I can’t believe it- but as of this spring I’ve been keeping chickens for eggs for 8 years! Living in Maine, I’ve discussed keeping chickens in extreme temperatures and weather conditions, like winds so fierce they blow your coop over. Three separate times. Since the beginning, we’ve used Deep Litter Method for our henhouse. AndContinue reading “Chicken Keeping- Deep Litter Method”
Author Archives: gillisgardensllc
Hoardsteading
They’re are several keys to successful homesteading- today I’d like to talk about the ugly reality behind frugal farm adventures. The truth is we are level one hoarders. According to aftermath.com “Hoarding Level One: Clutter is not excessive, all doors and stairways are accessible, there are no odors, and the home is considered safe and sanitary.”Continue reading “Hoardsteading”
Operation SOS – Save our Strawberries: Part 1
As previously mentioned – this is a last ditch effort to see if we can save the very neglected and badly planned strawberry garden. We already knew we lost over half the plants in between planting and year two- pretty disappointing. Last year we weeded them out – once- and it just wasn’t enough toContinue reading “Operation SOS – Save our Strawberries: Part 1”
2021 Goals!
Better late then never- and hey, I’m actually ahead of where I was last year! Also – Happy April! Once again- I’ll be treating this as a list of goals and a general update on the farm because multitasking. In fact I’m cooking pasta as I write this. It’s bound to explode in my face.Continue reading “2021 Goals!”
2020 Goals: Updated
Let me start this blog out with a long drawn out, slightly hysterical bout of laughter Ahahahahhahbahaahbahahahahaahaaaaa 2020 was NOTHING like what we expected it to be- so much so that the reverberations can still be felt. So without further ado- our updated goal list for 2020- what the heck did we actually get doneContinue reading “2020 Goals: Updated”
Should We Start Breeding Pigs- The Why & The How
The spring of 2020 was INSANE, I think we can all agree. And in this blog I’m going to ruminate over pigs and what the heck happened last year. I don’t know about what other homesteaders went thru in their respective areas, but holy smokes. Piglets were a hot commodity – for a few reasons.Continue reading “Should We Start Breeding Pigs- The Why & The How”
Fun fact – I am an ordained minister
So back in my college days, I had some friends that wanted to get married. They asked me to do the service. So I hopped online, found a church willing to ordain me and happily signed the dotted line. Boom! I became Minister Elizabeth – For some reason, no one ever believes me. I’m thinkingContinue reading “Fun fact – I am an ordained minister”
Raising Pigs for Meat: A Third Year Review
A breakdown of our third year raising pigs for meat.
Raising Chickens for Meat: A Third Year in Review
Well, this year has brought us some relatively large changes as far as raising our own meat birds. (For a recap click Here, Here and also check out our Cost Of blog, ifen you’re interested.) First – we only bought 3 bags of flock raiser feed and then moved onto the meat bird crumbles atContinue reading “Raising Chickens for Meat: A Third Year in Review”
