Martin has spent the week end building the new goat house
in the paddock that will be there new home
we need to get them moved soon as they are due to give birth next month
and we hope to get them installed before the big days.
While Martin was doing that I was in the poly tunnel
I have been reading up about growing in hot beds
and set about making one this morning
I dug out the top soil from the bed area I put together with some of the pallet collars
then piled in the clearings from the duck house, chicken house and some alpaca poo
mixed it all together getting plenty of air into into it and gave it a good watering
then mounded it up into heap, in a few days the heap should start to heat up,
once the temperature has stopped rising, it will be tamped down into the bed
then the soil will be laid on top, it will then be ready for planting in,
I am planning to try some chili and pepper plants in this bed
on the other side of the poly tunnel the border is being filled with Alpaca poo
it will all be dug in along with some ground up egg shells I have been collecting, they will add some calcium to the ground, at the far end is the early potato bed.
the opposite side there is another pallet collar bed, carrots have been sown
the other veg growing are beetroot, spinach, radish lettuce and leeks.
the carrot bed has been covered with a couple of layers of fleece
slowly the growing season is getting on the way.
Tonight's dinner was again all home produced
Pork Chops, french beans and roast Oca.
The Weather
Today has been another mild day, cold but dry, most of the snow has gone now
the air has been thick with mist.
Great plans. The hot bed should work a treat. Another good home-grown meal too! Looking forward to seeing the goat house when it's finished - well done.
ReplyDeleteAll go on the farm as usual! Hope that you had some time to enjoy too. xx
ReplyDeleteI watched Month Don during the early summer build a hot bed for Melons. It was very successful. I hope yours does well. How exciting the wonderful gift of new life on your farm after the recent sadness. Looking forward to seeing the little kiddies!
ReplyDeleteGood plans, I'll be interested to see how you do with the hot beds. Tea looked great!
ReplyDeleteNice!!!
ReplyDeleteSo does the Alpaca poo have a cooling off period or is it like sheep dung?
I'm very interested in the hot bed. Though I shall be sending Mike into the fields for some horse & cow muck if I try one xx
ReplyDeleteGosh - you're already so productive! I'm having to hold back on growing this year as we will hopefully move in July/August and I'm don't fancy growing it all for others to harvest!!
ReplyDeleteDawn, I can't wait until I can post something like this!
ReplyDeleteI love your sense of enthusiasm Dawn - and I am envious. Years ago I did hot beds for early sowing of tomato seeds in the greenhouse, but I did them with electric cables. Your way sounds so much greener and more efficient. Good luck. That lunch looks delicious by the way.
ReplyDeleteHot beds, yay! I want to try these too.
ReplyDeleteBaby goats, yay! My first are due next month too.
Dinner looks good, the growing season has had a kick start by you. I can barely get to my greenhouse through the quagmire yet. Fingers crossed that it starts to dry up a bit soon.
ReplyDeleteWonderful that the alpacas can be treated to prevent further losses. Who would have thought that rain run off would cause that? The hot beds are a great idea. You guys are so productive. I wish I had embarked on your type of lifestyle many years ago. Left it too late but love hearing about you and your efforts and successes. We do live in the country on our own land but we are not self sufficient. The land is not farmland, it is rocks and trees. We did clear a lot of it and have grass but the soil is too thin to grow anything and trying to get posts in to make fences is impossible because of all the rocks. It is very peaceful though.
ReplyDelete