvest an organic garden is truly a part of it natural environment.

To learn how to make an all natural Organic Weed Killer and protect your family and pets from toxic chemicals please Click Here.

Article Source: Andrew Bicknell

Hedges as Living Fences

Hedges are the perfect plant if you want to make a living fence. Privacy plants are the perfect alternative to fences, because you can grow them into a fence while having the joy of beautiful green hedges. Some living fences are made from an evergreen hedge, while others are made from privacy trees.

Holly trees can be perfect for making a living fence. The Nellie R. Stevens holly are evergreen hedges that gives you a beautiful dark green color all year round. In winter, red berries appear and you can use a few branches to decorate your home. This evergreen hedge grows quickly, and you just need to clip the leader off when the holly reaches the height you want, which will make them thicken. These are perfect for fences or accents, and they attract lots of different kinds of wildlife, such as chipmunks and songbirds.

Privacy trees such as the Leyland Cypress are beautiful evergreen trees that you can see all over the Southeast. These privacy trees are fast growing, and they form a beautiful pyramid with dense branches and feathery foliage. This tree is perfect for larger properties that need a quick screen, and you can train them if you prune them at an early age. This tree will handle severe trimming, and is very adaptable. It will even grow in coastal landscapes. You can easily trim this tree into a dense fence that will bring beauty and privacy to your garden.

Privacy plants come in many forms. You can use trees or shrubs to make a fence that separates you from the rest of the world. Privacy plants can be evergreens and sometimes they can provide you with both privacy and beautiful flowers. There are plenty to choose from, so you are sure to find something that suits you and your garden.

For more information on living fences with hedges or to purchase them online visit ShopLeavesAndPetals.com today!

Article Source: Viktoria Carella

Viktoria Carella - EzineArticles Expert Author

Living Fences

We’ve been talking around the farm about the various types of fencing options we have available. Until very recently, I had narrowed my choices to high tensile wire (with upper and lower strands electrified) or plain ‘ol cattle fencing. Over the last year, I’ve looked into split rail fencing, portable fencing…you name it. When you’re talking about several thousand and eventually several hundred thousand linear feet of fencing, it pays to really look at all of the available options.

In truth, I really didn’t like any of the manufactured fencing options. It’s really become a matter of cost and which option I hate the least. That is, until yesterday.

Yesterday, I finally sat down to read the latest issue of Mother Earth News. (Gee, who would have thought I’d be reading a hippie-sounding magazine? I wouldn’t have believed you a year or two ago.) In any regard, I read an article that popped all sorts of light bulbs over my head. The article was about living fences.

Don’t know what a living fence is? That’s okay, you can check out the full article at the Mother Earth News website.

I LOVE the idea of living fences. I love the idea that my fencing could eventually serve so many purposes on the farm…as containment for livestock, as fodder for livestock, fruit/berries, and if I choose the right shrubs & trees, even a renewable source of fence posts (for gates & other areas of the farm) and firewood. Talk about multi-purpose!

This is exactly the kind of solution I’m looking for to make this farm more biodynamic. Not to mention, I can have pretty shrub lines & hedge rows instead of ugly old metal posts. I can have my English garden maze I’ve always wanted. I can do all kinds of stuff with living fences.

Admittedly, I’ll have to put up some kind of fencing to keep in the goats, chickens, horses, and cattle we want to have sometime in the next year or so (it takes roughly four years for a living fence to reach “horse height.”) but that will only be a temporary thing.

I know there’s going to be A LOT of work involved. We’re talking hundreds to thousands of linear feet of living fence. That means a lot of hours on my knees, bending, pruning, and carefully laying the ground work for my fence. (I love the way the osage orange fencing has the laced/knotted base under the shrubs.) However, in just four years, the fence should be tall enough to take down any metal/manufactured fencing we have to put up temporarily. I think the overall look of living fences is just more pleasing to the eye, too. So, I’m willing to do the work to get this stuff started.

It will be a long process. It’s not like I can plant all of the shrubs/hedges/trees all at one time. No, more likely we’ll grow the fencing in sections over a long period of time.

However, ten years or so from now…imagine what my farm will look like with all those pretty green lines of hedges/living fences everywhere.

Hexemaus Farms

Adventures in Homesteading