Hi everyone.
It's been a while since I've posted. A lot has been going on these past few months, enough that the blog was put aside. I know I was just getting started but as we all know life can have other plans, both personal and professional.
Right now it is cold and snowy outside and we had a lovely white Christmas for our small family.
The cows are not quite as pleased with the cold but they have their winter coat, nice and shaggy. The chickens are huddling in their coop, the bees are deep in the hive and we are in comfy sweaters. Let's see if I bring you up to date on Cottonwood Row.
As I mentioned, a lot has happened, both good and bad and some in between. If you had read about our cows, you know we were hoping that visitations with Mr. Bull last fall were successful. Well, two of the three cows gave birth. The first was born in late August. Cali was very sneaky and gave birth while we were away from the house for a couple of hours. Farmer D and the boy saw this little brown lump hiding in the field grass. This heifer is very sweet and Cali quite protective!
Cali is a very good mama and the heifer (aka Number 1) is now almost 3/4 of the size of her mother. Mr. Bull was a Red Angus, so we expect the calf to be bigger overall once grown.
The next calf (a bull we call Number 2, which I know unfortunate but funny in it's own way - Bull #2...ok, moving on...) didn't arrive until early October. Bessie, our big bossy girl, gave birth overnight and we found this little one racing along beside her when the hay was put out. He still looks tiny compared to Number 1, but he is growing just as quickly. Amazing how fast they grow.
Today, the four of us tackled Number 2 in the barn stall and banded him for castration. No nice way to say that, unfortunately. This was a first for us and we were all shaking when done - including the calf! I feel so bad for him but it needed to be done. Currently he is still small but we guess he already weighs about 200 pounds. Thankfully no injuries occurred other than the stink of cow poo stuck to our pants.
The calves were the most exciting change on the farm. The gardens, however, were a distinct disappointment.
The large corn patch didn't grow well either due to the seedlings being eaten by the birds or dry conditions that we couldn't fight well enough. The tomato plants grew to enormous size but fruit really never ripened and, if it did, the tomatoes had blossom end rot rendering them useless. (The chickens loved them, however!) The pumpkins and watermelons never set fruit but the cantaloupe was fairly successful and delicious.
On the good side, we harvested a nice crop of onions and potatoes. Overall, we ended up with about 55 pounds of onions and over 250 pounds of potatoes. All very tasty.
By the end of the season both garden patches were over-grown with weeds as our enthusiasm and energy waned. Currently the cows and birds love grazing through the field garden snacking on the stumpy corn stalks and tall grasses.
The orchard harvests were minimal. As mentioned earlier this year, the apples were a complete loss. We were able to get about 15 apricots that the birds had not attacked. The cherries were all eaten by the birds before we could get to them. The peaches fared better and we picked about 50 pounds to can. Both plum trees died from the harsh winter last year, so we'll be replacing those next spring. I don't know if we'll do plums or if we will plant some heirloom apple trees so we can make cider (when we get some good apples, that is!)
I'll do more in depth postings on those harvests later (I promise!) For the new year my goal is to post at least weekly. Planning for the spring is underway- the gardens, a change out in the chicken coop, and watching the beef calves grow so I'll be sure to share.
In the meantime I've joined the modern age and have an instagram account, thanks to the girl. The link is in the right nav bar. I've only added some photos you may have already seen just to get my feet wet but as I get more comfortable with it, you can see photos of the going's on at Cottonwood Row between postings.
Have a wonderful rest of the holiday season everyone!
It's been a while since I've posted. A lot has been going on these past few months, enough that the blog was put aside. I know I was just getting started but as we all know life can have other plans, both personal and professional.
Right now it is cold and snowy outside and we had a lovely white Christmas for our small family.
 |
| Beautiful sky and snow in the field on Christmas day. |
As I mentioned, a lot has happened, both good and bad and some in between. If you had read about our cows, you know we were hoping that visitations with Mr. Bull last fall were successful. Well, two of the three cows gave birth. The first was born in late August. Cali was very sneaky and gave birth while we were away from the house for a couple of hours. Farmer D and the boy saw this little brown lump hiding in the field grass. This heifer is very sweet and Cali quite protective!
 |
| The calf is about 4 hours old in this photo. |
The next calf (a bull we call Number 2, which I know unfortunate but funny in it's own way - Bull #2...ok, moving on...) didn't arrive until early October. Bessie, our big bossy girl, gave birth overnight and we found this little one racing along beside her when the hay was put out. He still looks tiny compared to Number 1, but he is growing just as quickly. Amazing how fast they grow.
 |
| Number 2 is about 10 hours old in this photo. Still unsteady on his legs. |
The calves were the most exciting change on the farm. The gardens, however, were a distinct disappointment.
The large corn patch didn't grow well either due to the seedlings being eaten by the birds or dry conditions that we couldn't fight well enough. The tomato plants grew to enormous size but fruit really never ripened and, if it did, the tomatoes had blossom end rot rendering them useless. (The chickens loved them, however!) The pumpkins and watermelons never set fruit but the cantaloupe was fairly successful and delicious.
On the good side, we harvested a nice crop of onions and potatoes. Overall, we ended up with about 55 pounds of onions and over 250 pounds of potatoes. All very tasty.
 |
| Red, Russet, Yukon Golds and Purple potatoes. |
 |
| A nice sized yellow onion, ready to be braided. |
I'll do more in depth postings on those harvests later (I promise!) For the new year my goal is to post at least weekly. Planning for the spring is underway- the gardens, a change out in the chicken coop, and watching the beef calves grow so I'll be sure to share.
In the meantime I've joined the modern age and have an instagram account, thanks to the girl. The link is in the right nav bar. I've only added some photos you may have already seen just to get my feet wet but as I get more comfortable with it, you can see photos of the going's on at Cottonwood Row between postings.
Have a wonderful rest of the holiday season everyone!