THE SQUIRREL CHALLENGE: Want to join?

[Beekissed]

We are up for the challenge. We are starting from scratch as we just moved in to our place in December. Seeds are bought and started, just have to till up the garden area 65'x35'. 17 rhode island red chicks now 2 weeks old. 60 broiler chicks 1 week old. 2 peach trees, 2 apple trees, 2 pear trees on order.

That's the ticket! Grow more, store more! Just think, folks...at the end of this fall, there should be a whole bunch of SSers with fat cellars, pantries, barns, wood sheds, freezers, etc.

Won't we be going into winter with big smiles on our faces?

 

[Quail_Antwerp]

Well, lets see...planted my cabbage, califlower, broccoli.

Already had 2 pear trees, but so far this year have planted 2 plum, 1 peach, and 2 blue berry bushes.

Found new raspberry bushes growing wild in an area we normally mow. Cleared off around them and am letting them grow as they will.

Spread manure around the wild blackberry bushes...hoping they produce well this year, too!

Purchased more pullets (Red Stars) for egg laying and more female ducklings for duck eggs.

Found feedstore that is nice, cheaper, and will deliver FREE.

Had a stash of canned peaches...but well...house guests and that's all I'm saying......

Got twelve 8 pound bags of dog food FREE.

Purchased two doeling goats for $25 each..thought that was way cheap! And they are already weaned. Have new buckling lined up as soon as he is weaned.

Sold extra roos at auction to save on feed/space.

Built A-Frame coop for bantam pair of chickens completely out of recycled materials and pallets. Spent $2.14 for nails. Still have 1/2 the nails for the next recycled materials coop.

Sold enough Speckled Sussex hatching eggs to pay for this week's feed bill.

Planted 20 pounds of red pontiac seed potatoes.

Planted 4 pounds of onions.

 

[Beekissed]

Wow!!! Quail is squirrelin' now!!!!! So many irons in the fire that she will have everything ironed out by the time the challenge is over!

Isn't all this crazy fun? Just think...we could be addicted to something waaaayyyyy more harmful than SS!

I can almost picture a little chipmunk named Aly, scurrying around with cheeks full of seeds.....

 

[justusnak]

Wow, I almost forgot about this thread. :/ So far I have been able to get a few boxes of canning lids...

I finally got my sheep...2 Ewes, and will be getting the ram in a few months. This fall we will let them breed..and in spring..hopefully 2 little ones to add to the farm. Depending on whats born, maybe meat for the freezer in the fall.

Planted my potatos...they are coming up great!
Planted 100 onions...50 red/50 yellow The yellow are for winter storage as they store much better.
The garlic is coming up as well. Yum yum, fresh garlic!
Planted 15 raspberry plants..not expecting much this year...but next year maybe!
My turkey hen hatched out 6 poults. 4 will be sold in the fall, 2 will go in the freezer.
HOPEING next week...we will be getting between 2 and 4 butcher hogs.
Oh, the peas are just starting to poke through the ground. This is my first year planting peas...hopeing they come up well...and I can cann them. I LOVE peas!
The 2 peach trees we planted are doing great. Peaches in a few years! Woohoo!
Oh, and Wal Mart had Folgers on sale...the big 2 pound can...custom roast..$5.00 each. I bought 6 for the pantry.
Keep it up everyone.....before you know it..it will be November!!

 

[me&thegals]

What hard workers we all are!

Bees come on Monday--6 lb. My lovely husband worked hard building 4 Kenyan topbar hives.

41 chicks are almost 1 month old--on their way to becoming laying hens.

Friday, 100 meat chicks arrive.

May 10, about 15 turkeys arrive.

May 20, another 40 chicks come to add to our laying flock.

24 dual-purpose breed roos in the freezer (well, less now ) from last winter.

I have about 1500 onions in the ground, 70# of potatoes. About half will go to our CSA (most of the onions), but I hope to have a LOT to store through until spring. Lots more fruits and veggies in the ground or under grow lights in the basement. We are still eating plenty of canned and frozen food from last year, so I think I'm prepared for the quantities that we can actually use in a year.

Last night, our delivery of fruit arrived: 2 paw-paws, 2 kiwi, 4 hardy apple varieties said to not need any chemicals, 8 blueberries.

Planted 26 asparagus plants and 7 rhubarb plants.

Also planted walking onions gifted to us by an aunt. Trying to find a spot to plant Jerusalem artichokes where they will not become invasive.

 

[Quail_Antwerp]

Planted 26 asparagus plants and 7 rhubarb plants.

Oh I forgot!! We planted our asparagus bed 2 days ago...20 plants.

The rhubarb bed we planted last year is already up and growing!

And our strawberries we planted last year (all 200 plants) are up and blooming and some already have berries coming on! We plant to pluck off any baby plants that sprout this year to encourage more berry production.

 

[Beekissed]

Justusnak....just a few canning lids?

All I can say is WOWZA to all you women!!! I'm so far behind I think I'm first!

 

[me&thegals]

Now that I highly doubt, Bee You've been so busy with animal projects!

 

[justusnak]

Justusnak....just a few canning lids?

All I can say is WOWZA to all you women!!! I'm so far behind I think I'm first!

Oh Bee, I want about 10x's that in the pantry!! One never knows when...or IF you will need them for bartering!
I just pick up a few boxes every time I go into town...I already have about 20...no, maybe 30 cases of jars with bands. I put the word out to the family, and I KEEP getting jars! Woohoo....bring em on!

 

[Blackbird]

Is it too late to join?

Does it only include products/produce etc that your saving for winter?