Back Yard Work

Our current work at the house has involved a several new projects and some regular old ones. The time of year of course brings lots of canning and preserving. The sauerkraut has been great, we're also fermenting pickles right now. I'm also working on creating a few medicinal tinctures using herbs from Garfield Farm. Outside we're working on transforming our backyard. The three chickens and two dogs have pretty much destroyed whatever grass we had back there... I blame a very hot and dry summer. But, we've split the yard in half with a fence and heavily mulched one side for the dogs. The other side of the yard will be a perennial herb and vegetable garden starting next year. The side will also have a nice big patch of grass where the kids and play (and not worry about dog or chicken poop!) The chickens are doing great, right now they're working on fertilizing the area where the new herb garden will be. People have asked if the idea of the chickens fertilizing the yard to make a better lawn worked or failed. Well, we just had too much going on in the same little lawn and it was too hot. Much of the grass died out in the heat. The dogs are more to blame than the chickens. The new yard layout is already working much better.