We purchased the property in 2017 and worked diligently since then to enhance the land area and turn it from a clearcut woodlot and lawn into a working homestead farm and small commercial farm. We have used only no till, regenerative methods and only a couple of organic supplements and pest measures. All of the garden beds were created with the "lasagna gardening" method (layering organic materiel on top of cardboard). Each year we have deep mulched the garden beds in the fall with things like wood ash, leaves, grass cuttings, manure, and compost and each spring we have added more compost.
In 2017 we planted 8 high bush blueberries, 3 rhubarb, several perrenial herbs including lavender & thyme and started a nettle patch. We also created 10 annual beds. Homed 3 goats to help deal with areas of brambles. Also had 6 Guinea hens and started a flock of 8 laying hens.
In 2018 & 2019 we added 10 more annual beds, raised 3 pigs the first year and 10 the next. We planted 8 more high bush blueberries, 2 haskcaps, a mulberry, 2 beds of fall bearing raspberries, and about 12 elderberries. We also inoculated about 20 logs with shiitake spawn. And we built a woodshed big enough to hold 3 years worth of wood. We hosted several WWOOF farm volunteers during this time.
In 2020, we cleared the area that had been planted in pine trees and then clearcut in 2015. We green manured the whole area and planted 4 apple trees, 2 peach trees and a mulberry tree and also planted a squash patch in that area. We expanded the annual garden area to a total of 32 beds. We raised 12 pigs, 11 of which we sold to local buyers. And we raised 100 broiler chickens which we slaughtered and split with farming friends nearby for our personal consumption. We built a farmstand/farm shed combo which we opened for the season selling produce, flowers, eggs, shiitake mushrooms, and dry & canned goods. We hosted pairs of 2 WWOOF volunteers for 2 weeks at a time for the whole season to help with the expanded production.
In 2021 we both decided to switch our off farm careers and thus made the decision that even though all of our farming endeavors had been going really well, that we would scale back to just homesteading farming whilst we went back to school and made shifts off farm. So in the past 5 years we have scaled back to about 20 garden beds, 6 laying hens, and all of our perennial fruit crops and herbs. We do a lot of canning and preserving (we have had 6 chest freezers stocked with produce), dry herbs for tea and medicine, we have ample storage crops like onions, garlic & squash. We have substantial rhubarb, elderberry and raspberry harvests and decent haskcap and blueberry harvests. We've been able to maintain a homesteading lifestyle that has felt nourishing and productive.
