a much needed break

Just kidding! I had ya, didn’t I? I don’t know about other homesteaders, but I am fairly certain there is no such thing as a break while farming. So, what do you do while you’re waiting for the grass to grow?

Well, if you’re Superman, you buy another tractor. Because, you know, you didn’t experience enough issues with the first two [insert sarcasm here]. He is convinced this tractor will increase his productivity. I’m waiting for him to threaten selling it at the first sign of an issue. I really am trying to work on my pessimism, I promise.

His new goal is to have 2 tractors going at the same time, in separate pastures, going through different phases of the hay making process. Hopefully that can increase efficiency and ensure hay gets off the ground before rain comes. We’ll see…

Another thing you can do to entertain yourself while you’re waiting for grass to grow, is check on your garden. It’s much more budget-friendly than Superman’s option. I purchased Brian Lowell’s book Companion Planting for Beginners before we moved in hopes of planting a successful garden without the need for pesticides and other chemicals. It was useful and practical, and best of all, for visual learners such as myself, there were sample layout drawings for companion plants. It’s too soon to tell how well it will work in the long run, but we planted the garden the week we moved in (we were already pushing the deadline, so timing was crucial!), and things are already popping up!

You can almost see the crispness.

Summer squash and zucchini filling a basket almost as big as Tiny Tot! (Speedy just loves photo bombing.)

So far so good! It is still early in the season, so time will tell how well the companion planting works. But this bountiful early harvest was grown with zero chemicals! Of course, now we have to solve the age old problem of what to do with all those zucchini. Don’t worry, we’ll share a few ideas.

**P.S.- For those of you also following our home renovation, here is a sneak peak at another floor we uncovered. All I need now is a disco ball to go with it! (;