Celerate Good Times

Thanks to everyone who came out to BBQ on Silver Creek. The weather was fine and the food was good but the company was grand! We had a lot to celebrate and were so glad to share it with our friends and family. As usual, my photography is inadequate but you will get the idea.The guest of honor

This was the most photographed quest of the day.

Garden Work

Until now, we have never mechanically tilled the garden. Over the past two and a half years, pigs have done it all. However, our pig that we raised in the garden last winter did a great job of rooting up the garden early on, only to pack it down tightly after a long wet spell. We planted in the packed dirt, only loosening a small spot for each plant and hoped that putting a layer of wood chips over the hard packed soil would help the worms do their job. As far as growth goes, the garden did just fine (we just had rain and insect issues). After the garden was done, we dug down through the woodchips to find that the layer of hard packed dirt was still there. Although it probably would have been fine to leave, we decide to till the garden. Even the tiller had a tough time cutting through the packed clay, so we traded some favors with our neighbor and good friend Jamie to bring over his 1950's Ford tractor and run his plow through the garden a few times to break things up a bit. The plow probably ran 12 inches or so deep and was able to break up in a few minutes what would have taken our 5hp front tine tiller several hours. After plowing, we ran the tiller around a little just to break up the clods and get into the corners where the tractor could not go.

We were very happy to see lots of rich dark dirt coming to the surface, even from 12 inches down.

After Plowing

Just a little of the red clay we started out with came to the surface.

After breaking up the clods with the tiller and raking a bit it looks pretty good. The plan now is to get several trailer loads of tree bark compost from the local sawmill, build a pile in the center of the garden which will be used to compost other materials through the winter, then spread over the garden before planting next spring.

Pig Pickin for Heifer

The First Annual Pig Pickin' for Heifer!

Thanks to everyone who came and for the donations to Heifer International!

The cook

The Guest of Honor

So much food!

Some Pickers

Katie and Nate

Brandon and Nate

I just wish I had taken more pictures. If you attended and have any pictures to share, please send.

Pigs

Say "Hello" to Bar and B-Que our two new pigs.

5/12/08

We picked up the pigs about a week ago and installed them in the pallet corral / future garden. In the last couple of days they have started to eat like pigs. We can hardly keep the trough full. We feed them 16% protein pellets- the same than the adult ducks and chickens get- and they are happily digging up worms and roots.

They haven't shown much interest in vegetable scraps but they did like the watermellon rind I tossed them last night. No 'oinking' yet. They bark like dogs!

1 Month Later 6/23/08

One month later Bar and B-Que have rooted out the future garden and are loving the muddy hole they have left behind. I know the mud is healthy for them... but ugh!