tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-71779569997633777742011-07-30T22:19:47.124-07:00(round house or not)Laceynoreply@blogger.comBlogger351100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7177956999763377774.post-81115681884302075232011-03-08T13:08:00.000-08:002011-03-08T13:08:58.441-08:00

While we may return to this space in the future, for now we're keeping up with our gardening/urban homesteading at our family blog: www.LifeasaSchoolhouse.com We've handed the the reigns of the land over to Drew's folks and they have lots of big plans for what we call 'the land'--officially 'Plan Bee'. You can follow their progress here: www.WildThingsInaBox.blogspot.com We appreciate your

Laceynoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7177956999763377774.post-27836850917266156712010-10-20T07:33:00.000-07:002010-10-20T07:33:12.087-07:00

We finally gave in the other day and took down the tomato plants and got the garden beds ready for winter here at the city homestead. The plants still had tons of green tomatoes on them that were just not ripening. Given the time of year they were probably not going to ripen before the frost gets them. So we picked all of them because we knew we could do something with them.Turns out that you can

Drewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16309397778482042531noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7177956999763377774.post-12559317294489778122010-10-09T07:35:00.000-07:002010-10-09T07:35:35.345-07:00

Our newest addition is the garlic bed. After this year success with garlic we wanted to try a few different kinds, so I got a variety pack that has a little over two pounds of garlic in it. I made a bed of mushroom compost and wheat straw mixed with the tilled dirt for the bed and after we plant it all we will give them a little top coating of more compost to feed on through the winter. The

Drewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16309397778482042531noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7177956999763377774.post-89669185125555088432010-09-20T17:46:00.000-07:002010-09-20T17:46:46.143-07:00

Our outhouse is officially underway. So far the sub-floor is in place & 2 walls have been constructed (though still not in place). We're hoping to have it ready this week for 'christening'.  Here are a few shots:pieces are built & then assembled at the site because power tools work faster. truing the sub-floor. no wobbly potties, please!one wall.the not-builders enjoying some r&r in a new hammock

Laceynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7177956999763377774.post-20732152769385280722010-08-29T17:40:00.000-07:002010-08-29T17:40:01.957-07:00

The backyard garden has gotten out of control. this year we were hit with a really bad case of Bermuda grass. It started out in just one little bed but it slowly has taken over the entire garden. There is no eradicating it that I know of. If you pull it out, the next time you go outside it has doubled in size. If you till it the next day your entire garden is filled with it. I tried organic

Drewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16309397778482042531noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7177956999763377774.post-58964403621923189352010-08-22T18:29:00.000-07:002010-08-22T18:29:02.174-07:00

Queen of the water! Since we bought the land we have been trying to get water out there so that we could water animals, plants, and ourselves. This has also turned out to be one of the most difficult projects that we have undertaken so far.  Here is the deal. In order to get a well dug you have to have a well permit, which means that you have to have the health department come out and inspect

Drewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16309397778482042531noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7177956999763377774.post-28801497666278646882010-08-12T09:19:00.000-07:002010-08-16T19:45:54.972-07:00

I blame the heat. Well, that and funds...we have a lot of projects planned, but needed to take a break on spending all our extra earnings on farm-related items. Like breathing, we're exhaling right now. But, this offers us an opportunity to truly appreciate the free-er side of farming. Like, magnificent sunsets across the open field. And beautiful tables made by talented friends/contributors who

Laceynoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7177956999763377774.post-44571642709030093592010-08-01T12:52:00.000-07:002010-08-01T12:52:55.527-07:00

Not much in the way of farming was done, but we spent our first night at the land. It was a nice temperature & although wet, once we strapped a tarp to the top of our shelter structure, we stayed really dry. I think we'd all prefer cool & damp to hot & damp... Our first camp fire: Our first hammock: (actually our second, but the first was only suitable for little people). Our first morning in the

Drewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16309397778482042531noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7177956999763377774.post-25068269291775632392010-07-21T17:28:00.000-07:002010-07-21T18:49:12.257-07:00

The Shelter just needs a roof now. Next comes my outdoor grill/oven/smoker. We have been hard at work trying to survive the heat and yet get something done before the growing season is over. The bees are doing good but the extra cold winter, the move out to the land and some of them being new hives has really limited the amount of honey that we got so far this year. The buckwheat "field" There

Drewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16309397778482042531noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7177956999763377774.post-25386415762380240612010-07-15T20:56:00.001-07:002010-07-15T20:57:47.493-07:00

Breaking down the costs:3 dozen ears of (organic) local corn: $15 14 (reusable) Canning Jars: $11.65Total: Approx $1.90/pintSavings: waste, trips to store, freezer space, peace of mind. & ultimately I wouldn't count the jars as they will be used again, so minus cost of jars: $1.07/pint for local, organic, non-gmo, canned corn. We have another dozen & are thinking about doing some creamed corn--

Laceynoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7177956999763377774.post-26391943736263149562010-07-11T13:38:00.000-07:002010-07-11T13:38:12.832-07:00

We spent a few hours at the land this morning. What was accomplished: Another timber was cut down for the finishing beams on our 'shelter'. We made some adjustments to our tree swing, it's less of a 3 person size & more individual now...still a little wonky in it's swing style--to think we thought the tree swing would be a simple project! We attempted to till some of the field to plant some cover

Laceynoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7177956999763377774.post-85613712099750167092010-07-06T12:08:00.000-07:002010-07-06T12:08:55.314-07:00

Development number 2: Guineas.not a guinea. a newborn calf we saw at the guinea farm.A week or so ago we ordered a dozen guineas and planned to pick them up at 6 weeks old. That day came on Friday, & we were a little unready. The men (drew & lane) finished a rustic coop for them on Thursday evening & Drew & I carted it out, and 'fenced' it Friday before we drove an hour to pick them up. It was

Laceynoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7177956999763377774.post-45965274900562423262010-07-05T16:52:00.000-07:002010-07-05T16:52:46.428-07:00

Maybe more of a jog, but we have been busy like our bees collecting and arranging and hoping it'll all be okay. We'll start by sharing one big thing we've added today & another one tomorrow. a '69 Nomad--totally our style. We're re-covering the cushions & making new curtains & thinking of endless other ways to make it ours. The neighbors are quickly discovering the hippie tendencies of the newest

Laceynoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7177956999763377774.post-77604342956972526052010-06-24T12:36:00.000-07:002010-06-24T13:32:08.355-07:00

Well our first honey harvest for the season is in. So far we have honey from one hive but there are hopes of more we will just have to see how to bees do this summer. Its going quick so if you want to order some let us know. The honey is in each of these "rows" each one is called a frame, the entire box of ten frames is called a super. This is what the honey frames look like when you take them

Laceynoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7177956999763377774.post-24424117489578162972010-06-13T14:12:00.000-07:002010-06-13T15:21:37.478-07:00

This morning we started what will be our first structure on the property. We spent many hours a few weeks back harvesting cedar logs off the property. Today we put them to use. We are making a true pole structure, it is going to be 16x10. We wanted to go for 20x10 but it is really hard to find a tree that is 20' and also manageable. Plus 16' fits better if we need to use dimensional lumber, 8'

Laceynoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7177956999763377774.post-55058870336658339632010-06-10T17:04:00.000-07:002010-06-10T17:04:41.431-07:00

The bees have officially found a spot on the land. The mighty stand assembled last Sunday has been put to good use. Last night Lane & Drew, after dark (in hopes of keeping all the field bees who would be snug in bed for the night), toted all seven of their combined hives to their new & hopefully permanent & comfortable home. Apparently, however, they were not docile. In fact, they were quite

Laceynoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7177956999763377774.post-16807459137866568052010-06-07T18:16:00.001-07:002010-06-07T18:16:54.644-07:00

This weekend on the farm...So we are going to be weekend farmers for a little bit. Like i have said on previous posts it turns out there is a lot to a farm, a lot of things that need to be built, dug, cut down, drilled, spread out, and stood up. Once we get a few of those done we will be able to live out there a little more of the week and hopefully one day, everyday. Enough of that. we built a

Laceynoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7177956999763377774.post-51726794010452858082010-05-27T12:29:00.000-07:002010-06-12T13:36:07.083-07:00

Well in case you don't read Lacey's blog we have become the stewards of twenty three and half acres in Liberty, NC. Which for us has become a dream come true. The hardest part of farming is acquiring the land, once that is accomplished the rest is just all work. The property is basically a long rectangle, that is about four hundred feet wide and about a half mile long. In the front is a five acre

Laceynoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7177956999763377774.post-74678530763603424862010-04-19T05:07:00.000-07:002010-04-19T07:57:23.213-07:00

When you get new bees there are mainly two new ways to get them. One is called a "nuc" which is short for nucleolus, the other is a package, which is about 3lbs of bees and a queen. I have always gone for the nucs because they seem easier to install and bees are more established. But in an effort to mix things up we went in a package this time. We got them from a local apiary called Busy Bee

Laceynoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7177956999763377774.post-17962948400772288152010-04-06T11:26:00.000-07:002010-04-06T11:57:39.593-07:00

After a few weeks of working out all the unexpected I have officially finished the chicken tractor. Lacey and Naomi still have to paint it but all the functional stuff is done. The last coop I built on a wheelbarrow stand thinking that if you can move 80 pounds of concrete around why not a few chickens and some eggs. What I didn't think about was the run. Every time I wanted to move the coop I

Laceynoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7177956999763377774.post-76458190337620923862010-03-28T14:11:00.000-07:002010-03-28T14:51:34.439-07:00

Chickens: With our first coop we were thinking easy, mobile & simple. It has worked great & we've liked many things about it--namely being built on a wheel barrow base for easy transport.old.Well, Drew got it in his head to switch things up & there's never a way for me to convince him that what's working is working. So, he came up with a plan & used me only for re-thinking measurements & such. He

Laceynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7177956999763377774.post-27050905750819040182010-03-11T17:48:00.000-08:002010-03-11T18:45:16.105-08:00

I know it is still early to say finally spring is here, I have to remind myself that our worst snow storms are usually in march. But man it sure does feel good to get out side and work the garden. We have been working on quite a few projects since the last post.1. Snow Peas planted2.Kale planted3.Carrots planted4.Potatoes sprouting5.feeding bees6.chicken waterer projectWe planted two varieties.

Laceynoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7177956999763377774.post-66508579371324913572010-02-23T08:06:00.001-08:002010-02-24T10:39:52.496-08:00

If you live in the area you know that this weekend was beautiful. Just when you think that winter will never end you get a little glimpse of spring. So we spent pretty much the whole day outside. Naomi and I worked in the garden, worked the hives, messed with the chickens and pruned the apple tree. In the fall i planted some winter rye as an experiment to see how it would do as a cover crop. The

Laceynoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7177956999763377774.post-16319405557628475112010-02-19T14:16:00.000-08:002010-02-19T14:30:42.295-08:00

The seedlings have been growing for a little while now and things are not looking so well. In my professional opinion the seedlings seem to be getting stringy. Stringy plants make for weak plants. I am not sure if it is to late now or not but I am changing up the lighting a little in hopes that it will strengthen the plants. I went to Lowe's today and got everything that I needed minus the

Laceynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7177956999763377774.post-68629603879104726762010-02-14T08:09:00.001-08:002010-02-14T08:22:48.797-08:00

Here comes the real test. This is where I always get to and where it always goes wrong. The seedlings are now all sprouting up. The Spinach is just breaking the surface and the artichoke has not come up yet but everything else has.Today we thined out all the extra seedlings so that there is one seedling per pot. This will help the plants grow stronger.The next step is we wait for the secondary

Laceynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7177956999763377774.post-91195963721886565842010-02-07T12:41:00.000-08:002010-02-07T14:17:23.255-08:00

We offically put our house on the market last week with For Sale by Owner. However, I dont know if you have heard but the housing market is not doing so well right now. So we are initiating plan "B" which is also know as plan "staying sane while we wait". We are getting ready for spring time, which means getting seeds started. Which is also a valuable farm skill. For as many years as I have been

Laceynoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7177956999763377774.post-29959983995477822112010-02-02T20:16:00.000-08:002010-02-02T20:19:05.382-08:00

it feels like we're not making any forward motions...what to do. We did have this idea about selling our house to Drew's business & making it a rental, we've already had a few nibbles in hopes that we would consider a renting option. Anyone have experience with this? Something to throw at the business accountant anyway.That's all for now, aside from a few spam texts.

Laceynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7177956999763377774.post-66818241107986746002010-02-01T09:10:00.000-08:002010-02-01T09:26:42.852-08:00

Well, not really. It's on the For Sale By Owner list, which isn't exactly the MLS list which might get us more coverage...but, we'll see. We're going to try & take advantage of every other internet option before paying for a silly number. Here it is. There's an update to the before picture from before. Contact the Owner drew 919-623-6048 Also try 336-669-8173

Laceynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7177956999763377774.post-12935850336668408822010-01-25T10:49:00.000-08:002010-01-27T16:51:13.818-08:00

We spent this past weekend with the hippies of western north carolina learning about Round houses made by deltec, out of Asheville. The houses are very cool, all of the load bearing for the house is done by the outside walls, which allows you to do whatever you want inside. The entire outer shell comes shipped to you and in a few days they say that you can have the whole thing put up. Their

Laceynoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7177956999763377774.post-62491554600028401392010-01-17T18:16:00.001-08:002010-01-27T17:00:38.936-08:00

After some sobering info from a realtor we're weighing our options, which are few. If we don't sell we don't move. If we don't list we don't sell. If we list with a realtor there goes a big chunk of our down payment. If we list on our own we may be bombarded with paperwork & unforseen things--namely not selling. Should we stay or should we go? sorry, just feeling a lyric would be nice.No, we're

Laceynoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7177956999763377774.post-3708257312135677352010-01-17T18:15:00.001-08:002010-01-17T18:15:51.252-08:00

    After the virtual recon that we had done of the 97acres we knew there would be a gate to get into the property. What we weren't expecting to find was a logging company there. Once we got past the logging company, the road wasn't so bad, something a few steps down from a dirt road but a smidgen up from just a trail. Our trusty guide and head recon man Mr. Watkins gave us a tour of the property

Laceynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7177956999763377774.post-69456255171039972010-01-17T18:14:00.000-08:002010-01-17T18:15:06.792-08:00

sunday driveon the weekends--when it's nice--we go for rides in the country side. We usually find the prettiest parcels of land with the oldest most decrepit houses & pretend we have infinite resources to make it the place of our dreams, groan about the travesty of a place like this decaying before our eyes, and fantasize.Of course we did it all again this past weekend, & will probably use more

Laceynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7177956999763377774.post-9306111214732564782010-01-17T18:13:00.000-08:002010-01-17T18:14:29.534-08:00

a most uplifting note from the broker today:"The income looks good. The next step would be to do complete an application and pull credit. When is a good time for me to give you a call?"

Laceynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7177956999763377774.post-49757728648010229422010-01-17T18:12:00.000-08:002010-01-17T18:13:37.486-08:00

Just a quick update. We've talked to a few lenders/magic workers & we're still waiting to hear the word on if we'll qualify for a loan. As it stands we have some bank-men who can't get off the phone quick enough & others who graduated just down the road from Drew with some of his best youth-hood friends! Small mundo.So. drum roll...we wait.Sometimes one thinks (when I say one, I mean "I",

Laceynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7177956999763377774.post-14672313211078937952010-01-16T09:18:00.000-08:002010-01-16T09:25:03.172-08:00

We don't yet have a farm but if we did it would be RoundHouse Farms (tagline: "interactive agriculture"). Here's the journey that has led us to where we are with our urban farm life. Follow along as we get closer to some acreage! In our second year of marriage we lived in Asheville, NC--800 square feet & a porch & a container garden.We grew some (nasty pear)tomatoes & dill & a few other tasty

Laceynoreply@blogger.com2