Categories
Urban Farming

Aerial Pumpkins and Wrinkled Tomatoes

Pumpkin stand on trellis

Photo by Rick Gush

My pumkins, which are planted on a trellis, need extra support as they grow, so I built this pumpkin support system.

Gardening on a cliff presents some amusing problems.

I really like growing squash vines, but there’s no way I have enough horizontal space for these sprawlers. So what I do usually is grow the vines on the edge of a terrace and let them spill down across the terraces below. I have four winter squash vines that have grown down the 20-foot face where I have some wild asparagus plants and a half dozen other squash vines that are starting to crawl across the lemon tree on the terrace below where they are planted. My trombetti squash are already about 16 feet long, and a few of the vines look like they might be able to make it another 20 feet down toward the street level. All the big green squash leaves look very attractive with the bright yellow flowers on the vines. 

For my pumpkins this year, I dug some big pits at the back of one bed and filled them with the compost from my organic refuse collector. I planted the pumpkin seeds in water wells at the back of the bed in such a way that the plants would have almost 10 feet of open dirt before they reached the edge of the terrace. With pumpkins, I like to bury the first five or six nodes of the vines in order that each node can develop its own set of roots. This multi-rooting system seems best for supporting the huge growth spurts that big pumpkins go through when they are growing the pumpkin fruits. Once a pumpkin fruit sets, I can see it get bigger every day for about a month before the enlargement slows or stops.

This is all fine, except the pumpkins are now covering an overhead trellis on the terrace below where they’re planted. It was pretty clear that while the trellis could support the vines and leaves, big heavy pumpkins hanging in mid air at the top of a 70-foot-tall cliff above our parking lot was a recipe for messy disaster.

So now I’ve built some tall cane supports that have sturdy baskets about 7 feet above ground level.  The baskets should be able to support the weight of a big, mature pumpkin, but if the fruits keep getting bigger, I may have to think about adding reinforcements.

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Photo by Rick Gush

i grow Costoluta tomatoes in my garden.

Today’s second photo is of some of our Costoluta tomatoes that are fruiting like crazy these days. Costoluta tomatoes are pretty common here, and each region seems to have their own varieties that the locals grow. Here in Liguria, a lot of gardeners grow Cuore di Bue, which means “Ox Heart.” We’re growing Cuore di Bue ourselves. My wife isn’t nuts about them, but I like them sliced in balsamic vinegar and my sister and mother in law take everything we send them.

These monsters develop in clusters of six or seven fruit, and the weight of all that fruit means that these plants also need extra support from canes, even though the sturdy trunks of these tomatoes are an inch and a half thick. With all the plants needing support, I calculate I’m using about a hundred Arundo canes, and there a few areas where I should have used more. Obviously, cutting a bunch of new canes will be one of this winter’s projects.

Read more of Digging Italy »

Categories
Urban Farming

Detroit Urban Farmers Travel to South Africa

Catherine Ferguson Academy student

Courtesy www.grownindetroitovie.com/ Mascha Poppenk

The Catherine Ferguson Academy for teenage mothers integrates an urban farm into its curriculum. Six students travelled to South Africa to teach other young entrepreneurs about urban farming and how to build a greenhouse.

“Sowing seeds of success,” Asenath Andrews proudly says, “is our slogan.” Andrews is the residing principal of Catherine Ferguson Academy in Detroit, Mich., a high school for pregnant teens and teenage-mothers. This is not the only thing that makes Catherine Ferguson an example of an inspiring and progressive learning environment. The girls of Catherine Ferguson are also taught skills in organic urban farming and agricultural management.

In the city of Detroit, Andrews and her students are bringing hope to the abandoned lots that have unfortunately become the city’s prevailing landscape over the past 20 years. They transform the barren and unused land by planting everything from apple trees to garlic, building greenhouses, practicing beekeeping and raising various livestock.

This week, Andrews and six of her students embarked on an extraordinary trip to South Africa, where they have been invited to attend an Youth Entrepreneurship Conference in Soweto. These young leaders will be teaching lessons in nutrition and organic urban farming to students from Africa who will also be attending the conference. In addition, the group will also be designing and constructing a community greenhouse and garden as an offer of service.

The day before they were set to fly, Andrews was at a loss for words.

“I can hardly speak. I’m overwhelmed. We’ve been preparing for six months. Everyone is excited and beyond,” she says with sigh and smile you could almost hear over the phone line.

The girls, the prodigies, the leaders, the entrepreneurs, the brave mothers, or however you would categorize them, are taking a huge leap from making positive impacts in their city toward making positive impacts in the world. By being leaders in their own community, they have now been chosen to be international, innovative examples of leadership.

In the United States, produce travels an average of 1,500 miles before it hits your plate. It’s usually grown with pesticides, is chemically fertilized and is often genetically modified. The foods grown and harvested by Catherine Ferguson’s students are completely organic (the student’s distaste for weeds is proof of that) and sold in local markets. These powerful young mothers bring the health and environmental benefits to their own tables, their customers and their community as a whole at a very affordable cost.

Beyond that, though, Andrews has been developing business models with the staff and students of Catherine Ferguson aimed at using the benefits of local farming to develop economic success. Her aspiration has been to provide a skill that would offer her students a wage of at least $20,000 a year, but recently this bar has been raised. New opportunities and new recognition have brought to light the true level of innovation that is at work here.

“This information is a commodity,” says Andrews, who now envisions her students starting their own international consulting firms sometime in the not-so-distant future. Through hard work and a determined vision these girls have transformed their life paths and now they are helping others by giving them the tools to do the same.

 

Categories
Homesteading

Garden Philosophy

garden
Photo by Jessica Walliser

I’ve adopted a new gardening philosophy.  It stems from all my friends who have become brand new gardeners in the last year or two. 

This whole gardening thing is so exciting for them and, since I’ve been doing it professionally since I was 15, I have kind of forgotten how thrilling it can be to grow a garden. 

My friends have sent me text messages about their first tomato harvest, emailed me pictures of their zucchini plants, posted images of their favorite flower on Facebook, shared with me a meal of their very first green beans, expressed smiles and frustrations over gigantic pumpkins and attack bunnies. 

I’m feeling their excitement and sharing all those little gardening thrills I haven’t experienced in a long time. 

It is so much fun to hear about someone’s first garden.  You can feel the emotion in their voice; it’s almost as if their garden is a child and they are watching it grow and nurturing it with similar care. The discovery of this new diversion, and the pride that comes with it, is an amazing thing. 

I’m so proud of my friends and hope that their ‘real’ children will become gardeners themselves, as I did after watching my mother garden and seeing how much pleasure she took in it. 

So I have decided to stop taking my garden successes for granted and do a better job appreciating each and every cucumber I pick from the vine. 

I’m also going to take the failures to heart a bit more.  Over the years it has become ‘no big deal’ to watch a plant wither–there is always next year, right?  Yes, I try not to repeat these failures, but I stopped getting fired up about it a long time ago. 

I think I need to start questioning my failures more; that’s how I’ll continue to learn.  Its how all gardeners do.  Listening to my ‘new garden’ friends ask why something didn’t work, reminds me that I should be asking myself the same. 

So, thanks to all the newbie gardeners in my life.  You are an inspiration.  

« More Dirt on Gardening »       

Categories
Homesteading

Summer Fun List

playing in water
Photos by Cherie Langlois

Sometime during my daughter Kelsey’s grade school years, she and I started a little end-of-the-school-year tradition called the Summer Fun List. 

To kick off summer vacation, we would sit together at the computer and brainstorm a to-do list of enjoyable summer activities.  We’d each take turns dreaming up maybe 25-30 ideas, typing each in a fun, different font. 

After it was finished, we taped the list in a prominent place where we could refer to it often and check off the activities we’d done. 

We seldom accomplished every single thing we’d listed, but no matter—looking back at the pen-struck list when school started in September helped us remember just how wonderful and action-packed our summer had been.

jumping

What kinds of things were on the list?  All sorts, really, and of course it changed each year, although some favorites reappeared regularly.  We tried to balance free activities (i.e. picking daisies) with ones that would cost money (seeing a summer flick), simple pleasures (blow bubbles) with the more complex (build a tree house), small dreams (go to the beach) with the big (take a trip to France).  

Yesterday, following an afternoon crammed with farm chores, I crawled into our rainbow-colored hammock for the first time this summer.  As I swung and gazed at the sky, it suddenly occurred to me that Kelsey and I hadn’t made our Summer Fun Lists during her last few years of high school. 

This year I thought about it, and then promptly forgot again as her graduation swept us into summer in a crazy rush.  Maybe she’s getting too old for such things anyway, I thought.

And then I thought, Swinging in this hammock is really fun, and made a little mental check-mark.  Maybe we’re never too old for a Summer Fun List. 

Here’s a sampling from our past lists to give you some ideas, in case you’d like to try making one with your kids.  It’s definitely not too late—we still have plenty of summer left to go! 

1.  Pick blackberries.
2.  Go to the zoo.
3.  Take a bicycle ride on the rail trail.
4.  Plant an herb garden. 
5.  Visit the farmer’s market.
6.   Go to the county fair.
7.  Make a rock and cement bird bath.
8.   Go swimming (or run through the sprinkler).
9.   Hike to Sheep Lake.
10.  Read a good summer book (or two or three or…)

~  Cherie

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Categories
Farm Management

Interviewing a Farm Manager

Interview
Digital Vision/Thinkstock

Hiring a farm manager as a member of your hobby farm requires forethought, planning and care. By assessing her farm needs, Michelle Dietzler of Dietzler Farms outlined the responsibilities and required skills of the farm manager she wanted to hire. Use her list below to jump-start a list of your own.

Farm Manager Responsibilities

  • Delegating responsibilities to the workers, supervising hands and recruiting employees
  • Creating and working within budgets
  • Planning and scheduling crop planting and harvesting

Farm Manager Requirements

  • Extensive knowledge of raising cattle, cattle reproduction and animal science
  • Knowledge of non-GMO feeding techniques
  • Knowledge and experience with farm equipment and machinery
  • Graduate of competitive university agriculture program
  • Prior leadership experience
  • Motivated about the industry and the future of all-natural beef production
  • Computer proficient and able to utilize technology for record keeping
  • Excellent organizational skills
  • 5-plus years in the farm industry

Interviewing the Farm Manager

Once you know what you’re looking for in a farm manager, make sure your candidates meet your preset qualifications. Here are some sample questions you can ask during the interview to ensure you get all the information you need.

  • Background, including education, hands-on experience, specialty training
  • Crop- and livestock-specific education, including hands-on and specialty training
  • Management experience, including size of staff; knowledge of human resources
  • Marketing background, including modern marketing techniques and social media marketing
  • Business methodology background
  • Computer experience and knowledge; ability to learn new programs and hardware; new media and new technology abilities
  • Regional and area knowledge; sales, product, marketing and market of your region, state
  • Level of organizational skills for both farm and business needs
  • Budgeting and money handling experience and skills
  • Basic farming knowledge as it pertains to farm equipment, farm tools, maintenance and upkeep
Categories
Homesteading

7 Hobby Farms Halloween Stencils

7 Hobby Farms Halloween StencilsExDownloadshobby farms, jack o’ lantern stencils, pumkin stencils, halloween stencilsUse these stencils to create a farm-inspired jack-o’-lantern for your Halloween celebration or decor.Use these stencils to create a farm-inspired jack-o’-lantern for your Halloween celebration or decor.

Download and print off these jack-o’-lantern stencils, and decorate your front porch or barn.

Stencil Instructions

  • Prep your pumpkin by scooping out the seeds. Then choose a stencil design below that you’d like to use. Click on one of the images  to download the full-sized stencil.
  • Print the page, then tape or pin it to your pumpkin. Put the pins on the edge of the image so you don’t have extra holes in your pumpkin.
  • Use a pushpin or the sharp point of a knife to poke holes along the edge of the design so that when you remove the stencil, you will still have an outline visible on the face of the pumpkin. Poke the holes 1/4 inch to 1/8 inch apart. Don’t leave out any fun details! Tip: Carve the small details first, then move on to the larger sections.
  • To create a final result with multiple tones, carve the outer skin from the pumpkin, but leave just enough of the white flesh in tact to allow some light to pass through. This can be tricky, so carve carefully!
Click to downlad a barn stencil!
Click here for a rooster stencil!
Click here for a cow stencil!

Check out our newest designs:

 

Goat Stencil
Pig Stencil
Llama Stencil
Leaf Stencil

Click here for horse stencils.

Download and print off these jack-o’-lantern stencils, and decorate your front porch or barn. https://www.hobbyfarms.com/images/free-downloads/rooster-stencil_255.jpg

Categories
News

Ventilate Barns to Prevent Cow Heat Stress

Barn roof
Provide a ridge opening in your barn’s roof to improve air circulation inside the barn and keep cows cool.

During warmer temperatures, poor ventilation in barns may result in cows expressing obvious signs of heat stress, such as breathing heavily or panting.

“Cows are much more cold tolerant than we are and much less heat tolerant than we are,” says Jeffrey Bewley, assistant extension professor in the University of Kentucky College of Agriculture’s Department of Animal and Food Sciences. Cows begin to experience heat stress when the temperature humidity index exceeds 72 degrees F.

Historically, dairy barns were constructed like houses, striving to keep barns closed-in to protect cows from winter weather. However, building them that way ignored the fact that cows have a different temperature comfort range than people. Research shows that average lying-down time decreased from 10.9 to 7.9 hours per day as temperatures increased. Thus, cows may alter stall usage if barns are not adequately ventilated.

Poor ventilation in barns can result in increased respiratory problems and increased transmission of diseases. Lack of proper ventilation can lead to high moisture levels, manure gases, pathogens and dust concentrations, which create an adverse environment for dairy cows.

“For optimal production and well-being, producers should provide dairy cows with a constant supply of fresh, clean air,” Bewley says. “Frequently exchanging air removes or reduces the concentrations of dust, gases, odors, airborne disease organisms and moisture.”

Ventilating Barns
Maximizing natural ventilation is the first step toward improving overall ventilation, Bewley stresses. Natural ventilation relies on barn openings and orientation to remove heat and humidity from the cow’s environment.

Exhausted air generally leaves the barn through sidewalls and ridge openings. Although old barn designs suggested closed-in barns, current recommendations are to open the barns up to allow for better air exchange. Sidewalls allow for air, heat and humidity to be easily and continuously removed from the barn.

“All of this is particularly critical during the summer,” Bewley says. “If producers are concerned about the potential negative effects of open sidewalls during the winter, sidewall curtains, which can be raised in the summer and lowered during the winter, may be added to eliminate this concern.”
 
A ridge opening should also be provided on the roof of the barn to facilitate air removal, he says, allowing warm, moist air to rise and exit the barn, even on calm days. The ridge opening should be at least 2 inches per 10 feet of barn width. With overshot barn roofs, the ridge opening should be at least 3 inches per 10 feet of barn width.

The steeper the barn roof slope, the better the movement of the warm, moist air out of the ridge vent. Bewley recommends a barn-roof slope of at least 3 inches of rise to 12 inches of run, but a slope of 4 inches of rise to 12 inches of run is preferred.

“Producers are often resistant to this change because of fears of precipitation entering the barn through the ridge opening.” Bewley says. “Although this is generally not a major problem, a ridge cap may be added to eliminate this concern. A few weeks ago, I visited a producer in western Kentucky who had constructed a new barn with an open ridge vent. He said he was considering opening the ridge vent in his older free-stall barn because he was so pleased with how the cows responded to the new barn. He recognized that he could see dramatic improvements in cow comfort in his old barn without spending a lot of money.”

For many older barns with ventilation problems, the main opportunity for improvement is removing tin or wood sidewalls that block natural winds from entering the barn. Before removing these obstructions, consider how this change might affect the structural integrity of the barn, Bewley explains. Producers may also supplement natural ventilation with mechanical ventilation by adding fans.

 “Adding fans to an existing freestall barn is one of the highest return investments a dairy producer can make,” he says.

Categories
Farm Management

Hiring a Farm Manager

hiring farmmanager
PJPhoto69/iStock/Thinkstock

Farm managers oversee and run the day-to-day operations on the farm. They’re often associated with large farm operations, but just like the larger operations, a busy small-scale farm requires daily attention and time that you may not have, especially if you hold a full-time off-farm job. Even as a small-farm owner, you, too, can benefit from the experience and know-how of a farm manager.

Deciding You Need a Farm Manager

When determining if you need to hire a farm manager, consider the goals you have for your farm and property. Consider the size of your farm, location, and how monetizing will affect the farm and your enjoyment of it.

Next, decide if you have the time, knowledge and skills to achieve your goals. This understanding will allow you to select the kind of farm-management arrangement that best suits you. You may choose to use a farm-management company, directly hire a farm manager or continue to manage the farm yourself.

For Michelle Dietzler of Dietzler Farms, hiring a farm manager was an integral part of taking what had started out as a hobby farm and developing it into a full-fledged farm business. Her father had purchased the farm in rural southern Wisconsin in the 1990s as a place for the family to spend the summer. The family worked together to bring the farm’s physical features back to life, but her father remained at his full-time job in Chicago.

Dietzler’s goals were larger than many hobby farmers’. The relationship she’s developed with her farm manager is one of teamwork. Her farm manager oversees all of the day-to-day operations of the farm, from feeding the animals to managing artificial insemination to determining cattles’ market-readiness, while Dietzler handles the sales and marketing side of the farm business. She says hiring a farm manager was absolutely necessary:At first, raising cattle and getting them to market was a hobby and done for the enjoyment of providing meat to family and friends. Then Dietzler left her city job three years ago to see if she could make something more of the farm.

“There is just too much work to do to run a farm. I needed a partner,” she said.

She looked for someone who is skilled, not only in the traditional methods of farm operations, but in the ever-changing world of technology, as well.

Direct-hire Farm Managers

One farm-management option you may consider is direct-hiring a farm manager, though this may come with obstacles, according to Ed Kiefer of Hertz Farm Management.

Kiefer says one thing a hobby farmer should keep in mind is the value of their land and crop. He also points out that other types of farm ventures, such as livestock or agritourism, have potential to bring in revenue that could support a farm manager.

“Depending on [the location], the size of [the farm] may be so small that the overall profit is not going to be that great. They might not be willing to pay the cost to have something that small managed,” he says. “To get the maximum out of a real-estate investment, someone has to put in the hours and take the time and evaluate the alternatives. There are lots of things that can be done. The only limit is probably your imagination.”

When hiring a farm manager directly, know what tasks you want to accomplish. Evaluate the responsibilities he will have on the farm and identify what skills he should possess before joining your operation.  Gather this info during the interview process.

Farm-management Companies

Today’s farm managers come with an ever-increasing knowledge of farming, including the necessary business, marketing and day-to-day operation skills. Farming techniques and practices have evolved with the changing technology and culture that they support. It’s important that your farm manager understands it all.

“A farm manager—and the role of a farm manager—has changed quiet a bit over the last few years,” says Brian Stockman, executive vice president for the American Society of Farm Managers and Rural Appraisers. “A few years ago, they worked with a few-thousand acres—2,000 to 5,000 acres—and now the average farm manager might manage 15,000 acres—some of them a whole lot more than that. So what they’re really doing … is they’re asset managers.”

Although your hobby farm has considerably fewer acres than large-scale farms, you may want to consider using a farm-management company to hire a farm manager. However, a large farm-management company might only be interested in doing business with you if your property is located next to another larger farm they’re already managing.

Farm Management Material

Hiring a farm manager or farmhand requires careful thought and planning. Legal, physical, employment, training and working conditions need to be considered.

The University of Missouri Extension report “Hiring and Managing Farm Labor” by Joe Parcell offers advice on hiring and managing farm labor. Information in the report includes a chart listing laws or regulations as set by the state of Missouri and the federal government. Tax forms, advice for finding the right employee, compensation and incentives, employee training, working conditions, employer-employee relations and more are covered.

Your local cooperative extension office and the Small Business Association can help you cover all your bases, as well.

Also consider these sources:
American Society of Farm Managers and Rural Appraisers
303-758-3513


515-382-1500

Manage Your Own Farm

If your hobby farm and the goals you have for it are not as large as Dietzler’s, you may be able to handle farm-management responsibilities on your own. Serving as your own farm manager is a realistic option, especially in the beginning. Without skills and experience, though, you may find you don’t have the knowledge you need to take your hobby and turn it into a revenue-positive operation.

Taking business classes and working with your local cooperative extension office are two excellent routes for learning the skills you need to meet your farm’s business goals.

You may find you can serve as your own farm manager to oversee the big picture and hire a part-time farmhand to do the day-to-day tending.

By understanding your financial needs, determining your goals and opportunities, and then ascertaining the most cost-effective means of managing all of these, you can decide what type of farm manager your hobby farm can afford.

Categories
Equipment

How to Clean a Saw

When rummaging through your tool shed, deciding which tools you should keep or toss, don’t eliminate an item just because it looks old and rusty. Many tools can be salvaged by giving them extra attention. Use this easy two-step process to clean an old saw, extending its usable life.

Cleaning a Saw – Step 1 

Cleaning an old saw

Use your wire brush to remove rust, sap and other debris, brushing back and forth on both sides of the saw.

 

 

 

 

 

Cleaning a Saw – Step 2

Cleaning an old saw

With steel wool and some 3-in-1 oil, scour the saw, staying away from the teeth. Rub the steel wool across the blade in outward strokes that are parallel to the teeth. Wipe off excess oil.

 

 

 

Restore your saw to this condition after every use, and you’ll find it’s always sharp and ready for the job at hand.

About the Author: Emery Hinkley is an artist who lives on a farm in Oregon with her three carriage horses, two labradors and two kittens.