Nickel Farm

Kale is unquestionably the most nutritious food on the planet and is the chief ingredient in my green smoothies. It sometimes will live all the through the winter.

There’s a chill in the air so I am getting my wood pile built up in the garage. My son-in-law brings me a pickup load every time he visits. Hooray!

I love my small (.20 acres) pasture which will eventually offer nutrition and fresh air to milk goats and chickens.

My 8′ Arizona Fir tree is the “center piece” of the Forest Garden. The stream from the waterfall will wind around and disappear behind the evergreen, creating a feeling of mystery in the garden. I talk to the tree often and it is thriving.

My favorite evening salad is fresh tomatos, avocados, and bean sprouts with a little Udos oil and ranch dressing. YUM!!!

The rough graded irrigation pond will eventually be lined with pond liner and supply water to underground greenhouses (walipinis) during the winter when the irrigation water is turned off. Would not be surprised if someone doesn’t “accidently” fall into the pond on a hot summer day.

This closeup of the oolitic limestone stones comprising the 1879 portion of the house shows the individual chisel marks made by hard working pioneers. The walls are about 20″ thick which sometimes make signal reception on a cell phone difficult.

In,order to simplify my watering chores, I planted Heritage beet, letuce, bush bean, and spinach seeds just inside the basins of my fruit trees in the Forest Garden. Have really enjoyed the fresh greens in my green smothies. Will harvest this year’s seeds and contribute them to the local seed bank. The left over leaves will be cut and placed as mulch around the fruit trees.

Finally got all the glass panels installed in the Sun Room. Still need to add wood trim to the windows and install glass sliders. Hope to have a warm, sunny place to eat breakfast this coming winter!

I’m planning on having “vine ripened” tomatos clear to Christmas. For that to happen, I ripped several wood strips off the house and built a simple frame right around my 7′ tall plants and covered it with visqueen. The tomatos are planted adjacent to a south facing rock wall and should, with the electric heater I placed in the tent, last well into the fall.