Welcome to 2023.
It’s a new year and I’ve decided it was time to get back to blogging.
First, a few updates.
- In October 2019, we closed Blue Gypsy Wines permanently. The reason was that we just weren’t making enough money for the effort that was going into the enterprise. If I’m being honest, I should have pulled the trigger 2 years earlier.
- After my wife and I separated, we put the farm up for sale. However, we had 2 offers and both were ridiculously low. Needless to say, we declined them.
- My wife and I came to an agreement that had me take over the farm on my own, renovate the building and move in. I chose to rebrand, and Blue Gypsy Wines became Blue Gypsy Homestead. Now, what was once a winery is slowly becoming a market farm where I have built approximately 3000 sq ft of gardens, a chicken coop for raising meat birds, and an area for rabbits.
Beginning in 2020, I began building garden beds. My first was a 30 foot by 30 foot, in-ground area. Used my tractor to till the area and break up the sod. I bought woven ground fabric to hinder weed growth. That first year, I harvested mostly strawberries and vegetables.
In 2021, still in the throes of the COVID pandemic, food shortages, etc., I decided to expand the gardens and created a second 30 foot by 30 foot, in-ground area. Again. I tilled the area and laid down weed fabric. I also built a tunnel to grow climbing plants in the hopes that I would get some squash and peas. Growth on the tunnel didn’t go as planned and the crops I planted next to it didn’t come up. Lesson learned. I anticipated a shortage of mason jars because of the new interest in gardening, and luckily I managed to buy 20 cases, half were 500 ml and the other half, 1 litre.
I used a drill auger to ‘dig’ holes that were 2” across and 6“inches deep. I either plant a start that I had grown indoors, or a seed. Digging a deep hole, then backfilling it with a soft medium, allows the plants to set roots and spread out easily. This becomes extremely important at the beginning when the plant is most vulnerable.
A late frost killed off the tops of my frost tender plant starts, but because the roots were deep and protected, they rebounded eventually.
The in-ground beds were very successful, and I was encouraged to keep trying different things. My farm was now a laboratory as well.
In the fall, I put out a call for people’s leaves. Since the town was charging a $1 per bag drop off fee, my offer was taken up eagerly. I went around town picking up bags of leaves for free which I then mowed and tilled into my gardens. Fall Leaves are a significant source of nutrients such as Carbon, Nitrogen, Phosphorous, and Potassium. As leaves decompose via microbes or worms, these essential nutrients are released into the soil.
In 2022, I bought 5 cubic yards of mushroom compost. I spread it on top of the garden and put a handful in each hole that I was planting in. I planted the 2 in-ground areas with a wide variety of vegetables. I built two raised beds measuring 4 by 10 feet from salvaged boards. I planted asparagus, garlic, and horse radish. I harvested a massive amount of horse radish, and it was exquisite.
This was also the year I decided to buy a freeze dryer in anticipation of a good harvest, to help preserve some of the bounty. I was absolutely stunned by the abundance of my work.
I went on a canning spree and canned dozens of jars of everything. I also freeze-dried zucchini, corn, peas, carrots, onions, and beans. In theory, freeze dried goods have a shelf life of 25 years.
What I didn’t freeze dry, I froze or canned in mason jars.
I sourced another 20 cases of jars in 2022 and stored them away for future use. Once again, half were 500 ml and the other half, 1 litre.
I watched (and continue to watch) YouTube videos that were produced by homesteaders, and I learned a great deal. For example, I learned to raw pack (can) raw chicken which gave me more room in my freezer.
NOTE: I should point out that raw packing meat, especially chicken, is safe if done correctly. I was able to essentially remove the meat from chicken carcasses, pack it in mason jars, add salt and water, and pressure can them for 90 minutes. (Please note, this is an explanation, not directions.) The result was fully cooked and preserved chicken.
So here we are in 2023.
I’ve got plans to build another tunnel, except this time, I plan on making it into a de facto greenhouse. I have 500 strawberry plants due the first week of June along with more plants than I can remember. It is going to be an exciting year.
Please visit my farm’s Facebook page for more: https://www.facebook.com/BlueGypsyHomestead
Now, back to planning my garden for the Spring…