Update On Our New Year’s Goals

We’re already through the first quarter of 2022!

Time for a quick update on how we’re doing with our goals for the year.

1. Clean up the woods

We’ve used some fallen trees for bonfire fuel, and the kids and I have been slowly cleaning up the edges where the yard meets the woods. The chickens have to oversee every project, of course.

2. Make improvements to the animals’ spaces

The chicken coop hasn’t received much attention yet. We’re still figuring out what the best plan of action is going to be. Do we fix up what’s already there, do we move them to the barn, do we make a chicken tractor, etc.

We gave the chickens free reign of the yard starting in January. I have a complicated love/hate relationship with free ranging. On the one hand, they’re eating all kinds of ticks and other bugs from our yard. Plus they’re extremely happy and healthy birds. But on the other hand, there’s chicken poo everywhere, and the hens keep getting more creative with where they’re laying their eggs. We recently discovered a little hoard in the woods. I’m sure there’s another one somewhere that we haven’t found yet.

As for the pigs, they’re already in their last few weeks here. We will probably do a little bit of renovation on the pigpen over the summer. Some improvements to the food and water layout need to happen before we get another batch of piglets.

3. Remove stumps

A couple more stumps are out! Slow and steady was the plan with this goal, and that’s exactly how it’s going.

4. Plant a vegetable garden

We laid out the plot, tilled the ground, and got the electric fencing put up.

And of course, seeds have been started! After a couple mishaps, the seedlings are now living inside, in a bathroom closet. In a few more weeks, they’ll be ready to be hardened off and then planted in the garden. Some of the plants we’ve started inside are tomatoes, peppers, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, and watermelon.

The only thing that’s gone in the ground at this point is the potatoes. It’s already been 2 weeks since planting, so we should be seeing some little sprouts poking through the soil fairly soon!

5. Bonus Improvements

Doing some landscaping was more of an unwritten goal for this year, but we were able to plant a bunch of saplings a few weeks ago! They seem to be doing well so far, and a couple of them have already started getting itty bitty leaves on them.

That’s it for updates for today! The next goal update will be in July.

Have a great day, y’all.

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