To contact us:

Please click on this link and fill out a form, we will get back to you as soon as possible.

Gardening Advice

             “How does planting in rows use more water than planting in clumps?”

             In traditional agriculture crops are planted in rows with a wide row of dirt in between the rows of crops. This was developed to allow large machines for harvesting, etc. This bare soil allows water to evaporate. When you plant in clumps, clusters or groupings in varying levels there is more soil covered and it keeps the water in the soil better because the plants cover the soil, protecting it from the sun. Keep in mind the mature size of a plant when planting or plan on thinning out the plants as they mature. To help keep moisture in the soil while plants are young you can use mulch, just watch the moisture level so you don’t grow mold or fungus on your new plants.

 

             “I have young children, what farm animals would be good around them?”

             There are a lot of animals that are great with young children.  Chickens are very easy to care for, I would suggest a docile breed like Orpingtons and Aracaunas (Easter Egg Chickens). Even children as young as seven can care for them almost entirely by themselves with supervision. Younger children can be a great help to the adults caring for the chickens.

             Nigerian dwarf goats are also another good animal for children. If you get a bottle fed baby they will be more tame and used to human interaction. Young goats may even consider the children part of the herd!

Ducks are another great choice for children but a bit messy for them to be solely responsible for their care, so give your children a bit of help.

             Another thing to keep in mind with children is to make sure they understand the purpose of your animal. If the animals are going to be eaten, then give the animals appropriate names, like breakfast or sausage. If the chickens will only be used for eggs and fertilizing your garden, then they can be treated and bonded to like pets, same with dairy goats. If you give a meat animal an appropriate name then it helps remind you and your children of the animal’s purpose. When we decided to raise meat rabbits we named the parents and told the kids we would only eat the “mean” babies. We didn’t have the younger kids around for the slaughtering. After awhile when they saw how many babies the rabbits had and how often, it wasn’t such a big deal to know that we were going to eat them.

Disclaimer - every animal is different, please supervise your children around animals.

By not planting your plants in rows but in small blocks you are mimicking nature keeping more moisture in the ground.

Questions from our readers

And answers from our experience

The Suburban Home Farm

Timely Information and Support for the

Urban and Suburban Home Farmer.